Simon's Rock at Bard College

06/22/2026

One more celebratory post for our 2026 Academy Matriculants! We can't wait to see you in the fall as first-years at Simon's Rock.

06/18/2026

Hear from Dr. Chris Coggins, Faculty in Geography and Asian Studies, about working with the students at Simon's Rock.

06/17/2026

Interested in visiting campus to learn more about our innovative high school and early college programs? Visit us on Wednesdays and Fridays between 12-3 p.m. now through August. It's a great opportunity to meet faculty and staff, tour campus, and get your questions about early college answered.

06/15/2026

Another round of applause for our 2026 Academy Matriculants!

06/14/2026

Another round of applause for our 2026 BA and AA graduates!

06/12/2026

Meet Dr. Ken Knox, Faculty in Mathematics and the Director of the Early College Research Institute!

In his current role, Ken Knox leads research and initiatives focused on early college pedagogy and institutional history. Ken previously served as the Associate Dean of Studies for the Sophomore Year and Upper College and was a key architect of the Early College program partnership between Simon’s Rock and Mount Everett Regional High School, where he continues to serve as an administrator and liaison.

Before joining the Simon’s Rock community in 2016, Ken was a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Stony Brook University, where his research focused on geometric analysis and elliptic partial differential equations. He also earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Music from the University of Georgia.

Q: What is your favorite class to teach at Simon's Rock and Bard Academy and why?
A: At Simon's Rock my favorite class is Linear Algebra. It has an enormous number of applications in math and science. It's traditional to take it after Calculus II, but a lot of the content is stuff you can learn right away without much background, which makes it fun. My favorite Academy class is Geometry. This is the class where we really learn how to make and defend an argument, which is really useful, and it's fun to work with things that are tangible and that we can visualize.

Q: What do you love most about working with the students at Simon's Rock and Bard Academy?
A: They're really independent, which is great for studying math. They're eager to learn, explore, and challenge themselves.

Q: What research or special projects are you working on?
A: This past semester, I ran a research seminar for students to help them develop their ideas, leading to projects in economics, optimization, machine learning, voting theory, and number theory. With the Early College Research Institute, I'm working with a partner school district to study the impacts of Early College, and on my own, I'm continuing some work this summer in Geometric Analysis.

06/08/2026

Alum Spotlight: Congratulations to Patricia McIlreavy '85 who was recently named a TIME 100 Philanthropy Trailblazer for 2026! McIlreavy is currently the President and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. For the full list of honorees, visit https://time.com/collection/time100-philanthropy/2026/

Photo Credit: TIME

06/05/2026

We're still celebrating our 2026 Academy Matriculants and hope you're having a restful summer so far.

06/03/2026

Hear from Oprah about her experience as a student at Bard Academy and Simon's Rock, especially with her involvement in campus life and student activities! Check out the full video at

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/01/2026

Looking for something beyond the ordinary high school experience? Simon's Rock offers rising 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to leave high school early to begin college at Simon's Rock.

Visit campus on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. now through August to learn more. Apply today for fall 2026!