After Bard College ran afoul of the Russian government — which banned the private school in Dutchess County as an “undesirable” non-governmental organization in June — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to work on reversing the designation.
The New York Democrat says the long-standing partnership between Bard and St. Petersburg State University “has been critical to building ties between young Americans and Russians.”
The Russian State Prosecutor was quoted in state media labeling Bard a “threat to the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation.”
Gillibrand says the designation puts at risk students or workers associated with Bard College, located in Annandale-on-Hudson.