As some of you may or may not have heard, Barnard was featured in European newspaper Le Monde about a month ago. Featured in its supplementary magazine was the article, titled “Welcome to Barnard, New York City, In the Lab of Powerful Women.” We got a hold of an English version so that we could give you, our dear non-French-speaking readers, the gist of what the highly flattering article says.
It paints a portrait of life for students here at Barnard, outlining our passions, ambitions, and how they are characterized and fostered by our collective choice to attend an all-women’s institution. The article begins with a question that many people contemplate: “Why do there need to be all women’s colleges?” Through interviews with students and faculty, the article underscores the importance and relevance of Barnard in creating strong women leaders for the future.
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The article notes that although only 2% of all female students in the last thirty years have gone to women’s colleges, we comprise much higher percentages of the women in some of the most powerful positions. Among other reasons, President Spar says in an interview “these four years are extremely important…they [students] can show how smart they are in the classroom without the fear to be considered not sexy enough.” In one anecdote, President Spar speaks of an alumna who recently emailed her saying she felt confident enough to hold her own in her high-level management position on Wall Street despite being the only “woman in the room.” From the classroom to the boardroom to the streets our architects and urban planners will help design, Barnard girls have and will continue to pave the way for the future of female leaders.
How exactly does Barnard do this? The article clearly portrays the community that we have here and the pride we feel for our unique little institution, our “clan” as they call it. It also shows that Barnard students are impressively well-accomplished (and even a little sassy), with varied passions and lofty dreams that we are unafraid to pursue. While we students certainly have to be driven and dedicated enough to be accepted here, it is also made clear that Barnard does everything it can to help us along the way, from need-blind admissions to the Athena Center for Leadership. Although the concept of a girl’s school can seem staid and old-fashioned, Barnard is actually an emblem of high modernity, a veritable “lab” for young women to hone and harness their not insignificant power. When asked if Barnard was an “aberration” in today’s world, one student replied, “Does betting on women seem an aberration to you?”
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I think we can all say “merci!” to Le Monde for showing le monde (the world) what we do here, and recognizing how special and unique Barnard is.
Link to photos accompanying article:
http://www.lemonde.fr/m/portfolio/2011/09/23/bienvenue-a-barnard-new-yor…