Al-Quds Bard College for Arts and Sciences at Al-Quds University celebrated the graduation of 81 undergraduate and master’s students from the classes of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. The ceremony brought together graduates from the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts, as well as from the master’s programs in Teaching, European Studies, and American Studies. Attendees included Al-Quds University President Professor Dr. Imad Abu Kishek; Dr. Daniel Terris, Vice President for International Initiatives at Al-Quds University and Bard College; Al-Quds Bard College Dean Dr. Amneh Badran; vice presidents from Al-Quds University and Bard College; faculty and administrative staff; and the graduates’ families.

Al-Quds University President Professor Imad Abu Kishek expressed his pride in the achievements of Al-Quds Bard College, noting that the partnership between Al-Quds University and Bard College, despite the challenges it has faced over the past four years, has had a lasting impact on students, the university, and Palestinian society. He added that the partnership has contributed to strengthening liberal arts education and fostering critical thinking.

He further noted that this experience has also influenced the development of teaching practices through the Center for Teaching and Learning, which supports interactive learning, educational research, and the use of artificial intelligence in ways that enhance human-centered thinking.

Professor Abu Kishek highlighted the College’s efforts to expand its impact through an ambitious plan to establish a network of secondary schools across Palestine that integrates liberal arts education with scientific thinking. He explained that Al-Quds Bard College has launched the first and only AQB Prep Program at the Arab Institute School in Abu Dis and plans to establish additional schools throughout the West Bank. This model aims to give students the opportunity to complete the final years of secondary education while earning university credits. He concluded by congratulating the graduates on this important milestone.

For his part, Dr. Daniel Terris conveyed the greetings and apologies of Bard College Acting President Dr. Jonathan Becker, who was unable to attend the ceremony. He expressed his admiration for the College’s students and their commitment to the principles of justice, democratic practice, and civic engagement despite the challenges they face.

Dr. Terris emphasized that cooperation, solidarity, and dialogue are fundamental pillars of the Al-Quds Bard College experience. Through classroom discussions, collaborative projects, academic research, and engagement with peers around the world, students develop critical-thinking skills and the ability to work collectively. He urged the graduates to continue engaging in dialogue with those whose views differ from their own, remain open to new ideas, and work in partnership with others to bring about positive and lasting change in their communities and the world.

Meanwhile, Al-Quds Bard College Dean Dr. Amneh Badran expressed her pride in the College’s graduates, who persevered in their educational journeys despite difficult circumstances. She emphasized that the College’s commitment to academic excellence, placing students at the center of the educational process, fostering critical thinking, connecting theory with practice, and serving the community has helped prepare graduates to compete in the job market and pursue advanced degrees at prestigious universities, including Oxford, Harvard, Syracuse University, and Dublin City University.

Graduate speakers Ruba Mousa, a graduate of the Master’s in American Studies program, and Gabi Khroufeh, a graduate of the Bachelor’s in Global Studies and Diplomacy program, addressed the ceremony on behalf of all undergraduate and master’s graduates. Both speakers praised the College’s role in shaping their personal and intellectual development and providing them with academic opportunities to conduct research and explore new ideas using modern scientific research methods.

Al-Quds Bard College takes pride in its graduates and wishes them a future full of discoveries and success.