Institutional News

Bennington College Welcomes the New Students for the Fall Term

Bennington College welcomed a robust and diverse group of students starting with new international students on Monday, August 24. New domestic students arrived on campus for Orientation on Friday, August 28.

President Danielle Egan welcomes new students and their families at the first event of Orientation weekend, a resource fair.
President Danielle Egan welcomes new students and their families at the first event of Orientation weekend, a resource fair.
Willa Donovan ’26 and Proteety Amiron ’29, House Chairs of Leigh, welcome new students.
Willa Donovan ’26 and Proteety Amiron ’29, House Chairs of Leigh, welcome new students.
New students pose for a commemorative photo at the campus’s “End of the World.”
New students pose for a commemorative photo at the campus’s “End of the World.”
Canfield House Chairs Mia Dawson ’27 and Teddy Bailey ’27 address new students.
Canfield House Chairs Mia Dawson ’27 and Teddy Bailey ’27 address new students.
Detail of the 2026 Orientation t-shirt
Detail of the 2026 Orientation t-shirt
Convocation opened with recent alum and dancer Soleil Collyear ’26, singers current student Ashlynn Barnes ’29 and faculty member in Music Virginia Kelsey, and faculty member in Dance Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye Kaolack, behind, leading the procession.
Convocation opened with recent alum and dancer Soleil Collyear ’26, singers current student Ashlynn Barnes ’29 and faculty member in Music Virginia Kelsey, and faculty member in Dance Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye Kaolack, behind, leading the procession.
Faculty and staff members in the audience applauded enthusiastically to the opening musical performance, which included students and members of the faculty.
Faculty and staff members in the audience applauded enthusiastically to the opening musical performance, which included students and members of the faculty.
President R. Danielle Egan
President R. Danielle Egan, who began in her position at Bennington College on August 1, welcomed new and returning students. Her speech extolled the virtues of desire, deliberation, and democracy.

“You will change and grow as you pursue questions…. These questions will not be abstract, but they will be born of desire and material, embodied, frustrating, confusing, beautiful, and fulfilling,” she said. “Your questions, sense of self, and curiosity will grow as you reflect and deliberately engage. While it will not be easy, you will learn the intellectual and interpersonal skills to live in a multicultural and pluralistic world and seek to make it better. ”
Maryam Saeedi ’28, the president of the Student Education Policies Committee, was the student speaker.
Maryam Saeedi ’28, the president of the Student Education Policies Committee, was the student speaker.

She relayed the story of her first mathematics class at Bennington and how she came to realize how each student brought their own questions to the subject. 

“One person was interested in neuroscience, another in environmental protection, and my close friend Shadan wanted to understand how mathematical patterns could help her learn piano. We were learning the same mathematics, but it was becoming something different for each of us,” she said. “That was one of my first glimpses of what the open curriculum means at Bennington. You’re not just choosing what to study; you’re discovering how it connects to the questions you already carry with you.” 

In addition, Associate Writer Natalie Redmond was the staff speaker and faculty member in Dance Levi Gonzalez was the faculty speaker. The ceremony ended when the music director for the event, faculty member in Music Michael Wimberly, led everyone to the Dining Hall for a community lunch. Classes began Tuesday afternoon.