Alumni News

Daniel Pentlarge '80, Ron Cohen, and Deborah Elizabeth Finn '81 Reunion Find: Deborah Elizabeth Finn '81's tribute to faculty member in social science Ron Cohen

Over lunch on the Saturday of reunion weekend, October 4, Deborah Elizabeth Finn '81 remembered a letter she wrote to recommend her favorite Bennington teacher Ron Cohen for a teaching award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The letter reveals much of what it was like to be a student with Ron Cohen then and something of the faculty-student mentorship culture that endure today. The letter appears below along with Ron's humble and humorous response. 

Image of Stephen Michael Smith and Brian Stone Bennington Alumni Take Home Two of Three American Prizes

The winners of the 2025 American Prizes in Orchestral Programming have been announced, with Bennington alumni Stephen Michael Smith '72 and Brian Stone '92 claiming two of the three awards.

Image of Katie Yee Katie Yee '17 Selected as Barnes & Noble 2025 Discover Prize Winner

Katie Yee '17 was selected as the winner of the Barnes & Noble 2025 Discover Debut Author Prize for her novel Maggie; or, a Man and Woman Walk into a Bar.

Image of Rivera Sun Rivera Sun '04 honored in Americans Who Tell The Truth Portrait Series

Rivera Sun '04 has been honored with a portrait included in artist Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell The Truth portrait series, which includes notable figures such as Daniel Ellsberg, Edward Snowden, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker, Chris Hedges, and many others. 

Image of Kiran Desai Kiran Desai's Latest Novel Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, the latest novel by Kiran Desai '93, is on the shortlist for the 2025 Booker Prize.