Four seasons passed just the same in the neighborhood of Morningside Heights — winter blanketed the sidewalks with snow, spring revealed long-hidden colors, the dog days of summer roasted the pavement, and fall welcomed a crisp chill in the air. The year came and went like any other. But nestled within the neighborhood, unmoving and picturesque, Barnard College had a 2025 that was anything but ordinary.
So, before the countdown begins on December 31 — before the confetti falls and the ball drops — we’re counting down Barnard’s top ten moments of the past calendar year.
10. Academic Achievements and Excellence
This past year, Barnard was recognized with a new Research Activity Designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The designation highlights colleges and universities that have not historically been recognized for their research since they do not offer doctoral degrees.
Barnard is one of five women’s colleges, out of 216 research colleges and universities, to receive the designation.
Barnard was also named a “Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students” by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the eighth consecutive year.
Over 76 Fulbright applications were submitted through the College. Sixteen alumnae were selected — the largest cohort thus far.
9. Jewish Theological Seminary Partnership
2025 brought about an expanded partnership between Barnard and the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Beginning this fall, all Barnard students can take JTS courses at no additional tuition cost.
“This partnership enhances the educational opportunities for students and strengthens the already powerful bonds between our institutions and the broader Jewish community,” said Provost Rebecca L. Walkowitz. “This growing relationship will provide Barnard students with unprecedented access to one of the preeminent Jewish studies institutions in the world.”
8. Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center Construction
2025 saw the continued construction of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center (RDSC), as the building is more than halfway done. The RDSC is the largest gift in Barnard’s history, made possible by the generosity of Diana T. Vagelos ’55 and Dr. P. Roy Vagelos. The building will double the overall programmable science space, featuring state-of-the-art classrooms and labs and housing all of Barnard’s bench sciences (biology, chemistry, environmental science, neuroscience and behavior, and physics and astronomy).
Barnard science faculty members have consistently been integral members of the construction process, engaging in monthly walk-throughs to ensure the building is optimized to their teaching and research needs.
The Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center, slated to open in 2026, will be New York City’s first net-zero carbon, all-electric academic science building. It will become a hub for scientific teaching and research amongst Barnard students, faculty, and the surrounding community.
7. 25 Years of Big Sub
One of Barnard’s most unique and delicious campus traditions — Big Sub! This year, Barnard celebrated Big Sub’s 25th anniversary, debuting a new logo and massive sandwich spanning nearly the entirety of campus.
The sub consisted of 140 pounds of tomatoes, 80 pounds of lettuce, 120 pounds of grilled veggies, and 90 pounds of meat per 120-foot section.
Hosted by the student-led McIntosh Activities Council (McAC), this long-beloved tradition is one that keeps on feeding!
6. Women’s basketball NCAA Ivy League championship
Under the leadership of coach Megan Griffith ’07CC, the Lions captured their first Ivy League Championship and outright league title in the program’s history. Two Barnard students — Blau Tor ’27 and Emily Montes ’27 — were part of the team.
Tor returned for this year’s 2025-2026 season along with two other Barnard students — Alicia Mitchell ’29 and Hilke Feldrappe ’27. Fans can refer to the Lions schedule page to find broadcast outlet information to cheer on the mighty Lions.
5. Athena Film Festival’s 15th anniversary
2025 marked many anniversaries on Barnard’s campus, a big one being the Athena Film Festival, which celebrated its fifteenth year in March.
The Athena Film Festival is devoted to uplifting and platforming inclusive stories on women’s leadership. The annual event welcomes thousands of guests to Barnard’s campus to view diverse films and engage in critical dialogue to continue moving the needle.
Barnard will be celebrating the Festival again from March 6-8 in 2026. Interested parties can refer to the website for further details on passes, the lineup, and more.
4. Shabana Basij-Rasikh at Commencement
On May 20th, 900 Barnard graduates crossed the stage at Radio City Music Hall to receive their hard-earned diplomas.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan educator, humanitarian, and women’s rights pioneer inspired Barnard’s newest generation of women leaders with a rousing speech for the 133rd Commencement.
“Be the ones who are bold enough to bridge the gaps,” said Basij-Rasikh. “Be the inheritors of the hope and the strength that made this day possible, and pass that hope and strength on to the young women who follow you.”
The full transcript of Basij-Rasikh’s keynote address can be found here.
3. One year of the Francine A. LeFrak Center for Well-Being
October 30, 2025 marked the one-year anniversary of the Francine A. LeFrak Center for Well-Being.
The Francine A. LeFrak Center for Well-Being is a groundbreaking hub for physical, mental, and financial well-being amongst students consisting of three pioneering pillars — the Fitness Center, the Mental Well-Being Suite, and the Financial Well-Being Suite — setting a new standard for integrative wellness across higher education.
Each of the pillars provides classes, workshops, and programs for students looking to optimize their overall wellness — from guided meditations to clinical support.
The Center was made possible by the generosity of Francine A. LeFrak, listed as a 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy “Innovator” for her contributions to women’s wellness.
2. Monica L. Miller Guest Curates the exhibit for The Met Gala
Monica L. Miller, professor and chair of the Africana Studies Department, was named guest curator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2025 show “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” highlighting the role of Black culture in fashion.
Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute's curator-in-charge, was inspired by Miller’s 2009 award-winning book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which explores the Black dandy throughout history.
Miller utilized her extensive research on Black designers, Afrodiasporic art and artists, and more to guest-curate the event.
The show kicked off with the ever-iconic and star-studded Met Gala on May 5. Co-chairs included Colman Domingo and Pharrell Williams.
1. Zora Neale Hurston Centennial
Beginning in 2025 and continuing through 2028, Barnard is celebrating the centenary anniversary of the enrollment and graduation of novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston ’28.
Zora Neale Hurston enrolled in the College in September 1925, making her the first self-identified Black student at Barnard.
The Centennial project will spotlight the legacies of Hurston and 100 years of Black culture at Barnard, drawing research and sources from various departments to create new course curriculum, faculty seminars, undergraduate research, exhibitions, and more.
Hurston’s legacy is undeniable and apparent across a multitude of disciplines — literature, theatre, history, folklore, and anthropology.
The Barnard Zora Neale Hurston Committee invites proposals from students, faculty, staff, and graduates to shape and guide the celebration over the next three years. The ZNH Grant will fund projects that uplift this work across the Barnard community and beyond to honor Hurston’s legacy.
The new year is certainly a celebration of the future — of vision boards and bucket lists for the months to come — but it is also a time for reflection. And for Barnard, there were countless moments, both big and small, to celebrate in the year 2025. From stellar academic achievements to tried and true campus traditions, Barnard’s legacy this past year was undeniable, and its energy palpable.
As we bid goodbye to another transformative calendar year behind and beyond Barnard’s main gates, we look boldly to 2026 and what’s yet to come.