January 10, 2015
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter on behalf of Carlton Rounds, who served as Associate Director of International Programs at Bard College’s Institute for International Education from 2000-2005. I knew Carlton very well at the time, serving a Dean of International Studies, and worked with him on a number of programs, including the Program in International Education, which welcomed international students from ‘transitional countries’, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Africa, to Bard for one year study programs and in recruitment of students to Bard’s international programs.
Over the two decades I have worked at Bard, I can say with some confidence that I have never met a colleague who has cared more for visiting students and spent more time with them than Carlton. Carlton takes a holistic approach, and is concerned for the entire person. He cares about their academic trajectories, their inter-cultural challenges and their broader personal challenges. He is able to walk the line of friend and mentor. I know that several international students who were at Bard now well over a decade ago who still keep in touch with him. Indeed, I just met an alumna, who is now in Kyrgyzstan teaching on a Bard-affiliate program who is still looking to Carlton for guidance and support.
In his other roles as recruiter and program developer for Bard programs in diverse places like Hungary and South Africa, he was dedicated, well organized, and highly successful. He helped recruit students and build infrastructures designed to sustain themselves in international educational environments. At the same time, he always remained sensitive and student-centered.
Carlton was a good colleague: he got on well with co-workers and was much missed when he left. He is a model of what someone in international education should be, and I highly recommend him without reservation.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Becker
Vice President for International Affairs and Civic Engagement
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
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