Bard College is moving to institutionalize a core-curriculum approach through the creation of the Chang Chavkin Center for Liberal Education and Civic Life. The executive director, Roosevelt Montás, is positioning the center as a teaching and research hub designed to help campuses implement a Columbia-inspired model of general education. The center, which opens in November with a $20 million endowment, will convene faculty, train professors, and support administrators working on course redesign. Its stated model emphasizes small, discussion-based classes, a common intellectual experience, and nondisciplinary design rooted in major cultural works. Montás also plans research on student outcomes, including retention and graduation, and the health of humanities departments—turning general education from a curriculum debate into a measurable campus strategy.