OSUN Faculty

Erin Cannan

Erin links the liberal arts with civic engagement through community partnerships, collaborative programming and development of opportunities that takes full advantage of Bard's vast network around the globe. As one of the founding staff members of Bard's Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), Erin has strengthened Bard’s local, national and global partnerships by enhancing curricular and co-curricular programs for students, faculty and community partners. Since 2012, Erin has launched a variety of initiatives that has centered civic engagement into Bard's mission as a "private institution acting in the public interest". Projects link the liberal arts to careers, community engagement, network building and civics. Initiatives include launching the Engaged Liberal Arts and Science (ELAS), BardWorks, Science Community Outreach, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Engagement, the Community Action Internship Award, Election@Bard, the annual Get Engaged Student Conference and the 100 Days Initiative (now called The Dissonance). Erin co-led Bard's successful application for the 2020 Carnegie Engagement Classification and co-teaches ELAS and network courses focused on civic engagement. She has been the academic director for the U.S. State Department’s Study for the United States Institute (SUSI) since 2018. Erin co-leads the newly launched Open Society University Network (OSUN) Civic Engagement project which is integrating civic engagement throughout all 30 OSUN university partners with a focus on teaching, curricular development and co-curricular programming. Erin joined the CCE staff after 15 years in the Division of Student Affairs at Bard where she served as Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs. Her background in student affairs motivates her to connect the liberal arts and sciences with civic engagement to promote student well-being, learning and skill-building. In 2020, she was promoted to Vice President for Civic Engagement.