Sarah Lawrence College is marking its 100th year with new programs aimed at opening its Bronxville campus to neighbors of all ages.
The college, founded in 1926 by William Van Duzer Lawrence and named for his wife, Sarah Bates Lawrence, launched its centennial under the theme "SLC100: Timely Education. Timeless Values." Rather than galas and fundraisers, President Cristle Collins Judd has steered the celebration toward expanding access to education, Westfair Business Journal reported in February.
Two community-facing initiatives anchor the effort.
Extension Courses offer non-credit, discussion-driven classes taught by the same faculty who lead undergraduate seminars. Six-week courses cost $480 and meet weekly for two hours, mostly in person on the 44-acre campus at 1 Mead Way. A Signature Learning Community called SLC@SLC gives adults 55 and older tiered memberships that can include auditing undergraduate courses, joining interest groups and accessing campus facilities such as the pool and library.
James Stakenburg, the college's first executive director of lifelong learning, described the vision in 914INC: "Our goal is to establish Sarah Lawrence as a lifelong learning destination — not just a college you attend once, but a place you come back to again and again for serious ideas, meaningful conversation, and a true learning community."
The centennial's Presidential Event Series opened Sept. 8 with constitutional law scholar Melissa Murray in conversation with Judd. That same evening, The Gallery at Heimbold Visual Arts Center debuted "Does This Taste Funny? Humor in Contemporary Art," an exhibition on view through Dec. 13. The college also opened its new Experiential Learning Center (XLC) on Sept. 9, built with $1.6 million in state matching-grant funds, according to Westfair Business Journal. The XLC sits inside a repurposed section of the Performing Arts Center and consolidates career services, global education and pre-professional advising under one roof.
For families, Sarah Lawrence plans creative movement classes for children ages 3 to 10 beginning Jan. 12, 2027, taught by graduate students in its Dance/Movement Therapy program.
In a Sept. 29 letter, Judd described the centennial as the beginning of a multiyear celebration, noting milestones still ahead: the 100th anniversary of the college's first students arriving in 1928 and its first graduation in 1929. More than 23,000 students have earned degrees from the college, according to the Yonkers Times. Its alumni include Barbara Walters, filmmaker J.J. Abrams and fashion designer Vera Wang.
Upcoming at Sarah Lawrence
- Wednesday, Sept. 30, 5 p.m.: An Evening at Sarah Lawrence College Extension: Meet the Provost & Faculty. Free. Barbara Walters Campus Center, 1 Mead Way.
- Through Dec. 13: "Does This Taste Funny?" exhibition, Heimbold Visual Arts Center. Free.
- Jan. 12 through March 30, 2027: Creative Movement classes for children ages 3 to 10. Tuesday afternoons on campus.
