Leon Botstein (1946 - ) has been the president of Bard College since 1975, and is generally credited with elevating the academic and cultural reputation of the college to its current standing. He is also the music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra , as well as a well-known advocate of progressive education. In 1979 he oversaw Bard's takeover of what is now known as Simon's Rock College of Bard, the oldest and most highly regarded early college program in the country. His written work includes Jefferson's Children (ISBN 0385475551), as well as other books on musicology and education.
From 1970 to 1975 he served as the president of the now-defunct Franconia College , where he became the youngest college president in the history of the country.
