Jack Blum to receive Honorary Degree from Bard

Bard College has announced that Jack Arthur Blum ’62, a Bard trustee associate and lifelong public servant, will receive an Honorary Degree at its 2025 Commencement ceremony.

Blum earned a JD from Columbia Law School and began his distinguished career with the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, where he led investigations into mortgage fraud and redlining. His groundbreaking work exposed discriminatory practices, including a redline map drawn by Boston bankers showing where Black Americans could access mortgages.

In 1972, he moved to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), contributing to the investigation of CIA involvement in Chile and foreign bribery by U.S. corporations. His efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and in the prosecution of Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei.

Blum returned to the SFRC in 1986 as special counsel, where he worked alongside Senator John Kerry to expose drug trafficking and money laundering networks. His investigations revealed the criminal activities of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International and the drug-related operations of General Manuel Noriega.

Beyond the Senate, Blum chaired a United Nations Expert Group on asset recovery and has served as an expert witness in major international fraud and tax evasion cases. Since 2006, he has collaborated with the government of Norway and the UN to help alleviate global poverty.

This honorary degree recognizes Blum’s tireless dedication to justice, transparency, and public accountability across a lifetime of legal, investigative, and humanitarian service.

To view all the Honorary Degree Recipients, visit:
Bard College Honorary Degrees 2025