Bates College Viewbook 2016 by Bates College

A REAL COLLEGE IN A REAL PLACE

INTRODUCTION | 3

Lewiston, Maine | bates.edu

INTRODUCTION | 2

From its inception in 1855, and before nearly every other college in America, Bates recruited students without regard to race, religion, national origin, or sex. Our founders firmly believed, as we do today, that not only should a Bates education be open to all, but that it is bettered by this openness. Diversity and inclusion — of thought, background, and experience — is not optional or aspirational here. It is vital. Throughout our more than 160-year history, our movement forward has been deeply thoughtful, intentional, and committed to getting it right. We have tough conversations in tough climates because that’s what makes Bates, and our students, better. It’s what makes Bates a college for the coming times and a college that prepares you for the coming times, too. That is our mission.

The multidisciplinary liberal arts Students in the 2016 Short Term course “Intersection of Biomedicine and Human Rights: The Case of the Chilean Mining Experience” participate in a live action role play (LARP) activity where a 19th-century medical doctor and a traditional healer treat various illnesses. The class examined biomedical science in Latin America and the struggle for civil, human, and health rights by workers in the Chilean mining industry since the nineteenth century.

AHEAD OF THE TIMES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

INTRODUCTION | 5

INTRODUCTION | 2

TAKE THE LEAD Your interests don’t fit neatly in one category, and at Bates, we embrace that. Your path to graduation will be unique, and we’re ready to help you find it. Small classes, with a faculty of which 100% hold a terminal degree in their field, ensure that you’re well-supported in your work.

Majors and minors

36 25 majors

minors

Bold = available as a major and a minor African American Studies

History

American Cultural Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies

Anthropology

Japanese

Art & Visual Culture

Latin (minor only)

Asian Studies (minor only)

Latin American Studies

Biological Chemistry

Mathematics

Biology

Music

Chemistry

Neuroscience

Chinese

Philosophy

Classical & Medieval Studies

Physics

Dance

Politics

East Asian Studies

Psychology

Economics

Religious Studies

Educational Studies (minor only)

Rhetoric

Engineering*

Russian (minor only)

English

Sociology

Environmental Studies

Spanish

European Studies

Teacher Education (minor only)

French & Francophone Studies

Theater

Geology

Women & Gender Studies

German Greek (minor only)

* In the Engineering major, students participate in the 3-2 Dual Degree program, completing three years at Bates and two years at one of our partner Engineering institutions, including Case Western, Columbia, Dartmouth, RPI, or Washington University.

ACADEMICS | 7

Two traditional semesters. One Short Term. Short Term at Bates — five weeks at the height of Maine’s spring, from late April through May — is a time for intense, focused work. You’ll live and breathe one class, and one class only. It’s an immersive experience, often off campus, and you’ll be a better student at the end of it.

4-4-1 Bates’ unique academic calendar: two semesters and a five-week spring Short Term

Accessible faculty Our 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio ensures that you’ll work closely with your professors.

THIS IS WHAT SHORT TERM LOOKS LIKE

SHORT TERM | 9

GEO S10: Tetons, Yellowstone, and Craters of the Moon A new course in 2016, GEO S10 was designed to develop geologic field skills. Students and faculty traveled to the Northern Rockies of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, undertaking mapping projects and investigating economic geology at sites like Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Berkeley Pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, and the Craters of the Moon lava field in Idaho.

“There’s so much space. You can’t even comprehend how much there is between you and the next big thing.” Lindsey Beauregard ’18 Hollis, N.H. | Neuroscience

GRADUATE LEVEL WORK Intensive and often interdisciplinary, the senior thesis at Bates is nearly universal — 96% of students complete a thesis or capstone project. It’s another case of Bates committing to your growth as a scholar. Through this work, students master their subject and their research methodology. They work one-on-one with a faculty advisor, growing the relationship of teacher and student into that of colleagues. It’s the final chapter preparing you for your next step after Bates, whether that’s graduate school, professional life, or another path. Just make sure it’s yours.

of employers say they’re more likely to hire a student who has completed a senior thesis or capstone project

Recent thesis examples: “That’s the Way We Flow”: Hip Hop as Oral Literature Making Americans: Negotiating the Boundaries of Somali Identities in the Public Education System of Lewiston, Maine An Analysis of Lithic Materials and Morphology from the Late Maritime Woodland and Protohistoric Periods at the Devil’s Head Site in the Maine Quoddy Region Searching for Blood in the Streets: Mapping Political Violence onto Urban Topography in the Late Roman Republic, 80–50 BCE

A distinctive feature of Bates From first-year seminars that strengthen writing and critical thinking skills, to methods courses, independent studies, and the senior thesis, the Bates curriculum helps students build the skills and habits of mind they need to undertake rigorous independent research.

RESEARCH | 11

A perennial Fulbright top producer Bates has been named a Fulbright Top Producer for five consecutive years. How do we do it? • Meaningful cultural exchanges within the diverse community of Lewiston/Auburn • Supportive mentoring relationships with faculty • Excellent advising, grants, and fellowships for community-based learning through Bates’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships • Robust study-abroad programming and 96% participation in Senior Thesis or capstone projects

Fulbright recipients in the last five years

From Bates to Fulbright Tara Das ’16, a double major in politics and French from Biandronno, Italy, was awarded a 2016–17 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Turkey.

STUDENT

Paige Guevarra ’18, Brooklyn, N.Y. Undeclared major

Nonstop creative adventure I wanted to pursue science, and Bates had so many programs that allowed for undergraduate research. I’ve pursued my interests in biology, geology, and dance, as well as explored chemistry, environmental studies, theater, and music. Following my first year, I worked in an Experimental Volcanology lab, and this summer I’m working in the Plant Ecology lab studying pollination cues. I’ve been included in the design of the experiment, have learned how to handle bumblebees, and have been in charge of organizing my time in lab most effectively.

“I’m excited to think about the new people and experiences that will continue to surprise me at Bates over the next two years.”

PROFILES | 9

“Bates says it values teaching and supports research in many, many ways. A lot of schools say that. Bates really walks the walk.”

FACULTY

Nathan Lundblad (Ph.D., CalTech) Associate Professor of Physics

Walking the walk Bates professor Nathan Lundblad watches the International Space Station’s Cold Atom Laboratory with more than just routine scientific interest. An atomic physicist, Lundblad is one of a handful of scientists chosen by NASA to perform research with the Cold Atom Laboratory, a refrigeratorsized apparatus designed to create the coldest known environment in the universe—one ten-billionth of a degree above absolute zero. What that means for him (and his Bates students) is opportunity. “I’m excited for my students, that they’ll have opportunities to do research at this level. And it raises the profile of science at liberal arts colleges like Bates to be able to participate in work like this.”

SEE YOURSELF HERE A vibrant community with a role for young leaders, the twin cities of Lewiston/Auburn make up Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second largest metropolitan area. One of the fastest-growing communities in Maine, the cities are home to a diverse population of 60,000, and Bates considers its role in Lewiston/Auburn tightly bound to the community itself. Located at a regional crossroads, Bates is deeply connected to the wider world while still amidst Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rugged mountains, pristine lakes, and rocky coastline.

Touring Lewiston An important part of first year orientation: Lewiston/Auburn Walkabouts. These guided tours offer new students an earnest look at their new home.

BATES AND ITS PLACE | 11

NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA

QUEBEC, CANADA

Quebec City (5 h 10 min drive)

Montreal

MAINE

(4 h 45 min drive)

Acadia National Park (2 h 35 min drive)

Quebec City

Lewiston/Auburn Freeport

VERMONT

Portland NEW HAMPSHIRE Boston NEW YORK

(30 min drive to the L.L. Bean flagship)

La Méthode Historique

(45 min drive to the city’s vibrant Old Port)

Students in “Introduction to Historical

(2 h 20 min drive)

Methods” (HIST S40) spent two days

MASSACHUSETTS

traveling in Quebec City to study the immigration and culture of French

CONNECTICUT RHODE ISLAND

Canadians to Lewiston and other parts of the United States.

New York City (6 h 15 min drive or 1 h 10 min flight from Portland to NYC)

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

N Atlantic Ocean

Maine’s famed Acadia National Park 100 years old in 2016 — is just a two and a half hour drive from campus.

Our connection to Lewiston/Auburn is invaluable, and it’s something the college and our students cultivate intently. And with good reason. With an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic small business community, Lewiston is full of opportunities for students and graduates to engage with, impact, and make a home in Lewiston/Auburn.

community. This is a real college, in a real place, and you’ll graduate into the real world. Why not start here?

Acadia National Park

iStock

We purposefully blur the lines between the campus and the greater

Award-winning dining services On the hallway bulletin board in Commons, or on the Dining Services website, you can find “The Napkin Board”— a place for faculty, staff, and students to share praise, critique, or a brilliant idea with the dining staff. Dining shares their answers (and they make it a point to answer each one) with a stapled note or an online comment.

YOU BELONG We love our location, but Bates is really everywhere Most students, about 60 percent, study abroad at least once. And even when you stay close to campus, our classroom extends far beyond Bates’ 133-acres.

You are Bates Ask anyone what makes Bates different, and you’ll hear the same answer: the people. Striking a delicate balance between intense yet fun, and independent yet collaborative, the faculty, staff, and students of Bates know that the power of a college lies in its community. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to make this one unique.

A national leader in community engagement, Bates’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships documented more than 42,000 hours of academically based community work by Bates students last year.

That’s why you matter.

600 90 60 acres of protected salt marshes and coastal uplands make up the Bates–Morse Mountain Conservation Area, managed by the college for research and conservation.

communityengaged research projects, independent study projects, or internships each year.

communityengaged learning courses each year.

STUDENT LIFE | 19

One of the oldest collegiate outing clubs in the country, and the first at a private college to be co-ed from the beginning.

100 0 +

100+ student clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; created and run by you and your fellow students.

0 fraternities or sororities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; never had them. Never will.

Since 1855, Bates College to the emancipating pot arts. Bates educates the through creative and rig collaborative residential and devotion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Amore a the transformative powe cultivating intellectual d civic action. Preparing le by a love of learning and responsible stewardship Bates is a college for com

e has been dedicated tential of the liberal whole person gorous scholarship in a l community. With ardor ac Studio â&#x20AC;&#x201D; we engage er of our differences , discovery and informed eaders sustained d a commitment to p of the wider world, ming times.

BE A BOBCAT Records will be broken. Teammates will pile on top of each other. Trophies will be held up in front of cheering crowds.

Varsity Teams Men’s

Women’s

But when it’s all over, what stays with you isn’t just the record or the win

Alpine Skiing

column. What you carry with you from this place is the passion, the work

Baseball

Basketball

ethic, the willingness to test your limits, and the experience of believing,

Basketball

Cross Country

if only for a moment, that there are no limits.

Cross Country

Field Hockey

Football

Golf

Lacrosse

Nordic Skiing

Rowing

Soccer

Softball

Squash

Swimming & Diving

Tennis

Track & Field

That’s being a Bobcat. That’s a Bates education.

Volleyball

40 37 3 varsity and club teams, seven intramural teams

Bates athletes won All-American awards in the 2015 –16 academic year

national championships in the last two years

ATHLETICS | 23

NESCAC:

New England Small College Athletic Conference

Bates is a sustaining charter member of NESCAC, along with Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams. That’s good — and exceptionally strong — company. Athletic teams should represent the entire student body, and that’s why Bates doesn’t offer athletic scholarships, and awards financial aid solely on the basis of need.

Athletic culture Last year, more than 37% of Bates students participated in a varsity sport.

CREATE YOUR DISCOVERY From music, theater, and dance to visual and literary arts, creative expression is a vital element of the Bates experience. Within the arts at Bates, students encounter endless opportunity to challenge creative limits and expand their view of a rich world. Guided by our mission, Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship. Arts programs at Bates animate this ideal in programming, exhibitions, performance, and, of course, curriculum. Engaging academic courses, brilliant and challenging faculty, and a full range of opportunities make the Bates arts programs some of the strongest in the country.

Opportunity for inspiration Bates hosted more than 60 public performances last year.

THE ARTS | 25

From a student “In high school, you’d learn theory and be like, ‘Well, why does that work?’ And the answer was, ‘Because it does.’ And that’s not a great answer.” Studying music from psychological or cognitive angles “just gives more context.” Maddie McLean ’17 Hood River, Ore. | Biochemistry and Music major

The multidisciplinary arts In the popular course “Music and Mind,” students utilize psychology and neuroscience to dive into music cognition in an attempt to discover just why we understand music the way we do — and why the person sitting next to us might understand it differently.

147 183 opportunities for student involvement in departmental theater productions last year

opportunities for student involvement in departmental dance productions last year

20,000

annual visitors to the Bates Museum of Art

Bates Dance Festival For six weeks every summer, Bates hosts the internationally recognized Bates Dance Festival, allowing students to work with performers at the peak of their artistry.

ALUMNA

Anike Tourse ‘92, Los Angeles, Calif. Major: Rhetoric. Profession: Actor, multimedia producer

Self-discovery amidst a larger community. You have a lot of freedom at Bates when it comes to making personal and academic choices. I was able to choose a topic that intrigued me for my thesis (the basis of which still feeds my work today), and I was pushed by my advisor to make my research into a work of real academic scholarship. As I reflect back on my experience, the biggest surprise is still that two of my closest friends in the world are the two roommates I had at Bates. It also never ceases to amaze me how much time my professors and the administration gave to me as a student and how much time they continue to devote to students to help them realize their full potential as scholars and as people.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much time my professors gave to me as a student.”

Broad alumni network Bates maintains an expansive network of 26,000+ alumni. Many stay intimately involved with the college, hosting current students in internships and job shadow programs throughout the year.

STUDENT

PROFILES | 27

Anton Brown ’18, New Orleans, La. Sociology

Teaching, loving, fun. I came to Bates because I wanted to be surrounded by people who had similar ideas of what a community was. I’ve never been to any college or university that has been more communityoriented and made it more of a priority to bring people together. I love that I can communicate with my professors about almost anything. Whether it be academics or things that are a little more personal, they are

“Coming from a very big, close-knit Bates has pushed me to realize that family, I knew that there are a lot of things that I want to I didn’t help change. Things like women’s rights, want to poverty, and police brutality are all that feeling.” lose always willing to help out.

things that I now see I’ve always been pretty passionate about. Now I know I want to do something about them.

“Coming from a very big, close-knit family, I knew that I didn’t want to lose that feeling.”

A Maine welcome Join us for AESOP, Batesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Annual Entering Student Outdoor Program. Two Upperclass student leaders welcome first-year students to life at Bates through four-day, three-night trips. These trips include everything from hiking to community engagement, and they happen all over Maine and New Hampshire.

FIND YOUR PURPOSE Work is fundamental to our lives. It helps define

Internship Experiences — Through a network

who we are and who we will become while sustaining

of core employers, students have access to paid

us practically and providing the means to shape our lives.

summer internships in a wide range of disciplines

The Purposeful Work initiative at Bates serves as a catalyst to help students discover the unique path

from cybersecurity and art to sports management and clinical research.

that aligns who they are with what they do, leading

Interactive Curriculum & Programming —Across

to lives of enriching work. Here are a few elements of

disciplines, faculty design Purposeful Work Infusion

Purposeful Work:

Courses to incorporate conversations and reflections on purpose into their curriculum. The Purposeful Work Unplugged speaker series brings leaders from a wide range of careers to speak about finding meaning in their work and lives. Practitioner-Taught Courses —Short Term features courses taught by practitioners outside of the Bates faculty and designed to expose students to worlds of work, to add to their practical skill set, and to expand their network. Recent subjects included journalism, music production, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship. Informed by this philosophy, students emerge from Bates equipped to make intentional decisions about their work, selves, and how the two relate. This isn’t just about our liberal arts mission; it’s an imperative in today’s world.

Real world experience Purposeful Work intern Fatima Sacko ’17 worked at Girl Be Heard in Brooklyn. The nonprofit uses theater and themes of social justice and feminism to empower young women.

PURPOSEFUL WORK | 31

Purposeful Work Internships “The more students are able to match their work with their authentic interests and talents, the less work feels like work, and the more it simply feels like a natural part of a satisfying and meaningful life.” — Clayton Spencer, President

119 48

Purposeful Work internships in 2016

increase in core employer network since program’s inception

$700,000

in funding for summer internship awards, research fellowships, and civic engagement grants

Hands-on work President Spencer talks with student Mitch Newlin ’17 about his research at Bates’ Mount David Summit, the annual symposium to showcase student research and work.

INVESTED IN YOU Bates’ commitment to affordability and accessibility

Invested in Our Students: 43% of our students

demonstrates the ethical vision that inspired the college’s

receive need-based grants from the college. In 2015,

founders: an education that is open to all will ensure

the average need-based grant from Bates was $40,378.

that future leaders and problem-solvers emerge from every walk of life and are able to collaborate with people representing diverse cultures and viewpoints.

Committed to Completion: 86% of Bates students graduate within four years. From 2012 to 2014, fewer than 10% of bachelor’s degree-granting institutions in

Here are a few things to consider when weighing your investment in a Bates education.

the U.S. maintained a graduation rate greater than 75%. Building a Community: The freshman-to-sophomore retention rate for fall 2015 was 94.7%.

100 MISSION OF ACCESS:

Positioned for Success: The average federal student

loan debt for Bates students who graduated in 2015 was $13,989 — less than half the national average.

of students’ financial need is met — for all four years.

Top Employment Industries

Finance

Technology

Education

Healthcare

Nonprofit

Consulting

FINANCIAL AID AND OUTCOMES | 33

Outcomes Enabling students to lead lives of meaningful work is at the heart of our liberal arts mission.

99 86 90 %

of Bates graduates are settled in a job, graduate school, or internship within six months of graduation.

of Class of 2015 graduates who applied were accepted to law school.

of students and alumni who worked with the Medical Studies Committee were accepted to med school.

Attracting resources Last year, Bates faculty attracted $3.5 million of new, outside grant funding.

VISIT US

The best way to understand Bates is by spending time on campus. Take a full campus tour, schedule a campus interview, learn about admission and financial aid in detail, speak with students working diligently on their theses, and enjoy a meal in Commons. Tours, led by current Bates students, leave from the Office of Admission and are offered most weekdays and some Saturdays. For exact times and to register, see: bates.edu/visit Can’t visit? Schedule an interview with a Bates alumni representative near you, visit us at bates.edu, or find us, username “batescollege,” on any of the following:

VISIT | 35

FMI 1-855-BATES55 admission@bates.edu 23 Campus Avenue Lewiston, ME 04240 Admission Deadlines: Early Decision I: Nov. 15 Early Decision II: Jan. 1 Regular Decision: Jan. 1 bates.edu/apply

PROFILE CLASS OF 2020

Class stats Class size 503 Acceptance rate 22.6% Financial aid 2015â&#x20AC;&#x201C;16 total grant budget $33 million Portion of the Class of 2019 receiving Bates grants 42% Class of 2019 average grant $43,467 Geography Middle Atlantic 23.8% Midwest 6% New England 40.4% Southeast 5.8% Southwest and West 15.7% International 8.3% Demographic Male 47% Female 53% U.S. students of color 24% First generation to college 12%

Testing Bates has been a national leader in the test-optional movement for three decades. In October 1984, the Bates faculty voted to make standardized testing optional for admission. Students submitting some standardized test results 51% Average scores for students who submitted tests: SAT Critical Reading 681 SAT Math 684 SAT Writing 678 ACT Composite 31 Academics Average weighted GPA: 3.86

PROFILE CLASS OF 2020

Demographic Male 47% Female 53% U.S. students of color 24% First generation to college 12%

ALL PHOTOS BY PHYLLIS GRABER JENSEN AND JOSH KUCKENS, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

PROFILE CLASS OF 2020

Demographic Male 47% Female 53% U.S. students of color 24% First generation to college 12%

ALL PHOTOS BY PHYLLIS GRABER JENSEN AND JOSH KUCKENS, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Admission Office Bates College 23 Campus Avenue Lewiston, ME 04240

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Bates College 2 | INTRODUCTION