Bates College Viewbook | 2020

WELCOME /// 1

Life is full of pre-established lanes and rules. But there’s a lot of

freedom at Bates. We believe the best way to approach college is to find what makes you tick, and then build the coming years around it.

We’ll help you

try things on for size — in the lab or

on the basketball court or in the ceramics studio or wherever your interests lead — until you find what fits for you.

You’ll never feel like you’re just on a treadmill working toward a diploma. You’ll be too busy

making connections

across academic fields, job-shadowing alumni, learning in the community, and doing

graduate-level research

that you really, really care about.

Through it all, you’ll have our support to ask big questions — and you’ll find the

courage to push through

when there aren’t clear answers.

n se

“Bates teaches us to focus, stand taller, k eep a se

e, and e r alanc e l a sp of b t et re o o thers with

ct .”

—

a Ch

’69 Dalton rry l Be nta

WELCOME /// 3

Open-minded A B AT E S E D U C AT I O N I S . . .

OPEN-MINDED /// 3

Bates students tend to be up for just about anything.

It’s a good thing we have about three dozen majors and two dozen minors to choose from.

Some are liberal arts classics (history, mathematics, philosophy).

Some are STEM-focused (neuroscience, engineering, biochemistry).

Many draw from more than one discipline (American cultural studies, environmental studies, biochemistry, gender & sexuality studies).

Some won’t exist until you invent them.*

MAJORS & MINORS M = major

m = minor

Africana (M, m)

Latin American studies (M)

American cultural studies (M)

Mathematics (M, m)

Anthropology (M, m)

Music (M, m)

Art & visual culture (M)

Neuroscience (M)

Asian studies (m)

Philosophy (M, m)

Biochemistry (M)

Physical education

Biology (M)

Physics (M, m)

Chemistry (M, m)

Politics (M)

Chinese (M, m)

Psychology (M)

Classical & medieval studies (M)

Religious studies (M, m)

Dance (M, m)

Rhetoric, film,

Digital & computational studies

& screen studies (M, m)

Earth & climate sciences (M, m)

Russian (m)

East Asian studies (M)

Sociology (M)

Economics (M)

Teacher education (m)

Educational studies (m)

Theater (M, m)

Engineering** English (M) Environmental studies (M) European studies (M) French & francophone studies (M, m) Gender & sexuality studies (M, m) German (M, m) Greek (m) Hispanic studies (M, m)

Students test out their computational neuroscience theses before hooking each other up to the EEG cap in the lab.

History (M, m) Interdisciplinary studies (M) Japanese (M, m) Latin (m)

*You can also design your own major with help from a faculty mentor. **Engineering students participate in the 3-2 Dual Degree program, completing three years at Bates and two years at one of our partner institutions, including Case Western, Columbia, Dartmouth, RPI, or Washington University.

OPEN-MINDED /// 5

Sara Moradi ’20 GLENVIEW, ILL.

You’re encouraged to experiment here. If you’re like recent graduate Sara Moradi,* you might start out being super interested in politics and certain you want to go to law school.

But then …

You take an archaeology class your first year. Your professor invites you to do fieldwork in Montana and you LOVE IT. So you add anthropology as a minor.

Bates overwhelmed me in the best possible way,” she says. “It’s incredible how many resources there are on this campus.”

Back on campus, you take an economics class because a friend

Tutor at a local high school Organize a noon meditation series for students, staff, and faculty

swears you’ll like it. You discover — to your surprise — that you enjoy geeking out over the effects of You also find time to

quantitative easing on bond yields.

So you go for a double major in politics and economics.

Study abroad in Stockholm, Sweden Do a summer internship as a public affairs representative for Comcast

Join in social justice causes through the Office of Intercultural Education

By senior year, you still want to go to law school. But instead of being a policy wonk, you decide to focus on immigration reform — because that’s where your heart is.

Mentor other first-generation college students

*Sara’s an all-star, but she’s also pretty typical for a Bates student: open to all sorts of possibilities and new experiences.

SHORT TERM, BIG IMPACT

Our calendar is based on two traditional semesters and one Short Term in the spring.

It’s a time devoted to wide-open exploration (and at least a little sun worshipping after a long, dark winter).

We set aside about four weeks in April and May for you to take just one class or focus on a project of your own design.

Short Term courses usually involve fieldwork or off-campus travel — and professors have a blast coming up with the topics.

You might research the feasibility of green development in Kingston, Jamaica. Write, direct, and produce a short film in French. Or hunt for the spy in your midst during a class on intelligence and national security taught by an alumna who used to be a White House security advisor.

Students who don’t stay on campus or take classes gain an extra month of summer break. They often use the time for intensive internships, giving them added work experience before graduation.

RECENT SHORT TERM COURSES Practicum in Private Equity:

Health and Chinese

The Past, Present, and

Bordering Hispaniola:

Corporate Financial Decision

Traditional Medicine

Possible Dystopian Future

Blackness, Mixture,

Making, from IPOs to LBOs

team taught at a hospital in

of Computing

and Nation in the

taught by an alumnus who

Yunnan province with Bates

taught by an expert in

Dominican Republic

founded and runs a private

professors and traditional

computational neuroscience

examining the Dominican

equity firm

Chinese medicine doctors

and evolutionary theory

Republic’s place in the African diaspora

OPEN-MINDED /// 7

PROFILE

Fall Semester Abroad EXPLORING SCIENCE AND IDENTITY IN CHILE Bates’ Fall Semester Abroad (FSA) is just one

Lawson says. “The connections are already

way students study internationally. With

there — you just have to uncover them and

its location changing each year, FSA allows

explore them.”

you to study deeply and make unexpected connections while living in another country.

Each FSA is taught by a pair of Bates professors, often working with faculty at a host university.

in three courses. Guzmán taught “The Zombie Scare: Viruses, Difference, and the Question of Security and Order”; Lawson covered “Genetically Modified Organisms:

The 2018 FSA, “Public Health and Culture

Science and Latin American Perceptions”;

in Chile,” is a prime example.*

and a Chilean colleague taught “Introduction

Public health might seem like an odd topic

to Public Health in Chile.”

for a biochemist and a Latin American

Students lived with host families in Santiago.

literature professor. But for FSA professors

They also traveled to remote communities to

Glen Lawson and Claudia Aburto Guzmán,

see how modern medicine and indigenous

it was a natural fit.

beliefs intersect, had internships at health

“You can bring together the intersections of history, culture, and artistic expression with natural science in a straightforward way,”

Being in place — in situ — has so many benefits,” Guzmán says. “It allows students to put into practice what is happening in the moment. The learning takes place at the intimate level, as well as at the academic level.”

The professors addressed these connections

clinics in the city, and spent time in Santiago’s crowded subway system to imagine how the health implications of a virus might spread in a contained environment.

‘In situ’ One of the benefits of FSA is that students can sign up as a first year or a sophomore.

Sophomore year is ideal, Guzmán says, because students are more willing to experiment before they’ve narrowed in on a major: “The state of wonder is very much intact.”

FSA is also easy to access. While students gain language skills overseas, the program does not have a language prerequisite because the courses are taught in English. Travel costs are covered in Bates’ tuition, so students don’t have to worry about airfare, housing, or a meal plan — they can immerse themselves in new experiences. *Fall Semester Abroad courses happen every two years. The 2020 iteration of “Public Health and Culture in Chile” has been postponed due to Covid-19.

Forging a Path When Bates opened in 1855, it was New

Our founders knew that making this type of

England’s first co-ed college. Since then,

education open to as many people as possible

we have admitted students no matter their

would lead to future leaders, thinkers, and

nationality, race, religion, sex, or socio-economic

problem-solvers who could take on the defining

status. While this openness was at the core

issues of their generations. Graduates leave

of our founding identity and principles, it

Bates willing and equipped to critique the world

has been tested throughout time and requires

(and the institution itself). We believe this is

us to constantly reflect upon and recommit

the right way to educate.

to our mission.

That doesn’t mean building an inclusive

Our holistic admission and need-based financial

culture is a simple task. Like other colleges and

aid practices and policies are mission-driven.*

universities, Bates continues to grapple with the

They’re grounded in our respect for where you’re

long-lasting effects of inequity in America and

coming from, what opportunities you’ve had, and

within our own institution.

what you’ve done with those opportunities.

While we’re making progress, we know that

We have a decades-long history of being

this is a far-reaching and complex process not

test-optional (more than 30 years, in fact).

of days, but decades. We invite you to join us.

That means admission decisions are based on the whole picture of who you are —

*More on that later.

not just your SAT or ACT score.

The Class of 2023 arrives on campus. Students move into their new residences, attend meetings, eat lunch, pick up AESOP equipment, hear the President’s Greeting on the Historic Quad, and say goodbye to their families.

OPEN-MINDED /// 9

There are no classes on the third Monday in January.

Instead, students attend workshops and events dedicated to tackling the toughest issues, including race, racism, and oppression.

OPEN-MINDED /// 11

REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF OBSERVANCE

MLK Day is a reason we come to Bates,” says senior Kyle Larry. “One of the main purposes of this school is to create activists and to create advocates.”

It’s about immersing yourself in cultures outside of your own, seeing the struggles that other people face, and how this country has used power structures in order to marginalize certain groups.”

The day also includes a debate dedicated

It’s less about who wins than it is about

to Benjamin E. Mays, a 1920 alumnus and

sharing different perspectives, says

mentor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Morehouse debater Hatim Mansori.

Mays was a standout member of the

“I love being in this environment, and

Bates debate team and later became

experiencing some of the debate fire

president of Morehouse College. On MLK

that I would like to bring out in myself,

Day, members of the Morehouse debate

through the lens of Benjamin Elijah Mays

team come to campus for a friendly

and Martin Luther King Jr.”

competition.

PROFILE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH FILLS A VOID Diverse BookFinder database holds thousands of titles Psychology professor and associate dean of the faculty Krista Aronson studies how children understand social constructs like race and ethnicity.

While looking for inclusive books to help her daughter explore her own multiracial identity, Aronson realized how difficult these stories are to find. Especially since 85 to 90% of the main characters in children’s books are white.

Aiming to fill the void she’d discovered, she recruited students and colleagues to start a database of inclusive titles. As the list grew, she worked with library staff to add titles to the collection at Bates.

Three years later, the college has one of the most robust collections of diverse children’s books in the United States. The online counterpart she helped start, Diverse BookFinder, with its searchable database of more than 3,000 titles, has been profiled by media across the U.S. The library books are Bates’ most popular collection, sought after by teachers and librarians throughout New England.

“No one else has this,” says humanities librarian Christina Bell. “But it’s not just about us having it, it’s how we are using it to help other people have better collections.”

The BookFinder has inspired half a dozen senior thesis projects. It also attracted many non-psychology students to work in Aronson’s research lab, drawn to the idea that their work could make American children’s literature more reflective of America itself.

“Every year, I have students who say to me: ‘This is the first time I’ve seen a book with someone who looks like me’ — and it’s here at Bates,” Aronson says. “That’s particularly powerful.”

Explore at diversebookfinder.org.

OPEN-MINDED /// 13

Krista Aronson

Every year, I have students who say to me: ‘This is the first time I’ve seen a book with someone who looks like me’ — and it’s here at Bates. That’s particularly powerful.”

Open-hearted A B AT E S E D U C AT I O N I S . . .

.” f us o h one c a e l in e ing s s i ry ice e t s v u j d in and e “The power to en — Dolores Huerta, American labor activist and civil rights icon, speaking at Bates in 2019

WELCOME /// 15

OPEN-HEARTED /// 15

OPEN-HEARTED /// 17

We know that college isn’t just about developing your intellectual side. It’s also a time to find the people you can lean on so you can thoughtfully and authentically test your limits.

Bates is a place where students hold doors open

You’ll find it between the lines of the Napkin Board

for each other. Our competitive streak is limited to

in Commons, our central dining hall, where dining

games against our rivals in the New England Small

staff respond to each comment or suggestion with

College Athletic Conference. And our professors

a personal note (or a meme).

are more likely to ask, “How are you doing?” than “How are you doing in my class?”

Bates is special because our community gives you not just time, space, and resources to define your

You’ll see our community spirit at work in the

interests, but also the support to care for yourself

library, which closes early on Fridays to make sure

along the way.

students get a study break and keeps a hot water kettle near the research desk for warm tea or cocoa in the winter.

ut us o m. k c e Ch stagra n on I

That way, you’re prepared to take the risks that will define who you become.

bat

esc

@batescollege

batescollege

— Environmental studies major Dianna Georges ’22 (right) of Clifton, N.J., president of the Bates Environmental Coalition, talks about giving plant succulents to fellow students outside Commons today while raising awareness of the Global

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PHOTO // Joshua Turner ’20

LOCATION, LOCATI N, LOCATION

ce a s Mill Complex, on te Ba d te va no re The staurant, uses a seafood re textile mill, now ho museum. fices, and a city a microbrewery, of

OPEN-HEARTED /// 19

THE TWIN CITIES OF LEWISTON AND AUBURN, WITH THE ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER RUNNING BETWEEN THEM, ARE MILL TOWNS REBORN With a combined population of about 60,000, the two

Many of our business owners are known for

cities offer the best of both worlds: a safe, close-knit

outstanding craftsmanship. The family behind Rancourt

community and a vibrant downtown.

Shoes has made handsewn footwear in Lewiston for three generations. Bourgeois Guitars

Locals call the area L/A. It’s

makes just 400 acoustic guitars

full of hard-working,

a year, ensuring that each

independent-minded people who are building meaningful,

of their instruments

BATES

has a unique tone

ME

Lewiston, ME

construction.

FREEPORT, ME

interesting lives for

VT

themselves.

Inside

and faultless

NY

factories that once powered the Industrial Revolution,

And what was

(31 min/19.8 mi) NH MA CT

once an artisan furniture

PORTLAND, ME

(46 min/36.2 mi)

mom-andpop business,

BOSTON, MA

founded by

(2 hrs 17 min/139 mi)

former Bates professor

NEW YORK CITY, NY

(5 hrs 41 min/349 mi)

Thomas Moser, is still family-owned

you’ll find startups and brewpubs.

Lisbon Street, Lewiston’s downtown shopping district, has cafés, bike shops, and galleries, all within a mile of campus. Thirty-four languages are spoken at the local high school,

but earns coverage in Architectural Digest.

For arts lovers, L/A also offers a professional theater company, a film festival, museums, and an underground music scene.

and you can get a plate of curried goat, a steaming

In other words, you could find many ways to get

bowl of phò, or steak au poivre within blocks of

involved and make a difference here — and L/A

one another.

could make a difference for you.

Bates College is located in the heart of Maine, close to mountains, the sea, and cities along the Eastern seaboard. Traveling by Uber, bus, train, or plane is only a click away.

PROFILE

Tales That Unite Us STORYTELLING BRINGS TOGETHER L/A COMMUNITY On the second Thursday of the month, a square of carpet in a Lewiston café transforms into a confessional.

Called “The Corner,” Lewiston’s monthly storytelling event takes a similar format to national showcases like “The Moth.”

A Bates professor (Michael Sargent, seen at left) launched the series in 2013 in an effort to bring some new energy to L/A’s nightlife and culture. Now, after years as participants, Kate Webber ’11 and partner Steve Burger host The Corner.

Five people share stories at each event, building tales around themes like “night shift” or “plus-one.” Some are seasoned performers; others have never spoken in front of an audience.

Some stories provoke belly laughs. Others draw tears.

“People have a real desire to connect with other people,” Webber says. “Even if you come and quietly sit in a back chair and observe, you can still leave feeling like you’re more connected to this place.”

Every night is different, Burger adds. “Lewiston is not the stereotype of Maine. There is diversity in all senses of the word. The Corner thrives here because there are so many different stories to tell — and people genuinely listen to what you have to say.”

There’s also an element of community ownership, he says.

The event is volunteer run and sponsored by dozens of local businesses. “It’s something that people buy into and feel like it belongs to them.”

Even if you come and quietly sit in a back chair and observe, you can still leave feeling like you're more connected to this place.”

OPEN-HEARTED /// 21

Rhetoric, film, and screen studies

Politics

THE CHORUS OF CINEMA:

WELCOMING NEW MAINERS:

Experiments in Community Filmmaking

Local Economic Development

Practices and Collective Storytelling in

and its Effects on the Politics

Lewiston/Auburn, Maine

of Immigration

Our Community BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Recent capstone research projects in Lewiston/Auburn:

Sociology DRUG USE ON THE COAST:

Economics

Examining the Opioid Epidemic in Maine Lobster

A MACHINE LEARNING PREDICTING INPATIENT

Env. studies

DISCHARGE AT CENTRAL

HEAT AND LIGHT IN THE CITY

APPROACH FOR

MAINE MEDICAL CENTER

OF THE FUTURE: A Feasibility Study of Renewable Energy in Lewiston, Maine

Fishing Communities

REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE ount Isa Moise ’19 of M or aj m s ie ud st l Environmenta klyn, Oko Farms in Broo at g in rn te in , Y. Vernon, N. id of at utilizes a hybr th on ti za ni ga or N.Y., an as aquaponics. droponics known hy d an e ur lt cu aqua

You can’t know what you love to do — and what you don’t — until you’ve tried it. So if you have an interest you want to explore, we’ll help you find an experience to match.

Hands-on work at Bates helps you connect classroom theories with the practical realities of the working world.

If you’re an art & visual culture major, you might have an internship at a local gallery.

If you’re considering a legal career, you could work for a state representative or intern for an environmental policy group.

And if you’re into math and economics, lots of our students have crunched numbers for leading insurance and financial services firms.

OPEN-HEARTED /// 23

TRY SOMETHING NEW

YOU’LL HAVE MANY CHANCES TO DIVE INTO THE UNEXPECTED AT BATES

surf with the Outing Club or perform a spoken-word piece at the weekly Village Club Series showcase. Test your technical skills with the

Learn to

High-Altitude Ballooning Club. Or your sense of rhythm with the

Bollywood Dance Team.

With nearly

100 student-run clubs

you’re sure to find something of interest. What you won’t find are fraternities or sororities. We’ve never had them. Never will.

Club angai Asia S e h t in o J rating t of celeb for a nigh rican Asian Ame Asian and ic, rough mus h t s e r u lt cu the dance at d n a , g n so ight. gai Asia N annual San

PROFILE

Calm in the Storm STUDENT-RUN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES OFFERS A CAMPUS SAFETY NET When the Bates campus needs a quick response to injuries, illnesses, or anxieties, Bates EMS gets the call.

Staffed by trained student volunteers, Bates EMS delivers immediate care to students, staff, and faculty. Crew members earn state certification as medical technicians during Short Term, so they have the expertise to respond to a range of health issues.

The EMS team is on call 24/7, offering a safety net for the campus and giving its members first-hand experience in health care delivery. The crew also supports first responders in Lewiston, who may be miles away when something happens.

“The fact that Bates EMS can go from one end of campus to the other in about two minutes is really, really important,” says Jillian Sheltra ’19 of Portland, Maine.

While finishing her studies at Bates, she took a job with the local ambulance service that helps train Bates EMS volunteers. Recognizing a passion for emergency medicine, she earned a paramedic’s license and became a full-time first responder — experience that will serve her well as she applies to medical school.

“You’re the calm in the middle of this crazy storm,” she says. “You often show up on somebody’s worst day. And no matter if you’re on the simplest of calls or the most complicated medical call, people are happy that you’re there. That’s one of the most rewarding parts.”

You often show up on somebody’s worst day. And no matter if you’re on the simplest of calls or the most complicated medical call, people are happy that you’re there.”

OPEN-HEARTED /// 25

GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PROFESSORS Our professors are bright, driven, and among the

You might do research or fieldwork with them.

top minds in their scholarly fields. They’ve chosen

They may introduce you to alumni in your field of

to teach at a school with a 10:1 student-faculty

interest, or help you find opportunities to attend

ratio because their priority is helping you learn.

professional conferences.

Your professors will mentor you in class, advise

They will certainly encourage you to think harder

you on your course selections, and help you

than you ever imagined.

ruthlessly edit your capstone projects.

Accessible Faculty OFFICE HOURS

OPEN-HEARTED /// 27

OF TENURED FACULTY

NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO

HOLD THE HIGHEST

DO FULL-TIME RESEARCH WITH

DEGREE IN THEIR FIELD

FACULTY EACH SUMMER

FACULTY-STUDENT RATIO

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

PROFILE

Groundbreaking Discovery

OPEN-HEARTED /// 29

STUDENT-DESIGNED MOLECULE COULD LEAD TO NEW ALZHEIMER’S DRUGS AND CANCER TREATMENTS WHAT IT IS: The Bobcat339 molecule is a compound that blocks the function of certain genes, leading to improved memory and concentration.

Its full name is highly technical, so the students gave it a Bates-inspired nickname.

WHO DISCOVERED IT: Three students — Gabriella Chua and Kelly Wassarman, who were both seniors, and Haoyu Sun, then a junior — took on key roles, with support from their professor, Andrew Kennedy. Four other students also are named as authors in the research, which they published in a scientific journal.

HOW IT WAS POSSIBLE: It’s rare for undergraduates to not only work on complex research like this, but to design it from the ground up.

Kennedy credits Bates’ genre-bending approach to the liberal arts. “A lot of scientists think exclusively in a reductionist way,” he says. But his students consider how their work affects the world outside the lab. “There is a focus on creativity in the sciences here.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Bates filed a patent for the molecule, to protect it and build momentum for further testing and discovery.

The process Bobcat339 uses, DNA methylation, affects how genes turn on and off. That means it has potential for many different treatments. Kennedy’s lab is sharing the compound with cancer research groups and others who see its potential.

Bobcat339 also opened new avenues for the students who invented it, now graduates. Haoyu and Gabriella are pursuing Ph.D.s at top research universities. Kelly was hired at a Boston biotechnology firm.

Haoyu says she became more independent and flexible as a scientist because of her experience: “I used to be very specific and focused on if every reaction would produce the ‘perfect’ result. Later, I started to see what these little things mean to the whole research project.”

PROFILE

Bobcat Ventures STUDENT-RUN STARTUP CLUB CONNECTS STUDENTS WITH ALUMNI Bates trustee Chris Barbin ’93 wants to make sure

At each stage, they attend workshops and get

this is quite clear: Bobcat Ventures is more than

feedback from alumni entrepreneurs whose

Bates’ version of “Shark Tank.”

expertise includes executive coaching, launching

The pitch competition and its $10,000 prize have launched several student-run small businesses,

technology startups, and investing in disruptive businesses.

including a temporary storage company inspired

“They’re able to talk about business concepts that

by Airbnb and a personal care brand that supports

come up in the workshops, and, ultimately, create

at-risk women in Lewiston/Auburn.

a stronger bond between students and alumni who have been successful,”

But as an informal

says senior Julien Lewin of

advisor and judge of the

Seattle, Wash., one of the

competition, Barbin has

club’s organizers.

also seen Bobcat Ventures grow into a powerful

Bobcat Ventures judges

engine of connection for

often stay in touch with the

students and alumni.

winners after graduation, too. “I’ve watched the

“We’re encouraging

excitement on both sides

them to keep their

when you make those

business moving forward,

connections,” Barbin says.

and helping them with guidance, counsel, and support — even after the competition itself,” he says.

Over the course of a year,

“It’s not just about exposing ABOVE: George DeLana ’19, Boston, Mass., won the $10,000 prize in 2019’s Bobcat Ventures pitch competition with his startup, Nook. Nook is an online marketplace where students can rent summer storage space from Lewiston/Auburn residents rather than lug that mini fridge all the way home.

Bobcat Ventures students

yourself as talent to somebody who’s going to hire you. It’s trying to really encourage entrepreneurship and give you some lessons

come up with a new business idea, research and write a business plan, and go through several rounds of simulated

learned for that — so it makes a workable connection with the alumni network as well.”

pitches to investors.

The 2017 winner of the pitch competition, Ali Rabideau ’17’s Herban Works, is still going strong. Herban Works is a product of Rabideau’s time with Lewiston’s Center for Women’s Wisdom, and the startup helps the Center pay its bills by making and selling herbal self-care products.

OPEN-HEARTED /// 31

We’re encouraging them to keep their business moving forward, and helping them with guidance, counsel, and support — even after the competition itself.”

PURPOSEFUL, HANDS-ON LEARNING EDUCATION HERE IS NEVER LIMITED TO THE CLASSROOM Our mission is to help you become an active citizen of the world — or at least your corner of it. That means developing strong communication skills, solving problems by working together, and respecting people from different backgrounds and points of view.

There’s no better way to hone these skills than by practicing, then practicing some more.

So you’ll participate in internships, job shadows, fieldwork, and work in the community. You might earn a research fellowship. Or have a work-study job at a local nonprofit. You’ll take Short Term classes from successful alumni. You’ll sometimes push your comfort zone, and always find yourself changed as a result.

OPEN-HEARTED /// 33

Community Partnerships Collaboration with the community and learning by doing are key aspects of academics at Bates. These two elements, which we call community-engaged learning, come together at our nationally recognized Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Through the Harward Center, you’ll have access to hundreds of hands-on experiences that will deepen your connection to Lewiston/Auburn and give you a chance to make a difference. These experiences often inspire students to dig deeper through independent research or a senior thesis.

What does community-engaged learning look like?

Environmental studies students do research on how renewable energy can cut costs for a local 127-acre vegetable farm. Students studying education spend at least 30 hours a semester working in nearby schools or after-school programs. Students interested in healthcare are invited to job-shadow surgeons, physician assistants, and radiologists at Central Maine Medical Center. And classical & medieval studies students work with staff at Museum L/A in downtown Lewiston on a plan to digitize the museum’s archives.

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED LEARNING IN A TYPICAL YEAR

of Bates students

community-engaged

hours of academically driven

take community-

classes are available

community-engaged work are completed

engaged courses

disciplines offer

community-engaged

community-engaged

internships, research

courses

projects, or independent studies take place

Sustainability

BY THE NUMBERS

At Bates, caring for each other also means caring for our environment.

The college switches to green electricity Annual savings from energy-efficiency measures Bates becomes carbon-neutral Student clubs focus on conservation and sustainability Campus boilers retrofitted to use renewable energy Green Innovation Grants awarded each year for campus sustainability projects Bates’ worldwide clean-energy ranking from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Portion of the first-year class attracted to Bates because of our environmental commitment

Annual Trashion Show, where students model garments made from recycled and thrownaway materials

OPEN-HEARTED /// 35

NATURAL WONDERS Visitors are often surprised to find that along with

Others represent the culmination of a lifelong goal,

academic buildings and residence halls, the Bates

like Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the

campus is home to both a “mountain” and a “lake.”

Appalachian Trail.

Lake Andrews is so little, we call it the Puddle. And at

Our pristine coast, vast mountain ranges, marshland,

381 feet, Mount David earns a description as a “tall rock

and rivers are ripe for exploration in all four seasons.

outcropping” in a local trail guide. They’re ours — and

They’re also within an hour’s drive of Lewiston.

we love them.

Take Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area. This

Mount David makes a great sledding hill on a snowy day.

public nature preserve on the southern coast offers 600

And every January the Outing Club cuts a hole in the lake

acres of protected salt marshes, dunes, and beaches.

for Puddle Jump, a longtime polar plunge tradition.

Bates manages the area for research and educational

The geographic variety of Bates’ campus is also a good

purposes — giving students another chance to explore

introduction to what makes living in northern New

Maine’s natural wonders, whether they’re studying

England special. Parts of Maine are wild and untouched.

physics, religion, or environmental science.

Parts are famous and majestic, like Acadia National Park.

COURSES USING BATES-MORSE MOUNTAIN AS A CLASSROOM Avian Biology Lost Beaches of Maine The Nature of Spirituality

ion vat r e s f Con ry o ain o t t n a u Mo bor d rse g la nes, an o n i M v i l u s e d e Bat -acr arshes, tes for on.

The 600 a ti a lt m

by B educa a, Are cted sa naged d a , an te pro es, is m esearch ,r ch bea tion a v r e cons

Coastal Hazards Conservation Biology Earth Surface Environments and Environmental Change Limnology and Paleolimnology of Maine Lakes Sedimentary Processes and Environments Brand Culture Building (Short Term practitioner-taught course)

NCAA CHAMPIONS

ALL-AMERICAN AWARDS IN 2018 AND 2019

VARSITY TEAMS CLUB TEAMS

ATHLETICS Bates is a charter member of NESCAC (the New England

BOBCAT PRIDE RUNS % DEEP. ABOUT

40

OF OUR STUDENTS

Small College Athletic Conference) along with Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams.

PARTICIPATE IN VARSITY SPORTS EACH YEAR.

OLYMPIANS

OPEN-HEARTED /// 37

THEATER PRODUCTIONS

LARGE-SCALE ART EXHIBITIONS

MUSIC AND VOICE ENSEMBLES

& ARTS

HIGH-PROFILE LITERARY READINGS

The performing and visual arts are well represented at Bates.

Every year you’ll find hundreds of opportunities to express yourself — and to be inspired by leadingedge artists. That’s true whether you major in dance or physics.

INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED DANCE FESTIVAL

Open-ended A B AT E S E D U C AT I O N I S . . .

OPEN-ENDED /// 39

WELCOME /// 39

s

ts i nt e i sc

“

’re y e th k ll. hin e t sw ust j a o ts st s t i n e n stud ma y u m h t n.” e an r o ’ i w y t e a th duc on’t e k s n d i e t I to th he Ba t m e f o h nt t value a e h w t I t’s Tha

— Andrew Kennedy, chemistry and biochemistry professor

.

FIND YOUR PURPOSE WITH BATES’ CENTER FOR PURPOSEFUL WORK

drives you to learn, grow, and thrive, you’ll have a more satisfying relationship with work throughout your life. That’s the idea behind Purposeful When you understand what

Work at Bates.

Most colleges offer career counseling and help with job applications.

Our Center for Purposeful Work goes way beyond jobs or careers.

focus on the whole person — your beliefs, your strengths, your interests — and infuse concepts of meaningful work into all aspects of your time at Bates.

We

With each new

Purposeful Work experience,

you’ll consider whether a given role feels right for you, and why.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have a

clear idea of

the values you want reflected in your life after college.

And you’ll have a professional network and the practical experience to help you

make it happen.

OPEN-ENDED /// 41

GALLUP-BATES RESEARCH A nationwide study of college students, parents, and recruiters of recent grads found: Less than half of college graduates find purposeful work Graduates who align their work with their interests, values, and strengths are three times more likely to experience high purpose in work Graduates with high purpose in work are 10 times more likely to have high overall wellbeing

PROFILE

Working it Out PURPOSEFUL WORK LEADER HELPS STUDENTS MAKE FULFILLING CHOICES She could back it up with reams of data and decades of experience, but Rebecca Fraser-Thill’s philosophy boils down to about a dozen words: “Work is a fundamental part of our lives — so if work isn’t working, life isn’t working.”

As director of faculty engagement and outreach at the Bates Center for Purposeful Work, FraserThill spends much of her time teaching the Bates community to reflect on the common themes in their academic work, practical experiences, and relationships so that they can identify future paths that feel right.

“We very much believe that purpose isn’t something that you have to go out and find. It’s ABOVE: Students gather on the Quad for a class session of “Life Architecture: Designing Your Future Work,” led by lecturer in psychology Rebecca Fraser-Thill and visiting podcaster Megan Tan.

something that you can create wherever you happen to be.”

That includes being in college, she says: “If you can gain the skill set to create purpose and a meaning in what you’re doing in the here and now — in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the community, in student employment, all of those settings — then you’re gaining an understanding of what it will mean to make a rich, full, impactful life after college.”

OPEN-ENDED /// 43

We very much believe that purpose isn’t something that you have to go out and find. It’s something that you can create wherever you happen to be.”

Rebecca Fraser-Thill

Practical Tools and Teaching INTERNSHIPS AND JOB SHADOWING:

PRACTITIONER-TAUGHT COURSES:

Bates Purposeful Work Internship Program offers

We invite alumni and other leaders in their fields to

250 paid summer internships a year, drawing on a

teach during Short Term. These fast-paced classes let

network of 70 core employers. Job shadowing also

students gain practical skills, expand their networks,

allows students to share a day in the life of alumni at

and understand workplace dynamics.

workplaces such as ESPN, The National Institutes of Health, and the Maine Office of the Attorney General.

PURPOSEFUL WORK UNPLUGGED: This Q&A with alumni features stories of success and

PURPOSEFUL WORK INFUSION PROJECT:

failure, lessons learned, and purposeful work in their

Across the curriculum, in over 65 classes last year,

own lives. Recent participants include an Instagram

Bates professors address the question, “How does

content strategist, a New York Times editor, a venture

this relate to the world beyond college?”

capitalist, and several CEOs.

HOW TO ADULT WORKSHOPS: Many of the hard lessons of adulthood come soon after graduation, so Bates’ residence life staff and the Center for Purposeful Work aim to give students a head start.

Workshop topics include how to budget in your 20s, negotiate a salary, find an apartment, or make new friends after college.

RECENT PRACTITIONERTAUGHT COURSES Marketing with Higher Purpose for the Conscious Human taught by an alumna and marketing strategy executive The Business of the Arts taught by a professional dancer Advocating for The Environment taught by the former deputy director of the Maine State Planning Office Journalism in an Age of Media Explosion taught by an alumnus and former Men’s Health editor

OPEN-ENDED /// 45

THE BATES APPROACH After four years of exploration, discovery, and practical experience, Bates students have a strong sense of who they are. They’re confident about where they want to go, what they want to be, and how they will contribute to their communities.

For some, that means going straight into a new job in finance, education, or government. For others, it’s entrepreneurship, graduate study, professional degrees, or fellowships abroad.

Whatever they choose to pursue, our graduates’ self-confidence has been forged through a very Bates approach to life — one in which you learn to adapt by:

DEVELOPING A THEORY AND CREATING A PROTOTYPE

TESTING IT OUT

REFLECTING ON THE RESULT

MAKING IT BETTER

TRYING AGAIN

This way of thinking means that there are no mistakes or dead ends.

Each experience propels you into what’s next — allowing you to create a new way forward, without boundaries or limits. *Then starting over again with the next challenge.

COMMITTED TO AFFORDABILITY Sometimes figuring out if you can afford college is as stressful as choosing where to go.

When you consider Bates, keep in mind that the spirit of openness that inspired our founders lives on in our commitment to affordability.

Because of our mission to be accessible to as many students as possible, Bates doesn’t offer financial aid based on your grades or athletic ability. Our entire financial aid budget supports students with demonstrated financial need.

We will meet 100% of that need all four years. This may be through a combination of grants, payment plans, on-campus jobs, and loans.

Each family’s budget is different. Our financial aid team (you’ll get to know them as Wendy, Jaime, David, Kevin, and Nina) will work with you one-on-one to find a solution that puts a Bates education within reach.

Financial Aid Fast Facts About half of all Bates students receive financial aid.

We awarded

When you study

$35.5 MILLION

abroad, your aid

in grants last year

travels with you

Average federal student loan debt for the class of 2019 was $13,552 — less than half the national average

The average financial aid package for the Class of 2024 was $49,563

OPEN-ENDED /// 47

All About the Class of 2019

of Class of 2019 graduates

of students and alumni who

were settled in a job,

worked with the Medical

graduate school, fellowship,

Studies Committee were

internship, or other

accepted to medical school,

opportunity within six

compared to a 41% national

months of graduation.

average.

Class of 2019 graduates will pursue fellowships in Brazil, of Class of 2019

Czech Republic, Germany, India,

graduates who applied

Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Peru,

were accepted to

Senegal, South Korea, and Spain.

dental school.

Bates has been a top producer of

of Class of 2019 graduates who applied were accepted to law school.

Fulbright awards for a decade, including No. 1 rankings in 2017–18 and 2019–20.

CAREER FIELDS

EMPLOYERS

Exposure to a range of ideas and disciplines

Bates graduates are employed by some

leads our graduates into many careers —

of the top performing and most innovative

often in several different fields over the

organizations in the world, including:

course of their working lives.

The top four fields for recent graduates are:

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Fidelity Investments Google

Education 17%

Harvard University

Health care 13%

HBO

Finance/banking 10%

IBM

Technology 8%

Liberty Mutual

Other top fields for Bobcats include

Mashable Milwaukee Bucks

consulting, government, law, nonprofits,

Penguin Random House

and sports/recreation.

Teach for America

1

2

3

4

Always a Bobcat You’ll find Bates alumni across the world and around the corner. They’re building a new learning community in Vietnam, running an organic blueberry farm in Maine, serving in Congress, launching tech startups in New York, and representing their home countries in the Olympic Games.

5

They want to support you, too. Thousands of alumni mentor recent graduates, conduct admission interviews, open their workplaces for job-shadowing, and organize Bates events in their hometowns. Connecting with them is easy through Bates Bridge, the Center for Purposeful Work’s student-to-alumni connection network.

8

7

6

PICTURED: 1. Nick Lindholm ’86, organic blueberry farmer; 2. Bryant Gumbel ’70, broadcast journalist; 3. Eva Meltzer Murray ’85, year-round resident and jill-of-all-trades on Matinicus Isle; 4. Marcus and Malcolm Delpeche ’17, professional basketball players; 5. Joyce White Vance ’82, former US Attorney and current MSNBC analyst; 6. Raj Saha ’03, Bates lecturer in earth & climate sciences and physics; 7. Elizabeth Strout ’77, bestselling author; 8. Megan Guynes ’11, nonprofit program director.

OPEN-ENDED /// 49

PROFILE

Shaking Up Higher Education BATES ALUMNA BRINGS LIBERAL ARTS TO VIETNAM Ngan Dinh ’02 didn’t initially set out to

focus on. They experiment, test theories,

create Bates’ mirror image in Vietnam. But

talk back to professors — respectfully and

after a career as an economics consultant

enthusiastically.

and professor, she’s doing just that.

Dinh always wanted to be of service in her

Dinh is the founding dean of undergraduate

home country, says retired Bates Dean of

studies at Fulbright University Vietnam, the

Admission Bill Hiss ’66, a longtime friend and

country’s first liberal arts college.

mentor. When the Fulbright organization

“We are still in the first year,” she says.

“Technically, we are a baby.”

Even in its infancy, the college in Ho Chi Minh City feels a lot like Bates. And it looks nothing like Vietnam’s traditional approach

tapped Dinh to start a new university, she turned to the model that she knew well.

“She said sort of playfully, ‘Bill, I have to build Bates in Vietnam.’ And that’s exactly what she’s doing.”

to higher education, where you choose a

“Ngan is encouraging the students at

major at 18 and study only that subject for

Fulbright to have that same sort of curious,

four years.

open, involved, and questioning approach

Fulbright University students learn to build

to their education.”

machines using just bamboo and string.

They hop from courses in Vietnamese studies to engineering to the arts, and then decide in year two or three what to

Ngan Dinh ’02

Lake Auburn

(field work hot spot)

Mt. David

(a quick mountain view)

Lake Andrews

(home to the Puddle Jump)

Pettengill Hall

(cozy place to study)

Garcelon Field

PHOTO // Joshua Turner ’20

(for all the athletic moves)

OPEN-ENDED /// 51

PROFILE: CLASS OF 2024 CLASS STATS

CLASS SIZE — 502

EDUCATION

ADMISSION RATE — 14%

Public high school 50%

FINANCIAL AID Total grant aid $8.8+ million Portion of the Class of 2024 receiving Bates grant aid 43.4%

Independent high school 50% TESTING Bates has been a national leader in the test-optional movement for three decades. In 1984, our faculty

Portion of the Class of 2024

voted to make standardized

receiving Pell Grants 9%

testing optional for admission. For those who submitted testing, the

Class of 2024 average

middle 50% had score ranges of:

grant $49,563 SAT Evidence Based GEOGRAPHIC Middle Atlantic 22% Midwest 6% New England 38% Southeast 5% Southwest and West 17.5% Outside of the U.S. 11.5% DEMOGRAPHIC Female 53% Male 47% U.S. students of color 27% First generation to college 12% Non-U.S. citizens 10%

Numbers are current as of July 15, 2020.

Reading and Writing: 704 SAT Math: 728 ACT Composite: 32.4

YOU CAN BE OPEN HERE.

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