BatesNews Monthly Update: February 2010
For Bates alumni and parents, here is a look back at stories that represent some of the major Bates events and achievements of the past month, important upcoming events, and a sampling of Bates people making news.
Multimedia: Benajmin Mays ’20 and the civil rights movement focus of MLK keynote
University of Pennsylvania historian Barbara Savage spoke on “Benjamin Mays and the Politics of Black Religion in the Age of Desegregation” during Bates’ Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances Jan. 18. Savage’s address used Mays to illustrate some of the historic forces that helped shape, and constrain, the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century. Watch a brief multimedia piece that portrays, with video and stills, the unique qualities of the annual Bates College MLK Day observance, and read student impressions of MLK Day. Coverage includes a video of Savage’s entire speech.
http://home.bates.edu/views/2010/01/22/mlk-keynote/
Bates Outing Club honored by Maine Legislature, evening with Bates Arctic adventurer
The state Legislature honored the student organization on its 90th birthday with a Legislative Sentiment Jan. 26, during a ceremony at the State House. In an interview with Maine Public Broadcasting, Ken Spalding ’73 noted some Outing Club history, including the BOC’s work, in 1934, scouting the final and perhaps most difficult stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Later in the week, Tyler Fish ’96, one of the first two Americans to complete an unsupported cross-country ski expedition to the North Pole, visited the college to discuss this grueling journey.
http://home.bates.edu/views/2010/01/26/boc-90th/
Brooks Quimby takes on Yale, hosts tournament
The atmosphere in the College Chapel was one of excitement on Jan. 21 as the Brooks Quimby Debate Council held its annual public debate against rival Yale. The two teams did not disappoint.
http://home.bates.edu/views/2010/01/26/debate-yale/
Deadline March 1 for Barlow Alumni Travel Grants
The Barlow Alumni Travel Grant is an award of up to $3,500 to fund travel abroad by a Bates alumni educator who has been teaching kindergarten through 12th grade for at least five years. The grant must support educational and professional goals. Alumni are invited to apply online; the deadline is March 1 and the grant announcement will be made by March 15. The Barlow Endowment, made possible by David Barlow ’79, also funds a range of student study-abroad programs, plus opportunities for students to link their experiences with their academic work on campus. Application forms and information are available online:
https://www.bates.edu/barlow-grant.xml
Did You Know?
According to a national survey released Jan. 20 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, employers with 25 or more employees said colleges should place more emphasis on preparing students to “effectively communicate orally and in writing” (89 percent), to use “critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills” (81 percent) and to have “the ability to innovate and be creative” (70 percent). The margin of error for the survey is ±5.7 percentage points.
http://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/2009_EmployerSurvey.pdf
Religion professor receives NEH grant for ‘identity terms’ research
Cynthia Baker, associate professor of religious studies, recently received $50,400 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her research into one of history’s most fraught identity terms: “Jew,” a word that can convey praise, pride, prejudice or pure description.
http://home.bates.edu/views/2010/01/26/baker-neh/
Biology scholarships available for alumni
The biology department, in conjunction with the Medical Studies Committee, is soliciting applications for alumni scholarships to be awarded from the Harriet M. and Fred E. Pomeroy Fund. Each Pomeroy scholar will receive $5,000 to help support graduate/professional training in biology or the health sciences. To be eligible, alumni must have completed significant coursework in biology while at Bates (at least five courses) and successfully completed at least one semester of their graduate or professional program before applying. Those who receive a stipend and tuition support are not eligible to apply. All application materials must be received by March 31, 2010. Interested? Details are at:
https://www.bates.edu/x154074.xml
Bates People in the News
Print and radio media seek out Tyler Fish ’96, in Maine to help celebrate the Outing Club’s 90th anniversary and to tell tales about his North Pole conquest. The Business Review talks to Tom D’Arcy ’83, new CEO and president of Grubb & Ellis, who says his mandate is to make the California-based commercial real estate firm “lean, profitable, sustainable and competitive.” And while no one likes new taxes, says Dr. Nancy Madsen Cummings ’81 in a recent Sun Journal op-ed, it’s “fairer and more rational” than how we pay for health care now.
http://home.bates.edu/views/in-the-news/
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