Stories by Bates News
“Peace begins with us.”That was the theme of this year’s United World College Day that a group of Davis United World Scholars at Bates celebrated by gathering with staff from the Center for Global Education in front of Roger Williams Hall. UWC Day is the annual global celebration of the UWC mission and values, which takes place on Sept. 21 every year, to coincide with the UN International Day of Peace. Each year, UWC Day is celebrated by thousands of people worldwide, including students and staff at UWC schools and colleges, national committees, UWC alumni and friends. Associate Dean for International Student Programs James Reese likes to recognize the day at Bates with a photograph and gathering.The spirit of friendship was in the air as students broke up from their large group to exchange hugs and words with classmates. Newcomers Rosina Makwabe ’26 of Arusha, Tanzania, and Verina Chatata ’26 of Blantyre, Malawi, who met at Bates, laughed and hugged. “I’m happy to have a friend,” Makwabe said.A $5 million scholarship gift to Bates College has expanded access for talented international students who come to Bates from the highly respected secondary schools of the United World Colleges movement.The gift, from Jonathan Blair Frank ‘89 and Tena Fishman Frank ’89, provides need-based financial aid for UWC students at Bates under the Davis United World College Scholars Program.The world’s largest international undergraduate scholarship initiative, the Davis UWC Scholars Program is dedicated to bringing together “promising students from diverse cultures and supporting their undergraduate educations at selected American colleges and universities…to create greater international understanding among the world’s future decision makers.”Bates is among 99 U.S. colleges and universities that have partnered with the Davis UWC Scholars Program, which helps provide college access to 3,800 students from 165 nations.(Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)Yvonne Chu ’25 of Changzhou, China, with Alan Wang ’24 of Henan, China
Bates photographers’ favorite images of 2022

Thursday, December 15, 2022 9:16 am

This end-of-the-year list — a tradition now in its ninth year — gathers our photographer's favorite images, both stills and video, that capture their own magic moments of 2022.

Bates’ 148th Commencement ceremony itself takes place at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 25, on the Historic Quad, Campus Avenue and College Street (or Merrill Gym in case of rain). Some 448 students will receive bachelor’s degrees, and President A. Clayton Spencer will confer honorary degrees on four notable Americans: John Seely Brown, visionary thinker and computer scientist; Glenn Close, renowned actress; David Shaw P’00, leading entrepreneur; Isabel Wilkerson, Commencement speaker and author of the acclaimed social history The Warmth of Other Suns.
‘Moments from the fall’: Meet 13 new Bates College professors

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 4:45 pm

View profiles of 13 new professors, tenure-track appointees or appointed as tenured faculty members, featuring photographic portraits, areas of scholarly expertise, an example of a Bates course they teach, and a telling moment from the nearly completed fall semester.

The 10 most-viewed BatesNews stories of 2022

Thursday, December 8, 2022 2:13 pm

As the year ticks to a close, here’s a top-10 countdown of the 2022 BatesNews stories with the most views, plus the average time readers spent on each story.

Bates College announces promotions of 13 professors

Thursday, December 8, 2022 9:43 am

Meet these newly promoted Bates professors, and hear each explain the meaning of being a Bates professor. Says one, "I get to help our students be fully themselves and see them thrive, alongside folks who care about it as much as I do.”

Negro voting in Cardoza [i.e., Cardozo] High School in [Washington,] D.C. / [MST].SummaryPhotograph showing a young African American woman casting her ballot.Trikosko, Marion S, photographer. Negro voting in Cardoza i.e., Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C. / MST. Washington D.C, 1964. Nov. 3. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003688167/.
Q&A: Navigating your ballot and what’s at stake in the 2022 midterms, with Jenna Dela Cruz Vendil ’06

Friday, November 4, 2022 10:46 am

Whether it’s your first time voting or you still think Dewey defeated Truman, you might have ballot questions.

Q&A: Ceci Clark Craft ’05 helps these World Series ballplayers ‘build a mental game’

Thursday, October 27, 2022 3:44 pm

Craft’s rise to prominence in Major League Baseball mirrors, and in some ways has pioneered, the growing awareness among pro sports teams that mental performance is as important as physical strength and athletic skills.

Bates College announces 19-member Presidential Search Committee

Friday, September 30, 2022 1:12 pm

The committee comprises faculty, staff, students, and trustees, including eight who are alumni and four who are Bates parents.

President Spencer’s Community Letter: Time to ‘concentrate our energies on what we are here to do’

Friday, September 30, 2022 12:19 pm

President Spencer shares updates and areas of focused attention for the coming year, her final as the eighth president of Bates College.

Video: Behind the scenes at the Bates men’s soccer sportrait session

Friday, September 30, 2022 9:43 am

Thirty-three Bobcat athletes gathered in an echoey gym, gearing up for their team's annual “sportrait” session. If you’re thinking loud, energetic, and silly, you’ve scored a hat trick.

Bates-funded Purposeful Work INBRE (The Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) intern Rebecca Anderson '24 at MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her research presentation is titled "Generation of a gene orthology map between axolotl and key model organisms." She works under the supervision of Joel H. Graber, Ph.D., senior staff scientist, director of computational biology and bioinformatics core, at MDIBL. (Read more about what he does here: https://mdibl.org/faculty/joel-h-graber-ph-d/)Rebecca appears with another student who is working on a separate research project under Dr. Graber’s supervision: Aiden Pike ’23 of Belfast, Maine (wearing baseball cap) a student at UMaine-Orono. They are photographed in Meyers Pavillion, where they along with other members of the MDIBL community listened to a weekly Chalk Talk. This one was presented by Dartmouth professor Bruce Stanton, Ph.D, who covered his life’s work including topics on arsenic poisoning of well water and cystic fibrosis.She is also shown in Maren Auditorium preparing for an Aug. 5 presentation to be made by each of the MDIBL summer research fellows. And in the Morris Research Building where she and Aiden stop by to check in with Dr. Graber. She appears with her computer on the balcony of the Maine Center for Biomedical Innovation, overlooking the ocean, and on a dock by the ocean with Dr. Graber and Aiden.Our iconic campus is a gathering place for preeminent scientists, motivated students and engaged citizens where new ideas are sparked, new knowledge is discovered, critically discussed and disseminated to the world. Nestled in the heart of Acadia National Park, our idyllic location serves as constant inspiration, fosters collaboration, and grounds us in an inherent appreciation for the beauty and complexity of nature. 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the Laboratory’s move to Mount Desert Island at the invitation of George Dorr, renowned preservationist and “
Slideshow: Bates summer internships and ‘what I want my future to look like’

Friday, September 23, 2022 11:54 am

Nine students whose summer jobs had Bates funding, including Purposeful Work internships, told us about what they did (and smelled) — and what they learned about their emerging sense of purpose.

Load more