And lest those topics seem a tad stuffy for a student radio show called Chin Wags and Grab Bags with DJ Nosebleed and Friends, Spencer rose, or sank, to her host’s level as needed during the 75-minute interview.

Besides big-picture topics, Spencer offered responses to questions about the new Bates Bobcat (“not unduly aggressive, but looks like he could handle pretty much anything”); her celebrity crush (Alan Rickman); and why she wanted to get the whole thing over with — so she could get  home to watch Downton Abbey.

“I think she’s actually kinda funny. She’s not a suit,” host Clay Baldo ’13 of Santa Fe, N.M., said to his fellow DJ, Corey Gingras ’13 of Eastford, Conn.

Here’s a brief video of the Feb. 10 event and, below, a selection of edited audio clips from the interview.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Audio clips

Spencer sums up her perspective on what creates a career. “All you need to figure out at any given moment is your next gig,” she says. But, “you have to want to do it.”

Despite a long tenure at Harvard, Bates was not her presidential “safety school.”

What sets Bates students apart is their sense of “collective good,” the feeling of “intellectualism with respect that is among the strongest I’ve seen on any campus.” 

To the question of why, in 21st century terms, should someone go to a liberal arts college, Spencer says it’s about creating a valuable and productive sense of self in the world.

The best way to ride the tidal wave of technology is not to “muddle down the middle” but to “go to two different extremes.”

Working hard or hardly working? It’s no joke: The liberal arts education must address careers, Spencer explains.

More than any other, here’s the one quality that Spencer hopes every Bates student possesses upon graduation: Authenticity.

Responding to a question from Annie Cravero ’13 of the campus organization Bates Energy Action Movement, Spencer explains that responsible investing is about reconciling two important obligations.

The relationship between Bates and Lewiston is “strong and growing,” Spencer says.

Host Clay Baldo ’13 (center) and fellow DJ Corey Gingras listen to President Clayton Spencer during her WRBC radio interview on Feb. 10, 2013. Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College.

Seabear, a band based in Reykjavik, Iceland, performs indie folk at 9 p.m. Monday, March 29, in the Benjamin Mays Center, 95 Russell St.

The concert is open to the public and admission is free. For more information, please contact this dray@bates.edu. The concert is sponsored by the Bates College radio station, WRBC 91.5 FM.

Once the lo-fi solo project of Icelandic singer/multi-instrumentalist Sindri Mar Sigfusson, who was praised by Rolling Stone as the “Icelandic Beck,” Seabear is embarking on its first-ever North American tour.

Since the founding of the group in the early 2000s, Seabear has morphed into a rambling experimental/indie/folk septet. Joining Sigfusson are Gudbjorg Hlin Gudmundsdottir, Ingibjorg Birgisdottir, Halldor Ragnarsson, Orn Ingi Agustsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason and Soley Stefansdottir.

The band recently released its second full-length LP, We Built a Fire (Morr Music, 2010). For this record, all members of the band had equal input in the writing process, thereby creating Seabear’s first real collective album.

While Sigfusson’s unmistakable voice remains the centerpiece on We Built a Fire, the new joint approach is reflected in songs like “I’ll Build You a Fire” where the whole band joins in on vocals. There is something instantly familiar about Seabear’s songs that resonates with fans and critics alike. Despite scant promotion and airplay behind their debut album release, 2007′s The Ghost That Carried Us Away (Morr Music), their songs and animated videos were a social media hit generating millions of plays on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. The band’s songs have subsequently been featured in the soundtracks of several television programs including Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl.

For more information on Seabear, visit the Web site.

The Internet and digital music’s portability have transformed radio stations like Bates’ WRBC–FM, celebrating its 50th year of FCC-approved existence.

“People don’t listen to hear a specific song,” says publicity director Doug Ray ’10 of Pittsburgh. “They listen to find something new.” In that spirit, 10 WRBC jocks offer their suggestions, below.

Anamanaguchi “A high-energy mix of rock and hacked Nintendo game systems.” — Doug Ray ’11 of Pittsburgh

Animal Collective “Electronic group with a sharp ear for heavy pop beats, looping, magical sounds, and Beach Boys-esque harmonies all translating to incredible live performances.” — Peter Senzamici ’10 of Rockport, Mass.

Autechre “A beautiful sound spectrum ranging from robots taking lithium on one side to dissociative paranoia on the other.” — Bradley McGraw ’10 of Charleston, S.C.

Beach House “Baltimore indie duo with soft vocals and delicate instrumentation.” — Ali Vingiano ’11 of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

The Broken Beats “A Danish band that produces a wonderful rock-pop sound from the ’60s: like The Small Faces but faster with more modern sensibilities.” — Senzamici ’10

El Perro del Mar “Unique acoustic sound that is full-bodied and intriguing. One of the best female songwriters I know of.” — Griffin Peterson ’09 of Fairfield, Conn.

FM Belfast “Icelandic four-piece electro band that is impossible not to dance to.” — Peterson ’09

Good Night, States “Five Pittsburghers getting together with guitars, drums, and synthesizers to produce indie pop.” — Ray ’11

Health “A four-piece band combining genres of noise-rock with dance and electronica to make eccentric, original sounds.” — Vingiano ’11

Matt & Kim “A power pop-rock duo out of Brooklyn comprising only a synth keyboard and vocals (Matt) and drums (Kim).” — Vingiano ’11

Noah and the Whale “Hopelessly romantic and charming folk-pop with a feel-good sound beyond belief.” — Liz Rowley ’11 of Evanston, Ill.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin “A poppy Midwestern folk group that lifts you up on a cloudy day.” — Joe Cauteruccio ’10 of Boston

The Soul of John Black “Masterful combination of soul, gospel, funk, and hip hop with amazing vocals and slide guitar.” — Dan LaCasse, community DJ, of Auburn

Surkin “Parisian boy-wonder with a ’90s approach to electronic dance music.” — Rob Lindon ’11 of London

Yelle “1980s-style dance hits made for 21st-century French discotheques.” — Nelson Harris ’10 of Zurich, Switzerland

It’s official: WRBC just turned 50! If you live near campus, you can listen over the radio at 91.5 FM. The rest of world can check out a live webcast, read the station’s history and interact. [WRBC Radio]