A Welcome Message from President Clayton Spencer

A Welcome Message from President Clayton Spencer

Bates was founded in 1855 as a college open to highly capable students of all backgrounds, devoted to educating “the whole person.” Such a mission put Bates ahead of its time in those days, and it’s still a leader today: in interdisciplinary and global study, with a wide range of extracurricular opportunities and undergraduate organizations open to all students.

As you explore the Bates experience, you’ll find a small, close, friendly, egalitarian community that highly values intellectual rigor and adventure balanced with respectful relationships and strong engagement with the world around us — local, national and international. We provide a residential undergraduate education that is empowering in many ways.

While the reach of Bates extends worldwide, we are proud of our setting in Maine. Lewiston, our hometown, and its twin city Auburn across the Androscoggin River, provide a fascinatingly interesting community with an amazing history, giving our students amazing opportunities to interact with the complicated world around them on a very granular level.  And Maine is justly famed for its combination of natural beauty, strong communities and development of strong individuals.

Whether you’ve come just to visit and get to know us a bit or you’re interested in joining our special community or you’re a member of the community already but need information about some aspect of the college, we hope you’ll find what you’re looking for on this site.  If you don’t, please let us know by writing to batescollegepresident@bates.edu.  And if you come in person, we’ll hope to meet you!

A. Clayton Spencer
President, Bates College