1. Commencement 2006 speakers announced
Four honorary degree recipients will speak at the 140th Commencement at Bates College on May 28. They are Shakespearean scholar and cultural critic Marjorie Garber, AIDS researcher David Ho, historian David McCullough and choreographer Mark Morris. www.bates.edu/x114253.xml

2. Trustees seek nominations for future honorary degree recipients
The Bates Board of Trustees Honorary Degree Committee seeks nominations for honorary degree recipients in 2007 and beyond.

3. Bates admission offers in the mail to Class of 2010
On March 29, Bates Admissions mailed letters of acceptance to 1,137 students in 44 states and 50 countries. By May 1, when accepted students across the country must make their college choice, Bates hopes to enroll 500 students in the Class of 2010. Already, 200 students are members of the class by virtue of early decision actions over the winter. Including early decision, 4,481 students applied to Bates this year. In April, Admissions staff will welcome accepted students at on-campus receptions on April 7, 10 and 21, and will host off-campus receptions in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Seattle.

4. Prestigious Watson Fellowships awarded to two Bates seniors
Two Bates College seniors are among the 50 students across the country to receive 2006 Thomas J. Watson Fellowships, $25,000 grants that support a year of independent research abroad. The Bates recipients are Amanda Harrow of Hopkinton, Mass., who will study child-protection policies in four countries, and Andrew Stowe of Wallingford, Conn., who will follow the pole-to-pole migration route of the arctic tern. www.bates.edu/x114275.xml

5. Join fellow Batesies for National Day of Service
More than 330 Bates alumni, students, parents, and prospective students have already registered for the National Day of Service on April 22. Service projects – from building homes to park restoration to serving meals to the homeless – are planned in 12 communities around the nation. While most of the East Coast cities are fully subscribed, we are still looking for Batesies to help with the projects in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. For more information and to sign up, go to www.bates.edu/x79924.xml

6. Mount David Summit celebrates student achievement: a slide show
Hundreds of Bates people and members of the local community flooded Pettengill Hall as the College mounted its fifth annual Mount David Summit on March 24. An eagerly anticipated presentation of student scholarship, service-learning and creative work, the summit unfurls a panorama of the rich life of the student mind at Bates. www.bates.edu/x114303.xml

7. Reunion 2006 is just around the corner
Classes that end in '1 and '6: Reunion is June 9-11, 2006! The weekend is rich with presentations by alumni and faculty, fun events for families, time to catch up with your friends and, of course, lots of lobster for everyone. Learn more about Reunion and register online now at: www.bates.edu/reunion.xml

8. Economics students remove two tons of air pollution
For the sixth year in a row, Environmental Economics students have successfully bid on and purchased sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions permits from the annual auction hosted by the EPA. Utilities that burn coal to produce electricity must own permits to do so. SO2, a by-product of burning coal, causes acid rain and is a contributor to respiratory disease. Through class contributions and support from the Economics Department, they were able to purchase two tons of SO2 - pollution that will never be emitted into the atmosphere. For complete results and to see Bates' name on the EPA Web site: www.epa.gov/airmarkets/auctions/2006/06summary.html

9. Did You Know?
Bates students appreciate the generosity of Bates donors. In fact, 201 of them got together March 8 to write thank-you cards to 1,608 alumni, parents and friends who have responded so far this year to the Big Bates Challenge. Contributions to the Bates Fund make a critical difference, and this year, in honor of Bates' first 150 years, trustees will generously match your entire gift if you are a first-time donor to the Bates Fund, match the increase over your most recent Bates Fund gift, or match your entire gift (even for previous donors) if you become a new donor to the Mount David Society. Through gifts to the Bates Fund, supporters provide essential help with funds that can be spent immediately on the College's most important priorities: financial aid, academic quality and the learning experience, student life and campus revitalization. More on the Bates Fund: www.bates.edu/bates-fund.xml

10. Men’s basketball team to play in British Isles
The 2005-06 Bates College men's basketball team will travel to Ireland and England for a nine-day basketball tour in early June. They will compete against high-level club teams in Limerick, Dublin and London as well as conducting youth clinics and sightseeing. Please contact Coach Joe Reilly at 207.786.6343 or jreilly2@bates.edu if you would like to help with the team’s fundraising efforts.

11. Bates People in the News
Alums graced the pages of major magazines as U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte '75 spoke with The New Yorker about immigration and People reviewed the latest novel by Elizabeth Strout '77. (A Strout profile appears in the next issue of the alumni magazine.) Meanwhile, Science Daily reported on a major study of prehistoric immigration, noting the contribution of Bates anthropologist Bruce Bourque. And in reporting on an important new antibacterial role for a drug developed by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, The Boston Globe quoted CEO Michael Bonney '80. www.bates.edu/bates-in-the-news.xml