Bates has fewer resources to educate today's students than its accomplishments, ambitions, and plans merit. With balanced budgets, a relatively small amount of outstanding debt, and the largest portion of the budget going directly to instruction and research, Bates is a highly accountable and efficient operation. Our comprehensive fee is within a few hundred dollars of our peers.

You may be surprised to know:

• Bates' endowment is one-half to one-fifth the size of our NESCAC peers, including Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury and Williams, and half the national average for other selective liberal-arts colleges.

• Because its endowment is low, Bates spends far less per student than its academic peers—as much as $20,000 less per student in a given year—yet tries to deliver the same academically rigorous, expansive experience as its competitors.

• Our plant replacement value is approximately $300 million and it is recommended that we spend 2% per year to maintain our buildings. We should be spending $6 million annually on facilities renewal; however, in the last three fiscal years, Bates has only been able to budget and spend $1 million annually for this purpose.

• "Uncontrollable" costs in areas such as health care, library collections, utilities, and insurance are rising steeply.

• Bates depends on revenues from students for 67.5% of current operations, whereas our healthier NESCAC peers average 50% fee dependence, with one of them below 40%. Due to this high dependence, it is harder for Bates to support its current programs, provide students with facilities that enhance their educational experience and offer scholarship support for our neediest students.

Since current resources are overstretched, financial growth can only come through increased giving.