1. Class of 2011 at a glance
Bates is welcoming 446 new first-year students and 16 transfer students as fall semester starts Sept. 5. The College received a record 4,650 applications. Seventeen percent are U.S. students from underrepresented minority groups, 6 percent are international students and 4 percent hold citizenship in both the United States and another country. First-generation-to-college students make up 10 percent of the entering class. New students have residences in 39 states and 30 foreign countries, from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe. Half of the members of the entering class reside outside of New England. Almost 80 percent of the new enrolling students had an admissions interview either on campus or through the Alumni-in-Admissions network. Some 1,660 students are expected on campus this fall, with another 193 in Bates-sponsored programs off-campus, including two students pursuing a dual degree in engineering, 14 in the Bates Fall Semester Abroad Program in Japan, 138 in junior semester abroad programs, and 39 in junior year abroad programs.

2. Announcing Friends of Bates Athletics
With more than half of the current Bates student body participating in varsity or club sports, and nearly 9,000 alumni having played on some type of athletic team, it's evident that athletics is crucial to the Bates experience. The Friends of Bates Athletics provides alumni, parents and friends with a way to support their team and Bates athletics as a whole. Read More: www.bates.edu/fba.xml

3. Final list for Sept. 19
'Welcome to the City' events Grab your friends and join fellow Batesies in the area for a night of cocktails, cuisine and conversation! Through Bates' 10th annual Welcome to the City event, you can meet new alumni or catch up with old friends. Whether you've been out four months or 10 years, plan to join the fun in 17 cities from Boston to Tokyo. Find out if one of these cities is near you, and let us know you are coming! www.bates.edu/wtc2007.xml

4. Parents & Family Weekend set for Sept. 28-30
Please join us on campus for Parents & Family Weekend 2007, taking place Friday through Sunday, September 28-30. Visit during the early days of autumn's beauty and let your son or daughter share with you a few of the wonderful aspects of Bates life. Parents, grandparents, siblings and friends are invited to sit in on a class, talk with a coach, eat in Memorial Commons, cheer on a Bates team and dive into life on campus. For more information about Parents & Family Weekend, including online registration, please visit: www.bates.edu/parents-weekend.xml

5. New dates for Homecoming Weekend are Oct. 19-21
Mark your calendar: The dates for Homecoming Weekend have changed! Come back to Bates for a crisp fall weekend in Maine. Weekend highlights include a Fall Volunteer Leadership Conference for all Bates volunteers; Reunion planning sessions for classes ending in '3 and '8; a Volunteer Recognition Dinner; a B.O.L.D. (Bobcats of the Last Decade) barbecue for classes of '98 through '07; a reunion of former residents of Roger Williams Hall (aka "Roger Bill," "The Bill," and "The Monastery"); GAME-DAY, the second annual Office of Career Services event for alumni and student athletes; and Green Horizons, the acclaimed Museum of Art exhibition exploring sustainability. Cheer on the Bobcats as they play soccer, field hockey and football against Middlebury! For more information about the weekend, please visit: www.bates.edu/homecoming.xml

6. End of an era: Leigh Campbell '64 retires
Leigh Campbell '64 — known and loved by thousands of Bates alumni and students as Bates sports fan extraordinaire, official scorekeeper at basketball games, admissions and financial aid counselor, mensch — retired this summer after 34 years of service to his alma mater. We know that there are stories to tell and memories to share, and we're sure many of you will want to send your best wishes to Leigh. Please send thoughts to Marianne Nolan Cowan '92 in the Alumni and Parent Programs office at mcowan@bates.edu before Sept. 20 and they will be presented to Leigh in a collection later this month.

7. Harward Center awards 2007 community partnership grants
Local appreciation for student's work Since 1995, more than half the student body and a third of the faculty have discovered that service to others in schools, businesses, and hospitals, as well as social-service, environmental, and governmental agencies provides life changing learning opportunities. Every once in a while, we get surprised by how much it is appreciated. Lewiston's Adult Education Center provided one of those surprises. www.lewiston.k12.me.us/cgi-bin/lae/students.php?q=about_bates

8. Bates People in the News
Bates people were all over the airwaves during the summer. Robin Leventhal '88, founder and executive chef of the Seattle restaurant Crave, offered some summery dinner ideas on a cooking show in that city, while author Erica Rowell '87 visited New Hampshire Public Radio to discuss her new book about the films of Ethan and Joel Coen. In addition, television news reporter Paul Blume '98 covered the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Most recently, Dean of Admissions Wylie Mitchell was quoted in a Voice of America piece about the move to eliminate the standardized test-score requirement in college admissions. www.bates.edu/x165124.xml