1. Commencement 2008 in words and images
"This college's commitment to service and social change is in its DNA," literary scholar Pauline Yu told some 440 members of the graduating Class of 2008. "And now it's in yours." Yu, an expert in East Asian literature and president of the American Council of Learned Societies, was one of four honorary degree recipients at the college's 142nd Commencement on May 25. Commencement videos, slide shows and text are online: www.bates.edu/go/news/0601

2. Graduates offer thoughts on their four years at Bates
Developing the tools for self-direction ... Appreciating support from and enduring relationships with friends, faculty and staff ... Building confidence that one can make a difference and change the world: These were some of the outcomes of a Bates education cited by this year's graduates at the Senior-Trustee Luncheon on May 10, as President Elaine Tuttle Hansen invited students to share brief comments on their time at Bates. See a sampling of responses at: www.bates.edu/go/news/0602

3. Morris Dees speaks at second annual presidential symposium
"Selfishness and greed have toppled many great empires in the past," Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder Morris Dees told a Bates audience of some 300, as campus and community and friends gathered May 8 for this year's presidential symposium, "Unswerving Values, Changing Times." Dees delivered a keynote address, "With Justice for All in Our Multicultural Nation." www.bates.edu/go/news/0303

4. Admissions has strong recruitment year
Our colleagues in Admissions report that the Class of 2012 promises to be the most talented and diverse class to date. Admissions broke records in two applicant categories: top-tier academic students and students from underrepresented groups. Overall, 760 U.S. AHANA students (African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) students applied for admission; applications from African Americans increased by 78 percent; followed by a 55 percent increase in applications from Hispanic students. Of the 540 enrolling first-year and 19 transfer students, 97 are U.S. multicultural students, and 35 international students. Enrolling students hail from 34 states (including Maine and California in the top five states) and 23 countries. www.bates.edu/go/news/0604

5. Three students, alumna receive Fulbright grants
Bates College awarded Androscoggin Scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year to four local students, including a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. www.bates.edu/go/news/0605

6. Bates faculty win Guggenheim, NSF support
Among faculty members receiving support for their work this spring were Rebecca Herzig, associate professor in the women and gender studies program, and Robert Feintuch, a painter and a senior lecturer in the art and visual culture department. Herzig's $57,344 National Science Foundation grant will support research into nonmedical applications of recent studies of the human genome. www.bates.edu/go/news/0606a

A Guggenheim Fellowship will enable Feintuch to develop a body of paintings for a New York exhibition next year. www.bates.edu/go/news/0606b

7. Capping a strong year, Bates debaters shine at nationals
The Brooks Quimby Debate Council recently sent six Bates College debaters to the American Parliamentary Debate Association's national tournament at MIT. www.bates.edu/go/news/0607

8. Bates Scholar-Athletes inducted
The fourth annual ceremony of the Bates College Scholar-Athlete Society was held May 26 during Commencement Weekend, honoring four alumni, a faculty member and 31 members of the Class of 2008. Erica Wheeler, former U.S. Olympic javelin thrower and 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games Commissioner, delivered the keynote address and received honorary membership in the society. This year's alumni inductees into the society were Carolyn Campbell-McGovern '83, John S. Amols '72, Anne Cole Brown '88 M.D. and Robert A. "Sandy" Pool '70. The faculty member inductee was Michael J. Retelle, Professor of Geology. www.bates.edu/go/news/0608

9. Senior Gift exceeds 65 percent
The Class of 2008's Senior Gift is an unrestricted gift to the Bates Fund, which supports financial aid, faculty excellence, student life, athletics, academic programs, the library, and Bates' commitment to sustainability. Including matching gifts, the Class of 2008 raised $25,215 from 301 donors with 68.4 percent of the class participating. The Class of 2008 was fortunate to have Kitty Friedman '95 and Peter Friedman '92 and the College Key as matching donors offering both a dollar-for-dollar component as well as participation milestones totaling $20,000. The class has earned $19,040 of the available $20,000 in initial challenge money. The Friedmans' multiyear commitment includes matching gifts for participation milestones for this year as well as for the first three years after graduation. www.bates.edu/go/news/0609

10. Museum photo show explores Chinese cityscape
As the 2008 Beijing Olympics put China in the global spotlight, a photographic exhibition at the Bates Museum of Art offers alternative perspectives on that dynamic nation. Stairway to Heaven: From Chinese Streets to Monuments and Skyscrapers showcases work by Chinese artists examining how economic reform, new personal wealth and rapid industrialization have changed the urban environment. Appearing from June 7 through Dec. 14, the exhibition uses street life, the proliferation of skyscrapers and the shifting meanings of historic monuments as avenues for exploring China's stunning transformation during the past three decades. www.bates.edu/go/news/0610

11. The 12th summer reading list
It's time again for "The Non-Required Reading List (or Good Reads for Leisure Moments)." As a gift to graduating students, bookstore Director Sarah Emerson Potter '77 each May posts suggestions from Bates faculty and staff for interesting summer reading. www.bates.edu/go/news/0611

12. Bates People in the News
With Reunion just around the corner, it's appropriate that Bates alums are making news. Princeton astronomer Alicia Soderberg '00 and a research associate were the first astronomers to catch the explosion of a dying star, while NOAA scientist Gregory Johnson '85 was part of a team that confirmed predictions of the depletion of oceanic oxygen caused by global climate change. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe talked to Trustee Dan Doyle '72 about the new book on sports parenting that he wrote with classmate Deb Doermann Burch, and the Sun Journalhelped celebrate the 100th birthday of a still-robust Libby Goldman '29. www.bates.edu/go/news/0612