1. Bates debaters head to Worlds in Dublin
On the heels of impressive performances by its debaters in the United Kingdom last month, Bates College sends 10 teams to this year's World Universities Debating championships in Dublin, Ireland, from Dec. 27 through Jan. www.bates.edu/x81477.xml

2. Basketball to be offered on live webcast
The Bates-Colby men's basketball game at 3 p.m. Jan. 7 will inaugurate live Bates Athletics Department audio webcasts. Athletics Director Suzanne Coffey announced that the department will offer several audio webcasts this winter. The Up next are the women's basketball team's home games against Bowdoin at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 and against Colby at 3 p.m. Jan. 14. Also scheduled are the men's basketball team's home games vs. Middlebury at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 and vs. Williams 3 p.m. Jan. 21. If all goes well, basketball tournament games and some lacrosse this spring also will be offered by webcast. For directions on receiving the webcasts, go to www.BatesCast.com

3. Harward Center grand opening Jan. 25-27
You are invited to the grand opening of the Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Center for Community Partnerships and to welcome its first director, David M. Scobey. Events over three days include exhibits; a party; a music and poetry performance by New York performance artist Sekou Sundiata; a keynote address on the educational value of community engagement by Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor; and an alumni panel discussion on "Community Engagement and the Bates Education." www.bates.edu/x81578.xml

4. Energy and promise mark final sesquicentennial celebrations
Record-breaking numbers of Bates graduates, parents and friends attended the final four of nine events held this year in major cities to celebrate Bates' 150th anniversary. As well as providing Batsies with an opportunity to reconnect with classmates and friends, the events in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Freeport, Maine, celebrated the College's fascinating past and gave guests an inside look at what lies ahead. www.bates.edu/x81671.xml

5. View '150 Years of Bates Values'
In its sesquicentennial year, Bates has rightly been celebrated as one of the first U.S. colleges to offer a true equal-opportunity education, one for all students regardless of gender, race, religion or socio-economic status. One of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges, Bates is now famous for its academic rigor, its powerful and open community, and its strong tradition of service. The video "150 Years of Bates Values" celebrates the College's distinctive past, enduring values, and its promising future: www.bates.edu/bates-values.xml

6. Bates sets record for Early Decision applicants
The Admissions Office has had another record-breaking season. Early Decision applications in the first round were up by nearly 15 percent. Bates received 294 applications by the Nov. 15 deadline, besting last year's record by 36 applicants. Applicants hailed from 23 states and 24 countries and were evenly split between men and women. Jan. 1 is the deadline for both Early Decision Round 2 and Regular Decision.

7. Study abroad in photos
About 70 percent of Bates students study overseas. These 2005 images offer a glimpse of how powerful the experience can be. www.bates.edu/study-abroad-photos.xml

8. MLK Day theme highlights the road to peace
A pioneer in the field of African American women's history and chair of the Department of African American Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, Professor Sharon Harley is the keynote speaker for the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances at Bates. Harley's address is part of the annual Bates celebration of King's life and work that includes performances, academic workshops and a debate with Bates and Morehouse college participants. Classes at the college are canceled Jan. 16 and special programming is scheduled with an emphasis this year on the theme "The Noble Road to Peace: Storming the Battlements of Injustice." www.bates.edu/x81577.xml

9. Bates community donates more than $16,000 for hurricane relief
Members of the Bates College community have donated more than $16,000 in response to the Katrina Relief Initiative, a fund-raiser spearheaded by Bates students, faculty and staff, and supported by the Office of the Chaplain and the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. www.bates.edu/x81464.xml

10. Bates People in the News
As the anniversary of the Indian Ocean earthquake approached, the Kennebec Journal reported that Sri Lanka's president would honor Ruani Freeman '94 for her work in raising funds to rebuild a village in her tsunami-ravaged native land. Victoria Wyeth '01 talked to USA Today about Pennsylvania's Brandywine River Valley, made famous by the paintings of her grandfather, Andrew Wyeth. And Bill Walsh '86, Washington correspondent for New Orleans' Times-Picayune, turned up on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 program discussing "Katrina fatigue" in the nation's capital. www.bates.edu/bates-in-the-news.xml