LEWISTON, Maine -- Mindy Newman, a Bates College senior from Atlanta, Ga., has been named a 2000 Phillips Student Fellow and will receive a grant of up to $10,000 to conduct pre-thesis research on "Egeria's Travels," the epistolary journal of the late fourth-century Christian female pilgrim Egeria. Newman, a dean's list classical and medieval studies major at Bates, will retrace Egeria's pilgrimage route, which includes holy sites in Alexandria, Jerusalem, the Galilee and Istanbul, to experience a pilgrimage firsthand and to gain a deeper understanding of the spirituality of Egeria and early Christian women.

Phillips Student Fellows each receive grants of up to $10,000 for summer projects in service-learning, career exploration, research or some combination of the three in international and other culturally distinct settings. The Phillips Student Fellowships, along with the Phillips Faculty Fellowships and Phillips Professorships at Bates, are part of the Phillips Endowment Program, an ambitious initiative of awards, honors and opportunities for faculty and students funded by a $9-million endowment bequest to the college from former Bates President Charles F. Phillips, and his wife, Evelyn Minard Phillips, in 1999.

The Phillips bequest is believed to be the largest gift ever from a U.S. college president and spouse to his or her institution. The Phillipses, longtime Auburn residents, officially served Bates from 1944 through 1966; Charles F. died in March 1999 just months after the death of Evelyn M., his wife of 65 years.

Also named 2000 Phillips Student Fellows are Sze Wei Ang '01 of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Kathryn Dutille '01 of Lebanon, N.H.; Margot Fine '03 of Scarsdale, N.Y.; Kristin Hines '02 of East Granby, Conn.; John Daniel Lichtman '02 of Woodbridge, Conn.; Christian McTighe '02 of Delmar, N.Y.; and John Minor '02 of Wilmington, N.C.

Newman, a 1996 graduate of Woodward Academy, is the daughter of Stuart L. Newman, 2885 Arborwoods Drive, Alpharetta, Ga., and Vicki Einhorn, 454 Ansley Walk Terrace, Atlanta, Ga.

Located midway between the coast and mountains in south-central Maine, Bates is a 145-year-old undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences and is rated among the top 25 national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Bates offers majors in 24 academic departments and eight interdisciplinary programs and encourages independent study, research in collaboration with faculty members and participation in off-campus programs.

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