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A Bates education fosters intellectual inquiry and reflection, personal growth, and a commitment to the world beyond oneself.

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Commencement

The 157th Commencement of Bates College is Sunday, May 28.

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May 28, 2023

‘Be better. Do better. Be an arc in the bigger circle,’ graduates told at Bates College Commencement

The 157th Bates Commencement saw degrees conferred on 439 Bates seniors and an address by author and scholar J. Drew Lanham — a self-described “bird-loving Black kid” from South Carolina — who spoke about freedom and Benjamin Mays, and called on the graduates “to be better, to do better” and “to be an arc in the bigger circle” that gives power to our freedom.

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