College Key Newsletter: 2025

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President’s Report

Jen Crawford ’01

Dear Members of the College Key,

As a new academic year begins at Bates, I am delighted to share a brief update on the meaningful work that the College Key continues to do in support of our students and the wider community. As the new President of the College Key, I look forward to continuing the many impactful and important initiatives of the Key while exploring ways to evolve and grow the organization.

The purpose of the College Key is to recognize Bates students; to encourage and to recognize student academic and extracurricular achievement; to support academics, athletics, and student life; to provide student aid, including scholarships and other kinds of financial assistance; to be a resource for student internships; to support campus improvements; and to contribute to the general welfare of the college.  The generous support of our members enables Bates alums to make lasting, positive impacts on the Bates community, particularly current students.

Each year, through the dues payments of its members, the College Key provides financial assistance to students, helping them remain engaged and supported during their Bates journey. Two of these programs are the Winter Coat Fund and the Purposeful Work Job Shadow travel fund.  Many students come to Bates from locations where winters are mild or nonexistent. For some of these students and their families, purchasing basic winter gear is a significant burden on top of the start-up expenses of a first-year college student. The College Key Winter Coat Fund helps ease part of that burden by providing winter jackets, boots, hats, and gloves. 

Furthermore, the Key has always provided assistance for students with specific travel expenses for family emergencies, internships, interviews, and other related requests. Most recently, the Key has partnered with the Center for Purposeful Work to support travel expenses related to the Job Shadow Program.  Through this program, students connect with Bates alumni and parents to learn about professional options, personal perspectives, and how others have navigated pathways toward purposeful work. This fund enables students to pursue opportunities that align with their academic and professional goals but may not be financially feasible otherwise. These programs open doors for students to learn, explore, and thrive—reflecting our shared belief in the power of a Bates education to transform lives.

In addition to direct support for students, the College Key fosters connections across generations of the Bates Community.  In May, we held our annual Distinguished Alumni in Residence (DAIR) program, which invites accomplished alumni back to campus to engage with students and faculty. This year, we honored Marnie Cochran ‘90, P’22, P’24, an Executive Editor at Random House. You can read a recap of this year’s DAIR in the newsletter.  We were also honored to present the Distinguished Service Award to Bates retiree Tom Winslow, the Lead Carpenter who has worked at Bates for 38 years.  The DSA is awarded in recognition of the dedication and excellence demonstrated by truly distinguished members of the faculty and staff.  You can read more about this year’s DSA further in the newsletter.

I would like to extend an enormous thanks to our past President, Henry Geng ‘13 as he concluded his service to the College Key Executive Committee earlier this year.  Hank first joined the Key leadership team in 2019 as Vice President before ascending to President three years later.  Hank has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to the values of scholarship, service, and community that define the College Key, and the Key has continued to evolve into a robust and dynamic alumni organization under his watch.  He has helped fine-tune many of the processes critical to the smooth operation of the Key and has ensured that the organization continues to make meaningful, lasting impacts on the Bates community. Most importantly to me, he has been an amazing mentor, providing the guidance and patience critical for giving me the tools to be able to assume the role as President.  He leaves big shoes to fill, and I know all of us on the Executive Committee are incredibly grateful for his leadership commitment. 

Additionally, I would like to extend our gratitude to Ben Hughes ’12, who concluded his service as Secretary of the College Key earlier this year.  In his role as Secretary, Ben has maintained meticulous records of our meetings and played a key role in facilitating a smooth, successful alumni induction process each year, welcoming many impressive new members to the Key.  Perhaps most importantly, Ben has been a steady, reliable presence. His calm demeanor and thoughtful perspective have helped guide the Key through important decisions and moments of transition.

We are thrilled to welcome two new members of the Key’s Executive Committee – Tahsin Alam ‘04, who has joined us as Vice President, and Pamela Batchelder Johnson ’91, who has joined us as Secretary. I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that Justin Fortier and Marianne Nolan Cowan ’92 are integral members of the Executive Committee, representing the College’s interests and bridging our support to students and Key members alike. Without them, we would not be able to provide the services to our membership and to Bates that we do.

Your membership and continued support are what make this possible. Thank you for all that you do to help the College Key advance its mission. Together, we embody the Bates spirit of purposeful work, informed civic action, and a commitment to one another.

With gratitude and best wishes for the fall,

Jen Crawford ‘01
President, The College Key

  • President, Jen Crawford ’01
  • Vice President, Tahsin I. Alam ’04
  • Secretary, Pamela Batchelder Johnson ’91
  • Treasurer, Susan Peillet Yule ’78
  • Past President, Henry T. Geng ’13
  • Staff Liaison, Justin Fortier, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement
  • Advisor, Marianne Cowan ’92, Associate Director, Bates Center for Purposeful Work
Evelyn K. Dillon Award 

Funds given by the College Key provide two annual awards, one to a woman in field hockey and one to a woman in basketball. These awards recognize superior athleticism, leadership and dedication, and overall contributions to each respective sport, to be administered by the Athletics Department.

The 2024 recipients of the award are Anna L ‘25 recognized for her accomplishments in field hockey, and Morgan K ’24, acknowledged for her achievements in basketball.

Anna L ’25 of New Canaan, Connecticut, is a senior majoring in biology. Anna is the team captain and was named to the NESCAC Fall All-Sportsmanship Team. In 2024, she started all 21 games in the midfield for the NESCAC runner-up and NCAA quarterfinalist Bobcats. Overall last season, she tallied three goals and five assists.

Morgan K ’24 of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, graduated from Bates with a major in psychology. She is one of 92 Senior Scholar Award-winners, who have participated in varsity sports for four years and maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or better. In 2023-2024, Morgan was team captain and was named to the College Sports Communicators Women’s Basketball Academic All-District® Team, First Team All-Region, First Team All-NESCAC, Second Team All-State, NESCAC Winter All-Academic selection, and led Bates in scoring at 14.4 points per game.

College Key Leigh P. Campbell ‘64 Scholarship Fund

Provides financial aid for a student or students who demonstrate loyalty, campus leadership, and potential for future service to Bates College, with preference for a student member of the College Key or a child of a College Key member. This fund was renamed in honor of Leigh Campbell ’64, a late College Key member, former director of financial aid, and recipient of the 2016 Helen A. Papaioanou ’49 Distinguished Alumni Service Award, one of the College’s most prestigious honors.

Ainsley F ’25, from Slingerlands, New York, graduated with a degree in psychology. While at Bates, Ainsley worked as an America Reads/America Counts tutor at Connors Elementary, which allowed her to develop close relationships with her kindergarten students and gain experience leading classroom activities. Her work inspired her senior thesis, which explored how early elementary teachers understand and implement civic education. She is fascinated by (and strongly believes in) the concepts of community building and civic engagement, and is particularly interested in how a school context shapes students into active community members who care for one another and engage with social justice issues.

The College Key Music Award

Given by the College Key to provide one or more annual music awards to the man or woman in the senior class whose services to musical organizations at the College have been the most outstanding.

Madeline E, ’24, from Ridgewood, New Jersey, graduated from Bates summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and music. She is the founder and president of the Small Ensembles Club. Home to all of Bates’s student chamber music groups, the club provides a nurturing environment for self-directed small-group music at Bates. Until Maddy started the club in 2021, Bates had no organized club for chamber musicians. “I love chamber music,” she says, “and so when I got to Bates and there was none, I was really disappointed.” Maddy wrote a club constitution, emailed BCSG, applied for funding—and the Small Ensembles Club was born. Since then, the Small Ensembles Club has ballooned in size. It is currently home to 30 musicians in half a dozen small groups of all shapes and sizes: there are piano trios, flute quartets, and everything in between.

The Mabel Eaton Bates Key Scholarship Fund 

Given by members of the Bates Key in honor of Mabel Eaton ‘10, founder of the Bates Key, who was the College’s librarian from 1921 to 1957. For an undergraduate student who works in the George and Helen Ladd Library. Added to by the College Key.

Joy H ’27, from Great Neck, New York, is an economics with minors in math, digital & computational studies, and Asian studies.  At Bates, she works a couple of jobs: Kessler Scholars first-generation peer mentor, Student Academic Support Center tutor, ResLife junior advisor (JA), Harward Center Bates Civic Action team member, and notetaker for the Office of Accessibility. She also holds a few leadership roles for clubs: VP for Consulting Club, VP for Tea Club, and Community Liaison for the Asian Students Association. Career-wise, her interests are in strategy consulting, IB & PE, and data analytics, but she is interested in exploring other industries as well where I can combine my analytical skills with a strategic mindset to tackle real-world challenges.

This year’s College Key annual meeting was held on Friday, June 6th, 2025, during Reunion Weekend. College Key President Henry Geng ’13 presided over and was joined by Vice President Jen Crawford ’01, Treasurer Susan Yule ’78, and Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement Justin Fortier.

The Annual Meeting is an exciting opportunity for the Executive Committee to provide an update on the organization’s activities and engagement, while recognizing key individuals who impact the Bates community. Programs such as the Distinguished Alumni in Residence (DAIR) are one of our primary vehicles for engagement and recognition of alumni. DAIR was first established by The College Key in 2003 to bring an alumni of note to campus to interact with students and faculty.  DAIR speakers usually give lectures, attend classes, and meet with students individually and in group sessions to share their career experiences. This year’s program featured Marnie Cochran ‘90, P’22, P’24, an Executive Editor at Random House.  You can read more about Marnie’s time on campus and her amazing career further down in the newsletter.

We were also so pleased to present the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Bates retiree Tom Winslow, the Lead Carpenter who has worked at Bates for the past 38 years.  The DSA is awarded in recognition of the dedication and excellence demonstrated by truly distinguished members of the faculty and staff. The College Key has presented the Distinguished Service Award annually during Reunion Weekend since 1993.  You can read more about Tom’s incredible career and impact on the Bates community further down in the newsletter.

Additionally, we were joined by Allen Delong, the Senior Associate Dean for Purposeful Work, to describe the positive financial impact that the College Key has on students, particularly with regard to the Purposeful Work Travel Fund that helps students attend job shadow opportunities off campus. The support of Key members through financial contributions and volunteer engagement, such as offering Job Shadow opportunities to students, is critical for building lasting bridges to professional contacts for Bates students, regardless of their inherited family networks, and creates important connections around work experience and identity.

This year, we welcomed twenty-seven new members from the Class of 2025 during Commencement weekend and six alumni members at the Annual Meeting. Each of our new members has had a significant impact on the Bates community through their leadership and commitment to the college, and we look forward to working with each of them to move the Key forward. 

We also acknowledged the twenty-eight members we have lost this year and are grateful for the work each of them has done to help support the Bates mission. Their support and dedication have helped the Key evolve into what it is today.

We bid farewell to our President, Henry Geng ’13, and our Secretary Ben Hughes ’12 as both complete their terms in their respective offices.  We are extremely grateful for their services, and their positive contributions to the College Key will be felt for years to come. Both have been incredible partners to the Executive Committee team, and we look forward to their continued participation in the College Key and their engagement in other areas impacting both Bates students and alumni.  

Finally, as we have a change in Key leadership, we nominated and approved the Executive Committee’s new Vice President, Tahsin Alam, ’04, and new Secretary, Pam Batchelder Johnson ‘91. Tahsin received his BA in political science from Bates, with minors in economics and theater. He is the Associate Dean of Advancement at the University of Washington- Michael G. Foster School of Business, and has an extensive background in higher education leadership, organizational behavior, and strategic planning. Pam received her BA in American studies from Bates. She most recently worked in education and has a deep background in philanthropy and foundation endeavors. She is also the past Chair of the Bates Fund Executive Committee. 

We thank you all for your continued interest and participation in the Bates College Key, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next annual meeting in 2026.

  • Annual membership is on a calendar fiscal year (January 1st – December 31st).
  • The State of Maine annual report and IRS 990-N have been filed and are up to date.
  • All financial information for Bates College Key, a 501 (c)(3) organization, is stored in Little Green Light, our CRM database.
  • Per the Treasurer’s 2024 Fiscal Year report submitted at the June 2025 Annual Meeting total income for the fiscal year ending 12/31/24 as shown in the Treasurer’s Report was confirmed at $18,890.27. While contributions vary from year to year, this achievement is significant; Alumni gifts enable the College Key to support Bates students/programs. In 2024 we distributed $27,030.90 to the Purposeful Work/Internship Travel, College Key Scholarship, Music Award, Mabel Eaton Scholarship Award and Music Award programs. Our operating expenses were $1,827.11. The net loss for the year was $9,967.74.
  • As we head into the final weeks of 2025, we continue to plan for the rest of this academic year and to distribute meaningful funds from the College Key. As an active member of the College Key, you continue to help Bates students through your annual member dues of $30.00. We can now accept dues from College Key members through our online link or regular mail. On behalf of the Bates Community, a sincere “thank you” for making these responses to the immediate needs of Bates students possible. If you are unsure if your College Key membership dues are current, please contact me. Please help a Bates student and keep your membership active!

Sincerely,

Susan Peillet Yule ’78
Treasurer, The College Key

Pay Dues

Sincerely,

Susan Peillet Yule ’78 
Treasurer, The College Key 

The goal of the College Key disbursement policy is to ensure that College Key has the stability to continue grant making even through a zero-income year. The College Key adopted the following policy regarding judicious use of and retention of financial reserves through two simultaneous actions:

  • The College Key should endeavor to maintain a minimum total financial reserve of $10,000 at all times.
  • The College Key should endeavor to spend down its reserves to $10,000 by the end of each grantmaking cycle each year.
  • Therefore, by spending down to $10,000 each year, the Key can maximize its impact on
  • Bates College by channeling as much of its member dues and gifts to Bates as possible while also ensuring its financial stability on a year-to-year basis.
  • As a general guideline, The College Key will accept requests from the College and disburse funds twice a year – Fall/Spring.

The Distinguished Alumni in Residence Program was established in 2003 by The College Key to bring alumni of note to campus to interact with students and faculty. DAIR speakers usually give a lecture, attend classes, and meet with students individually and in group sessions. 

Our distinguished alumna in 2025 was Marnie (Patterson) Cochran, Class of 1990, and P’22, (Tom) P’24 (Kay), and Executive Editor at Random House. After majoring in English and graduating from Bates in 1990, she attended the University of Denver’s summer publishing program. She embarked on a progressively successful career and personal life, which we were privileged to hear Marnie share more in her own words. 

Marnie was the consummate DAIR honoree, arriving on campus for the meeting in April 2025 early to conduct interviews with students and to stay long after her presentation to again hold informational consultations with students. Her presentation was well attended and received high ratings, with both a live audience on Campus and an equal number of active listeners on the Bates-hosted webcast. She connected her success with her experience and time at Bates College.

We warmly welcome our 31 new members who joined in 2025. The College Key was formed in 1992 by the merger of the College Club, which was founded in 1891, and the Bates Key, established in 1936. 

The purpose of the College Key is to recognize outstanding Bates alumni(ae); encourage and recognize student academic and extracurricular achievement; support academics, student life, and campus improvement; provide student aid, including scholarships and other kinds of financial assistance; and contribute to the general welfare of the College. The College Key is a 501(c)(3) organization. 

This year, we continued this tradition by inviting four new alumni(ae) and 27 members of the Class of 2025 into the College Key.

Current juniors and members of the graduating class can be nominated by Bates faculty and staff. Inductees from the Class of 2025 were welcomed as part of their Commencement Weekend celebrations on May 23, 2025.

Alumni can be nominated by fellow alumni, staff, and faculty through the College Key’s online nominations form. The College Key Executive Committee considers alumni nominees based on their continued service to the College, leadership in the community, success in a chosen field, and character. Alumni inductees were welcomed during the College Key Annual Meeting on June 6, 2025.

2025 Alumni Inductees

  • Stephanie Leonard Bennett ‘70
  • Tomisha E. Edwards ‘15
  • Lexie A. Jamieson ‘20
  • Angela S. Knox ‘05
  • Sean P. Ryan ‘85, P’23
  • Mead Welles ‘90

Class of 2025 Inductees

  • Maggie E. Amann
  • Ella W. Beiser
  • Starr L. Bradley
  • Ethan C. Chan
  • Dhruv Chandra
  • Anna L. Cote
  • Maria R. Femia
  • Emily G. Gonzalez
  • Maxwell A. Good
  • Risa S. Horiuchi
  • Inez K. Johnson
  • Miryam G. Keller
  • Rashad A. King
  • Anna C. Lindeis
  • Alexandra R. Long
  • Joy B. Lugunda
  • Maria G. McEvoy
  • Lily M. Miller
  • Ruslan Peredelskyi
  • Ananya B. Rao
  • Alaina S. Rauf
  • Emily C. Scarrow
  • Joaquin M. Torres
  • Brandon G. Villalta Lopez
  • Weihang Wang
  • Kaitlyn H. Watt
  • Amanda B. Zerbib

At the 2025 Annual Meeting, the College Key proudly presented the Distinguished Service Award to Tom Winslow, who retired in March 2025 after an extraordinary 37 years of service as Lead Carpenter in Facilities Services.

Since joining Bates in April 1987, Tom’s craftsmanship and care have shaped the very spaces that define the college experience. His steady hand and problem-solving ingenuity have left an indelible mark on campus — from restoring beloved landmarks like The Class of 1927 Mouthpiece to countless behind-the-scenes projects that have preserved and kept Bates’ historic character vibrant.

As reflected in the heartfelt testimonials from colleagues across generations, Tom was more than a master carpenter — he was a trusted collaborator, mentor, and friend. Former President Clayton Spencer praised him for his “deep pride in making Bates beautiful,” while Christine Schwartz, Associate Vice President for Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events, commended his “unwavering commitment to excellence and community.”

Tom’s professionalism, generosity, and good humor embodied the Bates spirit of service. His legacy is measured not only in the enduring structures he built, but in the warmth and respect he inspired in all who worked alongside him. The College Key is honored to recognize Tom Winslow for his decades of dedication and for helping make Bates a home for generations to come.

Each year, the College Key is honored to highlight the achievements and contributions of members of the Bates community.  Programs such as the Distinguished Alumni in Residence (DAIR) are one of our primary vehicles for engagement and recognition of alumni. DAIR was first established by The College Key in 2003 to bring an alumni of note to campus to interact with students and faculty.  DAIR speakers usually give lectures, attend classes, and meet with students individually and in group sessions to share their career experiences. 

Additionally,  the Distinguished Service Award is given in recognition of the dedication and excellence offered to the college by truly distinguished members of the faculty and staff. This award is typically given to a member of the faculty or staff that is concluding their remarkable service to the college through retirement. The College Key has presented the Distinguished Service Award annually during Reunion Weekend since 1993. 

We invite members of the College Key to nominate Bates alums and faculty members that you feel should have their work and service highlighted to the larger Bates community.  Please reach out to the College Key Executive Committee if you have ideas for individuals deserving of these honors.