{"id":34603,"date":"2024-10-15T16:50:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T20:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/alumni\/?page_id=34603"},"modified":"2024-11-06T09:44:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T14:44:52","slug":"college-key-newsletter-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/alumni\/college-key-newsletter-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"College Key Newsletter: 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President’s Report<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Dear College Key Members,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the fall season unfolds, I hope this letter finds you enjoying all the warmth and beauty it brings. Our collective commitment to uplifting and nurturing the Bates community remains as strong as ever, and we are grateful for your continued engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Key held its annual meeting during Reunion Weekend in June 2024. These in-person gatherings are a rare opportunity for our members to come together, especially for those in their reunion years. For members unable to travel to Maine regularly, rest assured we are exploring ways for Key members to stay connected and impact the College throughout the year. A recap of our annual meeting can be found later in this newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. These Fellows can give lectures, attend classes, and participate in individual and group sessions with students. Each year, the College Key selects one outstanding alum for this honor, and this past year we featured Norton Virgien \u201974, animator and creator of Rugrats. You can read a recap of this year\u2019s DAIR in the newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, in addition to providing current-use support to programs such as DAIR, the Winter Coat Fund, and Purposeful Work, the Key also directs support to several endowed funds at the College. You can read more about these funds in the Impact Report section of the newsletter below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We said farewell to our terrific colleague Don McDade \u201974, who ended his term as Treasurer in June 2024 after joining the Executive Committee in 2020. Don thoughtfully guided our finances and grantmaking for several years, enabling a significant shift toward a comprehensive accounting and gift processing system and ensuring the sustained financial health of the Key. We are excited to welcome Susan Yule \u201878 as our new Treasurer; she brings a wealth of nonprofit experience to the role and is already impacting our operations and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We would like to recognize and thank Stephanie Dumont for her invaluable contributions to the Executive Committee as she transitions away from her role as our Bates liaison. Her dedication and efforts have been genuinely foundational\u2014without her, the communications and impact we offer to our membership and Bates simply wouldn\u2019t have been possible. We are pleased to welcome Justin Fortier as our new liaison and look forward to working with him.

Volunteer Opportunities
<\/strong>With my term as President and Ben Hughes’s term as Secretary concluding this fall, we are now searching for candidates to step into the roles of Vice President and Secretary of the College Key. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re open to making an impact by contributing your time and passion to the Key and joining in either of these positions, or you have suggestions of College Key members who may be interested, please email us at thecollegekey@gmail.com<\/a> to learn more about the roles.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, serving as your College Key President is a privilege. The entire Executive Committee values your input and ideas as we strive to impact Bates students and Key members more. Don\u2019t hesitate to contact me or my fellow Executive Committee members\u2014we\u2019re eager to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warmly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henry Geng \u201913
President, The College Key<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Executive Committee 2024-2025 Officers<\/h3>
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