Purposeful Work Programming

One of Bates’ signature initiatives is Purposeful Work, launched in 2014. Built on the premise that preparing students for lives of meaningful work lies at the heart of the liberal arts mission, Purposeful Work represents a radical departure from traditional approaches to preparing students for life after Bates.

Purposeful Work is grounded in Bates’ mission, has curricular and co-curricular aspects, and takes a four-year, developmental approach to working with students. Through funded internships, practitioner-taught courses, a speaker series, and other opportunities, Purposeful Work promotes greater agency in students’ approach to their college years and a stronger bridge to life after college.

For students from families without strong professional networks, Purposeful Work is especially important in furthering our equity promise. Through financial aid we provide access to a Bates education; we support all students for success once on campus; and Purposeful Work helps to bridge students to life after college.

Launched with seed funding, Purposeful Work has become a recognized part of the student experience at Bates and a distinguishing feature of a Bates education. We now seek to ensure its future by securing the funds to make it a permanent program.