Endowed with a $1 million gift to the college, the A. Clayton Spencer Purposeful Work Internship Fund was announced on May 4, 2023, during the spring meeting of the Bates College Board of Trustees. Trustee Gregory Ehret ’91, who will become board chair effective July 1, 2023, offered these words:

Among the many ways you changed Bates for the better—among the many legacies, large and small, that you will leave us with when you go—is a brainchild turned reality that is already changing the lives of Bates students, and will for years to come.

In your inaugural address, way back in October of 2012, you spoke of Bates’ “obligation as a liberal arts college to prepare our students for a life of purposeful work.” Following a deliberate and intensive process of refining the philosophy, designing the approach and structure, and creating the center that would bring all elements under one roof, that “obligation” became a fully fledged, landmark program at Bates. It has won national acclaim and endless requests from other institutions so that they might attempt to replicate its great success.

And most important of all, it has strengthened the value proposition of a Bates education and improved the experiences of hundreds of Bates students. Today, nearly 100 percent of Bates graduates engage with Purposeful Work in some way. And that is all your doing.

And so, Clayton, we could think of no better way to honor you, as you prepare to move on from
Bates, than to make a gift in your name to Purposeful Work. It will support Purposeful Work
internships for Bates students, helping them to identify and cultivate their interests and strengths
and providing opportunities for them to pursue their aspirations with imagination and integrity. This gift, amounting to about $1 million, comes from the members of the Cheney Society —former Bates trustees — some of whom are with us this evening, as well as a few other Bates leaders and friends.

On their behalf, it is my great pleasure to announce the establishment of the A. Clayton Spencer
Purposeful Work Internship Fund.