This year marks Brandon Villalta Lopez’s (Class of 2025) fourth and final Mount David Summit. Now one of Bates’ newest alumni, Brandon shared that the Summit felt like home because of the support from faculty who are “not just good teachers and good researchers, but also great mentors.”

On April 4, members of the Phillips Society and other Bates supporters returned home to campus for the first Phillips Society Summit Luncheon. Gathering as a community, we celebrated the impact of long-term commitments to Bates made through estate gifts. President Garry Jenkins addressed the group, highlighting the breadth of membership that the Phillips Society represents, whose oldest member graduated in 1941 and youngest in 2017. It represents alumni from all walks of life: teachers, social workers, doctors, managers, lawyers, and CEOs, and everything in between. Each member has found creative ways to amplify their future philanthropy.

The power of this generosity was visible throughout Pettengill Hall when the Summit’s student poster sessions, scholarly talks, and performances took center stage. As alumni donors shared in the experience, legacy gifts’ impact on student and faculty excellence came into focus.

Phillips Society member Dave Welbourn ’71 shared remarks during the event, “I’m really grateful that Bates is always looking forward. Faculty teach history about the future, and this kind of education leads to optimism. I think we all know that the arc of justice over a lifetime, while it has bumps in that course, bends upwards, ever upwards. So when we get together as alums and we talk about what’s been going on, the happy future is assured in a place like this.”

Thank you. Because of your generosity, Bates is home to great teaching, research, and mentorship.