President Spencer talks Purposeful Work, campus culture, and Short Term innovations with WRBC
President Clayton Spencer discusses her vision for Bates at WRBC. Photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College.
Bates College President Clayton Spencer recently sat down with Alfred Russo ’15 and Jordana Gluckow ’16 at WRBC-FM to discuss a range of topics. In a relaxed and wide-ranging conversation, President Spencer answered questions about key initiatives at the college, how she thinks about organizational change, and opportunities for innovation and experimentation provided by Short Term.
Listen to the entire interview on the WRBC website, or to the selection of excerpts that we’ve curated below.
The restructuring myth
This past year, changes to student support services and college programming have some students believing that the college administration is undergoing a large and disruptive restructuring. Not so, says President Spencer.
The Student Experience
Top of mind for some students this spring are the departures of a few well-liked staff and administrators. How do personnel decisions intersect with Bates’ sense of community?
The Campus Culture Working Group
This past fall, Dean of Students Joshua McIntosh convened the Campus Culture Working Group to conduct a comprehensive review of wellness education, monitoring and intervention, late-night weekend programming, standards and accountability, residential programs, inclusiveness, and orientation/first-year programs. How are students involved in this effort?
Purposeful Work
Purposeful Work is one of the distinctive Bates initiatives that are manifesting themselves in myriad ways around campus. How does Purposeful Work fit in with the college’s other needs and priorities?
Improving Short Term
The college has made changes to Short Term by creating Practitioner-Taught Courses and “course redesign” opportunities. What’s that all about?
Does Bates have a parking problem?
A parking study concluded there is plenty of parking at Bates. Meanwhile, one of the WRBC hosts gets introduced to the idea of parking consultants, and a possible new career path.
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