President Garry W. Jenkins has received the 2025 Maine Black Excellence Compass Career Award from The Third Place Maine, a network that connects Maine’s Black professionals, students, and entrepreneurs to opportunities across multiple areas, from social to professional.
The Third Place gives its Compass Career Award in recognition of “outstanding professional achievement, principled leadership, and a commitment to equity and excellence in one’s field.” The nonprofit, which was founded in 2017 by Executive Director Adilah Muhammad, noted that Jenkins, the ninth president of Bates, is also its first Black president.
“From the courtroom to the boardroom to the college green, Garry Jenkins has led with integrity, brilliance, and heart,” the group said, citing his record spanning higher education, law, philanthropy, and public service. “His career is a compass for those navigating the intersections of leadership and justice.”
“I’m deeply touched by this honor, and for this award to be tied to my new home state of Maine,” Jenkins said as he accepted the award at a dinner celebration on a beautiful August evening outdoors at the Caswell Farm and Wedding Barn in Gray. “It carries special significance because it comes from a community that understands both the challenges we face and the excellence we represent.”
“Our democracy and our institutions succeed and flourish when everyone has a seat at the table and has the support and encouragement to shine brightly,” he added.
Jenkins was one of nine honorees that evening. He spoke of his pride at leading Bates, citing its rich and unique history of inclusion and legacy of producing remarkable Black leaders through the 20th century and into the 21st century. Specifically, he mentioned John P. Davis, a debater at Bates who graduated in 1926 and would go on to be a lawyer and pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and civil rights icon Benjamin Mays, a member of the Class of 1920, as well as pioneering television journalist Bryant Gumbel ’70 and Val Smith ’75, the president of Swarthmore College.
“I want to make sure that we continue to produce alumni, of all backgrounds, who go on to make a difference to their communities, fields, and institutions,” Jenkins said.
His remarks ended with an invitation to attendees to come to Bates, walk on the beautiful campus, visit the museum, and attend theatrical and musical performances as well as athletic competitions.
Among the Bates community members who joined Jenkins at the event were recent graduate Davina Kabantu ’24, who is a trainee in a bank management development program, Professor Emerita of Politics Leslie Hill, and Morgan Kinney and Mohamed Awil of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.
