Mary Pols

mpols@bates.edu 207-786-8248

Stories by Mary Pols
Bates College Board of Trustees elects four new members effective July 1, 2025

Thursday, June 26, 2025 5:13 am

Bates College has announced the election of four new trustees, effective July…

Draft for social media post: Social post for Carmona family/to run Thursday Art: combo of Phyllis fresh art from last Thursday and vintage (2018) images of young Jose at the Commencement of his siblings Christopher and Alanis Carmona. Most Thursdays, Jose Carmona ’25 of Chicago walks a few blocks from campus to visit Carmen Thibodeau at her home. They don’t share blood, but she’s been his Lewiston grandmother the whole time he’s been at Bates. “Some of my friends know that she’s not my actual grandma,” Carmona says, but others assume it. “They’ll be like, ‘Oh, you’re going to Granny’s house today?” Even before Jose came to Bates, Carmen Thibodeau — along with her late husband Richard, who died in 2022 — has represented family to three of his siblings before him, Christopher Carmona ’18, Alanis Carmona ’18 and Carolina Carmona ’22. This weekend Thibodeau will be in the audience when Jose walks across the stage in front of Coram Library and officially becomes a graduate of Bates, and she couldn’t be prouder. Since 2014, when Christopher and Alanis arrived on campus as first years, Thibodeau has been guiding this tight knit group of siblings through their Bates experience, serving up lemonade, snacks and good advice. She’s taken them on trips to family favorites like Mac’s Grill in Auburn and the Fryeburg Fair, and other Maine highlights and offered steady, enduring support and love. Look for our full story about how this relationship started, and why it won’t end, in Bates News on Friday.
Four Bates siblings, their ‘Lewiston grandmother,’ and one last Commencement celebration

Friday, May 23, 2025 10:44 am

Since 2014, a succession of four Bates siblings from Chicago have been able to lean on Lewiston neighbor Carmen Thibodeau for rides, rest, and real connection.

Bates Faculty in the News: Therí Pickens’ debut poetry collection gains media attention and sparks a busy spring, on and off campus

Friday, May 9, 2025 9:09 am

Dana Professor of English and Africana Therí Pickens' debut poetry collection earns praise in publications like Down East and The Adroit Journal as she shares her work through readings, panels, and an recent campus celebration in Commons.

Bates Faculty in the News: Feb. 28, 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025 10:08 am

English professor Therí Pickens’ new poetry collection earns praise in Library Journal, Rebecca Herzig’s research on women and facial hair informs The New York Times, and Paul Shea explains Samsung’s stock buyback strategy for Marketplace.

Faculty in the News: Michael Sargent’s research spotlighted on Hidden Brain

Friday, December 6, 2024 10:21 am

In a recent episode of the popular podcast, Associate Professor of Psychology Michael Sargent’s research on attitudes toward crime and punishment got a shoutout — and a ringing endorsement.

Retiring after 14 years, Bates Museum of Art Director Dan Mills reflects on highlights from ‘a good run’

Thursday, November 21, 2024 11:00 am

Mills has overseen dozens of exhibitions, encompassing multiple mediums and groupings of artists, including contemporary works from Saudi and Native American artists.

Faculty in the News: Michael Rocque on the decline in hunting and a shift in ‘what guns mean and what they symbolize’ in the U.S.

Friday, October 25, 2024 5:45 pm

The number of hunters in the U.S. has been on the decline for decades. Given that fact, says Professor of Sociology Michael Rocque, it might be time to look at whether, overall, the very purpose of gun ownership has also shifted as well. 

unhoused person in an encampment outside.
Faculty in the News: Philosophy professor Paul Schofield on homelessness being a ‘unique form of injustice’

Friday, September 20, 2024 2:30 pm

We talked with Schofield about his exploration of homelessness in America — including a widely distributed Washington Post opinion piece — and how he hopes to deepen the progressive response to the issue.

Bates Faculty in the News: Sept. 13, 2024

Friday, September 13, 2024 12:14 pm

Media coverage of Bates faculty insights, expertise, and achievements ranges from the presidential election to personal economics, news about a top literary award — and even, a major fish tale.

Faculty in the News: Novelist Jessica Anthony ’96 writes about craft, classrooms, and time for Literary Hub

Friday, September 6, 2024 8:21 am

While Anthony speaks on the topic of craft constantly in her creative writing courses at Bates, she rarely writes about it, until now.

Load more