Mary Pols
Stories by Mary Pols
Alisa Amador ’18 on how Bates helped her build a career as a singer-songwriter
Thursday, November 5, 2026 11:47 am
Singer-songwriter Alisa Amador ’18 loves a liberal arts approach, and it didn’t end for her when she graduated from Bates.
Launching the Legacy: A celebration of Marsden Hartley Scholarship at the Bates College Museum of Art
Thursday, October 22, 2026 2:16 pm
For more than 10 years, for five days a week — “at least” — art historian Gail R. Scott worked on the Marsden Hartley Legacy Project: The Complete Paintings and Works on Paper. The Legacy Project, now live and available to anyone with access to the internet, is a comprehensive, annotated online catalogue of all known paintings and works on paper created by the Lewiston-born Hartley (1877-1943).
Bates joins National Student Success Project
Thursday, October 22, 2026 2:03 pm
A major project geared at addressing practical concerns from students and families about the value of a college degree launched today in Washington, D.C. The National Student Success Project, in development since early 2026, is led by five higher education associations and the presidents and chancellors of 19 colleges and universities.
Gone for 150 years: The case of the missing constitutional articles
Thursday, October 1, 2026 2:32 pm
For the past 11 days, Ladd Library has played the role of first host to a deceptively simple exhibition touring various state cultural institutions. Starting on Sept. 21, three pages of the Maine State Constitution were on display in a glass box on the first floor of Ladd.
Bates College Board of Trustees elects three new trustees
Thursday, June 25, 2026 11:10 am
Bates College has announced the election of three new trustees, effective July 1: Scott F. Higgins ’91, P’27, Matthew B. Schecter ’89, P’20, and Sophia B. “Sophie” Wagener ’17.
Phyllis Graber Jensen, a Retrospective
Thursday, June 18, 2026 10:00 am
On June 12, with Reunion in full swing, Phyllis Graber Jensen, the college’s longtime director of photography and video, did something highly unusual. She showed up at a Bates College event without any camera, save the one on her cell phone, and she did not make a single image.
Commencement 2026 Preview: Know before you go (or stream)
Friday, May 29, 2026 1:22 pm
On Sunday May 31, 2026, at its 160th Commencement, Bates will graduate 480 members of the Class of 2026, confer three honorary degrees, and hear remarks from speakers including honorand Deborah Harkness, historian and best-selling author of the All Souls series of novels.
Record-breaking applications for the Class of 2030
Thursday, April 9, 2026 4:02 pm
The application pool for the Class of 2030 is the largest in…
A tale of two trees (and one map)
Thursday, January 29, 2026 4:06 pm
For at least 151 years, a hemlock and its close neighbor, a red oak, have grown up together on the Bates campus, close enough to overlap branches, while buildings popped up around them. Their survival is a mystery but thanks to a new interactive historic map of Bates, their shared history can at least be glimpsed.
National recognition for Bates’ ‘exemplary’ success in community engagement as well as its return on investment for graduates
Friday, January 23, 2026 3:07 pm
Bates has once again been recognized by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its deep level of commitment to community engagement, an honor the college first achieved in 2008 and again in 2015. Recently Bates was also lauded by ACE and Carnegie for its success in providing paths for graduates to earn competitive wages.