{"id":155701,"date":"2023-07-06T16:12:54","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T20:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=155701"},"modified":"2023-11-27T10:39:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T15:39:29","slug":"on-his-get-to-know-campus-day-president-garry-jenkins-meets-many-bates-folks-and-embraces-them-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2023\/07\/06\/on-his-get-to-know-campus-day-president-garry-jenkins-meets-many-bates-folks-and-embraces-them-all\/","title":{"rendered":"On his get-to-know-campus day, President Garry Jenkins meets many Bates folks \u2014 and embraces them all"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

McKayla Kendall \u201926 was navigating the different lunch options at Commons on Wednesday when she saw the man she\u2019s followed on Instagram. The Bobcat Swim Camp counselor from Bangor, Maine, didn\u2019t hesitate to approach the college\u2019s new president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
McKayla Kendall ’26 of Bangor, Maine, at Bates this summer to work at the Bobcat Swim Camp, greets President Garry W. Jenkins on Wednesday in Commons. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Garry, right?\u201d Kendall boomed, before asking, of all things, about Taylor Swift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Garry W. Jenkins moved through the Bates campus during a daylong tour, he was more than happy to stop, discuss, and share his knowledge of Swift\u2019s songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a very, very cool president. I\u2019m excited,\u201d Kendall said. \u201cI saw on Instagram he went to see Taylor Swift with his husband in Minnesota. Of course I\u2019m going to mention that. We talked about her surprise songs at her concert.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jenkins speaks with Bates folks at the campus beverage break on Wednesday at Lake Andrews. A sustained crowd of 50 cycled in and out over the course of nearly two hours. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins, who became president on July 1, used Wednesday as his get-to-know Bates day. And he made an impression wherever he went. A wide range of folks in the Bates community got to meet him, and many described Jenkins as authentic, attentive, down-to-earth and just plain kind. At every turn, he stopped to ask what people did; then listened intently to each person\u2019s story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very impressed that his eyes never left mine,\u201d said Kirk Read, professor of French and francophone studies. \u201cI spoke with him about department work on [diversity, equity, and inclusion]. He\u2019s tapping into everyone\u2019s talent and good will. I\u2019m wildly enthusiastic. I\u2019ve been here 33 years, but I don\u2019t want to miss this next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
Jenkins and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Malcolm Hill cross Campus Avenue near Bonney Science Center as Hill gives Jenkins a tour of various academic spaces on campus. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins, who was unanimously elected<\/a> by Bates Board of Trustees as the school\u2019s ninth president in February, came to Bates after serving as dean of the University of Minnesota Law School since 2016. Prior to that, he was professor of law at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he also served as associate dean for academic affairs for eight years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Tobin, a former Moritz colleague, said he once tried to \u201coutlisten\u201d Jenkins. \u201cBut it can\u2019t be done,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cAnd Garry\u2019s ability to listen makes him a fantastic leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trademark quality was on full display Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"President
Jenkins ducks in to say hi to folks on a Zoom call with Tom McGuinness, director of institutional research, analysis and planning, during his tour of Lane Hall. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins officially took over as Bates\u2019 president as June 30 turned to July 1 at midnight on Friday night. Monday was a day spent getting set up on his computers and sending his first email to the Bates faculty and staff: an invitation for a \u201cbeverage and a cookie\u201d provided by the college\u2019s new food truck, dubbed Curb Cats, beside Lake Andrews.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI very much look forward to meeting you in the weeks and months ahead and learning more about all that you are doing \u2014 and all that you have planned,\u201d Jenkins wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
Elliot Chun ’18 finds himself on the lunch line at Commons next to Jenkins. The new president asked Chun about his years at Bates and where it led him. “He seems very cool. Very kind,” Chun said. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He started the day on Wednesday with a walk through Lane Hall, where his office is located. Popping into offices, he stopped for brief chats. In the office of Tom McGuinness, director of institutional research, analysis and planning, he waved to folks on a Zoom meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Bates Communications Office, he complimented the large photos lining a hallway \u2014 and wondered if similar photos of Bates people and events could cover an entire wall in his own office.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
Jenkins talks with Jason Tardif, a cook supervisor in Commons, during lunch on Wednesday at the vegan bar. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the Curb Cats gathering, Jenkins weaved in and out of the crowd of 50. Reggie Thames, a dining room attendant in Commons, was one of the first to shake Jenkins\u2019 hand. The new president then pivoted to Jason Tardif, a cook supervisor in Commons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe seems like a cool guy, very down to earth. He seems authentic,\u201d Tardif said later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A half hour after the food truck left and the crowd dispersed, Jenkins remained by the lake, talking with every last person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe talks to you like he\u2019s a friend. I found that amazing,\u201d said Sakina Saidi \u201926 from Afghanistan, who is doing research at Bates this summer. \u201cHe asked what I was doing this summer. I felt he included me in the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
Keiko Konoeda, a lecturer in Japanese, joins the lunch discussion with faculty and staff with Jenkins in Commons. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During lunchtime in Commons, Jenkins met Elliot Chun \u201918 on the grill line and talked with the alum about the work Chun does for LifeHikes, a no-cost nonprofit that teaches communications and leadership skills. Chun, a summer counselor at the Bates swim camp, was delighted to find himself on a food line next to the new president, who carried a plate of rice, vegetables and a lentil pattie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe seems very cool. Very kind,\u201d Chun said. \u201cHe kept asking me questions about my career and what path it took after Bates, and how I think Bates helped me make the transition. I\u2019m not afraid to reinvent myself.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
On Wednesday afternoon, Jenkins gets a tour of Chase Hall renovations. From left, Dean of Students Erin Foster Zsiga, Director of Capital Planning and Construction Chris Streifel, Jenkins, and Geoff Swift, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a lunch with faculty and staff who are leading a few different academic initiatives, Jenkins toured academic buildings with Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs and the dean of faculty. At Bonney Science Center, he ran into Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Geneva Laurita, who shared a bit about her work on non-toxic alternatives, as well as the $582,000 National Science Foundation grant she was awarded<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to meet you. I\u2019m very excited you\u2019re here,\u201d Laurita told Jenkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vice
Assistant Professor of Dance Tristan Koepke invites Jenkins into Gannett Theater to watch dancers involved with the Bates Dance Festival on Jenkins’ full-day campus tour. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, he toured Carnegie Science Hall; Coram Library, site of the new Immersive Media Studio<\/a>; and the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Dana Hall. He saw the ongoing renovations in Chase Hall<\/a>, and visited Pettegrew Hall, where Assistant Professor of Dance Tristan Koepke invited Jenkins in to watch the young dancers with the Bates Dance Festival as they flitted and flew around Gannett Theater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he neared the end of a long, 90-degree day at Bates, Garry Jenkins looked like he was just getting warmed up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccessible, welcoming, warm, and kind,\u201d was how Professor Emeritus of History Dennis Grafflin described Jenkins after meeting him on Wednesday. \u201cThose are all good things. That\u2019s the way Bates is supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"President
At the end of his day, Jenkins enjoys an ice-cream social with summer Admission interns at the home of Vice President for Student Life Josh McIntosh near campus. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Garry W. Jenkins, who became Bates’ ninth president on July 1, used Wednesday as his get-to-know-Bates day. And he made an impression wherever he went.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1705,"featured_media":155726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"Garry W. Jenkins, who became Bates' ninth president on July 1, used Wednesday as his get-to-know-Bates day. ","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":155711,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"President Jenkins meets many Bates folks \u2014 and embraces them all","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[4,11009],"tags":[1417,12334],"class_list":["post-155701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-life","category-the-college","tag-dining-services","tag-garry-w-jenkins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1705"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155701"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156971,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155701\/revisions\/156971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}