The Bates Board of Trustees held its fall meeting virtually on Friday, October 29, and Saturday, October 30, 2021. Every standing committee of the Board met virtually to conduct their work, which included the participation of a number of faculty, staff, and students. Finally, Trustees also held their annual fall meeting with the Committee on Faculty Governance.

The Board was updated on campus events and initiatives, including the current unionization effort and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Bates. The Board participated in a consultation exercise on issues of equity, inclusion, and antiracism as part of the college’s current process of outreach and consultation to clarify and gain specificity with regard to the work to be done and how best to structure that work.

Trustees also heard updates on the college’s finances, the endowment, capital projects, the Bates Campaign, and admission. Actions taken by the Board included approving the FY21 financial audit results and naming representatives to the Bates–Morse Mountain Corporation.

The Board remains hopeful that conditions will soon allow the resumption of on-campus meetings and the important in-person engagement with faculty, staff, and students that such meetings make possible.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for February 3–5, 2022.

Clayton Spencer
President

John Gillespie ’80, P’13, P’18
Chair of the Board of Trustees