The Bates Board of Trustees held its fall meeting on the Bates campus from Thursday, October 29, through Saturday, October 31, 2026. Every standing committee of the Board met to conduct their work, which included the participation of a number of faculty, staff, and students. Trustees also held their annual fall meeting with the Committee on Faculty Governance and had dinner with a broader group of about two dozen faculty.

The Board spent a significant portion of the meeting on the current strategic planning project, discussing the latest draft of the plan and its articulation of the college’s priorities. Trustees also engaged in intensive discussion of student retention and integrated advising, Bates branding, and campaign planning.

Trustees heard updates on a range of Bates events and initiatives, including academic policy changes, budget and finance, the endowment, fundraising, enrollment, capital projects, and the national context for higher education.

Actions taken by the Board included approving the FY26 financial audit results and naming representatives to the Bates–Morse Mountain Corporation.

Trustees participated in the college’s Halloween Trick or Treat community event for local youth, attended an open house at the Bates College Museum of Art celebrating the launch of the Marsden Hartley Legacy Project, and toured the construction site for the Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held virtually and is scheduled for February 5, 2027.

Garry W. Jenkins
President

Gregory A. Ehret ’91, P’23
Chair of the Board of Trustees