The following letter was sent to all staff on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Dear colleagues,

I want to thank you for taking the time to complete the employee engagement survey. Nearly two-thirds of our core staff responded, a rate that compares quite favorably with institutions of similar size.

The collected data is now being analyzed, and the results will be shared with employees in late May. After receiving and reviewing the results, the next step will be to create an action plan based on the feedback you provided.

This important survey will tell us a lot about what the college is doing well, and where we need to do more, to create and sustain an open, inclusive, and equitable work environment at Bates. I am very grateful for your contributions to this effort, and for making Bates better, together.

Sincerely,

   Garry

Garry W. Jenkins
President, Bates College

The following letter was sent to all staff on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

Dear Staff Colleagues,

I write to follow up on my message of February 6 and invite you to complete the Bates campus climate survey. You may find the survey here at bates.edu/survey. 

It should take about 20 minutes to complete the survey, and I encourage you to answer all questions as frankly and thoroughly as possible. Your responses will give us important insight on how you view the current working environment at Bates and how we can make improvements to enhance engagement and well-being.

Be assured that all of your answers will remain confidential and the results will be reported in group form only. You will not be identifiable as an individual. While your participation in the project is voluntary, I hope you will take the time to help us improve and transform Bates in a
positive direction.

This research has been reviewed and approved by the Bates College Institutional Review Board. Additional information about the project is available. 

Please complete the survey by Friday, March 29.

Thank you very much, in advance, for your participation in this project.

All my best,
   Garry

Garry W. Jenkins
President, Bates College

The following letter was sent to all staff on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

Dear Staff Colleagues,

As you know, Bates is in the midst of a process of working to better understand the sense of well-being and engagement among the members of our staff. An Employee Engagement Working Group has been active since last fall, and the next step in its work will be a survey designed to give each member of the Bates staff an opportunity to say how you view the current working environment at Bates and what you think we can do better to facilitate engagement and well-being. 

While completion of this survey is entirely voluntary, I strongly encourage you to participate, and to do so with thoughtful consideration and candor. Your responses will be completely confidential, and all survey results will be reported in group form only, with no identifying detail. 

This project is being led by Rankin Climate, an independent firm with over 20 years of experience in campus climate assessments, and has been reviewed and approved by the Bates College Institutional Review Board. The results will better enable us to successfully meet the needs of our community.

More information about this project may be found here.

I will be in touch again on February 27 to share a link to the survey. Thank you, in advance, for contributing to this important initiative for our campus community.

All my best,
   Garry

Garry W. Jenkins
President, Bates College