Bates College: Difference between revisions

After a year-long search for the next president, [[Harvard University]] dean, [[Clayton Spencer]], was appointed as Hansen's successor. Spencer assumed the presidency in 2012, and created diversity mandates, expanded student and faculty recruitment, and [[Student financial aid in the United States|financial aid]] allocation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/10/harvard-president-faust-at-bates-college-inauguration|title=Academic Access, Education Reform October 29, 2012|website=Harvard Magazine|date=29 October 2012|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name="questions">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2012/10/29/inaugural-address-clayton-spencer/|title=Questions Worth Asking — President Clayton Spencer's inaugural address |website=www.bates.edu|date=29 October 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> While some reforms were successful, minorities at the college, typically classified as non-white and low income students, still reported lack of [[Safe-space|safe spaces]], insensitive professors, financial insecurity, indirect racism and [[Elitism|social elitism]].<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":13" /> According to a 2017 article on [[Income inequality in the United States|income inequality]] by ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html|title=Some Colleges Have More Students From the Top 1 Percent Than the Bottom 60. Find Yours. January 18, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 January 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 18% of Bates students came from the [[American upper class|1% of the American upper class]] (families who made about $525,000 or more per year),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/the-top-1-percentand-01-percentof-every-age-group-in-america/382094/|title=How Much Income Puts You in the 1 Percent if You're 30, 40, or 50?|last=Thompson|first=Derek|newspaper=The Atlantic|access-date=August 11, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> with more than half coming from the top 5% (families who made about $110,000 or more per year).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/bates-college|title=Economic diversity and student outcomes at Bates|last1=Cox|first1=Gregor Aisch, Larry Buchanan, Amanda|date=January 18, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=August 11, 2018|last2=Quealy|first2=Kevin|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> According to the ''[[Portland Press Herald]]'', [[Michael Bonney]] '80 and his wife donated $50 million to the college in support of the $300 million "Bates+You" [[Fundraising|fundraising campaign]] launched in May 2017. The campaign is the largest ever undertaken by the college totaling $300 million, with $168 million already raised {{as of|2017|May|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pressherald.com/2017/05/16/maine-family-donating-50-million-to-bates-college/|title=Maine family gives $50 million 'transformational' gift to Bates College capital campaign – Portland Press Herald|last=Writer|first=Noel K. GallagherStaff|date=May 16, 2017|website=Press Herald|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In the aftermath of the [[2019 college admissions bribery scandal]], Ron Lieber of The New York Times noted that need-aware colleges like Bates and others prioritized students who could pay full tuition in the admission process, writing that, "you can get help if you're admitted, but you might not be admitted if you need help."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lieber|first=Ron|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/your-money/college-admissions-wealth.html|title=Another Admissions Advantage for the Affluent: Just Pay Full Price|date=2019-03-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-04-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Though it has a large endowment, Bates has continued to struggle to set a fee schedule that students can afford.<ref>Bauman, Dan. 2023. Wealthy but Wary. ''Chronicle of Higher Education.'' Jan. 20, 2023. vol. 69.11.</ref>

 

 

== Academics ==