The Bates Board of Trustees returned to campus for its spring meeting from Thursday, May 5, through Saturday, May 7, 2022. Every standing committee of the Board met in person during this meeting or virtually in the surrounding days to conduct their work. Trustees were joined by faculty, staff, or student representatives at most of its committee meetings and plenary sessions.

This was the first time the Board had been able to gather on campus since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Trustees took advantage of their return to campus to thank faculty and staff members of the pandemic working group, tour the new Bonney Science Center and the Dana renovation project, meet with the Committee on Faculty Governance, and celebrate the service of retiring Trustee colleagues.

The Board received the annual report from the Alumni Council, which was presented by Council President Jennifer Crawford ’01 and Vice President Kevin Moore ’93. Trustees also heard updates on equity and inclusion at Bates, the incoming Class of 2026, fundraising and the Bates Campaign, the endowment, the FY22 and proposed FY23 budget, college infrastructure projects, and Board officer succession. A panel of Trustees discussed how they are managing changes in workplace culture and engagement in their own companies as a result of the global pandemic and how Bates might approach similar issues.

Trustees also took a number of important annual actions, including:

• Voting of degrees for the Class of 2022, conditional on their completing all requirements of the degree;
• Approving the FY23 budget;
• Approving academic personnel appointments, reappointments, and legislation related to the terms and conditions of lecturers that had been passed by the faculty;
• Re-electing Trustee Evelynn Hammonds H’11 to a new five-year term;
• Electing officers of the corporation, Executive Committee members, and vice presidents for the 2022–23 academic year;
• Formally acknowledging the service of Trustees retiring on June 30:
  • Scott Bierman ’77
  • Scott Freeman ’85, P’16, P’18, P’21
  • Paul Marks ’83, P’17
  • Rick Smith P’12
  • Bill Sweat ’79

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for October 27-29, 2022.

Clayton Spencer
President

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