The institutional planning process was a broad-based exercise explicitly designed to unlock the ideas and creativity of the entire Bates community.

The goal was to produce a framework of priorities that were collectively derived to guide the work of the college over the next five to ten years and inform choices for a comprehensive campaign. The process was forward-looking and aspirational, yet grounded firmly in Bates’ core values, as they were established at our founding and most recently reaffirmed in our mission statement of 2010.

It incorporated a tough-minded look at data — about our finances, facilities, academic programs, student services, and measures of student satisfaction and postgraduate success — as well as analysis of broader trends affecting higher education and the world.

The work of the planning process was carried out by four teams, a steering committee, and a data and technology support team, with community consultation at key points throughout the process. The four teams are as follows:

• Intellectual Life at Bates
• Educating the Whole Person
• Facilities, Infrastructure, and Technology
• Resources

Bates adopted the final institutional plan in the fall of 2016.