Your Alumni Connection

Four new members joined the Alumni Council this summer — Melissa Meigs Barbeau ’51, Nancy Flynn Bass ’92, Bruce A. Campbell ’76, and Jennifer E. Gibbons ’89 — each had a chance to answer a simple question: Why volunteer for Bates?

• Enriching Students’ Lives: As one-half of a very active husband-and-wife Bates volunteer team, Melissa Meigs Barbeau ’51 volunteers because “my life has been enriched in many ways by the experiences of my years at Bates. By staying involved, I have been able to keep up with the College’s growth and participate as Bates enriches the lives of students into the next century.”With husband Wilfred Barbeau ’51 (a former Council member), Melissa Barbeau has served as a Rhode Island Club leader, a fund-raising and career services volunteer, and college inauguration representative for Bates. The Barbeaus, co-presidents of their class and 1991 recipients of the Alumni Distinguished Service Award, are retired from their own public relations firm.
• Expanding the Bates Experience: Nancy Flynn Bass ’92 initially volunteered for Bates “to give back to the place that gave me so much: friends, a career, self-confidence — and a husband! [David ’91].” She added: “Since then, I’ve learned that Bates is more than just what you did prior to graduation. I get to work with fun people who have a common interest and similar experiences, which continually expands my definition of `the Bates experience.'”Bass, a senior underwriter at UNUM in Portland, is lead class agent for the Annual Alumni Fund. She co-chaired her Reunion Gift Committe in 1996.
• Helping Meet New Needs: When discussing his volunteer involvement, Bruce Campbell ’76 reflects on his Bates years. “Some of my fondest memories and strongest friendships are rooted in Bates College,” he said. “The College’s learning environment helped shape my family, career, community involvement, and appreciation for life. I volunteer to help Bates meet the changing needs of students, so they can reap similar benefits.”Campbell, a Portland resident and holder of an M.B.A. from Thomas College, is vice president of payer relations and clinical business development at NHC Inc. in Lowell, Massachusetts.
• Belief in the Mission: “I volunteer for Bates for the same re to attend Bates: I believe in the College’s mission, its goals, and its vision for the future,” said Jennifer Gibbons ’89 of New York City. “We can all help Bates continue to be one of the country’s finest learning communities. As Bates has given me much, College volunteer opportunities let me give back to Bates.”Gibbons is a class agent and has been a leader in the New York City Bates Club. A holder of master’s degrees in art and architectural history from Columbia University, she works at Gallery Systems, a designer of cataloguing software used by museums.

Your Alumni Council President: Nancy Higgins ’81Nancy Higgins ’81 has done it all as a Bates volunteer, and now she’ll use that experience as the new president of the Alumni Council, succeeding Geri FitzGerald ’75.

A member of the Council since 1993, Higgins is a past winner of the College’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award, joining three other current Council members who are past winners: Susan Peillet Yule ’78 (1990), Jennifer Gibbons ’89 (1995), and Nancy Flynn Bass ’92 (1996, co-winner with husband David ’91).

A former Annual Alumni Fund Committee member, Nancy has served as class agent and class president and as a member of her Reunion Gift Committee. As a club leader, she’s helped the Boston Bates Club win club-of-the-year honors in 1988 and 1991. She’s also hosted several Bates students through the Ladd Internship Program. A certified financial planner, Nancy is a sales associate in investment services group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in Boston. She lives in Charlestown.