Mary Pols

mpols@bates.edu 207-786-8248

Stories by Mary Pols
Commencement 2026: Into the future with heart, humanity, and curiosity

Sunday, May 31, 2026 5:45 pm

The skies were changeable but the mood was resoundingly upbeat on Sunday, May 31, as 480 members of the Class of 2026 celebrated their Bates graduation surrounded by family and friends, and bolstered by speeches that dwelled on bright promises, both those already delivered and those to come.

Commencement 2026 Preview: Know before you go (or stream)

Friday, May 29, 2026 1:22 pm

On Sunday May 31, 2026, at its 160th Commencement, Bates will graduate 480 members of the Class of 2026, confer three honorary degrees, and hear remarks from speakers including honorand Deborah Harkness, historian and best-selling author of the All Souls series of novels.  

Record-breaking applications for the Class of 2030

Thursday, April 9, 2026 4:02 pm

The application pool for the Class of 2030 is the largest in…

A 1910 view of the Bates College campus
A tale of two trees (and one map)

Thursday, January 29, 2026 4:06 pm

For at least 151 years, a hemlock and its close neighbor, a red oak, have grown up together on the Bates campus, close enough to overlap branches, while buildings popped up around them. Their survival is a mystery but thanks to a new interactive historic map of Bates, their shared history can at least be glimpsed.

On a chilly night in December, students from Associate Professor of Theater Courtney Smith’s Introduction to Digital Media course presented their final project on Lisbon Street, the heart of Lewiston's historic downtown, and the subject of this interdiscliplinary course (cross listed between theater and digital and computational studies). For their work in this community engaged learning experience, they explored resources that included the Muskie Archives on campus and the Androscoggin Historical Society, to create a multimedia portrait of Lisbon Street, dating back to the days of electric trolley cars. In attendance at the big reveal included Professor Emeritus Doug Hodgkin, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline, and Darby Ray, who collaborated with Smith. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)
National recognition for Bates’ ‘exemplary’ success in community engagement as well as its return on investment for graduates

Friday, January 23, 2026 3:07 pm

Bates has once again been recognized by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its deep level of commitment to community engagement, an honor the college first achieved in 2008 and again in 2015. Recently Bates was also lauded  by ACE and Carnegie for its success in providing paths for graduates to earn competitive wages.

Everybody in the pool: The making of Metamorphoses

Thursday, December 4, 2025 5:09 pm

Shortly after Courtney Smith joined Bates in the fall of 2024 as an associate professor of theater, he floated an idea for a production that was both over-the-top ambitious and absolute catnip to his colleague Sally Wood, a visiting lecturer in theater who was trying to decide what play to direct in the fall of 2025.

Drone photography operated and captured by Theophil Syslo on October 10, 2024. (Theophil Syslo | Bates College)
In the News: Oct. 10, 2025

Friday, October 10, 2025 10:44 am

For Mother Jones, in a Sept. 24 article headlined “How America’s Elite Colleges Breed High-Status Careers—and Misery,” journalist Evan Mandery named Bates as an outlier — for its emphasis on meaning and purpose.

Picture Story: September 2025 at Bates

Friday, October 10, 2025 10:41 am

From Convocation to fierce field hockey matches, double overtime football victories, and relaxing on the quad, we bring you September 2025 at Bates.

Trees of Bates: A History Tour, August 27th at 10am-11am Meet up location: Front steps of Hathorn Hall Come join us as we explore the evolution of the trees on campus from the farmland beginnings to the lush campus of today. Pat Webber, Director of Archives and Special Collections, will discuss the early years of tree planting and various tree traditions. Christine Murray, a Maine Master Naturalist and Ladd’s own Social Sciences Librarian, will be on hand to discuss the natural history of our trees and the challenges they face including issues of disease. No need to sign up! See all our upcoming events here! Please let me know if you have any questions! All the best, Caitlin -- Caitlin Lampman Education & Engagement Archivist Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections, Bates College Also featuring College Archivist Pat Webber
The way back Bates machine

Thursday, October 2, 2025 4:09 pm

Staff at the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library love giving walking tours of the campus. They function like walking Bates encyclopedias, dropping tidbits about everything from which building was the first one on Frye Street to which are the oldest trees on campus.

‘Rising Star’ Marshall Hatch Jr. ’10 is on TIME 100 NEXT list

Thursday, October 2, 2025 3:54 pm

Marshall Hatch ’10 received a lot of texts on Sept. 30. Not surprising, given that at the crack of dawn, Time magazine announced its TIME 100 NEXT, naming him one of “The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars” for 2025.

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