Dear Bates faculty, staff, and students,

We hope that you each enjoyed a wonderful summer and are starting the new academic year with eagerness and excitement. As you know, one of the key priorities for Bates this year will be finding the college’s next president—and we write today to invite you to be part of that effort.

Each member of this community has a unique perspective on the college’s strengths, opportunities for improvement, and what Bates most needs in its next president, and we want to hear from you. The search committee, which is in the process of being formed, will develop a position profile that will be shared with candidates, and your input will help inform that profile as well as how the committee approaches its work.

There are two main ways in which we will collect feedback. The first is through in-person and Zoom listening sessions conducted by our search partner, Isaacson, Miller, which will be held as follows:

FACULTY:

Tuesday, September 20, 8:30 am: Zoom (click here to register)

Thursday, September 29, 4:30 pm -5:30 pm, Commons 221/222

STAFF:

Monday, September 19, 8:30 am: Zoom (click here to register)

Thursday, September 29, 12:45 pm – 1:40 pm, Commons 221/222 

STUDENTS:

Monday, September 19, 8:00 pm: Zoom (click here to register)

Thursday, September 29, 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm, Commons 221/222 

OPEN TO FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS:

Friday, September 30, 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm, Pettigrew 301

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When you register for the appropriate Zoom session, you will receive a link to the meeting.

The second mechanism to provide your input is through a survey, which you can find here. The deadline for completing this survey is Friday, September 30.

Below are some questions that Isaacson, Miller suggests you consider in advance of the listening sessions:

1. Looking ahead five years from now, how will you judge whether the next president of Bates has been successful? What will be different and what will be the same?
2. What are the biggest challenges the next president will face in the coming years? What is the most critical work for the next president to tackle?
3. What important and timely opportunities must a new president take advantage of?
4. What talents should we look for in candidates for president of Bates? What values do you hope they bring? What personal attributes should we seek out?
5. Where is this person today? What professional experience should we look for?
6. What does the Bates community need to do to ensure the next president’s success?

In the listening sessions, the Isaacson, Miller team—which includes Kate Barry, Karen McPhedran, and Miguel Santiago—will also welcome any suggestions you may have regarding people to contact in their outreach as potential candidates or thoughtful sources who might suggest talented leaders as they build a pool of candidates.

We sincerely hope that you will be able to attend a listening session and/or to complete the survey. 

Thank you very much for being part of Bates’ presidential search. 

All our best,

Andrea Conklin Bueschel ‘90

Gregory Ehret ‘91, P’23

Presidential Search Committee Co-Chairs