8. Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Plan. After three or four years (depending on the engineering program) of full-time study at Bates, qualified students may enroll in a two-year engineering program at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Case Western Reserve University, or Washington University in St. Louis. Dual Degree Program majors complete all General Education requirements except the third-level writing requirement [W3]. Upon completion of this five- or six-year program, students receive both an undergraduate degree from Bates College and a bachelor of science from the engineering school affiliate. Students who wish to pursue this line of study should consult with the faculty advisor for the Dual Degree Plan within the first two weeks of their undergraduate career.

9. Academic honors. The College recognizes academic achievement though three kinds of honors: general honors, major-field honors, and Dean's List.

There are three levels of general honors, based upon cumulative grade point average: cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.

General honors are calculated as follows: By the start of each academic year, the registrar computes the minimum cumulative grade point average necessary to rank students in the top 2 percent, 8 percent, and 15 percent of the combined last three graduating classes. In 2016–2017, students with GPAs of 3.94 or higher earn the distinction of summa cum laude; GPAs of 3.85 to 3.93, magna cum laude; and GPAs of 3.77 to 3.84, cum laude.

A student must successfully fulfill all requirements for the baccalaureate degree in order to participate in the Commencement ceremony and receive a diploma.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal law requires the college to establish standards of satisfactory progress toward the degree and to monitor each recipient of federal aid to insure that the student is making satisfactory progress according to those standards. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates the monitoring of both grade point average (GPA) — qualitative progress — and the number of credits completed — quantitative progress. The Committee on Academic Standing is responsible for evaluation of the student's progress, reviews the student's academic standing each semester, and evaluates petitions for exceptions to these standards. In addition, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students may authorize exceptions for serious illnesses or personal emergencies. The college has established these standards:

Qualitative Standards. All Bates course grades are included in a student's GPA. Student academic standing is determined as follows:

For students in good academic standing:

• If the semester GPA is below 1.0: dismissal
• If the semester GPA is above 1.0 but the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0: probation
• If the semester GPA is above 1.0 and the cumulative GPA is equal to or greater than 2.0: good academic standing

For students on academic probation:

• If the semester and cumulative GPA are below 2.0: dismissal
• If the semester GPA is equal to or greater than than 2.0 but but the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0: probation
• If the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 2.0: good academic standing

Final semester seniors:

• Students graduate if the normal degree requirements, including courses, Short Term courses, and total grade point averages, are met. This applies to students on academic probation from the prior semester, even if they do not fulfill the normal probationary requirements for good academic standing in the second senior semester.

Student affairs staff inform students and their advisors about changes in academic standing. Parents are informed when students are placed on probation or are dismissed. Students may petition the Committee on Academic Standing to have the standard of academic dismissal waived after consulting with the student support advisor.

Quantitative Standards. A student's progress toward the baccalaureate degree is measured by course credits. Students usually follow a four-year track; however, some students complete the academic program in three years.

Normally, students in the four-year program successfully earn 8 credits by the end of their first year, 16 credits by the end of their second year, 24 credits and 1 Short Term course by the end of their third year, and 32 credits (not including Short Term courses) and 2 Short Term courses by the end of their fourth year.

To comply with the satisfactory-progress policy, each candidate in the four-year program must successfully earn the following minimum numbers of semester course and Short Term course credits: no fewer than 6 credits earned from Bates courses by the end of the first year; no fewer than 14 credits by the end of the second year; no fewer than 22 credits and 1 Short Term course by the end of the third year; and 32 credits (not including Short Term credits) and 2 Short Term credits by the end of the fourth year.

Normally, students in the three-year program successfully earn 10 credits and 1 Short Term course by the end of the first year, 20 credits and 2 Short Term courses by the end of the second year, and 30 credits and 3 Short Term courses by the end of the third year.

To comply with the satisfactory-progress policy, each candidate in the three-year program must successfully earn the following minimum numbers of course credits: no fewer than 8 semester credits and 1 Short Term course by the end of the first year; no fewer than 18 semester credits and 2 Short Term courses by the end of the second year; and no fewer than 30 credits and 3 Short Term courses by the end of the third year.

Maximum Time Frame. All students, with the exception of transfer students, are expected to complete the degree in eight semesters; students are eligible to continue enrollment and receive financial aid for eight full-time semesters. Any student not meeting the standards of satisfactory progress is ineligible to return to Bates or receive federal student aid. The registrar notifies students if they have not met the quantitative standards. Students are considered withdrawn until satisfactory progress is reestablished.

Reestablishing Eligibility. Written notice is given to students whose status makes them ineligible to return for the next semester, or whose financial aid eligibility is rescinded for lack of academic progress. If denied aid or permission to return because of failure to meet the satisfactory-progress policy standards, students may reestablish eligibility for federal aid by subsequently meeting the standards. The Committee on Academic Standing may also readmit to the college students who petition the committee for readmission when there are exceptional or extenuating circumstances. A student who has reestablished eligibility may be considered for aid for upcoming periods but not for periods during which standards were not met. The student support advisor, the academic advisor, and the registrar can consult with students seeking to rectify deficiencies in grades or earned credits.

Appeals for Financial Aid. A student who is ineligible for financial aid due to lack of satisfactory progress or exceeding the eight-semester time limit, and who believes that exceptional or extenuating circumstances caused this ineligibility, may request a review by the director of student financial services and the dean of admission and financial aid.

Additional Information. Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress do not receive the following types of financial aid: federal Pell Grant; federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant; Federal College Work-Study; federal Perkins Loan; federal Stafford Loan; federal PLUS Loan; or Bates College scholarships, grants, loans, or employment. Students on probationary status are still eligible to receive financial aid; students dismissed are ineligible. Students who receive approval from the Committee on Academic Standing to reduce their course load below 3 credits are required to repay the appropriate financial assistance. Students participating in the Federal College Work-Study Program are subject to termination of employment. The grades of F and DEF are not considered as successful completion of a course. A student who is suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship, or for disciplinary or financial reasons, is denied permission to continue to attend classes, to enroll in subsequent terms, to reside in college housing, to receive Bates-funded financial aid, and to participate in Bates-sponsored extracurricular activities or use facilities in ways that are not also open to the general public.

Reinstatement after Withdrawal or Dismissal

A student in good academic standing who withdraws from the college may be reinstated at the discretion of the associate dean of students for student support and community standards or a designee, if the reinstatement is within two years of the withdrawal and there are no outstanding financial obligations to the college. In no cases are students readmitted when they have outstanding financial obligations to the college or are past due in federal student loan repayments. A student in good standing who has withdrawn for more than two years, a student not in good standing, or a student who has been dismissed from the college must apply for readmission to the Committee on Academic Standing through the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Students not in good standing or dismissed must be separated from the college for at least one full semester, and must provide evidence of serious purpose and of academic or professional involvement. Candidates for readmission for the fall semester must submit their credentials by 1 May. Those seeking readmission for the winter semester must submit their credentials by 15 November.

Off-Campus Study Programs

The college sponsors a vigorous off-campus study program through which about 70 percent of students study abroad each year. These programs can greatly enrich student academic and personal development with expanded opportunities for academic study, exposure to different cultural and educational settings, and, in many cases, immersion language study. The opportunities include off-campus Short Term courses led by Bates faculty; Fall Semester Abroad programs also led by Bates faculty; study abroad programs in countries across the globe; study at leading foreign universities and exchange programs at Morehouse and Spelman colleges. These programs are overseen by the Office of Off-Campus Study according to policies set by the Committee on Off-Campus Study and the faculty. Students earn Bates credit for courses are taught or overseen by Bates faculty and approved program credit for study on other programs. Students may earn a maximum of four approved-program credits per semester and may apply a maximum of eight approved-program credits toward their Bates degree. Further information on off-campus study opportunities and policies is available on the Office of Off-Campus Study website (bates.edu/offcampus).

Students interested in studying off campus consult with their faculty advisor, the chair of their major department or program, and advisors in the Office of Off-Campus Study. The application process requires completion of a Bates application submitted in early February of the year before off-campus study is planned. The college requires that the number of applications be balanced between the two semesters at the application deadline in February. If too many students apply to study off campus a given semester, students are selected according to criteria established by the Committee on Off-Campus Study, which are explained in detail on the website (bates.edu/offcampus/start/first/enrollment-balance).

With the exception of summer courses, matriculated students who wish to receive credit for study outside the United States and for affiliated domestic programs must have the preapproval of the Committee on Off-Campus Study and their major department or program. Students must study in an approved program and complete their studies in accordance with the committee's guidelines. The faculty has established the additional guidelines below to encourage participation that is most supportive of students' overall academic experiences at Bates. When appropriate, a student may petition the Committee on Off-Campus Study for a reduction or exception to these requirements.

Students must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application. A student may become ineligible if the GPA drops below 2.5 during the application process or after admission. Registration as a four-year student, including residence at Bates during the sophomore year, is required. Language skills greatly contribute to the academic and social experience in non-English-speaking settings. Therefore, students are required to have completed the equivalent of at least two years of college-level language study prior to study abroad in French-, German-, or Spanish-language settings. In Chinese-, Japanese-, and Russian-language settings, the equivalent of at least one year of college-level study is required. Prior language study is not required elsewhere, but students must include language study, ancient or modern, as part of their course work. Students on disciplinary probation or suspension may not participate in the college's off-campus study programs. This includes programs and courses led by Bates faculty and programs sponsored by academic institutions and study-abroad program providers for which approved program credit is awarded.

Students participating in a Bates Fall Semester Abroad program pay the regular comprehensive fee. Participants in other programs pay the Off-Campus Study Registration Fee, which is 7 percent of the on-campus single fee for each semester of study. All other costs are calculated by the foreign program and are the responsibility of the individual student. However, federal, state, and Bates financial aid is available subject to the student's financial need based on the program expenses. Bates students may enhance their experience with grants provided by the Barlow Endowment for Study Abroad. This endowment provides fellowships, grants for enrichment activities during the program, and grants for thesis research in the individual's study-abroad country.

Academic Leave and Non-Bates Credit for Matriculated Students

Some students expand their Bates experience by attending other U.S. institutions, from which they may receive non-Bates credit according to college policy (see below). Students who take three or more courses elsewhere in the United States during a semester are considered to be taking an academic leave. These students must inform the college in early February of the year preceding the leave. The college requires that the number of students who study off campus each semester be balanced at the time of this February deadline. If too many students apply for a given semester, students are granted leaves according to criteria established by the Committee on Off-Campus Study (see bates.edu/offcampus/start/first/enrollment-balance). Students on a personal leave and students taking summer courses may take up to two courses without participating in the off-campus study application process. The college guarantees reinstatement to students after their first or second semester of leave. After two semesters, students are officially withdrawn unless they have confirmed their plan to return by registering for courses or have been granted a leave extension by the associate dean of students for student support and community standards.

Types of Credit. Three types of credit can be applied toward a Bates degree: a) Bates credit, earned from courses taught and/or evaluated and graded by Bates faculty; b) approved program credit, earned from courses taken while participating in a Bates-approved program administered by the Committee on Off-Campus Study; and c) non-Bates credit, earned at an institution of higher education other than Bates that meets the established standards for transfer to Bates or credit awarded from the following standardized tests: Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level examination. Only grades awarded by Bates faculty are computed in the student's grade point average.

For students entering in the fall of 2015 and thereafter, degree candidates matriculating as first-year students, either in the fall or winter semester, must earn at least 28 Bates course credits or approved program credits, not including Short Term credits. Students may earn a maximum of 4 approved-program credits per semester and may apply a maximum of 8 toward their Bates degree. Transfer students must earn a minimum of 16 Bates course credits, not including Short Term credits. They may transfer a maximum of 2 non-Bates course credits earned after matriculating at Bates. A transfer student is defined as any student who has previously matriculated as a degree candidate at another institution.

The registrar and the department or program chair are responsible for the evaluation of non-Bates credit, subject to established guidelines. The Committee on Academic Standing may grant exceptions to the established guidelines. All non-Bates course credits awarded are equivalent to either one or one-half Bates course credit, based on their equivalent Bates course, and two quality points toward the graduation requirements.

Non-Bates credit is evaluated based on specific requirements. Credit must be awarded from an official college or university transcript, from an official Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or A-Level test score report, or from an official document considered equivalent to a transcript by the registrar. Courses must be appropriate to a liberal arts and sciences college, comparable in quality to those offered at Bates, and students must achieve a grade of C or better. Courses taken in a college's or university's continuing-education or extension program must be applicable toward the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree being pursued by full-time undergraduate students at that institution. College courses taken prior to secondary school graduation must have been taught on a college or university campus and graded in competition with college students. Credit must be earned at a four-year, regionally accredited institution; however, courses earned in an accredited community or junior college or any nontraditional setting may be transferable with approval of the department or program and the Committee on Academic Standing; matriculated Bates students must obtain these approvals prior to enrolling in the course(s). Courses must be worth at least three semester hours or five quarter-hours to be eligible for transfer. When appropriate, quarter-hours may be added together and multiplied by two-thirds to determine the equivalent total number of semester hours to be used toward unspecified transfer credits. Students may receive credit for a maximum of two courses taken during summer sessions. All credits must be transferred by the beginning of the final semester of the senior year. Credit for Short Term courses may not be transferred from another institution. Students must be enrolled at Bates for the final semester of their senior year.

A student who fails to graduate by the anticipated degree date may transfer credits necessary to graduate for up to two years afterwards. After two years, the student is withdrawn automatically from the college, but may petition the Committee on Academic Standing for readmission and permission to complete the degree.

Approved Program Credit, Non-Bates Credit, and General Education. When credit is awarded as equivalent to a specific Bates course it may be used to fulfill the same scientific reasoning [S], laboratory experience [L], quantitative reasoning [Q] requirement, or General Education concentration requirement that the equivalent Bates course fulfills. Unspecified credit may only count toward the [S], [L], or [Q] requirement with prior approval of the appropriate department/program chair and the chair of the committee overseeing these requirements. To be applied toward a concentration, the course must be judged by the concentration's coordinator to be comparable to a Bates course in the concentration. The writing-attentive courses ([W1], [W2], and [W3]) must be taken at Bates.

Personal Leave. In unusual circumstances, students may need to interrupt their study at the college for health or personal reasons. In addition, students may take a personal leave of absence to pursue an internship or other nonacademic experience. Accordingly, the college permits students in good standing to apply to the associate dean of students for student support and community standards or a designee for a personal leave of absence for one or two semesters. A leave-of-absence form must be completed by the student. Students must also meet with a representative from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems. Students on a personal leave may take up to two courses elsewhere in the United States for Bates credit, subject to the transfer policies outlined above. The college guarantees reinstatement to students after the first or second semester of leave. After two semesters, students are officially withdrawn unless they have confirmed their plan to return by registering for courses or have been granted a leave extension by the associate dean of students for student support and community standards or a designee.

The Bates Learning Associates Program

Central to the strength of a Bates education are the intense and deep relationships formed between faculty and students, and the quality of learning that results from sustained contact between teacher and learner. To complement the focus and depth of intellectual exploration among students and faculty, the college has established the Bates Learning Associates Program, which brings to campus experts in many fields who hail from Maine and around the world. Learning associates help students and faculty by offering new meanings and perspectives to a subject. Learning associates may be on campus for a day, a week, several weeks, or may have a "virtual residence," working with students via e-mail or Skype, critiquing research methodology or results, or reading emerging senior theses. These experts expand the knowledge available to students and faculty, challenge the neatness of discipline-based academic thinking, and provide rich contexts for translating ideas into action in the real world. Each year a variety of learning associates work with students in a range of disciplines. Recent contributors have included a renowned creative dance duo; a scholar in international political economy; a Cuban cultural activist; a Rwandan filmmaker; a studio potter and ceramic artist; and a Penobscot scholar and Wabanaki storyteller.

Student Research

The Bates faculty is dedicated to helping students develop as scholars; therefore, significant emphasis is placed through the curriculum on individual research, including artistic production. In their first year, students participate in a first-year seminar, a small class in which the development of critical thinking, concise writing, and other research skills is emphasized. Methodology courses and advanced seminars offer further research training in a specific discipline. Many students undertake independent study courses in order to explore in depth a subject of particular interest. Each summer, many students undertake research independently or in collaboration with a Bates faculty member. All of these research and writing experiences prepare students for the senior thesis, required in most departments and programs, for the Honors Program, for graduate study, and for careers.

Support for Research during the Academic Year. The college encourages students to pursue research associated with courses, independent studies, and the senior thesis or senior project. Funds are available through competitive grant programs that provide financial assistance for student research. Information and applications are available in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty or on the student research website (bates.edu/academics/student-research).

Summer Research Opportunities. Bates faculty members are active in scholarly research and often offer qualified students the opportunity to work with them as research assistants during the summer. These opportunities offer wages rather than academic credit and are available directly from faculty researchers funded through faculty grants. The Office of the Dean of the Faculty also manages a number of student summer research fellowship programs. Other opportunities off campus may be arranged through the college. Funding is available to conduct off-campus fieldwork and to support the work of a student at another research facility. Information on summer research opportunities is available on the student research website (bates.edu/academics/student-research).

Presenting Research and the Mount David Summit. Bates students should be able to effectively communicate their scholarship and defend the results of their research. Students are encouraged to present their research at regional, national, and international meetings. They also have many opportunities to present their academic work on campus at events throughout the year. The largest on-campus research forum is the Mount David Summit. Each year near the end of the winter semester, the college community gathers for the this campus-wide event honoring academic and artistic achievement. In concurrent sessions students present research posters; short talks on research or community engagement; and artistic work, including poetry and fiction writing, film, theater, performance art, music, and the visual arts. Students from all class levels and all disciplines are encouraged to take part; the audience includes students, faculty, staff, parents, prospective students, alumni, donors, and the general public. More information on the summit is at the website (bates.edu/summit).

Community-Engaged Learning

At the core of the college's founding mission is the notion that liberal learning, personal growth, and moral development are inseparable from social responsibility and service to others. Civic engagement and community-engaged learning and research not only contribute to a student's academic experience at college, but also enhance community life through the tangible contributions they make to others. Through projects conducted in courses, senior theses, capstone projects, and summer fellowships, students, faculty, and staff enrich academic study by undertaking work in the public sphere in collaboration with community partners. More than half of all students take part in community-engaged learning or research projects during their college years.

The mission of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships is to advance the college's commitment to cultivating informed civic action through reciprocal and sustained partnerships that connect the college and the community. Established in 2002, the center coordinates the college's myriad programs for civic and community engagement, incorporating community-engaged learning programs and community volunteer work as well as the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Bates College Coastal Center at Shortridge. The Harward Center builds on a legacy of innovative, rigorous community-engaged learning at Bates. It serves as a clearinghouse for faculty, staff, and students interested in community-engaged learning or research projects, and for community organizations, schools, and government agencies that seek to engage the college. It sponsors community projects in areas as diverse as basic social services; education; literacy programs; municipal government; environmental education and advocacy; health and mental health services; public art, music, dance, and other cultural projects; and legal advocacy. The center also coordinates Bates' volunteer opportunities in the Lewiston-Auburn community.

Specific student programs of the Harward Center include the Community Outreach Fellows Program, the Bonner Leader Program, the Bates Civic Action Team, the Short Term Action/Research Team, and the Community-Engaged Research Fellows Program. The center also oversees a number of grant programs for students, faculty, staff, and community partners, during both the academic year and the summer. More information about those opportunities can be found at bates.edu/harward.

Purposeful Work Initiative

The Purposeful Work Initiative helps students identify and cultivate their interests and strengths and acquire the knowledge, experiences, and relationships necessary to pursue their aspirations with imagination and integrity. Purposeful Work helps students align who they are and what they want to do. The more students are able to align their work with their authentic interests and talents, the more work becomes a satifying and meaningful life. Purposeful Work begins with New-Student Orientation, continues through first-year seminars, and spans a student's college career with opportunities to explore, reflect, and build skills. It includes a network of Bates internships and internship funding, skill-specific courses taught by alumni and industry leaders, and a speaker series. Many faculty infuse their teaching with exercises that expose students to diverse types of work, questions of identity and purpose, and consideration of what "work" means. These exercises help students see the connection between academic fields and possible career paths. More information can be found on the Purposeful Work website (bates.edu/purposeful-work).

Bates Career Development Center

The Bates Career Development Center helps students become aware of their interests, skills, and values, and how these relate to the career possibilities available after graduation and beyond. The Bates Career Development Center complements academic advising efforts by providing a wealth of resources including individualized and group career counseling and workshops, job shadows, internships, career-interest assessments, employment listings, access to alumni career advisors, graduate and professional school advising, and links to job and career information through the Career Development Center website (bates.edu/career/). Students are encouraged to use the Career Development Center beginning in their first year at Bates in order to integrate their academic, career, and personal goals into rewarding and purposeful careers.

Academic Resource Commons

The Academic Resource Commons (ARC), the college's learning center, empowers every Bates student to succeed and excel in their studies through tutoring, drop-in labs, workshops, and other learning support programs. ARC services are provided by peer tutors who have been referred by faculty and who have received intensive training on peer-led learning. ARC's location in Ladd Library also provides a place for students to study, do homework, and review course materials in a supported environment. The ultimate goal for every ARC session is for students to develop the skills and learning strategies needed for success both in their time at Bates, and beyond. More information on ARC programming (including hours of operation) is available at bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

Writing Support. Part of the Academic Resource Commons, the Writing Center (located adjacent to ARC) provides support for students to develop as college writers, language learners, speakers and scholars in their fields of study. In the Writing Center, students generate ideas, discuss prompts, create drafts, write, revise, eidt, and/or discuss their writing and public speaking, often in collaboration with fellow students and student writing tutors. Student writing tutors provide constructive feedback to their peers at various stages of writing. No appointments are necessary. Technical writing assistants (TWAs) also work in the Writing Center. TWAs assist students who are honing their science writing skills, convene writing conferences with biology and geology students preparing lab reports, and may also serve as laboratory teaching assistants. More information on the Writing Center can be found on the Academic Resource Commons website at bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

Peer writing and speaking assistants (PWSAs) are assigned to first-year seminars and other writing-attentive courses. They provide writing support to students in a specific course with conferencing, in-class workshops, and draft review sessions. The writing program's professional writing specialists, with offices in Coram Library, work with students on discpline-based writing, whether for an introductory course or an advanced seminar. The writing specialists meet one-on-one with students by appointment, focusing on any stage of the writing process, from initial brainstorming to final revisions. They also work with senior thesis writers, both in regularly scheduled individual meetings and in thesis writing groups organized by discipline. In addition, writing specialists offer workshops on writing for both students and faculty. Information on current workshops, hours of operation, and scheduling appointments is available on the writing program website (bates.edu/writing).

Peer-Assisted Learning. Peer-assisted learning (PAL) supoprts student learning and faculty teaching, and provides leadership and teaching opportunities for students. Student peer leaders (PALs) of the program offer regularly scheduled, out-of-class collaborative study sessions to help students master the material in traditionally challenging science and quantitative reasoning courses. Each PAL session integrates study strategies with course content; students and peer leaders compare notes, discuss course material, and apply what they are learning. Sessions are open to all students in the class. More information on Peer-Assisted Learning can be found on the Academic Resource Commons website, bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

The Mathematics and Statistics Workshop. Dedicated to encouraging quantitative literacy and reasoning, the Mathematics and Statistics Workshop offers a variety of tutoring and help sessions for students seeking assistance with mathematical and quantitative reasoning and comprehension. Throughout the fall and winter semesters, drop-in help sessions are offered Sunday through Friday for students in any introductory-level class with a mathematical component. One-on-one assistance is available for students in any course requiring a command of quantitative or statistical skills, as well as skills with certain mathematical software packages. During Short Term, services are available by appointment. Information on the Math Workshop may be found on the website (bates.edu/math-stat-workshop).

Information and Library Services

Information and Library Services (ILS) supports the mission of the college by planning, developing, implementing, and maintaining reliable and responsive information and technology resources, services, and programs to meet the evolving needs of the college community. ILS helps students, faculty, and staff embrace the continuous change that prevails in technology use, information access, and communications media. Library services are provided in the George and Helen Ladd Library, which address the general curricular and research needs of the college; and in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, which houses the archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other special collections of the college. In addition to a robust technology infrastructure for all manner of academic and administrative work, there are three specialized computer labs: the Imaging and Computing Center in Coram Library which specializes in GIS, 3-D printing, and the visual representation of data; the Digital Media Studios in Pettigrew Hall, supporting multimedia and video production; and the Language Resource Center in Roger Williams Hall, which supports language and other humanities programs. More information on ILS services and staff is available on the website (bates.edu/ils/).

The Library. The George and Helen Ladd Library provides books, periodicals, sound and video recordings and other library materials in print and electronic formats, as well as access to online databases and other resources essential for student and faculty research. The library offers a learning environment conducive to individual and group study and research, and provides easy access to information in a variety of formats. The Library includes nearly 900 study spaces, all with wireless network access. More than 450 seats have electric power for charging portable devices. A fully equipped instruction room and staffed reference area are located on the main floor. Group study is encouraged on the two lower floors, in the first floor Academic Resource Commons, and in the third floor Salter Room, which is equipped with a screen-sharing system. Otherwise, the upper two floors are reserved for quiet study.

The Library's website (bates.edu/library/) provides access to the Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin (CBB) combined library catalog and all electronic resources licensed by Bates. Ladd Library functions as the primary point of service for Information and Library Services, with access, research and computer help desk services centrally located. In addition to individual consultation, research librarians and other ILS professionals provide instruction for classes and other groups of students on research skills and library use as well as use of computing and other information resources.

In all, the library contains some 600,000 cataloged volumes in print and more than 38,000 audio and video recordings. It provides access to thousands of sources of information online, including more than 70,000 periodicals and 700,000 electronic books, sound and video resources. CBB libraries together constitute a combined collection of more than two million volumes. The three college libraries collaborate closely to plan and build these collections, providing faculty, students, and staff the systems to use CBB resources before searching elsewhere. The Bates identification card allows Bates students, faculty, and staff to borrow materials from the Bowdoin and Colby libraries. Through the MaineCat statewide catalog and interlibrary loan, Bates users may initiate loan requests for materials at other academic and public libraries nationwide.

Archives and Special Collections. The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library fosters research and scholarship by encouraging access to Bates College records and other historical materials by students and faculty, as well as scholars from the community at large. These collections enable students from Bates and elsewhere to perform historical research using primary documentary material. The collections have three major divisions:

The Bates College Archives serves as the official repository of records, publications, photographs, honors theses, oral histories, and other materials of permanent administrative, legal, fiscal, and historical value. It documents the history of the college from its founding in 1855 to the present.

The Manuscript Collections contain materials related to the history of Bates College, including papers of faculty members, alumni, and student work. Because of its roots as a Freewill Baptist institution, the library collects pamphlets, letters, diaries, and other materials related to Freewill Baptist organizations and individuals. The Edmund S. Muskie Papers include almost all the extant records documenting the life and work of Edmund S. Muskie (1914–1996), a 1936 Bates graduate who dominated Maine politics from the mid-1950s to 1981. Serving as governor, senator, and Secretary of State, Muskie became a national leader for environmental protection, government reform, and fiscal responsibility. The Library is named in his honor and collects materials related to his work, his associates' work, and the environmental movement he helped create.

The Rare Book Collection includes publications created by and pertaining to the Freewill Baptists in Maine and New England; nineteenth-century French history and literature; fine-press books published in Maine; Judaica;  nineteenth-century books on natural history, particularly ornithology, and publications by Bates faculty and alumni.

Computing Services. Information and Library Services provides a technology-rich environment in support of the mission of the college, which includes hardware, software, consultation, instruction, and information resources to faculty, students, and staff.  ILS also provides many employment opportunities for students in which they can develop or enhance technology, communications and other work skills.  

All faculty, students, and staff are assigned credentials that allow secure access to Bates computers and network services, including wireless and wired ports, on-line services, mail, calendar, printing, network storage, software, videoconferencing and proxy service for access to on-campus services and numerous library research databases from anywhere in the world. All members of the college community must comply with the Bates College Computer Use Policy (bates.edu/ils/policies/access-use/computer-use-policy/).

The Garnet Gateway. Bates offers faculty, students, and staff transactional services through a secure online site, the Garnet Gateway. Students use the Garnet Gateway to view their schedule, grades, and transcript; register for courses; view their progress toward completing their degree requirements; view their financial aid award; complete course evaluations; declare their major(s), minor(s) and General Education concentration(s); elect student officers; evaluate study-abroad programs; nominate faculty for teaching awards; obtain enrollment verifications; and request official transcripts.

Faculty members use the Garnet Gateway to view course rosters, report student grades, propose new courses, schedule courses, manage their advising responsibilities, receive student course evaluations, and express preferences for classroom location and equipment. Faculty and staff members, as well as student employees, use the Garnet Gateway to access payroll, tax, and other employee information. The Garnet Gateway is accessed through the Bates website (bates.edu/g).

Academic Technology. Bates students and faculty members use technology extensively in their learning, research, and teaching. This is made possible by a wide range of services and facilities. There are more than 175 workstations clustered at Carnegie Science Hall, Dana Chemistry Hall, Ladd Library, Hedge Hall, the Imaging Center, Pettengill Hall, Pettigrew Hall, and Roger Williams Hall. All classrooms and the majority of event and meeting spaces have high-speed network connections, computers, and digital projection. Special facilities include interactive classrooms with large video screens for group instruction and videoconferencing, screen-sharing, classroom and presentation capture systems, plotters, 3-D printers, scanners, and digital editing machines for producing broadcast-quality video and audio. Academic technology staff consult closely with faculty and students on designing, building, and supporting a variety of projects for teaching, learning, and scholarship.

Digital Media Studios

The Digital Media Studios, located in the ground floor of Pettigrew Hall, comprise a suite of specialized studio and lab spaces with an expert staff to help students and faculty explore creative uses and production of traditional and emerging digital media. The studios include three private video editing suites, a radio interview studio, a flexible studio space, and an instructional lab. Additional resources allow for live broadcasts and remote recordings. The tools and facilities within the Digital Media Studios are used across academic disciplines, and are designed to encourage, emphasize, and explore the collaborative connections between teaching, learning, storytelling, the arts, and interpersonal communication in a modern digital world.

The Imaging and Computing Center

The Imaging and Computing Center, located in Coram Library, houses optical and computer equipment for the capture, generation, interpretation, and analysis of information in visual formats. The center's imaging lab houses optical microscopes, computational workstations, and a photography studio. An adjoining makerspace gallery and a computer lab provide exhibition and instructional space. The imaging and computing center has full-time staff with capabilities applicable across the disciplines, including computation, visualization, microscopy, GIS analysis, and the production of works of art.

Laboratories

Laboratories and studios for student and faculty use are located throughout the campus. Chemistry and biochemistry laboratories and instruments are situated in Dana Chemistry Hall. Biology, environmental studies, geology, neuroscience, and physics laboratories are housed in Carnegie and Hedge halls. Astronomy students and faculty use the Stephens Observatory with its 0.32-meter reflecting telescope and the Spitz A-3 planetarium projector, also located in Carnegie. Archaeology and psychology laboratories are housed in Pettengill Hall.

The departments of French and Francophone Studies, German and Russian Studies, Spanish, and the Program in Asian Studies make extensive use of the Language Resource Center in Roger Williams Hall. The center is equipped with computers, a document camera, and multi-region players with video projection for classroom instruction. The lab is also outfitted with cameras and video recording equipment for capturing activities in the context of courses.

Resources for the Arts

Schaeffer Theatre, a 300-seat proscenium-style space, is the mainstage venue for the Department of Theater and Dance, and the summer home of the Bates Dance Festival. The Department of Theater and Dance also presents student work and offers studio courses in the more intimate facilities of the Gannett Theater and the Black Box Theater. The Marcy Plavin Dance Studios are located in Merrill Gymnasium.

The Olin Arts Center houses art studios for painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and ceramics. It provides the Department of Music with music studios and rehearsal rooms for individuals and groups, as well as laboratories for computer-based composition. An acoustically exceptional 300-seat concert hall in the building is the site of performances year-round, ranging from student thesis recitals and concerts by Bates musicians to special appearances by internationally known musicians.

The Bates College Museum of Art

The Bates College Museum of Art is an integral part of the intellectual and cultural life of the college and the region. The Museum of Art brings a world of ideas to Bates, Lewiston-Auburn, and Maine through exhibitions ranging from work by artists of national and international prominence to the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. Through the permanent collection, programming, supporting publications and education programs, the Museum of Art serves as a laboratory for deep exploration, intellectual study, and creative discovery.

From in-depth solo exhibitions to compelling thematic group shows, temporary exhibitions are integrated into academic disciplines across the liberal arts. The Museum of Art and its exhibitions also provide opportunities for co-curricular engagement and the integration of art into the social life of the college and region. The permanent collection provides students and visiting scholars opportunities for longer term study and close examination of works of art. Each year, a lively programming series including lectures and gallery talks, visiting artists and scholars, and a film series compliments exhibitions. Education and outreach programs connect exhibitions and collections to area school children, developed to support area school curriculum with teaching writing skills and visual literacy.

Exhibition and public programs are free and open to the public. More information can be found on the museum website: (bates.edu/museum).

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and the Shortridge Coastal Center

Bates manages nearly 600 acres of undeveloped Maine coastline for conservation, education and research purposes. Lying between two tidal rivers near the end of the Phippsburg peninsula, the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area (BMMCA) includes salt marshes, barrier dunes, mature spruce-fir forest, and a globally rare pitch pine forest. Granite ledge outcrops offer panoramic views of the Gulf of Maine.

The college conducts educational programs, scientific research, and literary study consistent with conserving the ecological and aesthetic values of the property. Current and ongoing research led by Bates faculty is focused on salt marsh responses to sea level rise, carbon cycling and methane in marsh systems, sediment dynamics in coastal systems and forest ecology. Visiting scientists study salt marsh nesting birds in the context of sea level rise. Public visitation is also permitted. The area serves well over 20,000 visitors annually, and is open year-round during daylight hours.

The Shortridge Coastal Center is located within two miles of the conservation area and serves a number of functions, all of which benefit from the natural assets of the nearby Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area. The center provides housing for researchers, students and artists during the summer months, and offers opportunities for course work and student and staff retreats during the academic year. The center sits on seventy-acres of large granite outcrops and forested wetlands, including a large freshwater pond.

Both the Shortridge Coastal Center and BCMMA provide a base of operations for community-engaged research projects and other partnership activities between the college and state agencies, environmental groups, and the Phippsburg community. Partnerships with Phippsburg include educational programs with the Phippsburg Elementary School, collaborative work on climate adaptation with town officials, and a grant program, financed by the summer residents of Small Point, to support ongoing geology research by Bates faculty and students. The BMMCA and the Shortridge Coastal Center are administered by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Confidentiality of Education Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include the following:

1. FERPA affords the right to inspect and review the student's education records within forty-five days of the day the college receives a request for access. A form to request access to records is available from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems. The registrar makes arrangements for access and notifies the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. FERPA affords the right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA. A student may ask the college to amend a record that is believed to be inaccurate or misleading. The student should write the request to the registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. The registrar consults with the appropriate college official, and if the college decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the college notifies the student of the decision and advises the student of the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures is provided when the student is notified of the right of hearing.

3. FERPA affords the right to provide written consent before the college discloses personally identifiable information (PII) contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to college officials, or officials of institutions with which the college has consortial agreements, with legitimate educational interests. A college official is a person employed by Bates in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support-staff position (including Security and Health Center staff); a volunteer or contractor outside of the college who performs an institutional service or function for which the college would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the college with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as the Committee on Student Conduct, or assisting another college official in performing administrative tasks. A college official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill the official's professional responsibility.

4. FERPA affords the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5901.

Bates reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to inspect those records excluded from the FERPA definition of education records and to deny transcripts or copies of records not required to be made available by FERPA if the student has an unpaid financial obligation to the college or if there is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student. Fees are not assessed for search and retrieval of the records, but there may be a charge for copying and postage.

FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use. As of 3 January 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records including Social Security number, grades, or other private information may be accessed without student consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities may allow access to records and PII without student consent to any third party designated by a federal or state authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, federal and state authorities may allow access to education records and PII without student consent to researchers performing certain types of studies. Federal and state authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive PII, but the authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, state authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without student consent PII from education records, and they may track student participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information that they obtain from other federal or state data sources, including workforce development and migrant student record systems.

The Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems makes available copies of the federal regulations and the institutional policy on educational records as well as additional information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Directory Information. At its discretion, Bates may provide "directory information" in accordance with the provisions of FERPA. Directory information is defined as that information which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Bates identifies the following as directory information: name; Bates identification (ID) number; class; address (campus, home, and e-mail); username; telephone listings; major and minor fields of study; participation in officially recognized sports, extracurricular activities, and off-campus study programs; dates of attendance; degrees, honors, and awards received from the college; and individually identifiable photographs and electronic images of the student solicited or maintained directly by Bates as part of the educational record.

Students wishing to block the disclosure of directory information should contact the Office of the Registrar for additional information.