Bates College

Bates College is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. The college was founded in 1855 by prominent abolitionists and established with funds from the estate of Benjamin E. Bates. It was originally chartered by Oren Burbank Cheney, to teach moral philosophy, theology, and the classics, it expanded to encompass a liberal arts curriculum shortly after. Historically, the college was known for its social inclusivity and academic rigor which lead it to become the second oldest coeducational college in United States and the oldest in the Eastern United States.

The provides undergraduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. It offers 36 departmental and interdisciplinary program majors and 25 secondary concentrations. Bates currently enrolls 1,773 students, 200 of whom study abroad each semester, making it the smallest in the NESCAC. It operates on a 4–4–1 academic calendar. This includes two semesters, plus a Short Term consisting of five weeks in the Spring. The college has a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and the average class size is about fifteen students. The college is often referred to as one of the Little Ivies. Bates, under the direction of its first president, rejected fraternities and sororities on grounds of unwarranted exclusivity. It offers a Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Program with Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The main Bates campus is located near the Androscoggin River, in Lewiston.The overall architectural design of the college can be traced through the Colonial Revival architecture movement, and has distinctive Neoclassical, Georgian, and Gothic features.  In addition to its central campus, the college also owns an 80-acre coastal studies center in Shortridge and the 600-acre Bates Morse Mountain in Phippsburg, Maine. The campus provides 33 Colonial and Victorian Houses, 9 residential halls,  and a residential village for all class years. There is also a private museum, multi-faith chapel, and a concert hall.

Outside of academic studies, students compete intercollegiately as the Bobcats in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference. Bates has historically had a close relationship and rivalry with Bowdoin College, and later began an athletic rivalry with Colby College forming the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium. The students and alumni of Bates are well known for preserving a variety of strong campus traditions and activities.