About
Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, United States. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals 813 acres (329 ha) with a small urban campus. It maintains 600 acres (240 ha) of nature preserve known as the Bates–Morse Mountain Conservation Area near Campbell Island and a coastal center on Atkins Bay. With an annual enrollment of approximately 1,800 students, it is the smallest college in its athletic conference.
The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionist statesman Oren Burbank Cheney and industrialist Benjamin Bates. It became the first coeducational college in New England and the third-oldest college in Maine, after Bowdoin and Colby. Bates provides undergraduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. The undergraduate program requires a thesis upon graduation. In addition to being a part of the "Maine Big Three", Bates competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with 31 varsity teams and 9 club teams. The Bates Bobcats are a member of NCAA Division III and have produced 12 Olympians.
Bates alumni and affiliates include 86 Fulbright Scholars; 22 Watson Fellows; 5 Rhodes Scholars; 7 Emmy Award winners; 5 Pulitzer Prize winners; as well as 12 members of the U.S. Congress. The college is home to the Stephens Observatory and the Bates College Museum of Art.