Celebrating the transition to carrying Bates into the world
The College concludes its academic year with a joyous assembly of scholars, students and families in celebration and transition, as seniors take their last steps as students and emerge as holders of the baccalaureate degree.
Continuing a distinctive tradition created in 2004, each honorary degree recipient — up to five in recent years — briefly addresses the graduates at Commencement. The speakers share personal experiences, explaining how events, people, and ideas have inspired their endeavors.
Prefiguring Commencement, the Baccalaureate ceremony one day earlier is an intimate service of worship that celebrates and gives thanks for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom. A religious and spiritual event planned and led by members of the graduating class, the service reflects a breadth of faith traditions.
"This college's commitment to service and social change is in its DNA; and now it's in yours. Never forget that ethic of responsibility to others."
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