coeducational college in New England and the third-oldest college in Maine, after Bowdoin and Colby College. Bates provides undergraduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. The undergraduate program requires a thesis upon graduation and maintains a privately funded research enterprise. 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 students and alumni of Bates maintain a variety of campus traditions. Bates alumni and affiliates include 86 Fulbright Scholars; 22 Watson Fellows; 5 Rhodes Scholars; as well as 12 members of the U.S. Congress. The Bates Bobcats are a member of NCAA Division III and has produced 12 Olympians. The college is home to the Stephens Observatory and the Bates College Museum of Art.
== History ==
=== Origins ===
While attending and leading the Freewill Baptist Parsonsfield Seminary, Bates founder, Oren Burbank …
