of Bates and greatly expanded the college's overall infrastructure by building 22 new academic, residential and athletic facilities, including Pettengill Hall, the Residential Village, and the Coastal Center at Shortridge. During the 1990s and mid-2000s, Bates consolidated its reputation of being a "playground for the elite", by educating upper-middle-class to affluent Americans, which led to student protests and reforms to make the college more diverse, both racially and socioeconomically.
=== 21st century ===
Academic Elaine Tuttle Hansen was elected as the first female president of Bates and managed the second-largest capital campaign ever undertaken by Bates, totaling $120 million and lead the endowment through the 2008 financial crisis. The college announced her retirement in 2011, appointing Nancy Cable as interim president. That year, Bates made national headlines for being named the most expensive college in the U.S., which caused backlash from American academia and students as it highlighted substantial …
