As the year comes to a close, here’s a countdown of the 15 most-viewed shows Bates News Stories 2023.
They’re ordered by page views but we’ve also included the average time readers spend viewing stories.
15: “They are problem solvers”: Facts, figures, talents and stories about the Class of 2027
News about new Bobcats always attracts Bates readers. This publication introduces the 509-member Class of 2027, sharing facts, figures, and examples of the ideas, experiences, talents, and enthusiasm the new students will bring with them to campus.
Pageviews: 2,642
Average time spent on page: 2:16 minutes
14: Reflections from a Fulbright alumna as Bates announces seven new offers to Fulbright students for 2023-24
The announcement of a new batch of Fulbright offers to American students is always a Bates favorite.
This year, the news was coupled with a story about Kelsey Schober, 16, who came to Bates from a rural Alaska town as a first-generation college student. She remembers hearing Bates’ Fulbright speech and thinking, “This is only for top students. This is for students from prestigious universities.”
Nearly a decade later, Schober knows better, thanks in large part to a Fulbright student award and her expertise that funded master’s studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. There, she researched the relationship between natural resource policy and climate change in the Arctic.
Pageviews: 2,740
Average time spent on page: 2:07
February 13: Bates College announced its goal of adding eight new permanent faculty positions
Faculty are at the core of the Bates experience, so it’s no surprise that the story of the college’s plans to add eight new permanent faculty positions has received a lot of attention.
These new positions are in addition to seven professorships funded as part of the college’s recently completed Bates campaign. Faculty expansion “is of central importance to the strength and vitality of our academic program,” said Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs Malcolm Hill.
Pageviews: 2,815
Average time spent on page: 1:15
12: Make it real as Bates’ record-setting season of acceptance hits the field
this Bates News The story described Admitted Student Day in April, when approximately 250 newly admitted students and their families traveled to Bates to learn more about the college.
The process by which a new class goes from several interested students to about 500 matriculating students is called “funneling.” This year, 8,937 prospective students — the highest number ever — applied to Bates College for the class of 2027. Of those, 1,100 students were offered admission.
Pageviews: 3,062
Average time spent on page: 1:48
11: Meet Johnny “Walk-On”: Bobcat football player who never played in high school
Before coming to Bates, Johnnie Walker ’24 had never played football. At Bates, he planned to play club rugby. During orientation, he was talking to a classmate who was a football player, who told him: “Dude, go out and play football.” And so Johnnie Walker became “Live” Johnnie.
Pageviews: 3,121
Average time spent on page: 2:03
10:12 Bates’ “Cat Facts” About Jimmy Carter, Jimi Hendrix, Julia Child and More
Bates News is debuting a new feature in 2023 known as “CatFacts,” a selection of trivia, anecdotes and information.
The idea was born during this year’s Great Day livestream, when Bates News editor Jay Burns shared some interesting facts about Bates with viewers, from the location of the first baseball field (next to Rand Hall) to Benjamin E. Mays’ friendship with former President Jimmy Carter.
Pageviews: 3,137
Average time spent on page: 1:11
9: Slideshow: Get to know 18 Bates students and dive into their summer work experiences
Each summer, Bates students spread out around the world through Bates internships, many of which are funded by the college’s Center for Meaningful Work.
This story shared photographs and texts from 18 students who spent the summer working in Bates Labs, the Lewiston community, immigrant rights — even on the Marine Biological Research Service’s tuna tournament.
Pageviews: 3,249
Average time spent on page: 1:38
8: Bates College’s 27th Annual Summer Booklist Announced
Another all-time favorite is the college’s annual reading list, Good Reads: Bates College’s non-required reading list for Entertainment Moments.
This year’s edition was the twenty-seventh, and, as always, it brought together readers—and their bookshelves—from the broader Bates community, including current and retired staff and faculty as well as Bates alumni.
Pageviews: 3,255
Average time spent on page: 2:14
7. Storyboard: “Excited and proud” to return to Bates
When a big event comes to Bates, it is often shared with readers through a “photo story,” an immersive display of stunning images created by Bates photographers Phyllis Graeber Jensen and Theophil Sislo, as well as the student photographers they mentor.
Three comics produced in 2023 — focusing on Back to Bates, Puddle Jump, and President Garry W. Jenkins’ first visit to Bates — were fan favorites, including this story about Bates alumni and a family weekend getaway.
Pageviews: 3,697
Average time spent on page: 2:21
6. Jumping pool 2023
It was a win-win for Bates students on February 10: They got to dress up in costumes and take a dip in the pool. Viewers were able to immerse themselves in Phyllis Graber Jensen’s portrayal of annual silliness.
Pageviews: 3,717
Average time spent on page: 1:49
5. “Comic Story: Sometimes…dreams come true”
President-elect Gary W. Jenkins and his husband, John Lee, got to know the people of Bates and the Bates campus during their first official visit, March 6-7, which culminated with Jenkins’ first remarks to his new community.
Pageviews: 3,943
Average time spent on page: 2:09
4: Bates honored for the success of the National Fulbright Program in 2022-2023
For the first time, Bates earned distinction in two areas of Fulbright success when he was named a national “Top Producer” of Fulbright Awards for both students and faculty.
Bates joins only four other American collegiate institutions in achieving this dual honor: Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Oberlin College, and the University of Richmond.
Bates has been named Outstanding Producer of Fulbright Student Awards 12 years in a row.
Pageviews: 5015
Average time spent on page: 1:00
3: Frequently Asked Questions: What to expect at Bates College President Gary W. Jenkins’ inauguration
This Bates News story predicted a happy, long-planned occasion — but it didn’t happen. Gary W. Jenkins’ inauguration scheduled for October 27 has been postponed following the October 25 Lewiston shooting that claimed the lives of 18 members of the greater Lewiston community.
Pageviews: 5,686
Average time spent on page: 2:24
2: Bates responds to Supreme Court ruling on college admissions based on race
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions are unconstitutional, outgoing President Clayton Spencer and incoming President Gary W. Jenkins collaborated on this statement.
“The Court failed to recognize the role of race in American history and contemporary social structures,” the statement read in part. “It also downplays the critical role that higher education plays in building a healthy, informed democracy and providing individuals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to fulfill their human potential. Bates will comply with the law. However, the court’s ruling does not change who we are and what we value.”
Page views: 8,753
Average time spent on page: 1:13
1: Announcement of Bates’ next president: Gary W. Jenkins, dean and professor at the University of Minnesota Law School
When President Clayton Spencer announced her intention to step down, we learned that Bates’ next major announcement would be who would be Spencer’s successor.
The long-awaited announcement came on March 1: Gary W. Jenkins would become the ninth president of Bates, news that received much and deserved attention.
Pageviews: 26,915
Average time spent on page: 2:01
