Maine's Bates College taps 1st Black president

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LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The dean of the University of Minnesota Law School has been tapped to lead Bates College, becoming the liberal arts college's first Black president, the Maine school said Wednesday.

Garry W. Jenkins, who was selected unanimously by trustees, said he was overjoyed to join the Bates community. “Simply put, everything about Bates and its culture resonates with me,” he said.

Jenkins, who begins his post on July 1, will be Bates’ ninth president since its 1855 founding.

The 1992 graduate of Haverford College is a respected legal scholar and champion of the liberal arts.

“We are at a pivotal moment for American society and higher education. The world urgently needs leaders who have been challenged, developed and nurtured by Bates and a liberal arts education,” Jenkins said.

At Minnesota, he boosted the school’s diversity and inclusion and expanded the demographic profiles of admitted students.

During his tenure, the school’s endowment doubled. He also concluded a record-setting fundraising campaign that brought in $106 million.