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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S H R / R E C R U I T M E N T who arrived in 2012 after serving 15 years at Harvard University in various executive positions. " at used to be fairly straightforward in the 20th cen- tury. In the 21st century, for a variety of reasons, it's not enough to go to college simply to get a degree." Although Spencer set out from the start of her administration to put "work" at the heart of the college's liberal arts mission, the college didn't rush into making it happen overnight. Faculty and staff spent almost two years thinking about "purposeful work" and how it could become a focal point for a comprehensive four-year pro- gram that would guide Bates students thoughtfully as they begin to connect the dots between the questions "What am I interested in? What am I good at?" and the overarching one of "How do I contribute to purposes larger than myself ?" e design team built on existing Bates programs and vetted similar initiatives already in place at other colleges and universities. More than just an internship program Rebecca Fraser- ill, a lecturer in Bates' psychology department who serves as director of faculty engagement and out- reach for Purposeful Work, was part of the design team that spent 14 months get- ting the program ready for its 2014 launch. One of its distinguishing character- istics, she says, is the way it interweaves questions about work, identity and pur- pose into the college's curriculum and co- curricular programs. Paid internships, she says, are only one part of the initiative. Other elements include: Practitioner-taught courses, in which accomplished Bates alumni teach applied knowledge and skills in their fi eld of expertise, typically areas that are outside the core liberal arts curriculum. is year's courses include digital marketing, startup project management, mediation and restorative justice, health care admin- istration and the business of the arts. Infusion courses, in which faculty members explicitly connect course content to discussions of meaning, purpose, work and/or careers. Over 25% of the Bates faculty have infused courses with discussions, readings, refl ective writing assignments, and guest speakers or other activities since the project began in 2014. Purposeful Work Unplugged, a co-curricular series of Q&As with notable alumni, friends, faculty, and staff about career trajectories and the traits that support meaningful work. Past speakers have shared stories about successes, failures, decision moments and pivot moments in fi elds as diverse as technology, gov- ernment and making chocolate. Career counseling and online modules are also available through the college's career development center to help students hone their internship applications and post- graduation job searches. e infusion courses, Fraser- ill says, are particularly eff ective in stimulat- ing students to think more deeply about their interests and skills and the kind of work they might fi nd to be fulfi lling. "A pathway opens up," she says. " en they try that pathway in the next summer's internship program and see where that takes them. You can't predict where that's going to lead the student … You might have a student realizing she wants to run for offi ce who previously thought of herself as an introvert." A growing group of 'core employers' Spencer says her goal is to have paid internships for 500 students a summer. is past summer, she notes, Bates stu- dents were placed in 340 internships, not all of them tied to the Purposeful Work program. Funding of intern- ships, she says, can be provided by the employers themselves, by the college or by some combination of both. Spencer says Bates received a $50,000 grant from the Libra Foundation, which helped pay for 111 internships at Maine companies, many of them nonprofi ts, that wouldn't have been able to pay wages themselves. "It's a great program; it's clear they have put of lot of thought into it," says Erik Hayward, senior vice president of the Portland-based private founda- tion whose mission is to support ini- tiatives that "enrich Maine, empower communities and enhance the quality of life of all Maine citizens." Hayward says Libra ran an intern- ship program of its own for 10 years and regards paid internships as a great way of "fostering a young and dynamic workforce" — all the better, he adds, if some of those interns, whether from in- or out-of-state, end up choosing to live and work in Maine after graduation. e college has more than 75 "core employers" in Maine, nation- ally and even abroad, who've agreed to be listed as available for Purposeful Work internships. SWITCH FOR Free! PESTS STILL BUGGING YOU? It 's time for a redo. Residential | Commerical | Wildlife *SOME RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY EVERY SEASON BRINGS A NEW THREAT FROM PESTS. BE PREPARED. 888-997-3121 www.modernpest.com Do you own a business or commercial property? If you pay for pest control, and your pest issue has not been resolved, or you're dissatisfied with your current provider, it's time for a redo. With Modern Pest redo plan, there is no risk to you! 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