VP Bates recognized by statewide organization
Mary Lou Bates (Gary Gold photo)
Mary Lou W. Bates, Skidmore's vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid, has received the President's Award from the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling.
The group, an affiliate of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, is a professional association and resource for admissions counselors in high schools, colleges and universities, and community organizations, with more than 1,100 members statewide. In her four decades of affiliation with the association, Bates has held numerous positions, including the office of president and served on a number of national committees and councils.
The award, presented at the 37th annual NYSACAC Conference at Utica College earlier this summer, has since 1995 been given annually to "an individual who, over a period of years, has performed outstanding service to NYSACAC, to our profession, and to the community." It is awarded in honor of the late NYSACAC President Barbara Christie Sweeney.
John Young, director of admissions at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, presented the award. He said he "couldn't think of anyone" who has done more for the organization, citing Bates’s "leadership, mentorship, and dedication."
Young continued, “Through her visionary leadership as a founder of the NYSACAC Summer Institute on College Admissions 29 years ago, thousands of new admissions officers and high school counselors have had the opportunity to learn from each other under the guidance of seasoned mentors in our profession.”