To the Bowdoin community,

Welcome back to campus. I hope you’ve all had a great break and return with energy and enthusiasm for the final push toward the end of the academic year, now just nine weeks away. I have every expectation that the snow will be truly gone well before then!

I am very pleased to announce this morning that the College will be moving forward with a long-planned and carefully considered two-phase project to upgrade and enhance the iconic athletic venues at Whittier Field, projects that will be funded completely by donations to the College.

The first phase includes improvements to the field itself, the Hubbard Grandstand, and the Magee-Samuelson Track. The second phase—if approved by the Board of Trustees in May and by local regulatory agencies—would add a new building on the site to house locker, training, and equipment rooms. The announcement below provides additional information about both phases of the project, which will—when completed—permit us to expand the use of these facilities beyond football and track and field.

As we all know, Whittier Field (1896), the Hubbard Grandstand (1904), and the Magee-Samuelson Track (originally installed in 1970) are steeped in athletic history. They are also spaces where generations of Bowdoin students and alumni have gathered—and continue to gather—to cheer on the Polar Bears and to enjoy each other and our beautiful surroundings. But the passing of time and the needs of modern athletic competition dictate that we make these improvements. Now that we have identified donors for the first phase, we are ready to move forward.

We are tremendously grateful to those who are making this project possible, and we will continue to reach out to potential donors to make sure the entire project comes to fruition. We will also continue to work closely—as we always do on such matters—with our neighbors and with local and state officials to address any concerns and to ensure that they and we are proud of the result.

Again, welcome back to campus. I look forward to seeing and speaking with many of you in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Clayton

More about the renovations to Whittier Field and Magee-Samuelson Track here.