Bowdoin College Bowdoin College , founded in 1794 , is a private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick . The college enrolls approximately 1 , 700 students and has been coeducational since 1971 . It offers 33 majors and 4 additional minors , and the student - faculty ratio is 9 : 1 . Famous alumni include Joshua Chamberlain , Nathaniel Hawthorne , and Henry W . Longfellow . It is a highly selective liberal arts college . The 2013 annual ranking of " U . S . News & World Report " rates it tied for the 6th best liberal arts college in the nation and it is ranked 14th on " Forbes " magazine ' s list of America ' s Top Colleges . Bowdoin is located on the shores of Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River , north of Freeport , Maine , and north of Portland , Maine . In addition to its Brunswick campus , Bowdoin also owns a 118 - acre ( 478 , 000 m² ) coastal studies center on Orrs Island and a 200 - acre ( 809 , 000 m² ) scientific field station on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy . History . Founding and 19th century . Bowdoin College was chartered in 1794 by Governor Samuel Adams of Massachusetts , of which Maine was then a district , and was named for former Massachusetts governor James Bowdoin , whose son James Bowdoin III was an early benefactor . At the time of its founding , it was the easternmost college in the United States . It is thought that the Bowdoin seal , created in 1798 by Joseph Callender , was a sun because it was the first college in the United States to see the sunrise . Bowdoin came into its own in the 1820s , a decade in which Maine became an independent state as a result of the Missouri Compromise and the college graduated a number of its most famous alumni , including future United States President Franklin Pierce , class of 1824 , and writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , both of whom graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1825 . Bowdoin ' s connections to the Civil War have prompted some to quip that the war " began and ended " in Brunswick . Harriet Beecher Stowe , " the little lady who started this big war , " started writing her influential anti - slavery novel " Uncle Tom ' s Cabin " in Bowdoin ' s Appleton Hall while her husband was teaching at the College , and Brigadier General ( and Brevet Major General ) Joshua Chamberlain , a Bowdoin alumnus and professor , was responsible for receiving the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House in 1865 . Chamberlain , a Medal of Honor recipient who later served as governor of Maine , adjutant - general of Maine , and president of Bowdoin , distinguished himself at Gettysburg , where he led the 20th Maine in its valiant defense of Little Round Top . There are other Civil War connections as well : Major General Oliver Otis Howard , class of 1850 , led the Freedmen ' s Bureau after the war and later founded Howard University ; Massachusetts Governor John A . Andrew , class of 1837 , was responsible for the formation of the famous 54th Massachusetts ; and William P . Fessenden 1823 and Hugh McCulloch 1827 both served as Secretary of the Treasury during the Lincoln Administration . After the war , Bowdoin contended that a higher percentage of its alumni fought in the war than that of any other college in the North — and not only for the Union . In fact , Confederate President Jefferson Davis held an honorary degree from Bowdoin , which he received while United States Secretary of War in 1858 . President Ulysses S . Grant , too , was given an honorary degree from the college in 1865 . In addition to Howard and Chamberlain , William Fessenden ' s sons , James Deering Fessenden and Francis Fessenden , were both brigadier generals , and seventeen Bowdoin alumni would receive brevets as brigadier generals , including Ellis Spear ( Class of 1858 , who was Chamberlain ' s second - in - command at Gettysburg ) , Charles Hamlin ( Class of 1857 , son of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin ) , and General Howard ' s brother Charles ( Class of 1859 ) . Twentieth century . Although Bowdoin ' s Medical School of Maine closed its doors in 1921 , the College is currently known for its particularly strong programs in the natural sciences . One illustrious alumnus was Dr . Augustus Stinchfield , who received his M . D . in 1868 , who went on to become one of the co - founders of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester , Minnesota . He was asked to join the two Mayo brothers ' private medical practice in 1892 . In 1915 , the remaining partners in the then private practice embraced the creation of the non - profit Mayo Clinic . While perhaps Bowdoin ' s better - known alumnus in the sciences is the controversial entomologist - turned - sexologist Alfred Kinsey , class of 1916 , the College ' s reputation in this area was cemented in large part by the Arctic explorations of Admiral Robert E . Peary , class of 1877 , and Donald B . MacMillan , class of 1898 . Peary led the first successful expedition to the North Pole in 1908 , and MacMillan , a member of Peary ' s crew , became famous in his own right as he explored Greenland , Baffin Island and Labrador in the schooner " Bowdoin " between 1908 and 1954 . Bowdoin ' s Peary – MacMillan Arctic Museum honors the two explorers , and the College ' s mascot , the Polar Bear , was chosen in 1913 to honor MacMillan , who donated a particularly large specimen to his alma mater in 1917 . Following in the footsteps of President Pierce and House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed , class of 1860 , several 20th century Bowdoin graduates have assumed prominent positions in national government while representing the Pine Tree State . Wallace H . White , Jr . , class of 1899 , served as Senate Minority Leader from 1944 – 1947 and Senate Majority Leader from 1947 – 1949 ; George J . Mitchell , class of 1954 , served as Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995 before assuming a prominent role in the Northern Ireland peace process ; and William Cohen , class of 1962 , spent twenty - five years in the House and Senate before being appointed Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration . Maine ' s First Congressional District has been christened the " Bowdoin seat " because of its long occupation by graduates of the College . A total of eleven Bowdoin graduates have ascended to the Maine governorship , and three graduates of the College currently sit on the state ' s highest court . Over the last several decades , Bowdoin College has modernized dramatically . In 1970 , it became one of a very limited number of selective schools to make the SAT optional in the admissions process , and in 1971 , after nearly 180 years as a small men ' s college , Bowdoin admitted its first class of women . Bowdoin also phased out fraternities in the late 1990s , replacing them with a system of college - owned social houses . Recent developments . In 2001 , Barry Mills , class of 1972 , was appointed as the fifth alumnus president of the College . On January 18 , 2008 , Bowdoin announced that it would be eliminating loans for all new and current students receiving financial aid , replacing those loans with grants beginning with the 2008 – 2009 academic year . President Mills stated , " Some see a calling in such vital but often low paying fields such as teaching or social work . With significant debt at graduation , some students will undoubtedly be forced to make career or education choices not on the basis of their talents , interests , and promise in a particular field , but rather on their capacity to repay student loans . As an institution devoted to the common good , Bowdoin must consider the fairness of such a result . " In February 2009 , following a $ 10 million donation by Subway Sandwiches co - founder and alumnus Peter Buck , class of 1952 , the college completed a $ 250 - million capital campaign . Additionally , the college has also recently completed major construction projects on the campus , including a significant renovation of the college ' s art museum and a new fitness center named after Peter Buck . Academics . Bowdoin is consistently ranked among the top ten liberal arts colleges in the United States by " U . S . News and World Report " . In the 2013 edition of the rankings , Bowdoin ranks sixth . In the late 1990s it was ranked as high as fourth . In 2006 , " Newsweek " described Bowdoin as a " New Ivy " , one of a number of elite colleges and universities outside of the Ivy League . Bowdoin is also part of the SAT optional movement for undergraduate admission . Bowdoin was the first college to be named " School of the Year " by College Prowler . The Government & Legal Studies Department , whose prominent professors include Michael Franz , Allen Springer , Paul Franco , Richard E . Morgan , Chris Potholm and Jean M . Yarbrough , was ranked the top small college political science program in the world by researchers at the London School of Economics in 2003 . Government & Legal Studies was the most popular major for every graduating class between 2000 and 2009 . Other departments are also strong , including economics , the natural sciences , and English . Course distribution requirements were abolished in the 1970s , but were reinstated by a faculty majority vote in 1981 , as a result of an initiative by oral communication and film professor Barbara Kaster . She insisted that distribution requirements would ensure students a more well - rounded education in a diversity of fields and therefore present them with more career possibilities . The requirements of at least two courses in each of the categories of Natural Sciences / Mathematics , Social and Behavioral Sciences , Humanities / Fine Arts , and Foreign Studies ( including languages ) took effect for the Class of 1987 and have been gradually amended since then . Current requirements require one course each in : Natural Sciences , Quantitative Reasoning , Visual and Performing Arts , International Perspectives and Exploring Social Differences . A small writing - intensive course , called a First Year Seminar , is also required . In 2002 , the faculty decided to change the grading system so that it incorporated plus and minus grades . Previously , grades of A , B , C , and D were given , without the " + " or " – " modifications . Other prominent Bowdoin faculty include ( or have included ) : Edville Gerhardt Abbott , Charles Beitz , John Bisbee , Paul Chadbourne , Thomas Cornell , Kristen R . Ghodsee , Eddie Glaude , Joseph E . Johnson , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , Elliott Schwartz , and Scott Sehon . Student body . Bowdoin is a highly - selective liberal arts school , with an acceptance rate of 14 . 5 % for the class of 2017 . " U . S . News and World Report " classifies Bowdoin as " most selective " . Of enrolling students , 89 % are in the top 10 % of their high school graduating class . According to the Princeton Review , the average GPA of enrolling high school students is 3 . 8 . In Fall 2010 , Bowdoin ' s acceptance rate was the fifth lowest among liberal arts colleges ranked by " U . S . News and World Report " . Although Bowdoin does not require the SAT in admissions , all students must submit a score upon matriculation . The middle 50 % SAT range for the verbal and math sections of the SAT is 660 – 750 and 660 – 750 , respectively — numbers of only those submitting scores during the admissions process . The middle 50 % ACT range is 30 – 33 . The April 17 , 2008 , edition of " The Economist " noted Bowdoin in an article on university admissions : " So - called ' almost - Ivies ' such as Bowdoin and Middlebury also saw record low admission rates this year ( 18 % each ) . It is now as hard to get into Bowdoin , says the college ' s admissions director , as it was to get into Princeton in the 1970s . " Many students apply for financial aid , and around 85 % of those who apply receive aid . Bowdoin is a need - blind and a no - loans institution . Students applying to the school are evaluated independently of their financial situations , the college meets 100 % of demonstrated financial need , and the college replaces loans with grants for all students on financial aid to lift the burden of significant student debt upon graduation . While a significant portion of the student body hails from New England — including nearly 25 % from Massachusetts and 10 % from Maine — recent classes have drawn from an increasingly national and international pool . Although Bowdoin once had a reputation for homogeneity ( both ethnically and socioeconomically ) , a diversity campaign has increased the percentage of students of color in recent classes to more than 31 % . In fact , admission of minorities goes back at least as far as John Brown Russwurm 1826 , Bowdoin ' s first African - American college graduate , and the third African - American graduate of any American college . Student life . Bowdoin ' s dining services has been ranked # 1 among all universities and colleges nationally by " Princeton Review " in 2004 , 2006 , 2007 , 2011 , and 2013 . The college ' s dining services have been featured on numerous national news organizations , with the " The New York Times " reporting : " If it weren ' t for the trays , and for the fact that most diners are under 25 , you ' d think it was a restaurant . " Bowdoin has two major dining halls , one of which was renovated in the late 1990s , and every academic year begins with a lobster bake outside Farley Fieldhouse . The college was ranked # 6 nationally for the " Dorms like Palaces " category by " Princeton Review " in 2011 . In 2010 , Newsweek ranked Bowdoin the # 6 " Most desirable small school in America " . In April 2008 , College Prowler , a publishing company for guidebooks on top colleges and universities in the United States and written by students , named Bowdoin College its " School of the Year " citing excellence in academics , safety and security , housing and dining . Recalling his days at Bowdoin in a recent interview , Professor Richard E . Morgan ' 59 described student life at the then - all - male school as " monastic , " and noted that " the only things to do were either work or drink . " ( This is corroborated by the " Official Preppy Handbook , " which in 1980 ranked Bowdoin the number two drinking school in the country , behind Dartmouth . ) These days , Morgan observed , the College offers a far broader array of recreational opportunities : " If we could have looked forward in time to Bowdoin ' s standard of living today , we would have been astounded . " Since abolishing Greek fraternities in the late 1990s , Bowdoin has switched to a system in which entering students are assigned a " college house " affiliation correlating with their first - year dormitory . While six houses were originally established , following the construction of two new dorms , two were added effective in the fall of 2007 , bringing the total to eight : Ladd ( affiliated with Osher Hall ) , Baxter ( West ) , Quinby ( Appleton ) , MacMillan ( Coleman ) , Howell ( Hyde ) , Helmreich ( Maine ) , Reed ( Moore ) , and Burnett ( Winthrop ) . The college houses are physical buildings around campus which host parties and other events throughout the year . Those students who choose not to live in their affiliated house retain their affiliation and are considered members throughout their Bowdoin career . Before the fraternity system was abolished in the 1990s , all the Bowdoin fraternities were co - educational ( except for one unrecognized sorority and two unrecognized all - male fraternities ) . Bowdoin ' s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa , which was founded in 1825 , is the nation ' s sixth oldest . Those who have been inducted to the Maine Alpha chapter as undergraduates include Nathaniel Hawthorne ( 1825 ) , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( 1825 ) , Robert E . Peary ( 1877 ) , Owen Brewster ( 1909 ) , Harold Hitz Burton ( 1909 ) , Paul Douglas ( 1913 ) , Alfred Kinsey ( 1916 ) , Thomas R . Pickering ( 1953 ) , and Lawrence B . Lindsey ( 1976 ) . Postgraduate placement . In 2006 , Bowdoin was named a " Top Producer of Fulbright Award s for American Students " by the Institute of International Education . In 2003 , the " Wall Street Journal " ranked Bowdoin among the top twenty colleges and universities in the United States based on the percentage of the school ' s alumni who attend a " top - five " graduate program in business , law , or medicine . According to payscale . com , alumni of Bowdoin College have a mid - career median salary of $ 106 , 000 , making it the 29th highest among colleges and universities in the United States . Historically , Bowdoin is known for the strength of its alumni in many different fields and professions . In Maine , the First Congressional District has been christened the " Bowdoin seat " because of its long occupation by graduates of the College . A total of eleven Bowdoin graduates have ascended to the Maine governorship , and three graduates of the College currently sit on the state ' s highest court . Student organizations . Media and publications . Bowdoin ' s student newspaper , " The Bowdoin Orient " , is the oldest continuously published college weekly in the United States . The Orient was named the second best tabloid - sized college weekly at a Collegiate Associated Press conference in March 2007 . Additionally , the school ' s literary magazine , " The Quill " , has been published since 1897 . The College ' s radio station , WBOR , has been in operation since 1951 . In 1999 , " The Bowdoin Cable Network " was formed , producing a weekly newscast and several student created shows per semester . A cappella . There are six a cappella groups on campus . The Meddiebempsters and the Longfellows are all - male , Miscellania and Bella Mafia are all - female , and BOKA and Ursus Verses are co - ed . " The Longfellows " are the newer of the two all male groups . Founded in 2004 , they trace their roots to the historic class of 1825 at Bowdoin , which graduated Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . In 2011 , they won their quarterfinal of the International Collegiate Championship of A Cappella , advancing them to the semifinals , as the only all - male group . The same year , they were in the final round of selection to be on NBCs " The Sing Off . " In 2010 , they sang the national anthem at a Celtics - Wizards game , and have performed all over Maine and the Northeast . The Meddiebempsters are the oldest of Bowdoin ' s six a cappella groups and the third - oldest a cappella group in the nation . Founded in the spring of 1937 , the Meddies gained notoriety when they performed in USO shows after World War II . In 1948 , the Meddiebempsters performed for the First Family and were then invited to take a USO tour of Europe for the first time . The tour ' s enormous success resulted in a full performance calendar for the 1948 - 1949 academic year . The Department of Defense invited them back every summer from 1948 to 1955 and the group appeared on the Tex and Jinx Show . " Miscellania " is the oldest all - female a cappella group on campus . Miscellania was founded in 1972 as the female counterpart to the Meddiebempsters , shortly after women were admitted to Bowdoin . Since then , Miscellania has grown to be a part of the tradition of a cappella at Bowdoin College . Distinguishable by their black dresses , Miscellania has performed all over Maine and the Northeast , as well as down the East Coast on longer tours . Other . The largest student group on campus is the Outing Club , which leads canoeing , kayaking , rafting , camping and backpacking trips throughout Maine . One of the school ' s two historic rival literary societies , the Peucinian Society , has recently been revitalized from its previous form . The Peucinian Society was founded in 1805 , making it one of the oldest literary and intellectual societies in the country . This organization counts such people as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Joshua Chamberlain amongst its former members , though these individuals originally belonged to the Athenian Society ( the second society of the two historic groups ) . These literary and intellectual societies were the dominant groups on campus before they declined in popularity after the rise of Greek fraternities . Environmental record . Commitment to action on climate change . Bowdoin College signed onto the American College and University President ' s Climate Commitment in 2007 . The College followed through with a carbon neutrality plan released in 2009 , with 2020 as the target year for carbon neutrality . According to the plan , general improvements to Maine ' s electricity grid will account for 7 % of carbon reductions , commuting improvements will account for 1 % , and the purchase of renewable energy credits will account for 41 % . The College intends to reduce its own carbon emissions 28 % by 2020 , leaving the remaining 23 % for new technologies and more renewable energy credits . Coordinator of Sustainable Bowdoin Keisha Payson has acknowledged that achieving carbon neutrality by 2020 “ might not be realistic . ” Energy profile . Bowdoin purchases its electricity from Central Maine Power . The College buys renewable energy credits to offset all of the related carbon emissions . According to the EPA ' s Green Power Partnership , 5 . 8 % of Bowdoin ' s total electricity usage comes from green power . Bowdoin ' s facilities are heated by an on - campus heating plant which burns natural gas . Energy investments . In February 2013 , the College announced that 1 . 4 % of its endowment is invested in the fossil fuel industry . The disclosure was in response to students ' calls to divest these holdings . Campus . Museums on Bowdoin ' s campus include the Bowdoin College Museum of Art , and the Peary - MacMillan Arctic Museum . Notable Buildings include Massachusetts Hall , Hubbard Hall , the Parker Cleaveland House and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House . Athletics . The Bowdoin College Polar Bears ( the college mascot ) competes in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference ( NESCAC ) , which also includes Amherst , Conn College , Hamilton , Middlebury , Trinity , Tufts , Wesleyan , Williams , and Maine rivals Bates and Colby in the Colby - Bates - Bowdoin Consortium ( CBB ) . The College ' s official colors are white and black . Bowdoin offers thirty varsity teams , including men ' s teams in baseball , basketball , cross country , football , ice hockey , lacrosse , Nordic skiing , sailing , soccer , squash , swimming and diving , tennis , and track and field , and women ' s teams in field hockey , golf , ice hockey , lacrosse , Nordic skiing , sailing , soccer , softball , squash , swimming and diving , tennis , track and field , volleyball , and rugby . Men ' s ice hockey is the most popular spectator sport , with hundreds of students turning out for games against arch - rival Colby . In 2004 , Bowdoin became the second college in the United States to elevate the women ' s rugby team to varsity status . While technically still varsity , the women ' s rugby team competes in New England Rugby Football Union , rather than NESCAC . The sailing team , which competes in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association ( NEISA ) is co - ed and was considered in 2006 to be one of the top 20 sailing teams in the nation by Sailing World magazine . There are also intercollegiate and club teams in men ' s and women ' s fencing , men ' s and women ' s rowing , men ' s rugby , water polo , men ' s volleyball and men ' s and women ' s Ultimate . Recent NESCAC champions include men ' s ice hockey ( 2011 , albeit officially forfeited ) , men ' s tennis ( 2008 ) , women ' s volleyball ( 2011 ) men ' s cross country ( 2001 , 2002 ) , women ' s basketball ( 2001 – 2007 , 2009 ) , women ' s ice hockey ( 2002 , 2004 ) and women ' s field hockey ( 2001 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , 2010 , 2011 ) ; recent NCAA tournament appearances include women ' s basketball ( Elite Eight , 2002 , 2003 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 ; Final Four , 2004 ) , women ' s field hockey ( Final Four , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , 2010 ) men ' s rugby ( sweet 16 , 2001 ) , women ' s ice hockey ( Final Four , 2002 , 2003 ; Elite Eight , 2004 , 2005 ) , men ' s soccer ( Final Four , 2010 ) and women ' s lacrosse ( Final Four , 2011 . ) In 2012 , the women ' s rugby team , which is one of only eight varsity programs in the country , won the first championship of the recently formed NESCRC conference . Women ' s basketball and field hockey have been Bowdoin ' s most successful teams . The women ' s basketball team are 8 - time NESCAC champions , holding an astonishing 7 - year streak . The field hockey team are three - time NCAA National Champions ; winning the title in 2007 ( defeating Middlebury College ) , 2008 ( defeating Tufts University ) and 2010 ( defeating Messiah College ) . Head coach Nicky Pearson has been NESCAC coach of the year a record 7 times ; no other coach in any NESCAC sport has won the award more than twice . In 2007 , 2008 and 2010 , Pearson was also honored as the NCAA ' s Division III coach of the year . 2011 also saw Bowdoin ' s 4th NCAA National Championship , with a win in the Men ' s Tennis doubles . Bowdoin ' s 5th NCAA National Championship came less than a year later , with the men ' s indoor track Distance Medley Relay Team taking the top spot at the Division 3 Indoor Track and Field National Championships . Field Hockey holds the other 3 NCAA titles . Facilities . Bowdoin ' s athletic facilities combine modern buildings with old traditions , and have been historically used as training grounds for Olympic athletes . In addition to several outdoor athletic fields ( Pickard fields & Whittier field ) , the College ' s athletic facilities include : Sustainability . According to its Environmental Mission Statement , Bowdoin College " shall seek to encourage conservation , recycling , and other sustainable practices in its daily decision making processes , and shall take into account , in the operations of the College , all appropriate economic , environmental , and social concerns . " Between 2002 and 2008 , Bowdoin College decreased its CO2 emissions by 40 % . It achieved that reduction by switching from # 6 to # 2 oil in its heating plant , reducing the campus set heating point from 72 to 68 degrees , and by adhering to its own Green Design Standards in renovations . In addition , Bowdoin runs a single stream recycling program , and its dining services department has begun composting food waste and unbleached paper napkins . Bowdoin received an overall grade of " B " for its sustainability efforts on the College Sustainability Report Card 2009 published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute . In addition to various student run organizations , including Sustainable Bowdoin and the Bowdoin Organic Garden , the college ' s dining service regularly uses local products and annually invites local farmers to campus to discuss how local food products are incorporated into the daily menu for students . In 2003 , Bowdoin made a commitment to achieve LEED - certification for all new campus buildings . The college has since completed construction on Osher and West residency halls , the Peter Buck Center for Health & Fitness , and the Sidney J . Watson Arena , all of which have attained LEED or Silver LEED certification . The new dorms partially use collected rain water as part of an advanced flushing system , while the new ice arena uses one of the most efficient dehumidification and refrigeration systems out of any Division III collegiate arena . In 2009 , the college announced a detailed plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020 as a result of campus - wide conservation efforts and specific initiatives in its implementation plan . The plan includes the construction of a solar thermal system , part of the " Thorne Solar Hot Water Project " ; cogeneration in the central heating plant ( for which Bowdoin received $ 400 , 000 in federal grants ) ; lighting upgrades to all campus buildings ; and modern monitoring systems of energy usage on campus . Bowdoin alumni . Selected notable Bowdoin graduates include : Bowdoin graduates have led all three branches of the federal government , including both houses of Congress . Franklin Pierce ( 1826 ) was America ' s fourteenth President ; Melville Weston Fuller ( 1853 ) served as Chief Justice of the United States ; Thomas Brackett Reed ( 1860 ) was twice elected Speaker of the House of Representatives ; and Wallace H . White , Jr . ( 1899 ) and George J . Mitchell ( 1954 ) both served as Majority Leader of the United States Senate .