A Gender Neutral Offer of the College
The Offer of the College was originally published in 1906 in The College Man and the College Woman by Bowdoin’s seventh president, William DeWitt Hyde (1858-1917). The Offer addresses Bowdoin’s student body of men, including the phrases “to make hosts of friends among the men of your own age who are to be leaders in all walks of life” and “to learn manners from students who are gentlemen, and form character under professors who are Christian.” For many years, The Offer was included in the Student Handbook and today appears on the College’s website as a value statement for students, faculty, and staff. The adapted version omits the religious and gendered language to present a more inclusive Offer of the College.
“The Offer of the College” in The College Man and the College Woman by William DeWitt Hyde, 1906