Brittany Longsdorf, Bates’ beloved Multifaith Chaplain, is leaving our community at the end of the calendar year to take on a new role as Associate Dean of Religious life at Princeton University. She will be dearly missed throughout this campus. Her presence will leave a hole that cannot be filled, but that is only a testament to how incredible Brittany is and how influential she has been throughout her time at Bates.
As the Multifaith Chaplain, Brittany runs core Bates programs like {Pause}, a weekly thirty minute “pause” on work and stress to engage in a meditation, art, silence, or reflective activity. Also, Hearth, a biweekly dinner where students can partake in silence and contemplate questions posed by facilitators. She also runs lots of other programming that facilitates community, connection, mindfulness and spirituality. Brittany is a confidential resource, an impressively fast responder to emails (at least in my experience), an artist (go check out her beautiful and vibrant paintings up at Forage), the kind of active listener that people aspire to be, and a very, very compassionate person.
Bates’ Multifaith Chaplaincy has Student Fellows – interns who assist with facilitating different parts of Multifaith – and some kindly shared reflections on Brittany’s impact on both them and Bates below:
“It was entirely unheard of to meet a stranger and find myself leaning entirely into them, feeling at home. It WAS. Until I met Brittany. Brittany is the most wholly gentle, thoughtful person I’ve ever met.”
- Fenna Oliphant-Linden ‘26
“From the beginning, I noticed something special about Brittany—her incredible attention to detail and how she sees and celebrates the uniqueness in everyone she meets. She has this effortless ability to make me laugh and draw me into conversations that, while sometimes random, always feel deeply meaningful. Brittany has unwavering faith in every student she works with. She truly believes in equity—not as a lofty idea but as something tangible and real, something she actively creates by ensuring that opportunities are tailored and accessible for everyone.”
- Emily Gonzalez ‘25
“Brittany has taught me what it looks like to build community centered in care for each other, in deep listening, in thoughtful conversation, in meaningful silence, and in abundant love. It is so rare that someone with so much responsibility and such a heavy workload so consistently and unflinchingly prioritizes community and relationships. Her deep trust in the strength and power of community has taught me to hold that value above all others in my work life as well. The amount of time that she has dedicated to getting to know the members of the Bates community is incredibly special. Brittany is a true caretaker and the strongest leader I know. She makes each person feel valued and seen, building relationships with everyone she encounters and inviting them to do the same in the spaces she creates. Brittany represents the soul of Bates and has inspired so much growth in the community.”
- Risa Horiuchi ‘25
“I met Brittany very early on at one of my first Pauses of my freshman year. Immediately, I knew that her warmth would be something that I would be drawn to. As a freshman, searching for the warmth and comfort that you have lost since moving away from home is an essential task. I was so lucky that I found it so early on. Every single person that meets Brittany loves her. She is kind and caring to people she has never met before, and welcomes everyone into the Multifaith and Bates community.”
- Stella Simonds ‘27
“Brittany is the beating heart of Multifaith and of campus itself. Her kindness knows no bounds and she has a way of making everyone feel seen and included.”
- Caroline McCarthy ‘26
“Brittany has a warmth and beauty about her that inspires everyone she talks to. She encouraged me to pause, breathe, feel gratitude, and give grace to myself whenever I wasn’t feeling my best. I will take the lessons she’s taught me throughout my entire life.”
- Emma Davidson ‘26
“Brittany is the beating heart of this campus. She is someone who helps others to see the beauty and joy in life even in the darkest of moments with unmatched selflessness and humility. To speak about the impact Brittany has made on this place and the people who call it home is almost impossible. I could reflect on all of the beautifully resonant words she shares in her speeches and benedictions, I could speak to the various programs she has helped to build that bring the student body together in deeply important ways, and I could talk about the joy she brings to campus through visits from her children, Molly and Levi. But the truth is, the impact that Brittany has is so much more than even all of these things. Her impact is strongest in her quiet, ever-present love. It’s the candle she lights when a student comes into her office in tears. It’s the hug she gives to someone she has just met because she knows they need to be held. Most of all, it’s the feeling of safety her presence brings. For so many people, to know Brittany is to know that someone is always in your corner, no matter what you may need, she is there.”
- Hana Roggendorf ‘27
The Student reached out to Brittany this past week and was able to firsthand hear some of her reflections on her time at Bates. Brittany shared,
“I think Bates has shaped so much of what I love about college multifaith chaplaincy; it has shown me how big an invitation spiritual care work can have when you create spaces centered on reflection, connection, art and silence. I’ve learned a lot about what compassion looks like in higher ed. One thing I’ve always loved about Bates students is how compassionate they are towards one another, how they root for each other’s successes in the classroom and playing field and dance stage – the way people show up for each other here is really beautiful.”
She leaves us with,
“My hope is that Bates students continue to be joyful (goofy even), open-hearted and kind, and make space for all kinds of people and experiences in their lives. The combination of compassion and curiosity is such a powerful one, and I hope you each lean into it as much as you can.”
Thank you, Brittany, for the time and care you have poured into the Bates community. You are wished nothing but the best for your next chapter.
