LEWISTON — Paul Phillips, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark O. Phillips of New Gloucester, has been named a Dana Scholar, the highest honor bestowed upon first-year students at Bates College.

Phillips is a 2014 graduate of Gray-New Gloucester High School.

In all, Bates honored 10 men and 10 women from the Class of 2018 on the basis of their leadership potential, academic excellence and promise, and service to the college community exhibited in their first year at Bates. These students have an average GPA of 3.89, and also made a wide variety of extracurricular contributions to Bates.

Students were nominated at the end of their first year by Bates faculty members, administrative staff, leaders of campus organizations, and current Dana Scholars.

“Being named Dana Scholar is the highest honor that a Bates first-year student can achieve,” said Joshua McIntosh, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “The Dana Scholar program is also distinctive because it is forward-looking. We see in these outstanding young students the future promise of a Bates education: the preparation of leaders sustained by a love of learning and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world.”

The Dana Scholar program was established through the Dana Foundation, begun by the late industrialist and philanthropist Charles A. Dana. Bates’ Dana Chemistry Hall was built with the foundation’s assistance, and seven Bates faculty members are Charles A. Dana professors, one of the most prestigious honors the college bestows.