St. Mary's College of Maryland


St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public, liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland. Established in 1840, St. Mary's College of Maryland is an honors college that claims to "offer an experience similar to that of an elite liberal arts college." With about 1,800 enrolled students, the institution offers bachelor's degrees in 24 disciplines, as well as a master's program and certification programs.
The college is located in St. Mary's City, Maryland and shares much of its campus with, the site of Maryland's first colony and first capital. It is also the site of the fourth colony in British North America.
The Historical Archaeology Field School is jointly operated by St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's City. The campus and the rest of St. Mary's City combined are considered to be one of the premier archaeological sites in the United States.
In 2020, U.S. News and World Report's annual "Best Colleges and Universities" report ranked St. Mary's College as the 5th best "Public Liberal Arts College" in the country; St. Mary's was tied for #92 in the "National Liberal Arts Colleges" category, which includes private schools.

History

St. Mary's College of Maryland is located on the original site of Maryland's first colony, St. Mary's City, which was also the first capital of Maryland and is considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America.
Colonial St. Mary's City was actually only a town and at its peak had between 500 and 600 residents. However, as the colony quickly expanded and settlements spread throughout the Eastern part of what is now Maryland, the town remained the capital and representatives would travel from all over the colony to participate in the Maryland General Assembly, the colony's first legislative body.
The Colony was founded under a mandate by the colonial proprietor, Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore of England, that the new settlers engage in religious tolerance of each other. The first settlers were both Protestant and Catholic during a time of persecution of Catholics. This mandate was unprecedented at the time, as England had been wracked by religious conflict for centuries.

Academics

St. Mary's College of Maryland offers over 31 different undergraduate degrees and minors, and it has a masters program in education. It is a public honors college, one of only two such colleges in the United States. As such, it maintains a core honors-level curriculum that all of its students, regardless of major, must complete.
The college is non-religious and has been since it was started in 1840. It has been coeducational since 1949.

St. Mary's Way princples

The college community is guided by a set of principles called "The St. Mary's Way". These principles intend to cultivate a supportive, caring environment where a passion for curiosity, knowledge and discovery can flourish. This set of principles also stresses the importance of making a difference in the world, informed by the natural beauty and historic meaning of the St. Mary's City area. The St. Mary's Way also sets a tone for integrity and tolerance of differences in viewpoint, background and experience.

The text of the St. Mary's Way is as follows:

Degrees

The college has 31 undergraduate programs that allow a choice of 24 majors, leading to a Bachelor of Arts, and 26 minors. 69% of St. Mary's students major or minor in a second academic discipline. Popular degree programs include biology, economics, English, history, political science, and psychology. The college also has the possibility for students to develop their own major, a Student Designed Major.
The college also offers a Master of Arts in Teaching. including teacher certification
81% overall graduation rate
The college has a 70% four-year graduation rate, the highest of any public institution in Maryland and third highest in the United States among public colleges. 69% of students pursue dual concurrent degrees or dual minors, which may take longer than four years, in some cases. 10% of students transfer out St. Mary's to other institutions and 87% of students enroll for a second year
79% of students are receiving financial aid. 66% of students are receiving grants or scholarships.
The school is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Tuition

According to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, St. Mary's College of Maryland, despite being a public institution, competes mostly with elite private colleges. The commission reported in 2014 that the cost of obtaining a degree at St. Mary's College is $30,000 less when compared to the average costs of the elite private colleges that it competes with.

Campus

Accreditation and charter

The school is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
St. Mary's is a state-operated institution. It is, however, independent of the University System of Maryland, as it opted out of the system in 1992. In early 2006, St. Mary's joined the University of Maryland Academic Telecommunications System, which interconnects the University System of Maryland with several other networks, including the Internet and Internet2 networks.

Administration

St. Mary's College's president, Tuajuanda Jordan, was appointed in 2014. She is the former dean of two other colleges and holds a PhD in biochemistry. She is the first black woman to become the president of St. Mary's.
The school has 150 full-time faculty, 14 of whom are current Fulbright scholars. There is a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, one of the lowest in the nation.

Programs

Overseas programs

The Institute of International Education has recognized St. Mary's College of Maryland as being 17th in the nation for the percentage of its undergraduate students who study abroad for at least one semester.
Approximately 60% of St. Mary's students study abroad, half of them for a full semester or more.

Fulbright program

St. Mary's College has had many students and faculty win Fulbright awards. In the 2009–2010 academic year, the college had the second highest number of student Fulbright winners of any public liberal arts college in the nation.
In the 2011–2012 academic year, the college had the 3rd highest number of faculty Fulbright winners in the United States among nation among public and private baccalaureate colleges.

Music program

Since 2003, the Fiske Guide to Colleges has ranked St. Mary's College of Maryland as one of the best small universities/colleges in the U.S. for music study. St. Mary's College of Maryland is the only public liberal arts college listed.

Leadership development programs

There are many opportunities for leadership development on campus, including positions as a resident assistant, as an orientation leader, on the school's student Judicial Board, as a Multicultural Academic Peer Program mentor, within the active Student Government Association, and among the various programs boards.

General student services

African-American faculty and leadership

At one point in the early 1980s, there were no African-American faculty at the school. As of 2010 there were 69 African-American faculty at the school, including 57 full-time and 12 part-time professors and instructors. The school's President since 2014, Doctor Tuajuanda Jordan, is also a person of African-American heritage.

Programs for minority and economically disadvantaged students

African-American student enrollment at St. Mary's College dropped in recent years. Rising tuition and need for more state funding for first generation to college students has been cited as a key reason. This includes a drop from 14% African American student enrollment in 1992 to just 7% African-American student enrollment in 2013
The school has been working in many areas to improve enrollment and has numerous financial aid programs for minorities, and is reaching out to African-American communities across the state. The schools goal is to greatly increase African-American student enrollment.
In the spring of 2014 a report shows the African-American student population having increased to 8%.
Research has shown that, due to the relatively recent history of segregation in the United States, available funding for "first generation to college" students affects African-American populations disproportionally—Many news sources mention that adequate funding for first generation college students is actually one of the very biggest issues behind lagging African-American enrollment—elite liberal arts college's which are viewed by the state of Maryland as St. Mary's College's competitors, have been described in the news media as having traditionally had bigger endowments and could offer more scholarships.
In response to this concern, the school has been doing considerable work to increase African-American enrollment at St. Mary's College:

Historical studies

However, in addition to this, since 1840, the school has been charged by the state in various capacities in researching, interpreting and memorializing Maryland history at the site of Maryland's first colony and capitol, St. Mary's City, Maryland, which is also where the college is located.

Historical Archaeology Field School

In this capacity St. Mary's College of Maryland, in partnership with Historic St. Mary's City, also runs the Historical Archaeology Field School which is an internationally recognized institution. The field school has worked on over 300 archaeological dig sites in the St. Mary's City area over the last 40 years.

Special areas of archaeological research and historical study

The school has a deep and multilayered relationship to the St. Mary's City area and its historic landscape.
In its special role as a historical and archaeological research institution charged with studying the founding history of Maryland, and charged by the State of Maryland with researching the history of the emergence of democracy in Maryland, St. Mary's College of Maryland studies the following historic events that occurred in the area of St. Mary's City, Maryland and the periods in which they occurred.
This also includes premier museums on and near campus, highlighting archaeology and area history related to all of the above.

School's inspirational historic grounding

This research also includes a special focus and draws inspiration from local milestone historical events related to the struggle for establishment of democracy in Maryland, in many of its aspects, including:

The Center for the Study of Democracy

The Center for the Study of Democracy is an interdisciplinary joint initiative of St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's City.
It explores historical and contemporary issues related to democracy and also provides presentations by government officials and other leaders from both developed and developing countries and notable scholars. The Center also offers a Democracy Studies minor through St. Mary's College of Maryland.
Colonial St. Mary's City, which was on the site where St. Mary's College of Maryland is located today, was a place where struggles over 'Liberty of conscience' in religion, representative political practices, freedom of the press, and minority rights all came to the fore at various times. Utilizing early Maryland as a case study in "emerging democracy," the foundation works to apply the lessons of the region's history to a domestic and international discussion of democracy's role in the modern world. The National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative awarded the Center a $500,000 challenge grant in September 2004.
Notable advisory board members include:
The James P. Muldoon River Center is a biological research center located along the Saint Mary's River. The center administers the Saint Mary's River Project and the university's geothermal operations.

The Slackwater Center

The Slackwater Center studies the current events, culture and history of St. Mary's County and other rural Chesapeake bay and Southern Maryland communities. Its focus is interdisciplinary and it studies the region from both an historical and contemporary point of view.
The center studies, records and documents as well as interprets and reports on current and historical life in Chesapeake Bay communities. The center also has a public education mission. Students engage in historical research and historical interpretation as well as documenting oral histories of living residents. The center utilizes interdisciplinary collaboration and also fosters public education and debate.
It also publishes the Slackwater Journal and maintains an extensive archive.
The center's mission statement says: "We aim to offer a closer look at the rich and complicated legacies of the past, at the social and environmental challenges facing the present, and at our collective visions for the future."

Slackwater Archives

Preservational and curatorial roles are also played by the Slackwater Center, primarily through the Slackwater Archives and the Slackwater Southern Maryland Documentation Project.
The mission of the archives includes preserving, transcribing, analyzing and interpreting:
The project includes:
Historic St. Mary's City, which sits next to the college, is a State-run archaeological research, historical research, preservation and interpretation center and an indoor and outdoor museum complex. The area managed by the commission also includes a reconstructed colonial town and sailing ship, located on the historic site of Maryland's first colony.
St. Mary's College and Historic St. Mary's City jointly coordinate programs of study in archaeology, history, museum studies, African American studies, political science and theater. This includes both classroom and also hands-on opportunities in archaeological excavations, museums, and historic interpretation work.
The commission and its grounds are considered to be is a major center for colonial archaeological research and historical research in the United States. There have been over 200 archaeological digs in St. Mary's City worked on by the school over the last 30 years.
All St. Mary's Students may also attend St. Mary's City's public access historical sites and all of its museums for free, year round.

The Maryland Heritage Project

The Maryland Heritage Project is also a collaboration between St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's City. It focuses on the reconstruction of colonial buildings in the Historic St. Mary's City living history area, ongoing development of St. Mary's museum exhibits, and also indoor and outdoor historic interpretation.
This involves ongoing projects in archaeological research, historical research as well as management, preservation and analysis and interpretation of period artifacts and documents. The project also provides hands-on as well as classroom studies in archaeology, anthropology, democracy studies, history, international languages and cultures, and museum studies.

The Historical Archaeology Field School

St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's Commission also jointly run the Historical Archaeology Field School every summer. It hosts collection-based courses, beginner to advanced level archaeological field training and also summer institutes. The school is attended by students from all over the United States and other countries as well. Many of its graduates now hold prominent positions in the field.
The students not only study, but also work in many of the active archaeological dig sites in St. Mary's City. Providing extensive hands-on experience, the school teaches all aspects of professional archaeological work, including working in real archaeological digs, analyzing and conserving artifacts, as well as cataloging, archiving, and related historical research. The school has been in existence for more than 40 years.

St. Mary's College Archives

St. Mary's Baltimore Hall Library subscribes to 1,000 periodicals in print and has access to around 20,000 in electronic format. Furthermore, the school participates in the consortium of Maryland public colleges and universities, through which library materials from 15 other institutes in the University of Maryland System are accessible.
The New Leadership for the Chesapeake program trains students' in environmental leadership and advocacy as it relates to the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to leadership and advocacy training, classes and field work also focus on the biological and resource management issues affecting the Bay. The program leads to a certificate.
A summer program that brings together notable authors, writers and educators to foster writers of novels, poetry and other venues. Workshops in writing, classes, lectures, mentoring by notable authors and faculty; creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry are offered.
The Rising Tide is the journal of educational studies written by student interns and faculty of the Master of Education program at St. Mary's College of Maryland, named after the adage "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Arts and culture

The Boyden Gallery and Collection

The Boyden Gallery sponsors a series of year-round shows and exhibits showcasing student, visiting art and artist, faculty, and also community works featuring a diverse range of themes and media. The Boyden Gallery rotates between in-house, visiting, and community art shows.
The Boyden Collection is a 2,000 piece art collection on the campus. The collection include works of art by: Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, William Merritt Chase, Buckminster Fuller, Marc Chagall, Thomas Hart Benton, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Ad Reinhardt.
St. Mary's College students receive training and assist in curation, planning and design of gallery exhibitions and special programs. The gallery also hosts all-student shows.
Starting in 2014 the Boyden Gallery and the St. Mary's College of Maryland Masters in Teaching program entered into a partnership with St. Mary's County schools to foster and display works by promising local students. The program involves St. Mary's College of Maryland faculty and students in working with talented local young artists. The program also sponsors a professionally juried competition and a special yearly exhibitions.

Arts Alliance

Funds grants for faculty and guest artists during the year, gives annual cash award to students in the arts, furthers outreach on the college campus and within the outstanding community, and works on the development of the college's art collection. The Arts Alliance of St. Mary's College of Maryland is also a sponsor of the summer River Concert Series.

Athletics

St. Mary's College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Seahawks are a member of the Capital Athletic Conference.
St. Mary's has the highest percentage of student-athletes on Capital Athletic Conference's All-Academic team for six years in a row.
St. Mary's mascot is the Seahawk, which is a nickname for the osprey. These birds are native to St. Mary's City and are often seen diving from great heights into St. John's Pond, in order to catch fish. The St. Mary's seahawk mascot is named Solomon.

Student life

The student:faculty ratio was 10 to 1; this is one of the lowest student faculty ratios for a public college in the United States, and among the lowest when compared to private colleges.

Student body

The school has 1,901 undergraduate students and 32 graduate students as of 2013.
As of fall 2012 --
More than 1,600 students live on campus and in traditional-style residence halls, and about 300 students commute.
On campus living includes dorms, suites, apartments, and townhouses. Within the residences there are four living-learning centers on campus: an International Languages & Cultures House; a Women In Science House ; a Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies House and an Eco-House. Furthermore, there are Substance and Alcohol Free Environment suites and apartments on campus, as well as part of a residence hall. Other students join the IBA.
The majority of the on-campus student population lives in traditional college dormitories, group suite apartments and townhouses; 85% of students live on campus.
St. Mary's does not have any social sororities or fraternities. Instead, part of its student residences run on a house system. Each house has its own educational theme, so residents may form community around shared interests.
Campus residence houses include:
St. Mary's College of Maryland has an active Student Government Association. The SGA charters clubs, promotes campus events and activities, works closely with the administration to help guide student-related policy, and works to promote student engagement in campus life through representation and programming. Senators, elected by the student body, represent constituents divided by housing. The executive board are also elected by the student body.
The Student Trustee, a voting member of the Board of Trustees, and an ex officio member of the SGA, is chosen from among the students to act as a direct link between the Student Body and the Board of Trustees. Aside from the Student Trustee position, students also participate in numerous other committees with faculty and other members of the administration.

Honors organizations

St. Mary's College hosts more than 100 student-run, SGA-sponsored clubs.

Seven Wonders

The Seven Wonders are seven notable campus landmarks. New students are inducted into the traditions of SMCM by orientation leaders in a tour of the Seven Wonders during orientation and it is a graduation tradition for the departing class to tour the seven wonders and recount stories the evening before graduation. Thus a student's time at SMCM begins and ends with tours of the Seven Wonders.
The seven "wonders" are:
  1. The Shoe Tree
  2. The Bell Tower
  3. A clearing on St. John's Pond on the Side of Queen Ann
  4. Maryland Freedom of Conscience Statue on Route 5
  5. Garden of Remembrance Fountain
  6. 'Hidden' Grave
  7. Church Point

    Sustainability

The college runs a composting system to handle the majority of its biodegradable waste.
St. Mary's College is transitioning to 100% environmentally responsible Green Seal certified cleaning products.
Goodpaster Hall, an academic building devoted to chemistry, psychology, and educational studies that opened in January 2008, was built to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating of Silver, and is one of few "green" buildings in the state of Maryland.
St. Mary's College's groundskeeping crews implement sustainable practices, including protecting the St. Mary's River by developing green buffer areas, creating green spaces and wildlife habitat, using integrated pest management and minimizing synthetic fertilizers. SMCM has applied to the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.
St. Mary's College is expanding its recycling and composting programs. Student volunteers have been collecting recyclable and compostable material from the residences. Compostable bins will soon be available all across campus.

Energy conservation

By upgrading fixtures, adjusting campus facilities operations and raising the campus community awareness about wasteful energy usage, St. Mary's College is making progress in using energy more efficiently, containing energy expenditures and reducing its impact on the environment.
St. Mary's College students voted to create a Green Energy Fund by raising student fees $25 per year. The purpose of the Green Energy Fund is to purchase Renewable Energy Credits to offset 100% of the College's electricity use and fund renewable energy projects on campus. St. Mary's College received the 2008 EPA Green Power Leadership Club award for their efforts.

Notable alumni