SMCM Seeks Input Feb. 15 on Final Route 5 Design Concepts

 (St. Mary’s City, MD) Feb. 2, 2012—St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Capital Design Advisory Committee (CDA) seek community feedback Wednesday, Feb. 15, on final design concepts for the Route 5 safety and traffic-calming project bordering the campus. The CDA, a joint committee of the college and Historic St. Mary’s City, will host an open house 4-6 p.m. that day at the college’s Glendening Annex and a public meeting 7-8 p.m. in Cole Cinema at the Campus Center. For more information, see www.smcm.edu/cda or call 240-895-4412.

An Evening of Show-stopping Tunes

 (St. Mary’s City, MD) February 2, 2012—Do the popular Broadway tunes get your toes a-tapping? Then, come to “Double ‘A’ Cabaret” to hear St. Mary’s College of Maryland students’ renditions of such familiar songs as “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” from “Showboat” and “Maria” from “West Side Story” at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, and again Saturday, Feb. 18, in the college’s Montgomery Hall, room 25. The evenings are free, thanks to a gift from Arthur Zamanakos, so audiences can enjoy the music he and his wife, Alice Fleury Zamanakos, loved during their storybook marriage.

Learn to Prune Shrubs/Trees at Workshop Feb. 18

(St. Mary’s City, MD) February 2, 2012—When should you call in a tree professional, and when can you do the pruning yourself? That and other home landscape issues will be taught in a free public pruning workshop from 10-noon Saturday, Feb. 18, hosted by the St. Mary’s Arboretum Association. You can choose to participate in a beginning pruning session that focuses on either shrubs or trees or an advanced pruning session on trees. Meet at the State House parking lot at Historic St. Mary’s City. See the arboretum website for details: www.smcm.edu/arboretum/index.html.

A Reading of Protest Poetry

(St. Mary’s City, MD) February 2, 2012—Jeffrey Coleman, associate English professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, will read from his just-published anthology, “Words of Protest, Words of Freedom,” the first comprehensive collection of poems inspired by the American civil rights era, at 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in Daugherty-Palmer Commons. Refreshments will be served following the public reading, part of the college’s annual VOICES Reading Series.

Recognizing Bird’s Song

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 31, 2012— The planet is a noisy place, and birds can have just as much difficulty hearing and understanding each others' songs as people can have understanding each other in a crowded restaurant. Bernard Lohr, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, will discuss this phenomenon in a public lecture at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, in Schaefer Hall 106 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Film Studies American Dream of Owning a Home

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 31, 2012—Social anthropologist and filmmaker Jenny Cool will screen her film, “Home Economics,” and then take questions at 8:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Cole Cinema in the college’s Campus Center as part of the college’s 2012 film series, Out of Bounds: Feminist Films and Filmmakers.

Chopin Preview at St. Mary’s College!

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 27, 2012—Pianist Brian Ganz will play an all-Chopin program at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at Auerbach Auditorium at St. Mary’s Hall, a run-through of the program he will play at the Music Center at Strathmore Feb. 11, as he continues his quest to play every piece Chopin composed.

Medical Care during Crisis Situations

(St. Mary’s City, MD) Jan. 27, 2012 – The U.S. executive director of Doctors Without Borders, Sophie Delaunay, this year’s Senior Nitze Fellow at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, will give the second of three talks at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the college’s Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall. Known globally as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Doctors Without Borders organization was created by doctors and journalists in 1971 to send volunteer medical help to people threatened by disease and war in more than 60 countries. The talk and a reception right after are free and open to the public.

Feminist Films and Women Filmmakers

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 24, 2012—St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s fifth annual film series, Out of Bounds: Feminist Films and Filmmakers, will focus on the work of women filmmakers and women's filmmaking collectives. It kicks off with Yun Suh, who will screen her film "City of Borders" at 8:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, in Cole Cinema in the college’s Campus Center, and answer questions afterwards.

Pioneer of Underground Comics to Visit St. Mary’s College

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 24, 2012—Denis Kitchen, pioneer of underground comics and pop culture and founder of the Kitchen Sink Press, publisher of some of the most innovative comics for 30 years, shares his stories in a public lecture at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, in Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He will describe a period when comics became a vital part of the American counterculture and tested the limits of freedom of expression.

SMCM Hosts MLK Prayer Breakfast

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 17, 2012— Speakers at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast Monday, January 16, urged the audience to use the spirit of King to affect change, both at home and more broadly during this election year. The eighth annual breakfast in the college’s J. Frank Raley Great Room included speeches by Congressman Steny Hoyer and keynote speaker Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq., national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, and uplifting music by the Spring Ridge Middle School Rhythm Club, the St. Mary’s College Gospel Choir, and First Missionary Baptist Church Youth Choir.

SMCM Photo Exhibition Goes on the Road

 (St. Mary’s City, MD) January 13, 2012—An exhibition of stunning photographs of atmospheric conditions conceived and produced by St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Boyden Gallery’s Director, Mary Braun, and Dr. Charles Adler, St. Mary’s physics professor, opened this week at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia. “The Atmosphere Exposed:  Photographs of Halos, Mirages, Iridescent Clouds… and more!” began as a juried exhibition of photos taken by scientists, meteorologists, and amateur photographers in conjunction with the 10^th International Light and Color in Nature conference held at the college in June 2010.

Artistic Solutions to Environmental Problems: New SMCM Exhibition

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 9, 2012—Whether it is a floating island in a water treatment plant’s lagoon or a walking trail that absorbs stormwater runoff, a new exhibition coming to Boyden Galley at St. Mary’s College of Maryland Jan. 23- March 2 showcases artists’ plans to tackle environmental problems in public spaces. The show, “Remediate/Re-vision: Public Artists Engaging the Environment,” reflects settings as diverse as parks, waterfronts, water treatment facilities, and city roofs. The public is invited to a reception and presentation at 4:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at the gallery in the college’s Montgomery Hall. The Boyden Gallery is free and open to the public 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. For directions and further information, see http://www.smcm.edu/boydengallery or call 240-895-4246.

VOICES Poetry Reading

(St. Mary’s City, MD) Jan. 9, 2012—To kick off the spring semester of St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s VOICES Reading Series, Josè Ballesteros, associate professor of Spanish at St. Mary’s, will read from his works at 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in Daugherty-Palmer Commons. Refreshments will be served after the reading.

Open Auditions for SMCM’s Spring Production Jan. 18

 (St. Mary’s City, MD) January 4, 2012—Auditions for St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s  final show of the 2011-2012 theater season, “The Big Picture App?,” will be held Wednesday, January 18, from 4-6:30 p.m. in the Bruce Davis Theater, Montgomery Hall Fine Arts Center, on the campus. Callbacks will be Friday, January 20, from 3-5 p.m. Performance dates are March 29-April 1 and April 5-7.

Two from St. Mary’s College of Maryland Elected to State Humanities Board

(St. Mary’s City, MD) January 3, 2012—Joseph R. Urgo, president and professor of English at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and Michael S. Glaser, professor emeritus at St. Mary's and former Poet Laureate of Maryland, were elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Maryland Humanities Council.  

Eighth Annual MLK Prayer Breakfast Jan. 16

 (St. Mary’s City, MD) Dec. 21, 2011— Dr. E. Faye Williams, national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, will be the keynote speaker of the eighth annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Starting at 6 a.m. in the college’s J. Frank Raley Great Room at the Campus Center with breakfast, the event itself begins at 8 a.m. and includes performances by the choirs of First Missionary Baptist Church, Spring Ridge Middle School, and the college’s Black Student Union. Breakfast tickets are $8.50 and are available at the door. Early arrival is recommended as space is limited; advanced registration is not required.

Cruise Ship, Temporary Home to SMCM Students, Heads Back to Sea

(St. Mary’s City, MD) Dec. 19, 2011—Large cables were slipped off pilings at the Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC) pier Sunday, Dec. 18, and with that the cruise ship, the Sea Voyager, was headed down the St. Mary’s River and back to sea after nearly two months’ service as temporary housing for 240 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The students were moved to campus vacancies and to the floating dorm while recurring mold was remediated from their residence halls.

St. Mary’s College President and Spouse Commit $100,000 to Upcoming Comprehensive Campaign

(St. Mary’s City, MD) December 9, 2011— The President of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Joseph R. Urgo, and his wife, Lesley Dretar Urgo, commit $100,000 to the College’s upcoming comprehensive campaign. This new commitment will bring their total financial support of the College to $120,000, including a prior gift of $20,000.

Ganz Performs Solo Dec. 8

St. Mary’s City, MD) Nov. 30, 2011—Pianist Brian Ganz will give a solo recital at 8 p.m. Thursday. Dec. 8, in Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall, St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Music will include works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin.