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St. Mary's College of Maryland
Governor's Cup 2008 Photo Contest Winner in Color Category. Photo by Tom Wolff.

SMCM in the News

O'Malley Gives Piscataways State Recognition | Gazette.net, Jan. 9, 2012
To be recognized by the state of Maryland, a tribe must substantiate that it existed continuously since before 1790. In September, a group of archaeologists from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the College of Southern Maryland and a local businessman announced that they had discovered a 17th-century Piscataway Indian fort outside Waldorf in Charles County, giving the Piscataway concrete proof.

Independent Voters on the Rise, But Do They Matter? | ABC News, Jan. 9, 2012
Prof. Todd Eberly is quoted as saying independent voters do indeed matter and do sway elections.

Colleges and suicide prevention: Should schools notify parents of suicide threats? | The Associated Press, Dec. 27, 2011
M.J. Raleigh, director of St. Mary’s counseling services and president of the American College Counseling Association, was quoted in a recent Associated Press article on the responsibilities of a college and a suicidal student. Suicide, the article said, is the second leading cause of death for college students, behind automobile accidents, half the rate of similarly aged people not in college.

The Hour When the Ship Comes In | University Business, January 2, 2012
President Joseph Urgo tells us how he is reminded of Bob Dylan’s “When the Ship Comes In” as he describes the story behind the cruise ship being used as a residence hall here this fall in the magazine University Business.

The Death of the Congressional Committee | Baltimore Sun, Nov. 27, 2011
Political Science Professor Todd Eberly writes in an Op Ed that, in theory, the committee structure is crucial to a functioning Congress. In reality, the committee system is increasingly irrelevant, which contributed to the stunning failure of the debt-cutting super committee.

Could the Next Governor Be from Montgomery County? | Bethesda Magazine, Nov. 14, 2011
Todd Eberly, political science professor at St. Mary’s College and a close observer of state politics, says Peter Franchot is taking the only path readily open to him as he weighs a gubernatorial run.

Staterooms, Not Dorms, All Thanks to Mold | The New York Times, Nov. 14, 2011
Kimberly Fitzgerald, a freshman at St. Mary’s College of Maryland here, loves it when people ask where she lives. “It’s a good story to tell,” she said. That is because Ms. Fitzgerald and 239 schoolmates live on a cruise ship that was converted into student housing after an outbreak of mold shut down two dorms on campus.

Bike Ride across America Helps Friends | Baltimore Sun, Nov. 7, 2011
Two friends, Jonathan Zorn and John Windsor, a recent graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland, raised more than $10,000 for the Johns Hopkins Hospital Eating Disorders Program via a bike ride across the country.

St. Mary's Ship Finally Comes In | The Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2011
Students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, displaced from their residence halls because of a mold outbreak, find a new home: aboard the Sea Voyager. A photo gallery.

Tour the Sea Voyager: The Floating Dorm at St. Mary's College | WUSA 9, Nov. 2, 3011
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (WUSA) -- You know it's not your average college dormitory when you see a baby grand piano in the main common room. "The interior is really, really nice," said Jessica Pilligun, a sophomore at St. Mary's College of Maryland from Rockville. "I was actually shocked when I walked on. I was really excited to be saying that I'm going to be living on this ship for the next six weeks."

All Aboard! Maryland College Students Move to Cruise Ship | Daily Mail/United Kingdom, Oct. 27, 2011
When students enrolled at St Mary's College in Maryland many expected to spend some time on the water at the river front campus, which has produced three Olympic sailors. But for 250 students they are about to see a lot more of the water as they are moved onto a cruise ship to escape mould that has overtaken their dorm rooms.

When the Answer to 'Access of Excellence' Has to Be 'Both' | Chronicle for Higher Education, Oct. 21, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education, in its Oct. 21 issue, details the challenge faced by St. Mary’s as a public honors college, wanting to be affordable while offering a private liberal arts-style education.

Redistricting's Big Losers: Minorities | The Washington Post, Oct. 16, 2011
Maryland’s minority voters are being used like pawns in a game of electoral chess.

Sensible Lines | The (Annapolis) Gazette, Oct. 11, 2011
Todd Eberly, assistant political science professor, is the go-to guy for media lately wanting good analysis on the Maryland voter redistricting efforts. Just this past week, he wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post on how black Marylanders are justifiably concerned. He was quoted in Gazette.com in Montgomery County. The Annapolis paper notes his map makes far more sense.

College Sailing Team Spotlight | Sailing World, October 3, 2011
With a convenient new facility, experienced coaching staff and large fleet of boats, the St. Mary's Seahawks are a powerhouse in college sailing.

Long Sought Zekiah Fort Likely Found | The Baltimore Sun, Sept. 14, 2011
Archaeologists in Southern Maryland say they have solved a mystery that has baffled historians since at least the 1930s. They say they have found Zekiah Fort. Five weeks of digging this spring and summer, led by St. Mary's College of Maryland anthropologist Julia King, have turned up Indian pottery mixed with glass trade beads, arrowheads fashioned from English brass, gun parts and a silver belt hanger for an English sword.

St. Mary’s College aims to cut tuition by 12% | The Enterprise, Sept. 9, 2011
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is proposing to reduce in-state tuition by 12 percent next year as a way to address the high cost of education at the public liberal arts institution. The college is requesting an additional $5 million from the state next fiscal year to allow for the tuition reduction and to offer more need-based financial aid to students.

College to Present Safety Options along Route 5 | The Enterprise, Sept. 9, 2011
St. Mary's College will present options to calm traffic on Route 5 between historic and modern campus. Also, brick building to be moved across Route 5 Sept. 14.

Hall Tilts her Sail for London | ESPNW, August 19, 2011
Alum Farrah Hall ’03, of Annapolis, has a good chance of qualifying for a berth on the U.S. Olympic windsurfing team, a sport she learned during her college years, according to a profile in ESPNW. She next competes in the world championships in Perth, Australia, Dec. 3-18.

Home Sweet Witchott | The Washington Post, August 18, 2011
SMCM students help make a witchott, which will be used in Historic St. Mary's City’s educational program about the Yaocomacos, who were the American Indian residents of the area at the time the English colonists arrived in 1634.

At. St. Mary's College, Students Explore Knotty Math Problems | The Enterprise, July 29, 2011
David Kung’s summer math camp under the Emerging Scholar’s Program was featured in The Enterprise newspaper. About 170 students from across the country applied for the 12 spots to learn knot, game, and graph theory, says Kung, associate math professor.

Melissa Errico Featured in ‘Grand Finale’ | The Enterprise, July 29, 2011
A chat with Broadway star Melissa Errico, who sang at the final River Concert.

Classical Music Unites a Community | New Music Box, July 20, 2011
An article about the universal appeal of the college’s River Concert Series that has been published in New Music Box, the online magazine of the American Music Center, was written by David Froom, chair of the music department. The weekly event draws all sorts of people interested in serious music in an informal setting, he says. The site has wide readership across the U.S.

A Model Redistricting Plan for the State | The Washington Post, July 17, 2011
Todd Eberly, assistant political science professor, wrote the lead column in Sunday’s Opinion page in The Washington Post. He supports a Republican redistricting plan, which he calls a fair representation of the state. However, he says, the Democrats have their own plans.

Redistricting May Pave Way for New Political Landscape | The County Times, July 14, 2011
Todd Eberly, political scientist with the St. Mary's College of Maryland said that the statewide Democrat party got a wake up call in 2010 when the national elections brought Republicans into power in the House of Representatives while causing a near complete GOP takeover of the county commissioner board as well. Page 16.

St. Mary's College Defends its Tuition | Washington Post blog, July 12, 2011
In a letter to the campus community this week, St. Mary's College of Maryland President Joseph Urgo offered some thoughts on why the school was rated the fourth most expensive public college in the nation.

Warm Air, Cool Music: Outdoor Concerts in Southern Maryland | Southern Maryland: This is Living, June 21, 2011
The magazine calls SMCM's River Concert Series "epic concerts" by "the magic touch of local maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag."

There Can Only Be One | The Enterprise, June 22, 2011
History Professor Ken Cohen heads to Greece to help coach the U.S. Special Olympics men's soccer team to hopefully a gold medal in the World Games.

2011 Summer Reading Assignments | examiner.com, June 27, 2011
SMCM's in its fifth year of requiring incoming first year's to read a book during the summer and incorporate it into their learning their first semester. This year's book, "A Human Being Died that Night: A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid."

An Evening at the Summer Palace | Weekend/The Enterprise, June 24, 2011
An interview with Italy's Giuseppe Nova and music director Jeffrey Silberschlag on their friendship and their music.

Colleges that Offer Courses, Choices for Vegetarians | U.S. News and World Report, June 7, 2011
Hamburgers and turkey subs are common stables on college campuses, but some colleges offer a wider selection. St. Mary's even has a campus farm for students to grow produce in connection with the course Books that Cook.

Maddox Cornfield Likely Site of Colonial Governor's Home | SoMdNews.com, June 8, 2011
College professor Julie King and students discover the likely site of Notley Hall, residence of the eighth governor of Maryland.

Schaefer Wills Money to College | The Enterprise, May 20, 2011
Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer's will left $25,000 to the college. Schaefer has a building named after him on campus and had a close relationship with the college.

College Merit Aid Produces Bidding Wars | The Washington Post, May 30, 2011
President Urgo was quoted in a story describing the role of merit aid when parents and students are choosing colleges. "We're wasting billions of dollars nationally competing for kids," he said. "But we can't stop it."

State Calls on St. Mary's College to Ease Up on Tuition | The Enterprise, May 18, 2011
President Urgo says there is strong consensus among the college's trustees and administration to study the issue of affordability, and the role of needs-based and merit-based scholarships.

Officer Kessler Named Officer of the Year | Baynet, May 18, 2011
St. Mary's College Public Safety Officer Christopher Kessler was honored during St. Mary's County Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with one of the county's seven law enforcement agency awards.

Eberly Talks Politics of Maryland Same-Sex Marriage Bill | The Gazette, March 4, 2011
A gay-marriage bill, which was expected to be sure thing in Maryland's House of Delegates, suddenly has a questionable future, as members wait to cast a committee vote. "If you're a proponent of the bill, you certainly don't feel as confident as you did a week ago," said Todd E. Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland. "You've got this pure silliness going on as people are facing the reality of casting a tough vote," Eberly said. If no vote occurs before the weekend, the bill could be in trouble, as religious leaders are afforded extra time to lobby delegates in their congregation, Eberly said.

Kenneth Cohen Quoted in Front-Page Washington Post Article | The Washington Post, March 6, 2011
The Washington Post Article, “Harriet Tubman vs. John Hanson: Statuary Hall Smackdown,” analyzed the ongoing debate to refresh Maryland’s history by emphazising Harriet Tubman at the expense of John Hanson in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol. "He was not exactly an overwhelming choice in the first place," said Kenneth Cohen, a St. Mary's College assistant history professor. Hanson was an important historical figure and worthy of inclusion in the collection, Cohen said - but the homogeneous composition of Maryland's statuary delegation could stand to change.

Aboreturm s Taking Root in St. Mary's City | The Washington Post, March 3, 2011
Lesley Urgo, wife of the president of St. Mary's College of Maryland and a longtime gardener, is promoting the campus and surrounding land as an arboretum. After arriving at the college in the summer, Urgo decided to spearhead a movement to showcase the campus landscape and help ensure that it is protected as part of a waterfront ecosystem. The St. Mary's Arboretum Association is a group made up of college staff members, employees of Historic St. Mary's City and members of the neighboring community, said Urgo, whose husband, Joseph Urgo, became president of St. Mary's College of Maryland last year.

Iron Heart Segment on “Outdoors Maryland” | Maryland Public Television, February 22, 2011
This segment, which premiered on Maryland Public Television’s “Outdoors Maryland” on February 22, 2011, featured the story of how Brian Boyle ’10 journeyed back to life and it documented his experience at the 2010 Eagleman Ironman70.3 triathlon in Cambridge, Maryland. Boyle fought through the effects of Bronchitis and exhaustion to set a personal best time in the race. This race was one step toward his goal of earning a qualifying time for the Ironman World Championship Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon. Boyle is the author of Iron Heart, the first person account of how he miraculously overcame injuries from a horrific car crash.

TFMS Film Series Showcases Alternative Animation | The Enterprise, February 11, 2011
The fourth year of the St. Mary's College of Maryland's annual TFMS Film Series brings us to the genre of alternative animation, a genre the series will not only shed light on, but perhaps clarify and define. The three featured animators — Karen Aqua, James Duesing and Lewis Klahr, in order of their appearances at the college — use vastly different techniques.

Three-part Series on College’s Relationship with Local Community | The Enterprise, Feb 2, Feb 4, Feb 9, 2011
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a state school situated on state land, but its professors and students also make their mark on the surrounding community, and some of its graduates go on to begin their professional lives here. The College’s Masters of Arts in Teaching Program has become a pipeline for teachers in St. Mary’s County schools. St. Mary’s College physics students and faculty have developed a unique relationship with Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Often sharing research interests, the College and PAX River often pool resources. The College’s efforts to protect the St. Mary’s River often extend into the community as well; research done by St. Mary’s in conjunction with the St. Mary’s Rivershed Association is being used to help create a management plan for the river.

Photo of ‘Fences’ Exhibit in The Enterprise | The Enterprise, January 26, 2011
Anna Moseley of Leonardtown, a board member of the Unified Committee of Afro-American Contributions, visits the "Fences" exhibition inside the Boydon Gallery following the UCAC's annual business meeting and Martin Luther King remembrance program.

St. Mary’s Ranks High in Graduation Rate | CBS MoneyWatch, January 31, 2011
Finance journalist Lynn O’Shaughnessy compiled a list of the 25 public colleges and universities with the best four-year graduation rates. St. Mary’s ranks 13th on this list, with a four-year graduation rate of 67 percent.

English Professor Gets Cover of Magazine | Ms. Magazine, June, 2010
Jennifer Cognard-Black's "The Feminist Food Revolution" made the cover of the Summer 2010 issue of Ms. magazine. Cognard-Black is associate professor of English and coordinator of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program.

Raleigh Offers Insight on Psychology of Female Students | The Daily Beast, C-SPAN, January 28, 2011, January 23, 2011
Dr. M.J. Raleigh, director of counseling services, was featured on C-SPAN to talk about the issues of college mental health in America as a director of a college counseling center, a clinical professional, and the incoming American College Counseling Association president. She also was interviewed by The Daily Beast on women students' sensitivity to comments made by authority figures.

Annapolis Sailor Set to Begin His Race around the World | The Baltimore Sun, December 30, 2010
St. Mary's graduate Ryan Breymaier is the only American in the 25,000-mile Barcelona World Race, which begins today and will end in late March.

College Applicants Try to Sharpen Their Profiles with Video Essays | The Washington Post, January 4, 2011
Video essays are becoming a bigger part of the college admissions process. Director of Admissions Rich Edgar is interviewed about the topic.

Class Decides Whether to Donate Professor's Kidney | National Public Radio, January 2, 2011
Most college students write papers and read academic journals as class assignments. But how often does 5 percent of a final grade depend on deciding the fate of the professor's internal organs?

Md. Philosophy Class Gets a Real-World Question: Should Professor Give a Kidney? | The Washington Post, December 24, 2010
Students in Philosophy 380 at St. Mary's College of Maryland received an unusual assignment centered on this question: Should the professor donate a kidney to a stranger?

Paying for Yacht Races and Summer Concerts | The Enterprise, December 15, 2010
The college's president, Joseph Urgo, said last week that "every dollar we commit to an expense" should advance the educational mission of the college. This means that programs that extend beyond the college's academic community could be in jeopardy — including the Governors' Cup Yacht Race and the River Concert Series.

Why I Picked St. Mary's | U.S. News & World Report, November 10, 2010
Senior Lara Southgate discusses her decision to attend St. Mary’s in a recent issue of U.S. News & World Report. “The setting is beautiful, and when students aren’t working, you’re bound to see a few tossing Frisbees past the bell tower or perhaps lobbing footwear up toward the branches of the legendary Shoe Tree, where for years people have celebrated watershed moments on campus. I’ll be sad to leave St. Mary’s College of Maryland, but when I do, I feel that my experiences will have prepared me for whatever comes next.”

Chairman of SMCM's Board of Trustees Wins Sailing's Highest Honor | The Baltimore Sun, November 8, 2010
Jim Muldoon, who calls Annapolis his home port, has been awarded the Nathanael G. Herreshoff and Timothea Larr trophies by U.S. Sailing for his contributions to the sport over many years. Muldoon, a former president of U.S. Sailing and chairman of St. Mary's College of Maryland Board of Trustees, has been a strong advocate of community sailing programs at the grass-roots level, especially in the areas of youth sailing, training and safety. He received the awards at the organization's annual meeting in Phoenix.

Workshops at St. Mary’s on Rain Gardens | The Enterprise, October 13, 2010
A rain garden can help reduce runoff and erosion, and help deal with excess rain water. SMCM alumna Debbie Johnson will help present the two free workshops on rain gardens on Oct. 16, one for the public and one for teachers, at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Johnson, along with Jackie Takacs, watershed restoration specialist for the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program and an instructor at St. Mary's College, will teach participants to design and select plants and give tips on installation and maintenance and explain the environmental benefits of creating such a rain garden.

Oysters Overboard in the St. Mary’s River | The Bay, August 28, 2010
Environmental stewards introduced roughly 450,000 baby oysters to their new home in the St. Mary’s River on a sunny Saturday morning, August 28. The Oyster Restoration Project was led by the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association with the help of a $10,000 grant from Boeing and the energy of several first-year St. Mary’s College of Maryland students, completing the community service portion of their orientation.

College Yearbook Collections Go Digital | The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times, October 4, 2010
Colleges across the United States have been making digital copies of old yearbooks, student newspapers and course catalogs, including St. Mary's.

Music series reflects the personality of its conductor | Southern Maryland Weekend, June 18
In the commercial produced for St. Mary's College of Maryland's 2010 River Concert Series — "Iron Suit" — the actor, Jeffrey Silberschlag, plays himself: artistic director-slash-conductor-slash-head of the music department-slash-trumpet player. He's in some sort of factory, amidst a backdrop of hard rock music, creating a coat of armor ahead of the task of producing-slash-conducting-slash-announcing seven consecutive Friday night concerts on SMCM's Townhouse Green. As the commercial ends, Silberschlag, the man who tonight will bring us composers Samuel Barber and Robert Schumann, asks us comically, "Are you ready? Oh, yeah. It's River Series time!"

New Era and President for St. Mary's College of Maryland | Washington Post, May 31
St. Mary's is a public liberal arts college, one of a handful of tax-funded institutions across the nation with courses and teaching methods that mirror such colleges as Swarthmore and Amherst. At a time when many people are balking at the $40,000 annual cost of attending top private liberal arts schools, this "poor man's Swarthmore" in Southern Maryland is doing a brisk business. Last fall it had one of the busiest admission seasons on record, with 2,400 students vying for fewer than 500 freshman seats at a school with a $13,630 price tag for resident students. Joseph Urgo, who starts July 1 as the school's first new president since 1996, envisions the college as an untapped national model. "It's intriguing, and it works, and it's successful," said Urgo, an administrator at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. "Often, you can be doing something somewhere and not realize it's revolutionary."

Why St. Mary's is the top public liberal arts college for the study of music | Yahoo News, April 30
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010, described as "the best college guide you can buy" lists St. Mary's College of Maryland as one of the best places in the U.S. to study music. It is the only public liberal arts college on the list, which includes colleges like Oberlin, Bard, and Swarthmore. Its faculty and philosophy are the reasons why. Just last month three members of the SMCM music faculty received glowing reviews in the New York Times and The Washington Post. Pianists Eliza Garth and Brian Ganz, along with two percussionists, "offered a mesmerizing performance" said the New York Times. The Washington Post reviewed a performance including works by SMCM composer David Froom of "atmospheric and colorful love songs."

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