FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Press Release #08-231

Countywide Survey Results Show Positive Response to SMCM
Nine Out of Ten People Say College Is Good Neighbor

(St. Mary’s City, MD) Dec. 3, 2008—A survey of St. Mary’s County residents conducted in November by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies for St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) to gauge community attitudes toward the college yielded useful feedback for the school. The survey results show that 90 percent of county residents polled have an overall favorable opinion of the college. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they or a family member have taken a class at SMCM within the past year, with 93 percent responding that they “would be proud to have a family member attend” SMCM. The response to questions on events attended outside the classroom shows that about 50 percent of those surveyed have been to one or more cultural events at SMCM in the past year.

The response to the following questions reflected well on how most citizens view the college’s relationship with its local community. Ninety percent of those surveyed agreed that the college is “a good neighbor to the residents of St. Mary’s County.” Almost 80 percent agreed that SMCM is an “environmentally friendly and sensitive institution.” Ninety-six percent of respondents agreed that SMCM is an “important educational institution in St. Mary’s County.”

When asked if SMCM provides “important contributions to the cultural offerings” of the county, 92 percent responded favorably. Almost half have attended a concert in the past year and 20 percent said they’ve attended a lecture at SMCM during that time. Ninety percent of county residents agree that SMCM adds to the quality of life in the county.

“We conducted this survey to find out what the citizens of St. Mary’s County think of the college’s relationship with the community. We know our record—exceptional community programs and an excellent record on the environment. Sustainability awards from the U.S. Green Building Council and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership attest to this. So we took the time to understand what the attitude of our community is really. Nine out of ten people surveyed said SMCM is a good neighbor, and we do well offering educational and cultural opportunities for both the campus and local communities,” said SMCM President Jane Margaret O’Brien.

“Whether by bringing known musicians here through the River Concert Series like country music star Suzy Bogguss or by inviting prominent guest speakers such as Tom Brokaw, our goal is to continue to add to the quality of life in our community. And we’ll continue to listen and to improve, and we welcome community feedback,” O’Brien said.  

Only six percent of survey respondents disagreed with the statement that SMCM “students participate in public service activities in the local community.” Examples of involvement in the community include a group of students who visit residents of the Bayside Nursing Home in Lexington Park, Maryland, every week and those involved in volunteering at the local soup kitchens. A Thanksgiving food drive this year, for example, resulted in SMCM students delivering 350 pounds of food, enough for about 20 families, to the Southern Maryland Food Bank.

Other survey results show that 18 percent of community members questioned have attended an athletic event at the college or have used the SMCM library. Thirteen percent have used the college’s athletic facilities.

Among the five colleges in the state tested, St. Mary’s County residents rated SMCM the highest. The college had a mean average of 7.99 on a scale of 1 to 10 with regard to academic quality when compared to other colleges in the state. The other colleges ranking below SMCM, in order of rank, are University of Maryland at College Park, Towson State University, Salisbury University and Loyola College.

The poll by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. was conducted between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11. A total of 403 St. Mary’s County residents, 18 years of age or older, were interviewed by telephone. The margin of error is no more than plus or minus five percentage points for the entire sample. The full survey may be viewed at www.smcm.edu. Click on the link identified to see the results.

Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies is a ten-year-old polling and market research firm based in Annapolis, Maryland. Gonzales Research works with public and private clients, from large corporations and government agencies to small businesses and associations. The firm has conducted surveys nationally and statewide. The firm’s political and issue-oriented polls are widely cited by the Associated Press, the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. Clients include the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Maryland State Teachers Association, the Carroll County Board of Education and Kaiser Permanente.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Kiplinger’s. Founded in 1840 as Maryland’s “monument school” commemorating the state’s first capital, SMCM is the state’s only public honors college, offering “an Ivy-level College with a public-school price tag” (Newsweek).

Some 2,000 students attend the college, which has the highest graduation rate for all Maryland public colleges and universities, and an SAT average for student admissions of 1252. The school’s waterfront campus along the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland is home to the 2007 National Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s, Sloop and Team champions.