(St. Mary's City, MD) December 1, 2009 - St. Mary's College of Maryland junior Brittany Sigley, of Mount Airy, Maryland, was appointed to be one of two Martin E. Sullivan Museum Scholars, part of the Museum Studies Program at the college.  This year, Sigley will work at the college's Boyden Gallery to promote program outreach. 

"I feel energized about museums and cannot wait to begin my internship," said Sigley.  "I know that my experience with the Boyden Gallery this year will help lay the foundation for future internships and study-abroad opportunities."

"Brittany Sigley brings a wealth of enthusiasm and talent to her work at the Boyden Gallery," said gallery director Mary Braun.  "Working in a college art gallery allows her to broaden and perfect the skills she will use as she moves on to larger museums in the future."

The Martin E. Sullivan Museum Scholars Program is designed for highly motivated students who plan to pursue a career in museums, public history, or historic preservation. Sullivan Museum Scholars enjoy a wide range of opportunities to explore the method and theory of these three fields in real-world settings, including funded assistantships and internships, special field trips, seminars, and study-abroad programs. 

The Martin E. Sullivan Museum Scholars Program was created to recognize the contributions of  former Historic St. Mary's City executive director Martin E. Sullivan in the development of the College's Museum Studies Program. Dr. Sullivan is a nationally recognized museum professional whose career in museums spans East, West; art, history; old, and new. Dr. Sullivan is currently the director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery.

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, Kiplinger's, and The Princeton Review. 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).