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Dear Student:
As the summer progresses, I’ve had an opportunity to reflect a little on my first year as dean of students at St.
Mary’s College. During the 2007-08 academic year, I have been enriched by and enjoyed my interactions
with students, faculty, and staff. St. Mary’s students are bright, engaged, and entertaining. I want to
congratulate the returning students from last year on a successful year full of initiatives that benefited
students and the College as a whole. You provide the incoming class with an excellent example of
constructive engagement.
On behalf of the College I want to welcome you to a community of faculty, students, and staff committed to
the liberal arts. We spend our time in academic pursuits and in healthy, life-enhancing activities.
Communities like St. Mary’s exist only with an agreement to participate fully in all that we offer and a
willingness to uphold community standards. We need your help to ensure that our community thrives.
The College has been working over the past year to refine our emergency response procedures. A new Web
page focusing on emergency response information will be launched prior to your arrival on campus in
August. The siren to alert those outside of buildings to emergencies has been installed. A simple, seven-step
emergency response procedure has been created to guide each student, faculty, or staff member in every
emergency situation or incident:
More information and training will come.
Please remember that To The Point (the Student Handbook) is an excellent resource to help you understand responsibilities of living in the St. Mary’s College community. In the handbook you will find statements of our values, listed as policies; information about the Student Government Association; and what to do in case of emergencies. We designed the booklet to be small so that information is readily accessible and clear. I encourage you to read To The Point and keep it handy. I also encourage you to review the Web pages of College offices since many of them contain important and timely information for you.
It is never too early to begin to plan how you will maximize your St. Mary’s education by studying abroad. St. Mary’s offers an array of opportunities to internationalize your undergraduate experience. Especially exciting are programs the College operates in the following: Oxford, England; Alba, Italy; The Gambia, West Africa; and Payap University in Thailand. One can study for a semester in these venues for approximately the same cost as a semester at St. Mary’s. The experiences our students have had studying abroad have changed their lives and often lead to important career and life decisions for the future. But this will only happen if you begin to plan for your experience now. I urge you to speak with your adviser and to seek advice from the Office of International Education to begin planning for your international experience.
The Office of Career Services has recently come under the direction of Dana Van Abbema, who, as a former member of the Psychology Department, already knows our students well. Her vision for the office reflects her background in developmental psychology as well as her knowledge of contemporary approaches to post- secondary career development. A central component of this vision is outreach to students during their first year through both group programming and individual advising. Certainly the staff at the Career Center can assist you if and when the time comes for you to “find a job” -- but they also help you explore majors and occupations, identify relevant resources and opportunities, and create a plan for the future. So stop by 113/119 Anne Arundel...the sooner, the better.
The College will continue to advance sustainability programs in the coming year. We have redeployed one position in the Office of Facilities as a sustainability coordinator and have hired recent graduates Rachel Clements and Meredith Epstein as “sustainability fellows.” This team will work with Professor Randy Larsen, the Sustainability Committee, and the entire campus community to build on the extraordinary successes of the past year. Major focus will be placed on further reducing campus consumption of energy resources that will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but also reduce expenses in a time when utility costs continue to rise rapidly.
We are excited that two new buildings will be completed this fall to enhance student experiences. The River Center is anticipated to open in September. After you arrive, we will continue to ensure that access to the waterfront is maintained until construction activity is complete. We hope that the new facility will greatly enhance waterfront access and become an attractive space for all students to enjoy. Glendening Hall will also be completed this fall, where many frequently used administrative offices will be found under one roof: registrar, financial aid, business office, residence life, career services, academic affairs, and international education.
I hope that all of you, both new and returning students, have many opportunities to engage in creative and challenging academic endeavors, thoughtful interpersonal growth and development, and social activities that provide fun and lifelong memories. Faculty and staff are ready to assist you in celebration or crisis. The Dean of Students office can be reached at x4208, and our office is located in Campus Center 143.
We are excited to be opening another academic year that is certain to hold many new challenges. I extend my best wishes for a most successful year to you.
All good things,
Laura A. Bayless, Ph.D.
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18952 E. Fisher Rd
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001
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