At the crossroads of the campus, the Campus Center offers a wide range of activities and services including dining, meeting rooms, lounges, a café, the campus store, student activity offices and a movie theater. Apartment-style residences opened in 2003, and suite-style student residences opened in 2001, 2003, and 2007 to complement existing townhouse and residence hall student housing. The library, overlooking St. John’s Pond, houses state-of-the-art media and computer centers that serve the needs of students as well as faculty and staff. Academic buildings feature computerized classrooms, modern laboratories, and specialized instructional spaces. Our newest academic building, Goodpaster Hall, opened in January 2008. In the fall of 2008, Parris N. Glendening Hall opened, providing student services, as well as the James P. Muldoon River Center, which expands our waterfront offerings and biological research facilities. To ensure that development preserves the natural beauty and Tidewater charm of the St. Mary’s campus, the College has adopted a campus master plan calling for courtyards, walkways, and gardens that enrich the landscape. In addition, the environmental fragility of its waterfront combined with its historic location inspires the College to approach campus development with special sensitivity to the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the archaeology of Maryland’s 17th-century capital.
Library, Media Center and Archives
The St. Mary’s College library houses a collection of over 200,000 print and electronic items, including books, periodicals, videos, DVDs, CDs and microforms. The Maryland Collection includes books and documents on the state’s history and culture. The College Archives contains unique materials related to the history of the school and region. The library is open seven days per week with extended hours during exams. Study areas include group-study rooms, individual carrels, computer work-stations and audio/video equipped work-stations.The College’s library is a member of USMAI, a state-wide consortium of 16 academic libraries. Direct borrowing of books through this consortium is supplemented by interlibrary loan and document delivery. Networked computer workstations and a pool of laptops provide access to the consortial online catalog and over 120 research databases and full-text online resources. These resources are also accessible from residence halls and from off-campus. The library also maintains a small recreational reading collection in print and on a pool of e-readers.
The Media Center features a digital sound/video production and editing studio, multimedia laboratory, and classrooms equipped for media presentations. The lab provides access to multimedia authoring software, scanners, and other equipment. Digital still and video cameras are available for student use.
Information and technology literacy goals are achieved through the skills outcomes of the Core Curriculum and through classroom and individual instruction by library, archives, and media center staff. Instruction is provided in research techniques, database use, digital equipment use, and multimedia software applications.
Technology
Schaefer Hall
Kent Hall
Goodpaster Hall
Fine Arts Center
Campus Center
The Teddy Turner Waterfront and the James P. Muldoon River Center
The Waterfront and River Center are home to our national championship sailing team and to recreational water sports. Our campus is located on the bend of the St. Mary’s River—an ideal spot for sailing, kayaking, paddling and rowing. The College fleet includes rescue boats, sit-on-top kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, several off-shore racing and cruising boats, racing and recreational sailing dinghies, and rowing shells for the crew program. Among the St. Mary’s alumni are more than 150 all-American sailors, six Olympians, and two Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year. The annual Bamboo Boat Race and the Governor’s Cup Yacht Race are just two of the College’s popular water activities. The waterfront is a psychological as well as physical point of reference for the St. Mary’s community as it provides a favorite place for walks, picnics, conversations, and relaxed studying. Students and alumni agree that one of the most unforgettable sights at St. Mary’s College is the sunset over Horseshoe Bend. And the river becomes an academic resource for students studying marine biology, environmental studies, and much more. The College is the home of the St. Mary’s River Project, an ongoing program scrutinizing the ecology of the river as the population and economy of Southern Maryland grow. Students are an active part of this Project.
The James P. Muldoon River Center includes a main building, a storage facility for crew shells and other water equipment, and a system of piers for docking the fleets of watercraft. Its spectacular scenic location makes this complex one of the most beautiful academic settings in the country.
Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center
St. Mary’s College is committed to supporting a strong intercollegiate athletic program while providing a wide range of intramural and recreational opportunities. In 2005, the College’s athletic complex was renovated and expanded from 55,000 square feet of space to 110,000 square feet. In addition, new tennis courts and a new baseball park accompany playing and practice fields for soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey, and an outdoor track were added. The renovation provides an additional arena for basketball, volleyball, and concerts, a 50-meter pool in addition to the 25-yard pool, improved locker rooms, a rock-climbing wall, a larger weight room, a movement room, and new locker rooms and offices.The varsity athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). Teams include baseball for men, field hockey and volleyball for women, and basketball, cross-country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and tennis for both men and women. Sailing is offered as both a women’s and a co-educational sport. The sailing team competes under the auspices of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) and has ranked in the top ten nationally since 1991, producing 14 national championships. Students also participate in numerous club and intramural sports, including crew, cross-country and track, flag football, golf, mountain biking, offshore sailing, scuba diving, and rugby, to name a few.
Student Residences:
A variety of student housing is available on campus.
- Traditional style: Caroline (coed), Dorchester (male), Prince George (coed), Queen Anne (female)
- North Campus: Lewis Quad (suites, coed), Townhouses (coed and single-sex), Waring Commons (apartments and suites, coed)