Celebrating the Inauguration of the Eighth President of
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Rhonda G. Phillips,
Ph.D., FAICP
Please join us, as we formally inaugurate President Phillips
April 17, 2026
Dodge Performing Arts Center Concert Hall
on The College Campus
Rhonda G. Phillips, Ph.D., FAICP, was announced as the 8th president of St. Mary's College of Maryland on April 22, 2025, and assumed her duties on July 1, 2025.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is the National Public Honors College and the Highest-Ranked Civilian Public Liberal Arts College
About SMCM
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), the National Public Honors College, is a diverse and engaged community of scholars providing an accessible, transformative and experiential liberal arts and sciences education, setting the unrivaled standard in excellence, integrity and social responsibility.
Founded in 1840 as a monument to the establishment of the state of Maryland, the College is located on the banks of the St. Mary’s River at the site of Maryland’s first capital at Historic St. Mary’s City. The College was designated as Maryland’s public honors college by the General Assembly in 1992 – the first standalone public honors college in the US. Ranked the No. 5 national public liberal arts college by U.S. News & World Report – behind four military academies – the College sits highly placed on a variety of “best-of” lists from publications such as The Princeton Review, Forbes and Niche.com.
Our ethos – the St. Mary’s Way – is inherently linked to the spirit of tolerance and sense of place that is St. Mary’s City. Our community believes in sustaining our natural environment that feeds the Chesapeake Bay; cultivates a culture of tolerance and respect for others; and fosters a spirit of lifelong learning, caring and service.
SMCM enrolls some 1,600 students on a 361-acre residential campus. Students choose from more than 60 undergraduate programs and participate in over 70 club activities. A member of NCAA Division III, the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association, SMCM fields 23 varsity men’s and women’s athletic teams. The College has won the United East Conference’s Presidents’ Trophy for highest athletic performance for three years in a row, and has produced 17 national sailing championships and more than 150 sailing All-Americans.
Schedule of Events
Tuesday April 14
Jamie L. Roberts Stadium
Spirit Game
Come out and support the Seahawks as we kick off the inauguration week with pride and community spirit!
Thursday April 16
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Dodge Performing Arts Center Concert Hall
Excellence Reimagined: Honors Colleges in the Future of Liberal Arts Education
Join us for a faculty panel on how to bridge the gap between traditional academic rigor and future-focused skill development, ensuring Honors programs remain transformative centers of learning. Featuring SMCM professors Tristan Cai (Art), Andrew Cognard-Black (Sociology), and Elizabeth Hamman (Biology), the panel will be moderated by Dr. Nicola Foote, Dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College at University of Pittsburgh and renowned expert in honors education.
RSVP Requested
Friday April 17
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Dodge Performing Arts Center Concert Hall
Inauguration Ceremony
Choral music featuring SMCM students in the Atrium of the Dodge Performing Arts Center during event seating, 2:15-2:45. Directed by Assistant Professor of Music Brittany Johnson.
The ceremony, rich with academic tradition, includes the investiture of the presidential medallion and an inaugural address focused on fostering innovation and community engagement. Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District will be the keynote speaker.
Event performance by the SMCM Jazz Trio, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Ellington Carthan.
RSVP Requested
Friday April 17
immediately following ceremony
Dodge Performing Arts Center Lobby
Inauguration Reception
Guests are cordially invited to celebrate the inauguration of our 8th president and the next chapter of St. Mary’s College of Maryland! Enjoy a festive reception featuring light refreshments in the Dodge Performing Arts Center Lobby, student performances under the tent on the lobby lawn and an opportunity to congratulate President Rhonda Phillips.
RSVP Requested
Photography & Recording Notice
Please note that photographs, video and audio recordings may be taken during this event. By attending, you consent to the use of your image, likeness and voice by
St. Mary’s College of Maryland for educational, promotional and archival purposes, in any medium, without compensation.
Keynote Speaker Congressman Steny H. Hoyer
Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) represents Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. He will retire from Congress at the current 119th session. For Maryland’s Fifth District, Hoyer has championed economic development and job creation, helping to create and save nearly 23,000 jobs by supporting federal facilities and associated businesses located in and around the Fifth District, including NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the FDA at White Oak, and the future NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park. He has been a member of the College’s Board of Trustees since 1995 and continues to serve.
How to get here
St. Mary’s waterfront campus is located 75 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. and 97 miles south of Baltimore on a peninsula bounded by the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
The College is located in St. Mary's County adjacent to the historic site of St. Mary's City (1634), the original capital of Maryland and the fourth oldest permanent settlement in British North America.
The thriving city of Lexington Park, home to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, is 8 miles from campus; Leonardtown, the county seat, is 16 miles north of campus.
Online map services and GPS systems do not always provide accurate routes to the campus. If you plan on using a GPS system, or an online map service, please use the following address:
St. Mary's College of Maryland47645 College Drive
St. Mary's City, MD
20686
By Air
St. Mary's is within 2 hours by car from three major airports. From Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), follow airport signs to I-97 South and the driving directions from Baltimore below. From Reagan National (DCA) airport and Dulles International (IAD) airport, follow the driving directions from Washington, D.C. below.
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA): 70 miles
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD): 99 miles
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): 87 miles
By Car
From the North:
Baltimore: Take I-97 South to MD Route 3 South in Bowie, Maryland. Follow Rte. 3 / 301 South to MD Route 4 South in Upper Marlboro. Take Rte. 4 South through Prince Frederick and cross the Thomas Johnson Bridge at Solomon's Island. Approximately 3 miles after crossing the bridge turn left at the first traffic light onto MD Route 235 South. Travel 4.5 miles through Lexington Park, turning right onto Shangri La Drive at stop light (about 1000 feet past the Comfort Inn). Proceed through the next traffic light. Bear left at the fork in the road on Willows Road and drive 3 miles to the stop sign at MD Route 5 South (Point Lookout Rd.). Turn left and continue 4 miles to the College.
Annapolis: Follow MD Rte. 2 South from Annapolis until it dead-ends with MD Rte. 4 South. Take Rte. 4 South and cross the Thomas Johnson Bridge at Solomon's Island. Approximately 3 miles after crossing the bridge turn left at the first traffic light onto MD Route 235 South. Travel 4.5 miles through Lexington Park, turning right onto Shangri La Drive at stop light (about 1000 feet past the Comfort Inn). Proceed through the next traffic light. Bear left at the fork in the road on Willows Road and drive 3 miles to the stop sign at MD Route 5 South (Point Lookout Rd.). Turn left and continue 4 miles to the College.
Washington, D.C.: Take the Capital Beltway (I-495/95) to Exit 11A for MD Route 4 South. Follow Rte. 4 through Prince Frederick and cross the Thomas Johnson Bridge at Solomon's Island. Approximately 3 miles after crossing the bridge turn left at the first traffic light onto MD Route 235 South. Travel 4.5 miles through Lexington Park, turning right onto Shangri La Drive at stop light (about 1000 feet past the Comfort Inn). Proceed through the next traffic light. Bear left at the fork in the road on Willows Road and drive 3 miles to the stop sign at MD Route 5 South (Point Lookout Rd.). Turn left and continue 4 miles to the College.
From the South:
Richmond: Take US Route 301 North over the Potomac River Bridge. Turn right at the second set of blinking lights onto MD Route 234. Follow Rte. 234 approximately 23 miles to where it ends at MD Route 5. Turn right (south) on Rte. 5, traveling through Leonardtown, and continue 15 miles to St. Mary's College The campus is located on Route 5.
Accommodations
For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at select hotels for event attendees. These accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage guests to make their reservations early, as availability is limited. Booking details, including hotel locations, can be found below.
St. Mary's County Visitor's Guide
Discover all that St. Mary’s County has to offer, from historic landmarks to beautiful waterfront views. This guide will help you explore the area and find places to visit throughout the county.
About President Phillips
President Rhonda Phillips earned her bachelor’s degree of geography and her master’s degree of economic development at the University of Southern Mississippi. She applied those degrees to her first professional positions with the City of Birmingham, Alabama, then at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the International Development Research Council. She earned a M.S. Economics degree and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology—the first woman to earn that doctorate. Dr. Phillips returned to the University of Southern Mississippi for her first academic professional position, as Director of the Community Planning Program in the Department of Geography and Economic Development. She gained further academic experience at Arizona State University, then as founding Dean of the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University as well as Professor of Agricultural Economics. As President of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Dr. Phillips helped stabilize the future of that historic institution.
During her academic career President Phillips was named a three-time Fulbright recipient including as a UK Ulster Policy Fellow in Northern Ireland; a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners; and a Fellow of the American Council on Education. President Phillips is a passionate advocate for the vital roles of honors learning; the liberal arts, sciences, fine arts, and athletics; and interdisciplinary teaching and research within academies of higher education. She is a dedicated advocate for the vital contribution of higher education to the personal growth and career development of her students—as well as the social, economic, and environmental progress of our communities. She seeks to exemplify those values within her own teaching, research, and academic leadership as President of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Questions?
Have questions about the inauguration or need more information? We’re here to help. Please contact the Inauguration Planning Committee at inauguration2026@smcm.edu or call (240) 895-4888. For updates and additional details, continue to check this page as the event approaches.