Inaugural Celebration Series Features Art Exhibition, Lectures

Chestertown, MD, October 6, 2004 — In anticipation of the Inauguration of Baird Tipson as 26th President of Washington College, the College will host an Inaugural Celebration Series of events to commemorate the values and history of the nation's 10th oldest college. The public is invited to attend.

On Wednesday, October 20, the Washington College Department of Art opens the exhibition “Experienced Eyes: Recent Work by Department of Art Faculty and Alumni.” Featuring a variety of work and artistic media, the exhibition will be open daily to the public, 12 noon to 4 p.m., through November 9.

Also on October 20, the C. V. Starr Center for the American Experience will present “The Religion of the Founding Fathers,” a lecture by David Holmes, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies at The College of William and Mary, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hynson Lounge. Dr. Holmes has authored four books, including a history of the Episcopal Church and the recently published study, The Religion of the Founding Fathers. His talk will take a deeper look at the personal religious beliefs and public religious trends that influenced the Founding Fathers and the birth of our nation.

On Thursday, October 21, Dr. Holmes will connect the historic values of liberal education to the College's contemporary mission in the lecture “Five Truths about Washington College,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Hynson Lounge. Most American colleges exhibit certain abiding themes that define them or serve as models to emulate, observes Dr. Holmes. From the history of Washington College, he has identified five central themes that define the College and its historic mission to Maryland and to the nation. The talk will include a candid assessment of the state of contemporary undergraduate education.

“These lectures offer us a wider perspective on the origins and mission of a college whose legacy began with George Washington, the founder of our republic, and William Smith, the architect of American higher education,” Tipson said. “No doubt, Washington College has a long and inspiring tradition on which to build its future.”