Hodson Trust Awards More Than $4.5 Million to Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Washington College has been awarded more than $4.5 million in grants from the Hodson Trust and the Hodson Scholarship Foundation - among the largest cumulative awards Washington College's largest donor has ever presented to the school.

The gift, totaling $4,614,129, consists of $3,578,759 from the Hodson Trust and $1,035,370 from the Hodson Scholarship Foundation.

"For many decades, the Hodson Trust has played a critical role in the growth of our institution and the success of generations of our students," said Baird Tipson, President of the College. "In addition to building upon existing scholarship endowments, this year's awards herald the start of two new initiatives - scholarship support for Maryland veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and a shared fellowship with the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, the greatest academic library for early Americana. We are grateful for the Hodson Trust's special commitment to four of Maryland's premier independent institutions of higher education." Three other Maryland institutions - Hood College, St. John's College and the Johns Hopkins University - also received Hodson Trust grants.

In its current gift to Washington College, the Trust has designated $78,759 to support the first three Hodson Trust Star Scholarships (awarded to Maryland veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts) and $305,894 to fund current minority and general merit scholarships. The grant also provides a $729,477 addition to the Hodson Scholarship Foundation endowment, $2.5 million to the Hodson Trust Merit Scholarship Endowment, and $1 million to endow a Hodson Trust-John Carter Brown Library Fellowship affiliated with Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

The Hodson Trust was established by the family of Colonel Clarence Hodson, founder of the Beneficial Corporation, to support excellence in education. Since 1920, the Hodson Trust has given more than $198.2 million to fund academic merit scholarships as well as research grants, technology improvements, facilities, library expansion, athletic programs, faculty salaries and endowment funds at the four Maryland schools. For information about the Hodson Trust, visit www.hodsontrust.org.

December 5, 2007

Washington College's Dr. Kathryn Moncrief Is Co-Editor of Newly Published Book on English Drama

Chestertown, MD — Dr. Kathryn M. Moncrief, Chair of the Department of English at Washington College, is the co-editor and a contributing author of Performing Maternity in Early Modern England, newly released by the England-based Ashgate Publishing Company.

The book is a collection of essays that explore the literary, cultural and historical aspects of maternity from 1540 to 1690 in plays and other texts—including midwifery manuals, medical guides and diaries from the period. It features writings by several top scholars in the field, including Dr. Moncrief and her co-editor, Dr. Kathryn R. McPherson of Utah Valley State College.

Drs. Moncrief and McPherson co-authored the book's opening essay, "Embodied and Enacted: Performances of Maternity in Early Modern England." Dr. Moncrief also authored "'Show me a child begotten of thy body that I am father to': Pregnancy, Paternity and the Problem of Evidence in All's Well That Ends Well," another essay featured in the book.

Performing Maternity in Early Modern England isn't the only collaborative effort of Drs. Moncrief and McPherson; they also are currently leading a Shakespeare Association research seminar, "Gender and Instruction in Early Modern England," and have begun work on a book on the same topic.

The various writings and projects all reflect Dr. Moncrief's specialties in research as well as the classroom: early modern English drama (Shakespeare and his contemporaries), 16th- and 17th-century English literature and culture, and women in early modern England, among other subjects.

Dr. Moncrief received her B.A. from Doane College, her M.A. from the University of Nebraska, and her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She became Chair of the Washington College Department of English in the summer of 2007.

December 5, 2007

Exhibition of Artworks by Washington College's Ray Noll on View in Pennsylvania Capital

Harrisburg, PA — An exhibition of recent paintings and drawings by Washington College Lecturer in Art Ray Noll is currently on view at the ABC Art Gallery in Harrisburg, PA. "Viva Italia!" opened November 24 and will run through January 26, 2008.

Most of the art, reflecting Italian influences, has been completed in the past four years and has never been exhibited or made available for sale until now.

The gallery is part of the Appalachian Brewing Company, a popular microbrewery that attracts large crowds and supports the arts with its cavernous second-floor exhibit gallery. Visitors enjoy great food, handcrafted lagers, and the chance to peruse and acquire artworks. During the busy weeks of the Christmas season the art gallery hosts an average of 500 people a week.

Noll, who in addition to teaching art is a Design and Multimedia Associate in the Office of College Relations and Marketing, traveled to Italy for three consecutive summers with his wife, Dr. Deb Marciano, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Elementary Education at Washington College. "Deb is nearly fluent in Italian and her language ability allowed us to rent cars and stay in remote places few tourists visit," said Noll. "Visiting Italy for the first time at mid-life felt like a homecoming of sorts — all the pieces of the visual puzzle of Western art suddenly made sense or at least had a tangible reference point. I had arrived at the source. It was a richer experience than I ever imagined."

Noll took inspiration from the deep-rooted artistic environment and the result was a series of paintings and drawings featuring Italian themes and influences. "These works of art are intended to capture the vibrant pulse of Italy's present while honoring centuries of artistic traditions that form the legacy of Western culture."

The Appalachian Brewing Company and its ABC Art Gallery are located at 50 North Cameron Street in Harrisburg. For more information, call 717/221-1080.

December 4, 2007

Washington College's Dr. Lauren Littlefield Wins 2007 Maryland Psychology Teacher of the Year Award

Chestertown, MD — Washington College is pleased to announce that Dr. Lauren Littlefield, Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology, has won the Maryland Psychology Teacher of the Year Award presented by the Maryland Psychological Association.

"With the 2007 Maryland Psychology Teacher of the Year Award, we recognize a psychologist who has demonstrated excellence, dedication and innovation in teaching undergraduate students in psychology," said Grady Dale Jr., President of the Maryland Psychological Association. "We have had the pleasure of seeing at first hand Dr. Littlefield's excellence in teaching."

Last spring, Dr. Littlefield's thesis students swept top honors for Washington College, winning first and second prizes at the Maryland Psychological Association's 2007 Ocean City Institute. They won for their projects on emotional intelligence in children with reading disorder and on the psychological underpinnings of identity status in college students.

"In fact, the judges had a difficult time," said Dale, "since all her students' presentations were excellent, demonstrating a high level of learning using sophisticated methods of research — an obvious outgrowth of Dr. Littlefield's work, concern and care for them."

Receiving the coveted award "really makes me proud," said Dr. Littlefield, "but I don't attribute it all to myself." When she was presented the award at a ceremony outside Baltimore last month, "I dedicated it to three groups of people," she said. "First, my parents and my husband, who've always been there to support me. Second, I dedicated it to my teaching mentors at Washington College [Dr. George Spilich and Dr. James Siemen]. Third, I dedicated it to my students. I enjoy working with them — we're like a team, and they're a great team to be a part of. They're bright and they challenge me to keep my teaching interesting and contemporary."

Dr. Littlefield herself is a Washington College alumna (Class of 1991); she went on to get her master's and doctoral degrees at Drexel University, and continued with post-doctoral training at the University of Virginia and the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.

Joining the Washington College faculty in 1998 was like coming home, said Dr. Littlefield. "I was inspired by the quality of education I got here, and I wanted to give back."

November 30, 2007