Higher Education Commission Awards Major Grant to Washington College for GIS Training Programs

Chestertown, MD — Washington College is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $164,511 from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to provide Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) technology training to members of the state's work force affected by Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

In addition to the BRAC Higher Education Grant, Washington College also has been awarded $10,500 from county economic development offices to provide GIS training for teachers and students in Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties. Washington College has also partnered with Chesapeake College, the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board, and the Regional Higher Education Center to deliver GIS training to members of the adult workforce in our region to help prepare them for possible BRAC employment.

"Maryland's colleges and universities are the catalysts of our workforce," said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. "...These programs will keep Maryland on the path to progress as we continue the work to prepare for BRAC."

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been identified as one of the top 10 high-growth career fields by the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has identified a serious shortage of skilled workers required to support our nation's national defense needs. In Maryland, the Governor's Workforce Investment Board has identified GIS as having a shortage of skilled workers.

These organizations recognize the need to increase the number of youth with interest and knowledge in this STEM related field. In addition, there is a recognized need to train current BRAC employees in GIS.

Washington College is uniquely positioned to address these needs: its GIS Program, run by the Center for Environment & Society, is recognized both statewide and regionally as a leader in the field.

"The Center for the Environment and Society and the GIS Program at Washington College are very excited about this groundbreaking opportunity to work with local high schools on the Eastern Shore to help them establish a strong geospatial technology program that will help prepare their students for exciting new career opportunities in good paying jobs," said Stewart Bruce, GIS Program Coordinator at Washington College.

"We will provide free curriculum and training to teachers and students in Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot County Public Schools. This summer we are holding a camp for students and a camp for teachers that will help prepare them for courses next fall. There is a very small nominal charge to cover incidental expense but the grant pays for all staff, housing and meal costs for the kids."

He added, "This grant would not have been possible without the support of our county economic development partners in Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties. We want to also recognize the Boards of Commissioners in each of these counties for having the vision to see that the future of our economic growth is tied to educating our local students in technology fields."

For more information, visit http://gis.washcoll.edu.

December 17, 2008

National Public Radio Features Washington College in "All Things Considered" Broadcast

Chestertown, MD — As part of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," Robert Siegel interviewed President Baird Tipson and several students about how the economic downturn is affecting the higher-education community.

Listen Online

December 12, 2008

Green Student University Names Washington College "Sustainable and Eco-Friendly College"

Chestertown, MD — Green Student University included Washington College among ten nationwide Sustainable and Eco-Friendly College Programs, citing the success of the Green Pledge and George Goes Green blog.

Sustainability Resources

• Green Pledge
• G3 Blog
• Center for Environment & Society
• George Goes Green
• Chestertown Goes Green

December 8, 2008

Massive Historical Research Databases Now Accessible to Washington College Community

Readex Archive Acquisition to Be Feted November 19

Chestertown, MD — Washington College students, faculty, and staff now have unlimited access to a research treasure trove: over 15 million pages of historic newspapers, books, broadsides and pamphlets, newly accessible through Miller Library.

Today, the C.V. Starr Center and Miller Library invite you to celebrate the College's new acquisition, and begin exploring its treasures, at a special event in the library's Sophie Kerr Room. Please join us at 4:00 p.m. for a short demonstration (laptops will be provided, or bring your own), to be followed by a reception with refreshments.

This rich online library, the Readex Archive of Americana, lets you keyword-search the full texts of millions of documents - and will be a valuable resource for students and faculty in many departments, studying topics from around the world. For instance, the newspaper collections include over 8 million original pages (12 million when completed) of papers published between 1690 and the early 20th century, with titles from all 50 states. In a matter of seconds, you can be reading original coverage of the Battle of Gettysburg, following foreign correspondents' day-by-day accounts of the Russian Revolution, unearthing obscure poems by Edgar Allan Poe, or scanning ads for runaway slaves from the Eastern Shore. This archive is the most comprehensive online newspaper resource available - and Washington College's access now is superior to that of places like Harvard and the Library of Congress!

The databases also include page-by-page, fully searchable facsimiles of almost every book published in America before 1820 (7 million pages), as well as pamphlets, broadsides, posters, and advertising.

Acquisition of the archives was made possible by a grant to Washington College from the National Endowment for the Humanities' "We the People" project. More digital archives will be available soon. For more information on the NEH grant, seehttp://news.washcoll.edu/press_releases/2007/09/21_nehgrant.php.

If you can't join us today and want to get started using the databases, visithttp://libraryweb.washcoll.edu/ and at the bottom of the page, under "New Resources," click on "America's Historical Newspapers," "American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I," or "Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819." Access is available to anyone with a Washington College ID, from on- or off-campus.

Feedback from students, faculty, and staff is welcome as the Starr Center and Miller Library continue working together to acquire digital resources for the College.

November 19, 2008

Washington College to Screen New Lyme Disease Documentary

Chestertown, MD — As natural habitats and animal populations are impacted by humans, unintended consequences often result. Recent decades, for example, have seen a population explosion of deer and rodents in the forests of the eastern U.S. Behind the scenes, they have been accompanied by many more ticks carrying Lyme disease, one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the country. For anyone who spends time outdoors, Lyme and other tick-borne infections should be a cause for concern. The symptoms can be severe and debilitating, but diagniosis is not always easy.

On Monday, December 1, Washington College's Center for Environment & Society will screen a powerful new documentary on Lyme disease, "Under Our Skin." A dramatic tale of microbes, medicine and money, this eye-opening film investigates the untold story of Lyme, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year thousands of Americans go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are "all in their head." Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of our health care system and its ability to cope with a silent terror under our skin.

This free screening is open to the public and will be held in Litrrenta Lecture Hall, John Toll Scince Center at Washington College, 7:00 p.m.

November 17, 2008

Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers Perform at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — In celebration of American Indian Heritage Month, the Washington College SGA Office of Diversity will present a performance by the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers at Cain Gymnasium on Saturday, November 15, at 6 p.m.

Famous for their internationally recognized living history program, the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers conduct workshops, present lectures and perform authentic Native American dance, drum and song.

From "Tayac Territory" near Port Tobacco, Maryland, Mark Tayac and the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers travel throughout Europe, Canada and the United States with one of the most colorful, artful and educational programs in the country. While the performance is a feast of sight and sound, it also educates the audience about Native American history, culture and contemporary issues.

Admission to the performance is free and open to the public.

November 12, 2008

Campus Cracks up with Comedy Week

Chestertown, MD — Comedy Week is an exciting series of hilarious events planned by the Student Events Board in cooperation with many other organizations at Washington College. The events will take place November 17-21. The mission of Comedy Week is to bring laughter and smiles to every student on campus and to provide the biggest and most entertaining events ever seen at Washington College. The campus-wide comedic carrying-on includes:

Roast of George Washington

Stadium Skybox, Monday, November 17, 6-9 p.m.

A Historic Roast Of George Washington in the sky box at Roy Kirby Stadium , plus dinner and a "celebration" of our dear President Tipson.

"The Office" Mini-marathon

Dining Hall During Cove Hours, Tuesday, November 18, up to 8:30 p.m.

If you can't get enough of Michael Scott, join us for a mini-marathon of one of NBC's latest hit series. Snacks will be provided.

Student Comedy Competition

Norman James Theatre, Wednesday, November 19, 6-9 p.m.

Featuring songs, skits, and stand-up—all by WC students. The competition will be judged by Comedian Evan Wecksall and a member of Improv Everywhere, Charlie Todd. Both of these comedians will perform as well. The student(s) who win the competition will get to open up for the Mainstage Comedian on Friday.

Rock Lit with Dan Kennedy

Norman James Theatre, Thursday, November 20, 8-9:30 p.m.

The Rose O'Neil Literary House and the Student Events Board's Comedy Week present ROCK LIT with author Dan Kennedy.

The Mainstage Comedian — Nick Swardson

Lifetime Fitness Center, doors open at 7 p.m.

The LFC will be decorated as a comedy club. Seating, food/drink and a cash bar will be available. Tickets are $10 for students/staff/faculty. Each student/staff/faculty member can purchase up to four tickets at the discounted rate. Tickets are $20 for the general public. Advance tickets are available at the Washington College Bookstore or online a thttp://seb.washcoll.edu.

November 11, 2008

Legendary Beat Poet Remembered in World-Premiere Play at Washington College

Cast Includes Popular Area Singer Karen Somerville

Chestertown, MD — Washington College will present the world premiere of "The Golden Sardine," the latest work by award-winning poet/playwright Robert Earl Price, at the Norman James Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 21-23, at 8 p.m.

"The Golden Sardine" tells the story of legendary Beat poet Bob Kaufman—a talented and complex artist who was instrumental in creating the Beatnik movement. The only major African-American Beat poet, Kaufman gained fame on "The Tonight Show" then shunned invitations to lecture at Harvard. His verse was heavily influenced by the rhythms and idioms of bebop. The critic Raymond Foye called Kaufman "the quintessential jazz poet."

It's hard to imagine a more fitting playwright to tap into the Kaufman mystique than Robert Earl Price, currently an artist-in-residence in the Washington College Drama Department. He has tackled similar subjects—the tragic jazz icon Charlie Parker, the legend-shrouded bluesman Robert Johnson—in some of his other theatrical productions. When "Blue Monk" was produced in Johannesburg, it was so well received that it ended up as one of five plays nominated for South Africa's National Theater Award. (Price's Charlie Parker opus, "Yardbird's Vamp," likewise enjoyed overseas success, playing to standing-room-only crowds for the duration of its Berlin run.)

Price, a graduate of the American Film Institute, was a protégé of the Oscar-winning director Jan Kadar and Pulitzer/Emmy winner Alex Haley. Price was the script consultant for the Peabody Award-winning production of "The Boy King" (the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s youth) and a principal writer on the CBS/Alex Haley series "Palmerstown, U.S.A." Price's many awards include the American Film Institute's William Wyler Award for screenwriting and a Cultural Olympics Commission for theater.

Recently the playwright-in-residence at Atlanta's famed 7 Stages Theatre, Price also is a poet of some note, with four collections of verse—Bloodlines, Blood Elegy, Blues Blood and Wise Blood—published to date. His poems also have appeared in scores of journals and magazines. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for poetry, a Broadside Press Award, a Bronze Jubilee Award, and dozens of other poetry prizes and notices.

The premiere of "The Golden Sardine" is the result of a theater lab that encourages the collaboration of theater professionals, students and faculty. The cast features Washington College drama instructor Polly Somerfield and popular area singer Karen Somerville.

Drama Department Chair Dale Daigle directs with support from Jason Rubin, Lawrence Stahl and a crew of students, including Faith Erline as dramaturg, Maggie Farrell and Jory Peele as stage managers, and Kristian Wilson, Jess Blanch, Brian Schultz and Lilly McAllen on projection and lighting.

Admission to "The Golden Sardine" is free and open to the public.

November 11, 2008

Comic Nick Swardson to Perform at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Comedian Nick Swardson, star of the stand-up circuit and the big screen, will perform at Washington College's Lifetime Fitness Center on Friday, November 21; doors open at 7 p.m. The special appearance, open to the public, comes as the culmination of the Student Events Board's Comedy Week, a series of comedic campus events.

Within his first year of performing stand-up, Nick Swardson was chosen to appear at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, as one of the top new comedians in the country. He then worked the road, steadily developing his style. For a brief time he moved to New York, where he became a regular on the comedy scene.

In 2000 Swardson was given a half-hour special on Comedy Central. He was only 22 years old at the time. From there, his career really started to gain momentum. He had garnered a great deal of notice and respect from many of his fellow rising comedy stars. One of them was Jamie Kennedy. He asked Swardson to write a screenplay for him that became the Warner Brothers feature film "Malibu's Most Wanted." The movie, in which Swardson himself had an acting role, performed well at the box office and caught the eye of the top executive at Happy Madison Productions: Adam Sandler. The relationship quickly became very fruitful.

Swardson has co-written "Grandma's Boy" for Fox and "Benchwarmers" for Revolution/Sony, which are both Happy Madison Productions. He was a co-producer with starring roles in both films. Additionally, Swardson can be seen in "Art School Confidential," directed by Terry Zwigoff, and DreamWorks' "Blades of Glory," starring Will Ferrell. Swardson recently produced and co-starred in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," with Adam Sandler and Kevin James.

Noted television appearances include "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and a recurring guest-star role on "Reno 911!" Swardson also can be seen in the recent Adam Sandler hit "You Don't Mess With The Zohan."

Tickets for Swardson's November 21 performance are $10 for Washington College students, faculty and staff, and $20 for the general public. Advance tickets are available at the Washington College Bookstore or online at http://seb.washcoll.edu.

November 11, 2008

'Rock Lit With Dan Kennedy' Comes to Rose O'Neill Literary House

Chestertown, MD — The Rose O'Neill Literary House's "Literature of the Fact"—a special series of lectures on the diverse varieties of the art of nonfiction—concludes with a presentation by Dan Kennedy, acclaimed author of comedic musings on the music industry, at the Norman James Theatre on Thursday, November 20, at 8 p.m.

"Rock Lit With Dan Kennedy" is being presented by the Rose O'Neill Literary House in conjuction with the Washington College Student Events Board.

With his pieces in McSweeney's and his memoir Loser Goes First, Kennedy established himself as one of the funniest writers in America. With his follow up, Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, he has cemented that reputation and also shown his chops as a first-rate writer on music and the music scene.

A national bestseller, Rock On: An Office Power Ballad is based on Kennedy's experiences in the rock-music biz. When he was hired by a major record label in 2002, he believed he had chanced upon his dream job in the world of full-blown gonzo rock'n'roll excess, the fulfillment of fantasies held since his Southern California teenage years.

The sobering reality? A 9-to-5 world that was equal parts "Spinal Tap" and "The Office"—and Kennedy had arrived on the scene just in time for mass layoffs, artists being cut from contracts, and sales hitting an all-time low. In his bemused chronicle of the dying days of the record business, Kennedy's twisted wit offers up the absurd, funny and oddly heartbreaking story of a stranger in a strange land.

The New York Times called Rock On "a succession of gently mordant vignettes, with hilariously spot-on asides about media image-making, music-biz hierarchies and sensitive singer-songwriters... Neither Kennedy nor the music business will ever be the same."

The Rose O'Neill Literary House, which underwent an extensive restoration and renovation last spring, is known far and wide as the hub of Washington College's writing community. For nearly 25 years it has served as the venue for co-curricular activities that bring together students and faculty with visiting writers, scholars, editors and other literary artists; theWashington Post dubbed it "the Carnegie Hall of literary readings."

Admission to "Rock Lit with Dan Kennedy" is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410/778-7899 or visit lithouse.washcoll.edu.

November 11, 2008

100-Voice Choir Gospel Concert Set to Raise Spirits, Honor Alumnus Rev. Vincent Hynson '87, November 22

Charity Concert Raises Funds for Minority Student Scholarship Program at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — On Saturday, November 22, the 100-Voice Choir returns to raise spirits and celebrate the life and example of the late Rev. Vincent Hynson, Washington College Class of 1987 alumnus and Kent County community leader. The concert will be held at the Kent County High School Auditorium. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are just $6 per person and are available at the door or in advance from the Compleat Bookseller or Twigs and Teacups in downtown Chestertown.

This year's concert—through the efforts of many volunteers and Sylvia and Bill Frazier of S & B Productions—will provide two hours of music, song and dance to put anyone and everyone "in the spirit." In addition to performances by the 100-Voice Choir and musical accompaniment by the Holy Horns, the concert's line-up includes a performance by guest soloist Ginger Whiteley, selections by the Gospel Sheppards and the Sho Dads Quartet, a performance by the Praise Dancers, and a special guest appearance by acclaimed gospel trumpeter Wade Johnson.

Sis. Vivian Garnett will serve as the evening's Mistress of Ceremonies. A lifetime resident of Queen Anne's County, she is a member of Mt. Pleasant U.M. Church, where she sings in two choirs and is Vice President of the U.M. Women. She is a retired educator (38 years) in both Kent and Queen Anne's counties, retiring in 1997. Sis. Garnett has conducted many services and programs in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.

Proceeds from the concert benefit the Vincent Hynson Scholarship at Washington College. The impetus of Washington College President Baird Tipson, the scholarship honors the late Rev. Vincent Hynson—beloved Kent County teacher, coach, pastor, and community leader—who passed away in 2004. The scholarship is presented to an entering freshman who is a graduate of a secondary school in Kent County, who demonstrates financial need, and whose achievements and aspirations most closely emulate the values of community service exemplified by the life of Rev. Hynson. The scholarship covers 100 percent of the cost of tuition, room and board, books, and fees for the recipient.

"Vincent Hynson was a bridge-builder whose life was dedicated to uplifting our community," said Dr. Tipson, who lends his voice to the tenor section of the choir. "His was the kind of life young people—and all people—should emulate. My hope is that this scholarship honors his life by helping local students who want to give back the chance to develop their talents and to realize their dreams through a Washington College education."

To be considered for the Vincent Hynson Scholarship, interested students should submit a scholarship essay and complete all admissions and financial aid application requirements no later than February 15, 2008. Essay instructions and admissions and financial aid information are available from the Washington College Office of Admissions by calling 410/778-7700.

The 100-Voice Choir Gospel Concert is sponsored by S & B Productions, Washington College and the Kent County Arts Council. For more information, contact S & B Productions at 410/778-6006 or the Washington College Office of College Relations at 410/810-7111.

November 11, 2008

Treasure Trove at Poplar Grove: 'Tale of Historical Discovery' Presented at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Everybody likes the idea of finding treasures in the attic—but when the attic is in an old plantation that was first acquired by the current owners' ancestors in 1669, such treasures can amount to a historian's dream come true. And in the case of Poplar Grove, it was the Attic Discovery Heard 'Round the World.

During the summer of 2008, Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Maryland State Archives delved into 300 years of family papers stored for generations at Poplar Grove, the historic estate of the Emorys in Queen Anne's County, Md. The story drew broad public attention and international media coverage, including an in-depth report on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." Now, the public can learn the inside story of this amazing find in "The Poplar Grove Project: A Tale of Historical Discovery," a presentation at Washington College's Casey Academic Center Forum on Monday, November 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Members of the Poplar Grove research team will describe the many remarkable fragments of the past that the farms' attics, outbuildings, and servants' quarters yielded. In addition to many thousands of pages of family letters, the Poplar Grove discovery unearthed political correspondence, newspapers and broadsides, military records and much more.

One letter describes ex-President Monroe's visit to West Point in 1828 (the old man jumped in alarm every time the cannons saluted him). There are letters about politics in the Jackson administration (one written from the floor of the Senate describing near-brawl between Thomas Hart Benton and another senator, as described by John C. Calhoun), an antislavery petition signed by dozens of Queen Anne's County citizens in the 1830s; original manuscript poems (including a very X-rated one about a young man sneaking into a girl's bed on a winter night in about 1810), a detailed description of buying a slave in Philadelphia in 1779, documents about the aftermath of the Nat Turner Rebellion, land records dating back to the 1660s, important Civil War documents, and many other treasures. Together, they reveal the story of a remarkable family whose history intertwines with America's.

Thanks to a team of student researchers, the documents have now been conserved and placed on deposit at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, where they are accessible to researchers. The students also scanned many of the papers to make them accessible online, through a popular blog site (polargroveproject.blogspot.com) as well as the Archives' website.

The Poplar Grove Project was directed by Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist of Maryland, and Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center. The student team included Washington College undergraduates James Schelberg '11 and Jeremy Rothwell '09, as well as Olivia Wood, a student at Rhodes College who is an Emory descendant. The team supervisor was Washington College alumnus Albin Kowalewski '07, now a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. The entire team will be onhand for next Monday's event, showing images of the Poplar Grove discoveries and even a few of the original documents themselves, which will be brought from Annapolis for the occasion. Many members of the Emory family will also be onhand to join in the discussion.

"The Poplar Grove Project: A Tale of Historical Discovery" is jointly presented by the C.V. Starr Center, the Maryland State Archives and the Queen Anne's County Historical Society. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410/810-7161.

About the C.V. Starr Center

The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores our nation's history—and particularly the legacy of its Founding era—in innovative ways. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and especially by supporting and fostering the art of written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between past and present, and between the academic world and the public at large. From its base in the circa-1746 Custom House along Chestertown's colonial waterfront, the Center also serves as a portal onto a world of opportunities for Washington College students. Its guiding principle is that now more than ever, a wider understanding of our shared past is fundamental to the continuing success of America's democratic experiment. For more information on the Center, visithttp://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.

November 11, 2008

Historian Sets the Record Straight on the 'Whiskey Rebellion' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Terry Bouton, Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will present "Dumbing Down the Past: Our Muddled Memory of the So-Called 'Whiskey Rebellion'" at Washington College's Casey Academic Center on Tuesday, November 18, at 4:30 p.m.

The event is this year's Guy F. Goodfellow Memorial Lecture. The lecture series was established in 1989 to honor the memory of the late history professor who had taught at Washington College for 30 years. The intent of the endowed lecture series is to bring a distinguished historian to campus each year to lecture and to spend time with students in emulation of Dr. Goodfellow's vibrant teaching style.

Bouton is the author of Taming Democracy: "The People," the Founders, and the Troubled Ending of the American Revolution, which Publishers Weekly hailed as "a rare book—scholarly yet written with verve, readable for pleasure as well as for knowledge." Taming Democracy, winner of the Philip S. Klein Book Prize of the Pennsylvania Historical Association, is a critical re-evaluation of America's post-Revolutionary period.

Americans are fond of reflecting upon the Founding Fathers as selfless patriots who came together to force out the tyranny of the British and bring democracy to the land. But as Bouton contends in his provocative book, the Revolutionary elite often seemed as determined to squash democracy after the War of Independence as they were to support it before the conflict.

Centering on Pennsylvania, the symbolic center of the story of democracy's rise during the Revolution, Bouton shows how this radical shift in ideology spelled tragedy for thousands of common people. It was the narrowing of popular ideals that led directly to the misnamed Whiskey and Fries rebellions, popular uprisings during the 1790s that were both put down by federal armies.

A booksigning will follow Bouton's November 18 lecture at Washington College. Admission to "Dumbing Down the Past: Our Muddled Memory of the So-Called 'Whiskey Rebellion'" is free and open to the public.

November 7, 2008

From Philly to C-Town: Rittenhouse Jazz Quintet to Perform at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The 57th season of the Washington College Concert Series continues with a performance by the Rittenhouse Jazz Quintet at the Norman James Theatre on Saturday, November 15, at 8 p.m.

Hailing from the "City of Brotherly Love," the Rittenhouse Jazz Quintet was born in Philadelphia and named after the heart of the city. Consisting of professional musicians from the Philadelphia area, some of whom are graduates or current students at the Curtis Institute of Music, the RJQ has presented programs throughout the region.

The quintet includes Stanford Thompson on trumpet, Matt Davis on guitar, Patricia Franceschy on vibraphone, Gabe Globus-Hoenich on drums, and David Brodie on bass.

The 2008-2009 Washington College Concert Series will continue with performances by the the Vim Saxophone Quartet on January 24, soprano Louise Toppin on February 13, and the Attacca String Quartet on April 17.

All concerts are held at the College's Norman James Theatre in William Smith Hall. Single tickets can be purchased at the door—$15 for adults, $5 for youth and students. Season tickets are available for $50 per person in advance or at the box office on performance nights. For more information, call 410/778-7839.

November 4, 2008

Art of Cuisine Meets Art of Words: Award-Winning Food Author to Visit Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The Rose O'Neill Literary House's "Literature of the Fact"—a special series of lectures on the diverse varieties of the art of nonfiction—explores the art of culinary prose with Amanda Hesser, former food editor of The New York Times, on Friday, November 14, at 4 p.m.

"Food Lit with Amanda Hesser" will be a special afternoon of readings, conversation and freshly made treats from Hesser's recipes.

Hesser is the author of the award-winning books The Cook and the Gardener, Cooking for Mr. Latte and Eat, Memory. A Pennsylvania native, she graduated from Bentley College before traveling to Europe to immerse herself in the study of fine cooking. With a grant from Les Dames d'Escoffier, she worked in bakeries and restaurants in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France.

She spent two years in France, where she worked for Anne Willan, the founder of l'Ecole de Cuisine la Varenne. It was during this time that Hesser's writings started appearing in newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post. After finishing her first book in 1997, Hesser was hired as a food reporter for The New York Times.

Her work has appeared in numerous collections, including Women Who Eat, Best Food Writing, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant and the 50th anniversary edition of M.F.K. Fisher's The Art of Eating (2004).

The Rose O'Neill Literary House, which underwent an extensive restoration and renovation last spring, is known far and wide as the hub of Washington College's writing community. For nearly 25 years it has served as the venue for co-curricular activities that bring together students and faculty with visiting writers, scholars, editors and other literary artists; theWashington Post dubbed it "the Carnegie Hall of literary readings."

"Literature of the Fact" continues through November, presenting "Rock Lit with Dan Kennedy" on November 20. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410/778-7899 or visit lithouse.washcoll.edu.

November 2, 2008

Washington College Panel Discusses Careers in Art

Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Art and Art History, the Art History Club and the Center for Career Development will present "Art And Art History: Careers Within And Beyond The Field" at the Casey Academic Center Forum on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.

Panelists who work in a variety of contexts will discuss their professional experiences and career options for students who have majored in Art and Art History. The panel will be moderated by Aileen Tsui, Assistant Professor of Art History at Washington College.

The panel will include:

• Robbi Behr, freelance illustrator/designer/independent publisher/printmaker, Chestertown
• Barbara Gordon, Associate Curator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
• Bradley Hower, partner, Insight Design LLC, St. Michaels
• Mark Lapointe, Principal and Architect at GWWO, Inc./Architects, Baltimore
• Donald McColl, Nancy L. Underwood Associate Professor of Art History and Chair, Department of Art and Art History, Washington College
• Kenneth Milton, Conservator and Director, Kenneth M. Milton Fine Arts and Conservation, Chestertown
• Monika Weiss, installation/intermedia artist and Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Washington College

Members of the Chestertown community and students who are not majors in the Department of Art and Art History, but may have interest in careers related to the visual arts, also are encouraged to attend this career panel.

October 30, 2008

What Is in the Mysterious Time Capsule at Washington College?

Chestertown, MD — A time capsule from the 1960s, discovered during the renovation of Washington College's Gibson Center for the Arts, will be opened during a special ceremony at the College's Martha Washington Square on Friday, November 7, at 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The time capsule was placed in the original cornerstone of the Gibson Center in November 1967. Several prominent Washington College officials who were on hand for the original cornerstone-laying will be present at Friday's capsule-opening.

Martha Washington Square is located alongside the Gibson Center, where work has been underway since summer 2007 for the grand reopening of the facility in summer 2009. The Department of Drama will enjoy a completely renovated 440-seat proscenium theater, a brand-new 140-seat experimental theater, expanded rehearsal space, office space, classroom space and green-room space. The Department of Music will have its own 200-seat recital hall, better rehearsal space, more classrooms and individual rehearsal rooms, and better storage for instruments. The dance program will continue to rehearse in its present facility in the Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center, but its performances will occur on the new stage of the large theater. Major events such as the George Washington Birthday Convocation, lectures by prominent speakers, admissions open houses, and the concert series will draw campus and community into the newly renovated spaces.

Not least, the upgraded facility will fill a long-standing void by constructing Washington College's first climate-controlled, secure art gallery, enabling theater- and concert-goers to enjoy visiting exhibits as well as the work of Washington College's own students and faculty.

So, just what is in the mysterious time capsule from the 1960s? On Friday, November 7, at 4 p.m., the world will know.

October 30, 2008

Long History of Jews in Germany to Be Presented in Washington College Lecture

Chestertown, MD — Washington College's Office of the Provost & Dean will present "In Search of Ashkenaz: A Bittersweet Journey to Jewish Roots in Germany," a lecture/slide presentation by Dr. Gary S. Schiff, Adjunct Professor of History, at the Casey Academic Center Forum on Tuesday, November 11, at 5 p.m.

The lecture is presented in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi pogrom of November 1938 in which nearly 100 German Jews were murdered and nearly 30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps. It was the prelude to the Holocaust.

"In Search of Ashkenaz" is based on Schiff's July 2008 trip to Jewish historical sites in Germany; these sites tell a story going back through long centuries. "Jews have been living in Germany, as far as we can document, for at least 1,700 years," said Schiff. "There's a much deeper historical narrative there than just the 12 tragic years from 1933 to 1945."

"Ashkenaz" is the Old Hebrew word that referred to the Rhineland in particular and German-speaking lands in general. Herein lay the origins of Yiddish, a unique Hebrew-German language hybrid that the Jews took with them as they later migrated to Eastern Europe, the United States and elsewhere. Today, an estimated 90 percent of the world's Jews are of Ashkenazi descent.

Schiff's journey into the Ashkenazi past included visits to medieval Jewish synagogues and cemeteries dating back to the 11th century, to the ornate 19th-century Rothschild Palace that now houses Frankfurt's Jewish Museum, to the recently restored New Synagogue in Berlin, to the modernistic Munich Synagogue, and to Berlin's Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. (Libeskind, the son of Holocaust survivors, also designed the forthcoming World Trade Center Memorial to be erected at 9/11's "Ground Zero" in Lower Manhattan.)

Schiff also paid a visit to a place where Ashkenaz's most tragic memories dwell: the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. "My biggest impression was how small it was, how crowded it must have been," he said. Originally built to hold 7,000 inmates, "When the Americans liberated it in 1945, there were 32,000 survivors there among all the dead."

While at the concentration camp site, Schiff encountered a group of young German Army officers. "I asked them why they were here. They said, 'This is part of our training.' I thought that was noteworthy, that they're taught to revisit this grim part of their past, so it won't be forgotten."

Schiff found himself before Dachau's crematorium alongside one of the officers. "I asked him what he thought of it," Schiff recalled. "And he looked me in the eye and just said, 'Horror... Horror.'"

Admission to "In Search of Ashkenaz: A Bittersweet Journey to Jewish Roots in Germany" is free and open to the public.

October 29, 2008

Green Business Seminar at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The Center for Environment & Society at Washington College and Clean Air-Cool Planet are pleased to announce a business seminar: “Thinking Green: Energy, Carbon, and Your Bottom Line.” The event will be held Thursday, November 13, at 3 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, in the Toll Science Building, on the campus of Washington College. Green drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served in the McLain Atrium immediately following the seminar.

The risks, costs and opportunities associated with energy and climate change issues are becoming increasingly important in both the public and private sectors. Learn more about strategies for colleges, businesses, and municipalities to go green, and why it is important; what the results of the national elections tell us about the future of a green economy; and, what actions we might expect from the federal government in meeting these economic and environmental challenges. Scheduled to talk are: Rafe Pomerance, President, Clean Air-Cool Planet; Jenn Orgolini, Sustainability Director, New Belgium Brewery; Erica Shingara, Environmental Services Director, Gaithersburg, MD; and Albert Allen, President of Educational Facilities, Sodexo.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Briggs Cunningham at 410.810.7174, or visit ces.washcoll.edu.

October 28, 2008

U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Discusses Latin American 'Politics of Poverty' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — David Greenlee, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Bolivia, will present "The Politics of Poverty in Latin America: Bolivia as a Paradigm" at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Tuesday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.

Prior to assuming the Bolivian post in 2002, Ambassador Greenlee served as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay and as Special Coordinator for Haiti at the State Department. He also served as U.S. Delegate (Ambassador rank) and Chair of the Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group, Political Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Spain, Chile and Bolivia.

Ambassador Greenlee entered the Foreign Service in 1974. He has served as Rotational Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru; Watch Officer in the State Department Operations Center; Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia; Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel; International Relations Officer in the Office of Israel and Arab-Israeli Affairs; Deputy Director in the Office of Egyptian Affairs; and as a student at the National War College. He has won Superior Honor and other State Department awards.

A native of White Plains, New York, Ambassador Greenlee received a B.A. from Yale University. He also studied at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain. He served in the Army from 1968 to 1971, receiving an honorable discharge as a First Lieutenant. His military decorations include the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Vietnam Service Medal, among other awards. Most significant to his current position, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia from 1965-67.

The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders, both in and out of government. The Goldstein Program has hosted journalists, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature.

The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders experienced in developing public policy.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "The Politics of Poverty in Latin America: Bolivia as a Paradigm" is free and open to the public.

October 27, 2008

Playwright J.T. Rogers Comes to Washington College as First-Ever Douglas Wallop Fellow

Playwriting Lecture Offered to Public

Chestertown, MD — New York-based dramatist J.T. Rogers, the first-ever recipient of Washington College's new Douglas Wallop Playwriting Fellowship, will present "Playwriting in Turbulent Times" at the Rose O'Neill Literary House on Wednesday, November 12, at 5:30 p.m.

The lecture, free and open to the public, comes during Rogers' residency at the College as its inaugural Douglas Wallop Fellow. During his stay, he also will join in on drama-class sessions and work one-on-one with drama and playwriting students.

The Douglas Wallop Playwriting Fellowship is jointly sponsored by the Rose O'Neill Literary House and the Washington College Department of Drama. The fellowship is named for the American novelist and playwright Douglas Wallop (1920-1985). He was the author of 13 works, the most famous being The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (1954), which went on to be adapted by Wallop and co-writer George Abbott into the Tony Award-winning musical "Damn Yankees." Wallop himself graduated from the University of Maryland and for many years lived on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

As for the first-ever Douglas Wallop Fellow, J.T. Rogers lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is a graduate of the professional actor-training program at the North Carolina School of the Arts. He was selected as one of 10 playwrights in the United States to receive an NEA/TCG Theatre Residency for 2004-2005, through which he was playwright in residence at the Salt Lake Acting Company in Salt Lake City.

Rogers's play "Madagascar" received the American Theatre Critics Association's 2004 M. Elizabeth Osborne Award and the 2005 Pinter Review Prize for Drama. It also was a finalist for the ATCA's Steinberg New Play Award and was performed at the New Play Festival in New York City in 2005. In 2004 Rogers was awarded a playwriting fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Rogers is the author of "White People," which had its world première at the Philadelphia Theatre Company and then received the L.A. Drama Critics Circle and John Barrymore Award nominations for Best Play of the Year.

Rogers's play "Seeing the Elephant" was nominated for the Kesserlring Prize for Best New American Play, and his "Murmuring in a Dead Tongue" was produced by New York City's Epic Rep, where he is a company member, in its 2003-2004 season.

Widely regarded as a dynamic, up-and-coming "playwright to watch," Rogers has had his works staged at the Williamstown Theater Festival, New Theatre of Coral Gables, Florida; New Actors Union Theatre (Moscow); Road Theatre (Los Angeles) and often at the Salt Lake Acting Company.

His most recent play, "The Overwhelming," chronicles an American family overseas confronting the harsh life-and-death realities of the Rwandan Genocide. "The Overwhelming" had its world première at London's Royal National Theatre in 2006 and went on to tour the UK.

Last year, Rogers received the prestigious Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award at the 2007 William Inge Theatre Festival in Independence, Kansas.

For more information on Rogers's November 12 presentation, "Playwriting in Turbulent Times," call 410/778-7899 or visit lithouse.washcoll.edu.

October 27, 2008

Camel's Foot Found in Chestertown

Chestertown, MD — Some people call it camel's foot, squirrel foot, moccasin flower, nerve root, American valerian, Venus' shoes and whippoorwill shoes. But don't be fooled. They're all common names for Cypripedium: Lady's slipper orchids, and the plants are found in pockets as far north as the Arctic Circle in Alaska and occur as far south as the Himalayas in the Old World.

The pink lady's slipper, a particularly flamboyant orchid growing naturally right here in Chestertown, is the subject of a colorful lecture and slide show by Dr. Douglas E. Gill on Thursday, November 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Litrenta Lecture Hall in the John S. Toll Science Building at Washington College.

Dr. Gill, professor of biology at the University of Maryland, College Park, has diligently followed the fates of 1,000 rare flowers for more than 30 years. His specialties include: ecology, tropical biology, conservation biology, population biology, evolutionary biology, fire ecology, ornithology and botany. Research interests include birds, protozoa, red-spotted newts, frogs and salamanders, parasites, plant genetics, Pink Lady-Slippers, orchids, fire, grassland restoration and Grasshopper Sparrows. He also serves as Scientific Director of the Chester River Field Research Center at Chino Farms in Chestertown.

"The Mysterious Biology of Orchids: The Case of the Pink Lady's Slipper" is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Center for Environment & Society at Washington College. For more information, visit ces.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7161.

October 27, 2008

Piscataway Nation Chief Visits Washington College in Honor of Native American History Month

Chestertown, MD — In honor of Native American History Month, Washington College's Office of Multicultural Affairs will present a lecture by Chief Billy Redwing Tayac of the Piscataway Indian Nation at the Casey Academic Center Forum on Monday, November 10, at 5 p.m.

The Piscataway Indian Nation's traditional homelands are on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the areas of Charles County, Prince George's County, and St. Mary's County, Maryland. The Piscataway was one of the most populous and powerful tribal nations of the Chesapeake Bay region.

By the early 17th century, the Piscataway had come to exercise hegemony over other Native American groups on the north bank of the Potomac River. While Piscataway fortunes declined as the Maryland colony grew and prospered, the Piscataway today continue to be leaders among the tribal nations in their commitment to indigenous and human rights.

Billy Redwing Tayac is the present hereditary chief of the Piscataway Indian Nation and an American Indian Movement (AIM) leader and activist. He was a participant in many of the Native American struggles of modern times, including Wounded Knee, Gankineh, Big Mountain, OK'a, Gustafson Lake, the Salvadorian Indian Movement and the Ecuadorian Indian Movement.

Chief Tayac's lecture will cover the history and traditions of the Piscataway Nation. He also will speak on the different territories of Native Americans throughout the United States.

Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410/810-7457.

October 27, 2008

Two Actors, Many Roles: Washington College Stages 'Tick My Box' at Prince Theatre

Chestertown, MD — The Washington College Department of Drama will present the hilarious Irish play "Tick My Box" at Chestertown's Prince Theatre on Friday and Saturday, November 7 and 8, at 8 p.m.

The production stars Washington College Seniors Aileen Brenner and Dorothy Johnson in a constantly changing array of multiple roles. Written by Iseult Golden, David Horan and Carmel Stephens, "Tick My Box" is a comedic look at the world of modern dating and relationships. It debuted to rave reviews at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2004 and went on to two successful national tours. The Dublin Evening Herald described it as a "brilliantly executed show ... a small miracle." The Irish Times declared, "It is rare that one gets to see so many moving and funny stories, crammed together into such a neat package."

One room, one night and 40 strangers: It's either a recipe for disaster or an evening with the potential to change a lot of people's lives forever—or perhaps even both. Siobhán (Brenner) and Seámus (Johnson) have latched onto the current phenomenon of meeting new people at singles' nights by organizing speed-dating events through a company called Tick My Box.

Themselves unattached, the pair seem to derive much pleasure from watching the antics of the strangers and serial speed-daters who walk through their doors each night (but maybe this is just a front to protect them from their own feelings).

On a minimalist stage, Brenner and Johnson bring the stories of numerous desperate, lonely and eccentric characters to life. The pair switch gender, accents and personalities repeatedly, relying solely on their body language and gestures to illuminate the various characters.

The Washington College production of "Tick My Box" is directed by Polly Sommerfeld. The Prince Theatre is at 210 High Street. Admission to "Tick My Box" is free, but reservations are required; call 410/778-7835 or e-mail drama_tickets@washcoll.edu.

October 27, 2008

Prize-Winning Journalists Discuss Power, Politics and 'Pennsylvania Avenue' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists John Harwood of The New York Timesand Gerald F. Seib of The Wall Street Journal will present "Pennsylvania Avenue: Where Will the Power Be in 2009?" at Washington College's Casey Academic Center Forum on Wednesday, November 12, at 7 p.m.

Harwood and Seib are co-authors of the newly published Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power; a booksigning will follow their talk.

The New York Times hailed Pennsylvania Avenue as a major new work of Washington-insider journalism: "Through a series of sharp vignettes and character sketches, the authors ... take the reader behind some of the more imposing facades along the refurbished road, introducing the famous and not-so-famous, and explaining how business gets done in the new Washington. Though they accept the common view that the old rules have changed, their analysis is fresh and stimulating."

Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile stretch between the White House and the Capitol, is where the influential and ambitious congregate. Party strategists, money men, policy-makers, fixers, socialites, lobbyists, spinners, deal-makers—they're all part of the great political transformations that have altered in a fundamental way the relationship between Americans and their government. A new class of politician and radically different ways of conducting business now exist in Washington. Harwood and Seib offer analysis of master players on both sides of the political divide.

Harwood is the chief Washington correspondent for CNBC and a political writer for The New York Times. He began his career at The St. Petersburg Times, where he served as state capital correspondent, Washington correspondent and political editor. He was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University and subsequently spent 16 years at The Wall Street Journal, covering the White House, Congress and national politics. In addition to CNBC, Harwood also frequently appears on MSNBC, "NBC Nightly News," "Meet the Press" and PBS' "Washington Week."

Seib is an assistant managing editor and the executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal. He writes the paper's "Capital Journal" column and is a regular commentator on Washington affairs for CNBC and Fox Business Network. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Merriman Smith Award, the Aldo Beckman Award, the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize, Georgetown University's Edward Weintal Prize for his coverage of the Gulf War, and the William Allen White Award of the University of Kansas. Along with Harwood, Seib was part of the Wall Street Journal team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in the breaking-news category for its coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The November 12 presentation is part of Washington College's Harwood Lecture Series in American Journalism. The series was established to honor the distinguished career of the lateWashington Post columnist and ombudsman Richard Harwood (John Harwood's father), who served as a trustee and a lecturer in journalism at the College. Speakers in the series have included such political and media figures as Karl Rove, Howard Dean, Robert Novak, John McCain, James Carville, Judy Woodruff, Al Hunt, Mark Shields, and Paul Gigot.

Admission to "Pennsylvania Avenue: Where Will the Power Be in 2009?" is free and open to the public.

October 27, 2008

World Famous Freedom Schooner Amistad Vists Kent County

Washington College Events Planned

Chestertown, MD — Washington College is pleased to announce several special events in conjunction with Freedom Schooner Amistad's presence in the Chestertown harbor from Thursday, October 30 to Sunday, November 2. The college's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and Center for Environment & Society are partnering with Sultana Projects, Inc. to bring this recreation of the Spanish ship La Amistad, which made history as the site of a famous slave revolt in 1839, to Kent County as part of Sultana's annual Downrigging Weekend, an end-of-season festival of tall ships.

A public open house onboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad will be held at the Cannon Street Pier on Sunday, November 2, from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Members of the Amistad crew will be on hand to conduct tours of the ship and share her remarkable story.

The open house is one of several events by which Washington College will celebrate theAmistad visit; a college sail will take students out onto the Chester River aboard the craft, and a special screening of Steven Spielberg's 1997 film "Amistad" will be presented at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Tuesday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. Jill Ogline, Associate Director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, will provide introductory comments. Admission to the movie is free and open to the public.

Washington College's co-sponsorship of the Amistad visit was made possible by a grant from the Van Dyke Family Foundation.

The two-masted schooner, whose home port is New Haven, Connecticut, is a full-scale recreation of La Amistad, a swift Spanish vessel that dodged international law to smuggle illegally imported Africans from one Cuban plantation to another. But on the night of July 2, 1839, her African captives rose up in revolt.

Successfully seizing control of the vessel, they ordered the crew to sail back to Africa, but 63 days at sea brought them instead to the coast of Long Island, where they were thrown into a Connecticut jail on charges of murder and piracy.

For two years, the captives languished in jail as their case wound its way through the court system of a slave-holding nation. Anti-slavery activists, black and white alike, flocked to their defense, and as their story spread, they become heroes to American blacks.

Against the U.S. government's assertion that the Amistad rebels were outlaws and murderers, the captives, with former President John Quincy Adams himself as their champion, insisted that they had only exercised the natural right of self-defense against individuals trying to take away their freedom.

Acquitted on a technicality—since the ship was acting in violation of international law, the Supreme Court considered the captives illegally enslaved and thus justified in their efforts to liberate themselves—the rebels returned home to Sierra Leone in 1841. Though only 35 survived to see their homeland again, those who did so had successfully reversed the infamous Middle Passage, returning to Africa, free.

Amistad's spars and canvas and wooden hull will look right at home on the Chester River during her sojourn in the community: Each year, Downrigging Weekend returns the Chestertown waterfront to its 18th century glory, with tall-masted schooners clustered around the docks and streams of people bustling around the wharves. For a full schedule of Downrigging Weekend activities, please visithttp://www.sultanaprojects.org/downrigging08.htm. For more on the Freedom SchoonerAmistad, visit http://www.amistadamerica.org.

For more information on Washington College's Amistad events, contact the Center for Environment & Society or the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at 410/810-7161.

October 27, 2008

Washington College's Adam Goodheart Appointed to Maryland Humanities Council Board

Chestertown, MD — Washington College is pleased to announce that Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, has been appointed to the Maryland Humanities Council Board of Directors.

The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is a statewide, educational, nonprofit organization that is affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The purpose of the Council is to stimulate and promote informed dialogue and civic engagement on issues critical to Marylanders.

"The Maryland Humanities Council is very pleased to welcome Adam to the Board," said MHC Executive Director Phoebe Stein Davis. "He not only offers us a perspective from the Eastern Shore, but also a long-standing commitment to engaging the public in the arts and humanities. We also hope to draw on his outstanding record as a writer."

As Director of Washington College's Starr Center, Goodheart oversees an interdisciplinary institution dedicated to promoting innovative approaches to America's past and present, and especially to fostering the literary art of historical writing; its programs include the Patrick Henry Fellowships (supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities) and the George Washington Book Prize, one of the nation's largest literary awards.

Historian, critic and essayist, Goodheart writes for many national publications, including theNew York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, and The American Scholar. He has appeared as well on NPR, PBS Television, CNN, C-SPAN and other broadcast outlets.

Goodheart is the creator and series director of the American Pictures Distinguished Lectures, an innovative partnership with the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. He was founder, senior editor and columnist at Civilization, the magazine of the Library of Congress. A former editorial board member at The American Scholar, the Phi Beta Kappa Society's quarterly, he continues to serve as a contributing editor. He serves in the same capacity at Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and at Travel & Leisure. He is a member of the Board of Incorporators atHarvard Magazine and the Board of Contributors at USA Today.

Goodheart's work has been widely anthologized, and has won the Lowell Thomas Award of the Society of American Travel Writers in 2004, the Henry Lawson Award for Travel Writing in 2005, and the A.D. Emmart Award for distinguished writing in the humanities in 2007. A native of Philadelphia and graduate of Harvard, he lives in Centreville.

"The Maryland Humanities Council has an outstanding record of promoting civic dialogue and innovative programming, and its Board is a very active one, with members representing a variety of disciplines and institutions," Goodheart said. "I am honored to have this opportunity to help advance its mission." Goodheart will be joining the Council's grants committee, which awards support to dozens of projects each year throughout the state.

Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in historic Chestertown.

October 23, 2008

Behind the Scenes of Master and Commander

Chestertown, MD — The Center for Environment & Society (CES) at Washington College and Sultana Projects present the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World on Thursday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Prince Theatre. On hand for the event will be one of the technical advisors for the film, Chuck Fithian, Curator of Archaeology for the State of Delaware.

Fithian led the archaeological analysis and conservation of the artifact collection from HMSDeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast in 1798. The film-makers relied upon the expertise of Mr. Fithian and used information derived from the study of the materials from the DeBraak to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the film. Fithian will comment on the movie prior to its screening and answer questions from the audience afterward. He also will bring a small sample of the more than 20,000 artifacts recovered from the wreck.

Master and Commander is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. The film is constructed from episodes from three novels in the enormously popular Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.

In 1805, in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy frigate, HMSSurprise, is ordered to pursue and destroy the French privateer, Acheron. He chases the enemy frigate around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. Between battle scenes, the film focuses on the customs and hardships of life aboard a Royal Navy ship at the turn of the 19th century. It also deals with the peculiar friendship between Aubrey and the ship's surgeon, Stephen Maturin. A subplot involves Maturin's unofficial role as a naturalist, and his desire to explore the Galapagos Islands to examine its renowned fauna and flora; a goal which is hindered by his ship's official military duties. Aubrey's obsessive chase stresses his ship, his crew, and his friendship with Maturin. Confrontations with the more powerful adversary test Aubrey's cunning and resolve.

The Prince Theatre is located at 210 High Street. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit ces.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7161.

October 23, 2008

Primitive Fishing and Net-Making Demonstrations at the Custom House

Chestertown, MD — The Center for Environment & Society (CES) at Washington College and Friends of Eastern Neck, Inc., present "Native American Net-Making and Other Prehistoric Fishing Technologies" by Dr. Bill Schindler on Saturday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. at the Custom House.

Dr. Schindler is assistant professor of anthropology and archaeology at Washington College.

The migratory fish resource was very important to the prehistoric inhabitants of the Chesapeake Estuary. Accordingly, they developed a number of technologies to successfully procure them. Many of these technologies will be displayed and demonstrated including: primitive fibers and net-making techniques, bottle gourd floats, stone net sinkers, fish poisons, bone fish hook manufacture, and fishing weir.

The Custom House is located at 101 S. Water Street. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit ces.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7161.

The Center for Environment & Society works to instill a conservation ethic by connecting people to the land and water. It supports interdisciplinary research and education, exemplary stewardship of natural and cultural resources, and the integration of ecological and social values. The Friends of Eastern Neck, Inc. is a non-profit organization that supports the missions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Eastern Neck NWR through financial, advocacy, and volunteer support. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, visitwww.fws.gov/northeast/easternneck/ or call 410-639-7056.

October 23, 2008

Former White House Staffer Discusses 'Presidential Transition' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — A veteran staffer of the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations as well as an advisor to Presidents Ford and Carter is coming to Washington College to discuss the upcoming changing-of-the-guard in the White House. Stephen Hess, acclaimed author and Senior Fellow Emeritus in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, will present "Presidential Transition: The Strange History of Hitting the Ground Stumbling" at the Casey Academic Center Forum on Thursday, October 23, at 4 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.

Hess, Distinguished Research Professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, is the author of the newly published What Do We Do Now? A Workbook for the President-elect. Like his upcoming Washington College lecture, the book covers the eventful transition phase that follows a presidential election. The period from Election Day to Inauguration Day in America seems impossibly short. Newly elected U.S. presidents have less than 11 weeks to construct a new government composed of supporters and strangers, hailing from all parts of the nation.

This unique and daunting process always involves at least some mistakes in hiring, perhaps, or in policy priorities, or organizational design. Early blunders can carry serious consequences well into a president's term; minimizing them from the outset is critical.

Hess has been engaged in presidential transitions since he was a young speechwriter in the Eisenhower White House. He returned to the White House with President Richard Nixon, helped Jimmy Carter reorganize the Executive Office, and advised the presidential transition teams of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

In addition to his latest work, Hess is the author of a number of other books as well, includingThrough Their Eyes: Foreign Correspondents in the United States and Organizing the Presidency.

The Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs was established in 1990 to encourage students to enter public service by introducing them to exemplary leaders, both in and out of government. The Goldstein Program has hosted journalists, political activists, foreign policy analysts, diplomats, military commanders and government officials of both national and international stature.

The Goldstein Program sponsors lectures, symposia, visiting fellows, student participation in models and conferences, and other projects that bring students and faculty together with leaders experienced in developing public policy.

Admission to "Presidential Transition: The Strange History of Hitting the Ground Stumbling" is free and open to the public.

October 16, 2008

Watch What You Say in Front of the Parrot: 'Swearing in the American Age of Sail' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Ever wonder how truly to "curse like a sailor"? Historian Paul Gilje will unpack a bounteous sea-chest of verbal invectives and salty slang when he presents "The Worst and Most Profane Language I Have Ever Heard from Mortal Lips: Swearing in the American Age of Sail" at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.

The lecture is presented by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

Gilje, Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma and a C.V. Starr Center Visiting Fellow, is the author of several acclaimed books. His Liberty on the Waterfront: Society and Culture of the American Maritime World in the Age of Revolution, 1750-1850 was awarded the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic Best Book Prize for 2004, as well as the North American Society For Oceanic History John Lyman Book Award for 2004 in the category of United States Maritime History.

He also recently authored The Making of the American Republic, 1763-1815, a general history of the period that covers both the experience and contributions of the common people and the more famous leaders of the Revolution.

Other noteworthy Gilje titles include Pirates, Jack Tar and Memory, The Road to Mobocracy: Popular Disorder in New York City, 1763-1834 and Rioting in America. His latest work,Encyclopedia of Revolutionary America, is forthcoming in 2009.

"In all of my published work there has been a consistent theme," said Gilje. "I am interested in how common people have been affected by the larger events of history that we read about in textbooks."

The New York-born scholar attended Brooklyn College and went on to earn his master's degree and Ph.D. from Brown University. While at Brown, Gilje worked under the acclaimed historian/author Gordon Wood.

Gilje is the current president of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. He will be in residence at the Starr Center for four weeks this October and November.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "The Worst and Most Profane Language I Have Ever Heard from Mortal Lips: Swearing in the American Age of Sail" is free and open to the public; some material may be unsuitable for pre-teenagers. For more information, call 410/810-7161.

About the C.V. Starr Center

The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores our nation's history—and particularly the legacy of its Founding era—in innovative ways. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and especially by supporting and fostering the art of written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between past and present, and between the academic world and the public at large. From its base in the circa-1746 Custom House along Chestertown's colonial waterfront, the Center also serves as a portal onto a world of opportunities for Washington College students. Its guiding principle is that now more than ever, a wider understanding of our shared past is fundamental to the continuing success of America's democratic experiment. For more information on the Center, visithttp://starrcenter.washcoll.edu.

October 14, 2008

Washington College 2008-2009 Concert Series Goes for Baroque with Season Opener

Musica Pacifica Hailed as 'Among the Best in the World'

Chestertown, MD — The 57th season of the Washington College Concert Series begins with a performance by the acclaimed baroque ensemble Musica Pacifica at the Norman James Theatre on Tuesday, October 28, at 8 p.m.

Led by artistic directors Judith Linsenberg on recorder and Elizabeth Blumenstock on violin, Musica Pacifica has been performing, touring and recording since 1990. The music press has lauded the group as "some of the finest baroque musicians in America" (American Record Guide) and "among the best in the world" (Alte Musik Aktuell).

Musica Pacifica's stylish, high-energy virtuoso performances consistently receive enthusiastic reviews from critics and audiences alike. These qualities have led to appearances in the most prestigious chamber and early-music concert series in America and Europe. They have three times been a featured ensemble at the Berkeley Early Music Festival, and their first appearance there was cited in Early Music (UK) as "perhaps the standout of the entire festival."

They have performed at festivals in Germany and Austria and have been heard on German National radio as well as on National Public Radio's "Performance Today" and "Harmonia."

Musica Pacifica's six CD releases have won national and international awards, including the highest ratings in several CD magazines and each one being chosen as "CD of the Month" by the early music journal Alte Musik Aktuell.

At home in the San Francisco Bay area, the artists are members of Philharmonia Baroque, and they appear with many other prominent early music ensembles nationally and abroad.

The 2008-2009 Washington College Concert Series will continue with performances by the Rittenhouse Jazz Quintet on November 15, the Vim Saxophone Quartet on January 24, soprano Louise Toppin on February 13, and the Attacca String Quartet on April 17.

All concerts are held at the College's Norman James Theatre in William Smith Hall. Single tickets can be purchased at the door—$15 for adults, $5 for youth and students. Season tickets are available for $50 per person in advance or at the box office on performance nights. For more information, call 410/778-7839.

October 14, 2008

Renowned Economics Professor to Discuss Meltdown, Bailout and More at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — In these uncertain economic times, everyone can use some sound investment advice—and one of the nation's foremost economic theorists is coming to Washington College to make a special presentation. Richard D. Wolff, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will offer valuable insights on the Wall Street meltdown, the governmental bailout, and what we can expect in the near future, when he presents a talk at the Norman James Theatre on Tuesday, October 14, at 4:30 p.m.

In addition to explaining the current financial crisis and exploring its ramifications, Dr. Wolff will also discuss "Why Social Investing? The Point, the Pitfalls and the Possibilities." Social investing, also known as ethical investing, is defined as "limiting one's investment alternatives to securities of firms whose products or actions are considered socially acceptable." (A simple example would be an investor who disapproves of tobacco not investing in companies engaged in the manufacture of tobacco products.) While social investing may "have its heart in the right place," the common fear is: Will performance be sacrificed for the sake of ideology?

The answer, refreshingly, is no. Mixing money and ethics is not lethal to one's financial health—provided sound investment strategies are employed. Dr. Wolff will offer illuminating advice on how to make social investing a viable route, even in the current risky climate.

After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University, Wolff went on to earn three master's degrees in economics and history from Stanford and Yale Universities, then earned his Ph.D. in economics from Yale. He taught at the City College of New York from 1969 to 1973, then began teaching at the Economics Department of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he has been full professor since 1981.

Wolff has had a long and productive collaboration with fellow economist Stephen A. Resnick. The two have jointly published numerous articles and books on such topics as Marxian theory, radical economics, international trade, business cycles, social formations, the Soviet Union, and comparing and contrasting Marxian and non-Marxian economic theories.

In 1989, Wolff joined efforts with a group of colleagues and students to launch Rethinking Marxism, an academic journal that aims to create a platform for rethinking and developing Marxian concepts and theories within economics as well as other fields of social inquiry. He continues to serve as a member of both the editorial and the advisory boards of the journal.

Wolff has authored and co-authored numerous books including The Economics of Colonialism, Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical, New Departures in Marxian Theory, Class Theory and History, and Bringing It All Back Home: Class, Gender & Power in the Modern Household, among other works.

His October 14 lecture at Washington College is being presented by Omicron Delta Epsilon,The Goldstein Program in Public Affairs, and the Campus Events and Visitors Committee. Admission to "Why Social Investing? The Point, the Pitfalls and the Possibilities" is free and open to the public.

October 1, 2008

Love without Borders: 'Platanos & Collard Greens' Comes to Washington College

Chestertown, MD — The trials and tribulations of a cross-cultural couple are explored with insightful wit and heartfelt sentiment when "Platanos & Collard Greens," the smash-hit play visiting campuses nationwide, comes to Washington College's Norman James Theatre on Monday, October 13, at 6:30 p.m.

"Platanos & Collard Greens" is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Freeman, an African-American man, and Angelita, a Latina woman, who are both forced to confront and overcome cultural and racial prejudices, while defending their bond from family and friends.

With humor and hip-hop, the play tactfully addresses stereotypes, prejudices and urban myths that exist between African-Americans and Latinos.

"Platanos & Collard Greens" has enchanted audiences of over 40,000, both off-Broadway in New York City and at over 100 colleges and universities around the country.

The New York Times hailed it as "a modern-day 'West Side Story' ... it has developed a huge following among people who come to see it again and again."

The October 13 performance of "Platanos & Collard Greens" at Washington College is presented by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Department of Drama, the Department of Modern Languages, the Student Affairs Office and the Student Events Board, in honor of Latino Latina Heritage Month.

Admission is free and open to the public.

October 1, 2008

Poet Jehanne Dubrow to Give Reading at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Washington College's 2008-2009 Sophie Kerr Lecture Series continues with a reading by poet Jehanne Dubrow at the Rose O'Neill Literary House on Tuesday, October 7, at 4:30 p.m.

Dubrow is currently a Visiting Professor of English at Washington College. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; she also has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Poetry, from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from St. John's College.

Dubrow's work has appeared in Poetry, The Hudson Review, The New England Review, Shenandoah, Barrow Street and Gulf Coast. She is the author of a chapbook, The Promised Bride (Finishing Line Press). Her full-length collection won the 2007 Three Candles Press First Book Prize and will be published in 2008.

The Sophie Kerr Lecture Series honors the legacy of the late Sophie Kerr, a writer from Denton, Md., whose generosity has enriched Washington College's literary culture. The 2008-2009 series includes poetry readings, fiction readings, lectures and, as its culmination in March 2009, a special appearance by two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser.

Admission to Dubrow's reading is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410/778-7879.

September 25, 2008