Starr Center Announces Spring Lectures In American History, Culture And Contemporary Issues

Chestertown, MD, March 10, 2004 — Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience announces a full season of speakers for spring, addressing colonial to contemporary American history and culture. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Ambassador Joseph Wilson, “The Mess in Iraq and the Way Ahead.”

Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m., Hynson Lounge. Ambassador Wilson has led a highly decorated career in the Foreign Service, and as the active ambassador to Iraq, he was the last American to meet with Saddam Hussein before the first Gulf War. He became the senior Africa expert on the National Security Council and planned President Clinton's trip in 1998. Shortly after debunking the White House claims of uranium sales from Niger to Iraq in 2003, his wife was exposed as a CIA operative. Wilson is the author of The Politics of Truth, which will be released in May. This talk is co-sponsored by the Washington College Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.

Captain Dan Parrott, “Baltimore Clippers: Then and Now.”

Thursday, April 1, 7:30 p.m., Hynson Lounge. Dan Parrott is a former captain of Pride of Baltimore II and the author of Tall Ships Down, a critically acclaimed book about disasters at sea. Parrott, assistant professor at the Maine Maritime Academy, will chart the history of the Baltimore Clipper from its introduction on the Chesapeake to the reproductions in use today. This talk is part of the ongoing Maritime Lecture Series, co-sponsored by Sultana Projects, Inc.

Adam Goodheart, “Two Pirate Ships at Point Comfort: New Discoveries on America's First Slaves.”

Thursday, April 15, 7:00 p.m., Hynson Lounge. In the summer of 1619—a year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock— two corsairs, one Dutch and one English, sailed into the mouth of the Chesapeake and anchored near the mouth of the James River. Among the pirates' cargo were some two dozen Africans, the first slaves to arrive in the Virginia Colony. Drawing on research for a book he is writing on the history of slavery, C.V. Starr Fellow Adam Goodheart will describe recent discoveries that illuminate the lives of these first African-Americans and their strange, violent and eventful journey to the New World.

Walter Isaacson, “Benjamin Franklin and America's Values.”

Thursday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Hynson Lounge. Isaacson is the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, a critically acclaimed biography of one of America's formative intellects. A brilliant inventor, charming diplomat and complicated visionary, Franklin—more than anyone else in the founding period—created the archetype of the American “self-made” man. Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time and CEO of Time Warner, is the director of the Aspen Institute and is the author of Kissinger and co-author of The Wise Men.

David Steinberg, “Peale's Artist in His Museum and the Nineteenth Century Emblem Problem.”

Friday, April 23, 4:30 p.m., Casey Academic Center Forum. Known primarily as a portrait painter, Maryland-born Peale created the first museum of cultural and natural history in America. David Steinberg will explore the intersection of central problems in visual representation, theology and natural science through one of Peale's most famous paintings. Steinberg is a Visiting Scholar at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. This lecture is part of the Starr Center's American Pictures Series and is co-sponsored by the Washington College Department of Art.

These spring lectures are sponsored by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, an innovative forum for new scholarship about American history. Drawing on the special historical strengths of Washington College and Chestertown, the Center is dedicated to exploring the early republic, the rise of democracy, and the manifold ways in which the founding era continues to shape American culture. News about upcoming events is available online at http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu/, or by calling Program Manager Kees de Mooy at 410-810-7156.

For more information on upcoming concerts and events at Washington College, visitcalendar.washcoll.edu.

Rural Communities, Sustainable Agriculture Topics Of March Lectures At Washington College

Chestertown, MD, March 10, 2004 — Washington College's Center for Environment and Society has organized two lectures in March that address citizen leadership and the sustainable future of rural, agricultural communities.

“These are vitally important issues for our region,” said Dr. Wayne Bell, director of the Center, which recently completed the pilot year of the Rural Communities Leadership Program. “Like never before, the rural economy and natural resources of the Eastern Shore are feeling the pressures of development. It is my hope that these lectures inspire citizens to examine these issues more deeply and to discuss alternative visions and strategies to better take advantage of such changes to preserve rural communities and the working landscapes on which they depend.”

On Tuesday, March 16, Dr. Jean Richardson, former director of Environmental Programs/ Partnerships in Communities (EPIC) in Vermont, will discuss “Leadership and Community: Taking Hold of Your Future,” in a free public lecture at 4:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. A professor emerita of environmental studies, natural resources and geography at the University of Vermont, Richardson is an expert on sustainable rural community development, environmental negotiation and leadership and regional analysis. As director of the EPIC, a project of the UVM Environmental Program funded in part by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Richardson worked with local communities to develop the leadership, resources and vision to rebuild the institutional, economic and human fabric of rural areas. Her book, Partnerships in Communities: Reweaving the Fabric of Rural America (Island Press, 2000) shares lessons gained through her directorship of EPIC and is a handbook for supporting economically and ecologically sustainable agriculture, setting forth comprehensive strategies for locally-based, self-directed community development.

On Thursday, March 25, at 12 noon in the College's Hynson Lounge, the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning (WC-ALL), in cooperation with the Center for Environment and Society and Chesapeake Fields Institute, will host the Learn-at-Lunch presentation, “Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Community,” with Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann, director of Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Reservations are required for the luncheon lecture. Individual tickets are $9.50 for WC-ALL members and $12 for non-members. For information and reservations, call Anne Singer at WC-ALL, 410-778-7221. Deadline for reservations is March 22.

Kirschenmann is an advocate for land stewardship and has been hailed as a leader of the organic/sustainable agriculture movement. He has received many national and international appointments, including one to the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Standards Board, and his writings have appeared in various books focused on ethics and agriculture. As much a farmer as a philosopher, Kirschenmann is also president of Kirschenmann Family Farms, a 3,500-acre certified organic farm in North Dakota.

For more information on upcoming concerts and events at Washington College, visitcalendar.washcoll.edu.

Washington College Announces Tuition Increase For 2004-2005

Chestertown, MD, March 2, 2004 — Washington College's Board of Visitors and Governors announced at its February meeting a tuition increase of $1,750, bringing the total cost of tuition to $25,990 per year for full-time students. In addition, other basic charges will increase by $260 over those for the current year. The new rates will be effective for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Under the Board's 2004-2005 plan, basic charges for room will increase by $200 to $2,800, while basic board fees will increase by $60 to $3,200—the first increases in room and board charges for the College in six years. The Student Service Fee will be held constant at $560.

“This year's increase is unusual for Washington College,” said John S. Toll, President of the College. “Over the past three years, the total cost of attendance at Washington College has increased by just $3,500, while the average three-year increase at our peer institutions has been $4,925. We have kept this year's increase to 6.58 percent—as low as we possibly can without forcing the institution to compromise core programs and services for our students.”

Despite the significant achievements of the Campaign for Washington's College, Toll added, there is much work to be done and more challenges ahead as Washington College strives to remain competitive with the nation's top liberal arts institutions.

“As the intrinsic value of the education that we provide our students rises, so does the cost of providing the unique opportunities that are the distinguishing marks of the Washington College experience,” Toll said. “Hiring new faculty, enhancing computer technology capabilities, expanding internship opportunities, renovating student residence halls, constructing additional parking lots and recreational sports fields, as well as the climbing price of utilities such as heating fuel, are just a few of the factors that determine tuition and fees for the coming year.”

Although today's college tuition costs can appear daunting, Toll noted, he assures prospective students and their parents that Washington College's Office of Student Financial Aid stands ready to counsel students and their families about opportunities for scholarships and loans. Through initiatives such as the Washington Scholars Program—which offers guaranteed tuition scholarships of at least $10,000 to students who are members of the National Honor Society—Washington College is working to make independent higher education more accessible and more attractive to today's college-bound students.

Indie Rock Revolution! O.A.R. Plays Washington College, April 24

Chestertown, MD, March 2, 2004 — An Indie Rock Revolution will sweep Washington College Saturday, April 24, when O.A.R.—Of a Revolution—plays the Benjamin A. Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for Washington College students, faculty and staff; $25 for general public in advance; and $30 at the door. Campus tickets sales begin April 5, and students, faculty, and staff may purchase tickets at the Student Affairs Office, Casey Academic Center, from 12:30-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. General admission tickets will be available through TICKETMASTER starting April 12.

Freedom, wanderlust, idealism and love—the themes of O.A.R.'s precision-crafted rock have garnered the band a devoted, organically-grown grassroots following and made them one of the most successful indie bands ever.

“A reporter once brilliantly called our music a train wreck of many styles,” said Mark Roberge, O.A.R. guitarist and vocalist, describing the evolution Of a Revolution. “That is what it is. I really do think it's an accidental thing when you've got five guys who like five different kinds of music getting in and playing together. Yeah, you're going to experience a lot of confusion. Within confusion, there's fusion. It works for us.”

O.A.R.'s popularity first exploded when file sharing burst onto the Internet in 2000. In 2001 the band's manager, with full support of the O.A.R., created Everfine Records. This independent record label helped to raise the visibility and profile of the band with their third studio release,Risen, which debuted at Number 11 on the Billboard Top Internet Sales Chart. The following year, their live set, Any Time Now, debuted at Number 156 on Billboard's Top 200 and Number 4 on the Heatseekers chart. In the summer of 2002, O.A.R.'s visibility increased when they joined Sheryl Crow, Train and Ziggy Marley for the Jeep World Outside Festival Tour and found themselves playing to 10,000 to 15,000 fans every night. Now O.A.R. has made the transition to a major label with their Fall 2003 Lava/Everfine Records debut, In Between Now and Then, called “an infectious, joy-filled breezy cruise through rock and folk seasoned with island vibe roots.”

Visit O.A.R. online at www.ofarevolution.com. For more information on upcoming concerts and events at Washington College, visit http://calendar.washcoll.edu.

Inaugural Janson-La Palme Lecture Addresses The Third Dimension In Italian Renaissance Art, March 24

Chestertown, MD, March 2, 2004 — The Washington College Department of Art presents the inaugural Janson-La Palme Annual Distinguished Lecture in European Art History, “Painting and the Third Dimension in Italian Renaissance Art,” a talk by Nicholas Penny, Senior Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 24, at 4:30 p.m., in the Casey Academic Center Forum. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Nicholas Penny was named Senior Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art in September 2002, shortly before the public opening of the Gallery's 21 newly constructed sculpture galleries on the ground floor of the West Building. Penny assisted in the installation of more than 800 works in the new galleries and continues to oversee the growth of the sculpture department. Prior to joining the National Gallery in 2000, as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, Penny served as Clore Curator of Renaissance Painting at the National Gallery in London. From 1984 to 1989, he was keeper of the department of Western art at the Ashmolean Museum and was Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford, 1980-1981. His publications include The Materials of Sculpture (Yale University Press, 1993); Raphael, co-authored with the late Roger Jones (Yale University Press, 1983); and Taste and the Antique, co-authored with the late Francis Haskell (Yale University Press, 1981).

In his lecture, Penny will address some aspects of the relationship—and rivalry—between sculpture and painting in the Italian Renaissance. In particular, he will explore the painter's practice of employing studies of different views made from the same model. Artists discussed will include Antonio Pollaiuolo, Perugino, Raphael, Titian and Tintoretto.

The Janson-La Palme Annual Distinguished Lecture in European Art History was established by Washington College Professor Emeritus Robert J. H. Janson-La Palme and his wife, Bayly, to bring internationally known scholars on European art to campus for public lectures and presentations. In his retirement, Dr. Janson-La Palme remains active in historic preservation, participates in national and international conferences in his field, and frequently contributes to Renaissance Quarterly.

For more information on upcoming lectures and events at Washington College, visithttp://calendar.washcoll.edu.

General Barry McCaffrey On The War On Terrorism, March 31 At Washington College

Chestertown, MD, March 1, 2004 — Washington College's William James Forum and Goldstein Program in Public Affairs present retired General Barry McCaffrey, former White House “Drug Czar” and a recognized authority on national security and terrorism, speaking on “The War on Terrorism,” Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

General McCaffrey serves as the Bradley Distinguished Professor of International Security Studies at the United States Military Academy and is also President of his own consulting firm based in Alexandria, VA. He has been a frequent guest expert in the broadcast media on drug control policy, terrorism and national security, serves as an analyst for NBC News and writes a regularly on national security issues for Armed Forces Journal.

In January 2001, General McCaffrey stepped down as the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position which he held since 1996. By law, he coordinated the $19.2 billion federal drug control budget and developed the U.S. National Drug Control Strategy. Prior to confirmation as the National Drug Policy Director, General McCaffrey served as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces Southern Command coordinating national security operations in Latin America. During his military career, he served overseas for 13 years, including four combat tours, and commanded the 24th Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm. At retirement from active duty, he was the most highly decorated four-star general in the United States Army. He twice received the Distinguished Service Cross the nation's second highest medal for valor. He was also awarded two Silver Stars and received three Purple Heart medals for wounds sustained in combat. General McCaffrey served as the assistant to General Colin Powell and as the Joint Chiefs of Staff advisor to the Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

New College President Is Appointed

By Cheryl Keffer, Kent County News Staff Writer

Kent County News, February 26, 2004 — As the snow melted on the historic brick sidewalks of Washington College, a new season began that will change not only the campus vegetation, but also the administration. Baird Tipson, president of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, was appointed Feb. 21 by the Board of Visitors and Governors to be Washington College's 26th president. Tipson, 60, was chosen from four finalists who visited the college in January and February, hold-ing open forums, speaking and meeting with various members of the college community.

A self-proclaimed “obsessive gardener,” Tipson first visited the campus on Feb. 4, while the grounds were still covered with a layer of wintry precipitation.

“It's a bit slushy right now,” Tipson said with a laugh, when asked what he thought of the college grounds at an all-campus forum that day.

He went on to speak favorably of the “attractive location” of Washington College and the suc-cessful blending of the college's buildings within the Chestertown community, which he saw both on tours with college officials and during his daily jog.

During his eight years as president and professor of religion at Wittenberg, Tipson and his wife, Sarah were involved extensively in the Springfield community, something they plan to do upon moving to Chestertown.

“We have a lot to learn about Chestertown,” he said. “With the size of the town, we can only imagine the impact Washington College has on the community.”

His presidential accomplishments at the liberal arts college of approximately 2,000 students, comparable to Washington College's current enrollment of approximately 1,400, included significant investments in information technology, the construction of a humanities complex and a major addition to the science center.

Under Tipson's direction, Wittenberg completed a $75 million campaign, which quadrupled the school's previous campaign record.

Before Wittenberg, Tipson served as provost at Gettysburg College for eight years and was associate dean at Central Michigan University for nine years.

Tipson earned his Bachelor's Degree in religion and history at Princeton University and his Ph.D. in religious studies at Yale University, “two very old, well-respected private research” colleges, he said.

“Almost 40 years later I am still drawing on what I learned there,” Tipson said.

His college experience, combined with his career in academia, made Tipson an excellent choice for the position of president at Washington College according to Tuck Maddux, trustee and chair of the presidential screening committee, which reviewed 135 nominees during the eight-month presidential search.

“In Baird Tipson we found a proven leader and true champion of the liberal arts,” said Maddux in a Feb. 21 press release.

Tipson was “overjoyed” when he got the call, he said in a candid phone interview from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Saturday.

“Before I left on Feb. 6, I had a final interview with Tuck Maddux and Jack Griswold. I explained that we couldn't let ourselves get too attached (to the college), since there were other candidates, but we had a really hard time doing that,” said Tipson.

He and his wife loved Chestertown and the small-town environment and have made the “right decision,” he said. “It feels really good to be coming to Chestertown – part of me would like to start tomorrow,” Tipson said with a laugh. “But we do have strong feelings and emotional ties at Wittenberg. It will be difficult saying goodbye, but I think it's better to leave when people are sorry to see you go, not when they're relieved.”

The Tipsons have family up and down the East Coast, including two grown children, so the move to Maryland “makes us closer to our families, which is very important to us,” said Tipson. “We're very happy. We loved our time in Ohio and even in Michigan, but we felt the same kind of pull to the east.”

Tipson said he didn't see the need to make dramatic changes from what was happening at the college, but was ready for one more challenge before he retired.

“I feel in good physical health and I hope I still have the mental capacity,” he said with a laugh. “I am willing to make a commitment to (Washington College) – I hope to give nine years at the same energy level and dedication that I gave Wittenberg.

“When I was in Chestertown, I felt a new surge of energy – I'm pumped.”

Potential goals for the college were discussed at the all-campus forum Feb. 4, including increasing diversity, the future of the school library, arts facilities upgrades, and differentiating Washington College from other schools in the Centennial Conference.

Chair of the Board of Visitors and Governors Jack S. Griswold said in a letter to the Washington College community, that Tipson “will build upon the unparalleled success the college has enjoyed during John Toll's presidency and will provide leadership for the college as we move to define and secure our future.”

Tipson will begin his job as president July 1, with inauguration in October. John S. Toll's presi-dency will end June 30, but he will be on hand as president emeritus for another year.

Toll, 80, announced his retirement last June, after nine years as president of Washington College.

“I am pleased to hand the leadership of Washington College over to such an eminently qualified individual,” Toll stated in the college press release. “I applaud the extraordinary efforts of the search committee and stand ready to ensure a smooth transition for Baird Tipson.”

Cheryl McDaniel Keffer is a 2001 graduate of Washington College.