Professor Oros Joins US-Japan Policy Network

WASHINGTON, DC—Washington College associate professor of political science and international studies Andrew Oros has been selected to participate in the second cohort of the “U.S.-Japan Network for the Future” program sponsored by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.

The program was created to identify and support American professionals who are becoming specialists on Japan, its international policies and its relationship with the United States. To that end, the Network sponsors workshops, seminars and other opportunities for learning and collaborating.

In 2012, Network participants will participate in a two-day workshop and weeklong meeting in Washington, D.C. and a two-day retreat in Montana. They also will be hosted for a week of study in Japan in June of 2013 and will participate in a public symposium and panel on current events in early 2014.

Professor Oros is one of 14 scholars and/or policy analysts chosen from around the country. The group includes faculty from George Washington University, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and the University of Michigan, along with representatives from the Congressional Research Service, the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, and the United States-Japan Foundation.

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation promotes understanding and cooperation in U.S.-Asia relations. Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s values, ideals and vision for U.S.-Asia relations continue through the Foundation’s programs, which create networks among U.S. and Asian leaders, explore the underlying issues influencing public policies, and increase awareness about the nations and peoples of Asia. The Foundation has offices in Washington, Tokyo, and Missoula. For more information, visit www.mansfieldfdn.org.

The Center for Global Partnership (CGP) at the Japan Foundation (a Japanese Independent Administrative Institution, or Dokuritsu Gyosei Hojin) works to enhance dialogue and interchange between Japanese and U.S. citizens on a wide range of issues. With offices in Tokyo and New York, the CGP operates grant programs as well as self-initiated projects and fellowships. For more: http://www.cgp.org.

Governor's Appointments to College Board Include Pew Trusts Head Rimel, Realtor Janney

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College announced that Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed Pew Charitable Trusts head Rebecca Webster Rimel and real-estate executive Margaret Goldstein Janney ’76 to serve on the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors. Rimel will serve a six-year term, and Janney will fill the remainder of a 4-year term. In addition, business executive Peter D. Davenport was reappointed to a new six-year term.

By agreeing to help guide the 230-year-old college, board members follow in the footsteps of General George Washington, who donated to its founding in 1782 and served on its first Board of Governors.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pew Charitable Trusts for the past 17 years, Rebecca Rimel has led the public charity’s expansion from about 60 employees in Philadelphia to more than 600 staffers located throughout the country and around the globe. The Pew Trusts fund data-driven solutions and goal-based investments to improve public policies, inform the public and stimulate civic life.

Rimel joined the Pew after a short but stellar career in nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1973 and then worked as head nurse in the University of Virginia Hospital Emergency Department and as coordinator of outpatient facilities before becoming an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. With that post, she became the first nurse to hold a faculty position at the University of Virginia Medical School. She has authored numerous scientific articles on head injuries.

After earning a master’s degree in business administration from James Madison University, Rimel started her work at Pew in 1983 as Health Program Manager. She was promoted to Executive Director five years later and accepted her current position in 1994. The work she oversees in Pew’s original office in Philadelphia focuses largely on urban issues and the arts, while the staff in the Washington, D.C., office works on issues related to the environment, state policy, public health and national economic issues. The internationally renowned Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Rimel is an emeritus Trustee of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello and has served on advisory boards and committees for numerous other non-profits, including the Council of Foundations, the University of Virginia, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. She currently serves on the board of Deutsche Asset Management/DWS Funds and CardioNet, Inc. She also is a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and a member of the American Philosophical Society and its prestigious Wistar Association. She lives in Kennedyville, Md., with her husband, Patrick Caldwell.

Margaret Goldstein Janney ’76 brings years of experience in government service and politics to the board, beginning with the time she spent campaigning with her father, the late Louis L. Goldstein ’35, a longtime member and former chair of Washington College’s Board of Visitors and Governors who served as Maryland Comptroller for nearly 40 years. A graduate of St. Stephens and St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Va., she earned her B.A. in political science from Washington College and took graduate courses in government and public administration at American University.

Janney worked in Washington, D.C., in the office of Maryland Congressman Roy Dyson for several years before joining the staff of New Jersey Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, where she worked for seven years as Assistant to the Legislative Director. She finished her Capital Hill career as Executive Assistant to Senator Paul D. Wellstone of Minnesota, whom she served from March 1991 to May 1999. In 1996, she was awarded a Certificate of Service from the United States Senate.

Janney has worked in real estate since she and her husband, William R. Janney III ’76, moved to Naples, Fla. She was an owner and agent of Janney Real Estate Services for nearly a decade before joining Amerivest Realty as a realtor early this year. She has been active in alumni affairs for her alma mater, serving as the 1970s decade representative on the Washington College Alumni Council and as co-president of the South West Florida Alumni Chapter.

Returning Board member Peter D. Davenport is Vice President for Marketing at Thomas Scientific, a New Jersey-based company that distributes scientific equipment and laboratory supplies, including those manufactured in Chestertown at its subsidiary, LaMotte Company. Davenport also serves as Executive and Trustee of the Davenport Family Foundation.

In his other volunteer affiliations, he is a member of the Birmingham Township Planning Committee, a trustee of the Stroud Water Research Center, a member of the Board of Regents of Mercersburg Academy, and a Board member of the Brandywine River Museum. He and his wife, Sylvia, both graduates of Tufts University, live in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Washington College Names Fundraiser Gretchen Dwyer As New VP for Advancement

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College has named Gretchen Dwyer, a fundraiser and 16-year veteran of school development and alumni-relations work, as its new Vice President for College Advancement beginning in mid-January of 2012.

Since 2004, Dwyer, 39, has served as Senior Director of Campaign and Leadership Giving at Bennington College in Vermont. In that role, she managed leadership giving, planned giving, prospect research and donor stewardship. She built and managed Bennington’s leadership-giving program, greatly increasing both the number of donors and the size of gifts to the college during her tenure. She also served on occasion as Interim Vice President for External Relations.

Before joining the Bennington College staff, Dwyer worked for two years as Director of Development at the Tower School, an independent K-9 school in Marblehead, Mass., and for four years at Boston University, where she served as the Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

In announcing the appointment to the campus and alumni communities, Washington College President Mitchell B. Reiss cited Dwyer’s fundraising successes and her reputation for forging strong working relationships with multiple constituencies. “I am delighted that Gretchen has agreed to join us at Washington College,” he said. “She has been a central figure in the success of a number of our nation’s premier advancement programs. The leadership-giving program Gretchen built and manages has been responsible for Bennington College’s receipt of more six-, seven-, and eight-figure gifts in the past seven years than in its entire 79-year history. I am confident she will make enormous contributions to Washington College.”

“I am very excited about coming to Washington College and Chestertown,” said Dwyer. “I am looking forward to building on the staff’s great fundraising and alumni relations successes and working together with all members of the Washington College community to raise support for such a dynamic and distinctive college. The combination of the College’s attributes—its known strengths in writing, the excellent programming at its CES [Center for Environment and Society] and C.V. Starr Center, a proud alumni body, a stellar faculty and talented students—is irresistible to me. My family is also excited to join the Chestertown community.”

A native of California, Dwyer earned a bachelor’s degree in English and African Studies from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and a master’s degree in literacy, language and cultural studies from Boston University. She and her husband, Tom Dwyer, have three children, ages 6, 5, and 2.

Dwyer’s appointment concludes a lengthy national search and fills a year-long vacancy in Washington College’s Advancement office. President Reiss thanked Barbara Heck, the Associate Vice President for Leadership Gifts, who has led the department since October of last year. “Barbara and the entire Advancement staff have worked diligently to keep donor development and stewardship on course. I know they will assist Gretchen in every way as we welcome the Dwyer family into our campus and our community.”

Visiting Neuro-Economist to Explain What Really Motivates Our Financial Decisions

CHESTERTOWN, MD—As economic concerns and debt continue to dog the U.S., and European leaders work to avert financial catastrophes in their own countries, it seems more important than ever to understand just how people make monetary decisions—at home, in business, and in government. Are we even capable of reasonable decisions in the midst of so many temptations to misspend?

Economist Daniel Houser will offer some answers from the field of neuroeconomics when he delivers a talk titled “Temptation and Self-Control” on Tuesday, November 29 at Washington College. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on the College campus (300 Washington Avenue).

“Temptation and the need for self-control are ubiquitous features of human lives, and can play an important role in the way we make economic decisions,” says Houser, Chair of the Department of Economics at George Mason University and a faculty member of its Center for the Study of Neuroeconomics. His talk will explore the ways temptation influences not only our purchases but also our productivity at work, and will discuss strategies for improved self-control.

The event is co-sponsored by the Washington College Department of Psychology, the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society in Economics, the Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi and the Daniel Z. Gibson-John A Wagner Visitor Fund. For more information, http://www.washcoll.edu.

College Seeks Nominations for President’s Medal, Distinguished Service Awards by December 9

Chestertown, MD—Washington College president Mitchell Reiss has called for nominations for two annual honors – the President’s Medal and the President’s Distinguished Service Awards – that recognize meritorious service to Washington College and/or Chestertown and the greater Kent County community. The College is accepting nominations through December 9, 2011. Award recipients will be honored at the College’s George Washington’s Birthday Convocation on Friday, February 24, 2012.

Through the President’s Medal, the College honors an individual or organization from the greater Kent County community who has established an exemplary record of sustained positive contribution to the quality of life in the region and/or at the College. The candidate’s career or organization’s work should be distinguished by service to their fellow human beings and reflect the ideals represented in the Washington College Mission Statement (http://academics.washcoll.edu/missionstatement.php). In addition, a nominee should have at least five years of demonstrated service in a particular area.

Last year’s recipient was Community Food Pantry president Jim Fouss. Previous recipients include Richard Miller, Leslie Raimond, Ruth Briscoe, Nancy Dick, Chris Havemeyer, Jim Siemen, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Department, the Kent Family Center, Tracey Davenport, Summer Days Math & Science Camp for Girls, Eileen Dickey, and Jane Hukill.

The President’s Distinguished Service Awards go to Washington College employees who through exceptional performance, leadership and service have made distinctive contributions to the operation of their departments or the campus community as a whole. Nominees can be any members of the faculty or staff who have been employed by Washington College for at least five years.

As many as five Distinguished Service Awards may be given each year. The 2011 recipients were Associate Professor of Mathematics Louise Amick, faculty secretary Catherine Naundorf, John Toll Professor of Psychology George Spilich, Director of Waterfront Activities John Wagner, and Advancement Office secretary Patsy Will (since retired).

Nominations for both awards involve a letter of recommendation, two or three seconding letters, and a résumé or bio recounting the person or organization’s history and accomplishments. Nominations will be reviewed and evaluated by the five-member President’s Awards Advisory Committee. The faculty and staff members who make up the advisory committee for the 2012 selections are George Spilich (Chair), Kate Moncrief, Debby Bergen, Darnell Parker, and Chris Rainer.

Complete nomination information and criteria for the awards are available online at http://president.washcoll.edu/presidentsawards. Completed nomination materials should be sent to: President’s Awards Advisory Committee, c/o President’s Office, Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Photo: Community Food Pantry president Jim Fouss accepts the 2011 President's Medal from Mitchell Reiss during the George Washington's Birthday Convocation in February.

College and Friends Celebrate 50th Birthday of Arctic Wildlife Refuge with Film Screening

CHESTERTOWN — About the size of South Carolina, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to caribou herds, polar bears, grizzly bears, muskox, doll sheep, wolves, wolverines, snow geese, peregrine falcons and other migratory birds. Discover this isolated and breathtaking preserve at a special screening of the documentary film America's Wildest Refuge on November 29th at Washington College.

In celebration of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 50th Anniversary, the community is invited for cake and refreshments first, at 6:30 p.m. in the McLain Atrium, located in the Toll Science Building on Campus Avenue in Chestertown.

The film, which has a running time of 50 minutes, will be shown at 7 p.m. Colby Hawkinson, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specialist at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, will be on hand that evening to answer questions and explore connections between the Arctic and Eastern Neck Refuges.

The event is sponsored by Washington College’s Center for Environment & Society, the Friends of Eastern Neck Inc., and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For information email to jfairchild2@washcoll.edu or call 410-778-7295.

Study Shows Graduates of Private Liberal Arts Colleges More Satisfied with Their Educations

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Washington College alumni were among those surveyed for a major comparative study on the value of a residential liberal-arts education. Conducted on behalf of the Annapolis Group, a consortium of 130 private liberal-arts colleges, the survey shows that compared with alumni of larger universities, graduates of the AG member schools showed significantly higher satisfaction with the lasting impacts of their college experience on their lives and careers.

As a participating member of the Annapolis Group, Washington College had submitted the names of 100 randomly selected alumni to the company that conducted the survey, Hardwick Day.

According to the executive summary prepared by Hardwick Day, “On measure after measure—from the quality of the learning experience to the nature of their engagement with faculty and peers, from the impact on intellectual and personal development to the value to their careers—alumni of private liberal arts colleges, where the residential experience is a core dimension, say that they benefitted dramatically personally and professionally, academically and socially from their college experience. They report this in far greater numbers and percentages than do alumni of large state universities, including the top public universities.”

Click here to read coverage of the survey in Inside Higher Ed.

Or visit the Annapolis Group Web site to read its announcement of the survey results.

Photos by Keanan Barbour-March.