College to Honor Former President John S. Toll with Memorial Service on Thursday, Sept. 15

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Washington College community will gather on campus Thursday, September 15 at 4 p.m. to celebrate the life of former president John S. Toll, who passed away July 15, 2011 at the age of 87. The public is welcome to the memorial service, which will take place in the Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts. A reception will follow.

Former colleagues will pay tribute to a leader and friend known for his optimism, kindness and dedication to higher education. Those slated to speak include former Chair of the Board of Visitors and Governors Jay Griswold, former Board member John Moag, and former Dean and Provost of the College Joachim Scholz. A nephew, Stephen S. Dunham, who serves as Vice President and General Counsel at Johns Hopkins University, will speak on behalf of the family.

Dr. Toll came to Washington College after an already stellar career as a physicist and as a higher-education visionary. During his decade in Chestertown, he reinvigorated the College financially, academically and physically, bringing it into national prominence. For a full obituary, click here.

At the family’s request, gifts to Washington College in honor of Dr. Toll will fund a prize in physics to be awarded to a graduating senior. Memorial gifts can be sent to the Advancement Office, Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Those who wish to send condolences to the family may write to Deborah T. Toll, 6609 Boxford Way, Bethesda, MD, 20817.

In Memoriam: John Sampson Toll

October 25, 1923 – July 15, 2011
John Sampson Toll, an internationally renowned physicist and pioneering educator who culminated his career at Washington College, passed away Friday, July 15, 2011 of natural causes at Fox Hill Assisted Living in Bethesda, MD. He was 87.

Dr. Toll is credited with redefining Washington College as one of the nation’s premier institutions of higher education. During his presidency, Dr. Toll elevated Washington College’s national reputation, strengthened its academics with new programs and general education requirements, invested in the physical plant, and directed the single largest fundraising campaign ever conducted by any undergraduate college in Maryland. Before Dr. Toll arrived in January 1995, the College had experienced three straight years of budget deficits. Dr. Toll balanced the budget every year he was in office, and by the end of his tenure had more than quadrupled the endowment.

By his own account, his decade at Washington College (1995—2004) ranked among the most professionally productive and personally rewarding of a career in higher education that spanned six decades. At 71, the former Chancellor of the University of Maryland System agreed to serve as Acting President through a transitional period, and then the Board of Visitors and Governors asked him to stay on. After working at major public research institutions, Dr. Toll said he was impressed that undergraduate students here could conduct research with faculty members in much the same way graduate students do. He proved adept at raising money to support that kind of student/faculty collaboration. With an original campaign goal of $72 million, the Campaign for Washington’s College surpassed its target by nearly 44 percent, bringing in total contributions of $103.4 million. Under his leadership, the College’s endowment assets grew from just under $27 million to more than $112.4 million.

Jay Griswold, the Chairman Emeritus of Black Oak Associates who served as chair of the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors during Dr. Toll’s tenure, remembers him as “one of the greatest presidents of Washington College, and a great man. He was a totally dedicated, selfless individual who taught me a lot about how to treat people and how to raise money for Washington College.”

Gerald L. Holm, Chairman of The Hodson Trust, says Dr. Toll was “known for his intellect, strong leadership, gracious manner and commitment to education. He was, above all, a visionary,” he adds.

Former Maryland Governor Harry Hughes says that Dr. Toll possessed a rare combination of intelligence and modesty. “He did a marvelous job as head of the University of Maryland and later at Washington College. He was greatly interested in students and was one of the finest human beings I ever met. He will be greatly missed — I was proud to consider him a friend.”

As president, Dr. Toll initiated the Washington Scholars program, a successful experiment in student recruitment. His academic initiatives included the addition of five new majors, a certification program in elementary education, a general education program featuring a set of innovative first—year seminars, and the introduction of fine arts, foreign language, and quantitative requirements. Two new academic centers—the Center for Environment and Society and the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience—were established on his watch, as were ambitious initiatives to internationalize the curriculum. His capstone achievement—securing a Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus—reflects the strength of the academic environment Dr. Toll achieved.

Dr. Toll rejuvenated Washington College’s physical campus as well, with the addition of several academic, recreational and residential facilities—including Daly Hall, Goldstein Hall, the Schottland Tennis Center and, as a final tribute to him, the John S. Toll Science Center.

Joachim Scholz, professor of German emeritus, served as Provost and Dean of the College under the Toll administration. “Working for Dr. Toll was an ongoing and exciting learning experience. He was a man of infinite positive energy as a leader, and of infinite kindness as a person who refused to say a negative word about anybody.”

John Toll, who is known for his work in dispersion theory, elementary particle physics and quantum field theory, began his career in higher education at Princeton University where he helped establish the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He is highly regarded for his work at SUNY Stony Brook, a school he built from the ground up into one of the nation’s best research institutions, and for his long association with the University of Maryland, where he first taught physics and then returned to preside over a system of five campuses. In 1988, he headed up the merger of Maryland’s two public multi—campus university systems, and was named Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

Prior to his appointment at Washington College, he had served as President of Universities Research Association, a consortium of universities with research programs in high—energy physics that operates the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. When Congress proposed to build the Superconducting Super Collider, URA was asked to expand its role to include oversight of that project. When budget pressures led Congress to cancel the project, Dr. Toll returned to University of Maryland where he served as chancellor emeritus and professor of physics.

A University of Maryland colleague, Rita Colwell, remembers him as an extraordinary leader, mentor and friend. Colwell served as Toll’s academic vice president at the University of Maryland System; together they developed various biotech centers and research programs for the System.

“He was a visionary who always liked challenges,” Colwell says. “He never wanted to sit back and let things happen. He wanted to make sure there was always forward progress. He loved innovation, and was really fun to work with. He was just wonderful. I will miss him so much.”

Dr. Toll was a fellow of the American Physical Society, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Washington Academy of Sciences, and a member and former national chairman of the Federation of American Scientists. He served as chairman of three advisory panels for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, and as chairman of advisory panels in physics for the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Born October 25, 1923 in Denver, Colorado, John Sampson Toll was the son of Oliver Wolcott and Marie D’Aubigne Sampson Toll. He earned his high school diploma at Putney School in Vermont and was graduated with highest honors from Yale University in 1944. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he completed post—graduate studies at Princeton University where he helped establish Project Matterhorn, now known as the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He worked in the Theoretical Physics Division of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and as associate director of Project Matterhorn before turning to teaching.

In addition to his wife of 40 years, Deborah Taintor Toll, he is survived by daughter Dacia and her husband Jeffrey Klaus; daughter Caroline and her husband Nick Vetter; and a grandson, John Blaese Toll Klaus.

Dr. John Toll, Governor Robert Ehrlich To Be Honored At Washington College's 222nd Commencement, May 16

Winner of Nation's Largest Undergraduate Literary Prize to be Announced

Chestertown, MD, April 1, 2004 — On Sunday, May 16, Washington College will honor the accomplishments of its outgoing president, Dr. John S. Toll, and Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. during the College's 222nd Commencement. Ceremonies will conclude with the presentation of degrees and academic awards, including the College's highest academic honor, the George Washington Medal and Award, and the Sophie Kerr Prize—the largest undergraduate literary prize in the nation, valued at $56,000 this year, the 37th year that the prize has been awarded.

Commencement begins at 10:30 a.m. on the campus lawn. In the event of rain, Commencement ceremonies will be moved indoors to Cain Gymnasium. Only ticket holders will be admitted to the Gymnasium and designated remote simulcast viewing sites.

While the College prepares to inaugurate its 24th president, Baird Tipson, next fall, it wishes farewell to Dr. John S. Toll, whose exemplary career in academia stretches over six decades. Under his tutelage for the past nine years, Washington College has achieved unprecedented levels of success—greater donor support, a larger applicant pool and increased selectivity, more resources for faculty research and teaching innovations, an expanded physical plant, a quadrupled endowment, and a merit scholarship program that supports more than half of its students. Paying tribute to the legacy he leaves to the College and to the renewed sense of vision and strength that he has imparted, the College will present to him the highest honor that it can give, making him an Honorary Doctor of Science from Washington College.

Joining Dr. Toll, the Honorable Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Governor of Maryland, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Law in recognition of his accomplishments during his 18 years in public service and policy as a state legislator, congressman, and now governor. A lifelong Maryland resident, Governor Ehrlich became Maryland's 60th governor on November 5, 2002—the first Republican to hold the office in 36 years. Raised in the working-class Baltimore suburb of Arbutus, the only son of Nancy and Bob Ehrlich, Sr., Governor Ehrlich attended the Gilman School in Baltimore, Princeton University and Wake Forest University Law School. He began his political career as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, serving from 1987 to 1995, and later spent eight years representing his district in Congress from 1995 to 2003.

Governor Ehrlich is known as a tireless crusader for fiscal responsibility and accountability, public safety, and improving education and the business climate of the State of Maryland. Recently, he has taken one of the strongest steps forward in Chesapeake Bay environmental policy—the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund. Designed by the Governor and approved by the General Assembly at the conclusion of this past 2004 legislative session, the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund will tackle one of the Bay's biggest problems—overburdened municipal sewage systems. Hailed as “one of the most important pieces of Bay legislation in 20 years” by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Fund will finance, through an annual surcharge to state homeowners and businesses, much-needed upgrades to Maryland's sewage treatment plants, a move which will reduce nitrogen pollution—the most significant factor in the Bay's degradation—by 7 million pounds per year, cutting current levels nearly in half. For this and many other efforts to improve the lives of Maryland's citizens, Washington College honors the career of Governor Ehrlich this Sunday.

In addition to the awarding of honorary degrees, the Washington College Alumni Association will present the 2004 Alumni Citation for Excellence to songstress Susan Dunning Matthews '75 in recognition of her contributions to the performing arts as an accomplished lady of jazz. A gifted musician with three solo recordings to her credit, Matthews came to Washington College from Amstersdam, NY, drawn to the drama department and the small, intimate environment for learning. Here Matthews found a perfect stage from which to launch her singing career, performing with the College Chorus and with “Fat Shadow,” a college band playing original compositions arranged by classmates. Today, she performs in top jazz clubs and festivals around the world, most recently in concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and at the Saluzzo Music Festival in Italy. With her band “Guys and Doll,” she is a favorite guest artist at the annual Clifden Festival in Ireland, and has presented a program of American jazz and blues in schools in Hungary, by invitation of the Fulbright Commission. Among her performance credits are featured soloist with the Canadian Calgary Philharmonic, the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Showcase, and the Seventh Annual Cabaret Convention held at New York City's Town Hall.

$103.4 Million: Washington College Completes Largest Capital Campaign Of Any Undergraduate College In Maryland

Campaign's Success Highlights Accomplishments of Dr. John Toll's Tenure as President

Chestertown, MD, January 8, 2004 — Washington College's Board of Visitors and Governors announced today the conclusion of the largest capital campaign in the College's 222-year history—and the single largest fund raising campaign ever conducted by any Maryland undergraduate college. With an original campaign goal of $72 million announced in 1998, the Campaign for Washington's College surpassed its original target by nearly 44 percent, with total contributions of $103.4 million as of December 31, 2003. Among all Maryland institutions of higher learning, only Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland System have raised more money in a single capital campaign. Washington College enrolls 1,450 students from 35 states and 36 countries.

“On behalf of the entire Washington College community, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the success of this campaign,” said Jay Griswold, Chair of the College's Board of Visitors and Governors and Director of Brown Investment Advisory and Trust Company of Baltimore. “Despite the economic downturn of the past few years and the challenges of these uncertain times, we have seen an amazing amount of generosity by our alumni, by foundations, and by individuals who believe deeply and passionately in the distinctive education that Washington College provides.”

Campaign support came from numerous alumni who collectively contributed more than $11 million, as well as 15 donors who gave $1 million or more, 105 contributors of $100,000 or more, $5 million from The Starr Foundation of New York, and the constant support of The Hodson Trust, which provided various grants and a pledge to match all contributions to the endowment of $100,000 or more. Drawing grants from many corporations and foundations in the Mid-Atlantic region, the campaign was also supported by distinguished national foundations, including The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Henry Luce Foundation.

“The breadth of support for Washington College was outstanding, and the number of national sources who contributed to our campaign is a real compliment to our institution,” Griswold added.

“The founding of Washington College in 1782 as the first college chartered after the Declaration of Independence was an act of courageous optimism for a nation whose destiny was still uncertain,” said John S. Toll, President of the College. “What we have witnessed through our campaign is that same vision. Our founders William Smith and George Washington, with the help of many supporters, launched Washington College because they believed fervently that education was the bulwark on which freedom, opportunity and justice must rest if they are to be perpetuated. Today's benefactors, like our founders, are bold optimists whose generosity will go a long way to help us lift Washington College to new levels of distinction and service.”

The campaign's successful conclusion represents one of the highlights of Dr. Toll's nine-year tenure as president. The former chancellor and president of the University of Maryland System and professor of physics, Dr. Toll arrived at Washington College in January 1995 and will step down as president at the conclusion of this academic year.

Funds raised by the Campaign for Washington's College are supporting a range of initiatives as part of the College's strategic plan, including new faculty chairs and professorships, technology enhancements, two new academic research and outreach centers—the Center for Environment and Society and the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience—and new and expanded academic programs in archaeology, Asian studies, computer science, and earth and planetary science. In addition, the Campaign is helping to improve and expand campus infrastructure: Louis L. Goldstein Hall was dedicated in 2000 and a new 45,000-square-foot Science Center is slated for completion in Fall 2004. Many other facilities, including William Smith Hall, were renovated.

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 on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

John S. Toll, Washington College Named First Recipients Of J. McKenny Willis, Jr. Community Service Award

Chestertown, MD, September 3, 2003 — Dr. John S. Toll and Washington College have been chosen by the Board of Directors of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation to be the first recipients of the "J. McKenny Willis, Jr. Community Service Award." The Willis Award was created this year to recognize a non-profit organization in the five-county Mid-Shore region that has provided exceptional service to the region, and to the individual most responsible for its success.
"During the last eight years, Washington College has emerged as one of the most highly regarded small colleges in the nation," said Charles T. Capute, chair of the Community Foundation. "To everyone involved, it is clear that the credit for this achievement belongs to Dr. Toll."
The award's namesake, J. McKenny Willis, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on October 31, is one of the Mid-Shore's most legendary community leaders. During his 65-year career Mr. Willis helped create and support many of the non-profit institutions now serving our region, including Memorial Hospital, the Talbot County YMCA and the Talbot County United Fund.
Dr. Toll, former Chancellor of the University of Maryland System, has served as President of Washington College since 1995. He recently announced his retirement from that post in 2004, following the successful completion of a five-year $92 million-plus campaign that has helped to re-establish the College as one of the premier institutions in its class.
A physicist by training, Dr. Toll worked at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory before joining the University of Maryland as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in 1953. He was named President of the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1965, and returned to Maryland to serve as President, and then the first Chancellor for the University of Maryland System from 1978 to 1989.
Dr. Toll has been the recipient of numerous awards during his career, including "Washingtonian of the Year" in 1985; Yale University Award for Distinguished Contributions, 1996; Lifetime Achievement Award, Maryland Association for Higher Education, 2000; Newsday Long Islander of the Century, 2000; and Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Marylander for the Year, 2000.
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. Washington College was recently recognized as one of the top 100 Best Liberal Arts Colleges nationally by U.S. News & World Report, and as one of the nation's Top 120 colleges in the forthcoming book, "Colleges of Distinction" (fall, 2003). Through programs such as its annual "Into Streets Day of Service," in which 360 incoming freshmen participated this August, and its Service Learning Program, Washington College encourages its students to volunteer and share their time and talents with local community organizations.
The Mid-Shore Community Foundation is the leading philanthropic organization in the five-county Mid-Shore region. The Foundation administers more than 50 charitable funds with a combined asset value in excess of $16 million. During its most recent fiscal year the Foundation distributed nearly $650,000 in charitable gifts, largely to non-profit organizations in the Mid-Shore region.
The Willis Award will be presented Thursday, October 9 at the Avalon Theatre in Easton, MD.

Construction Underway On New Science Center

45,000-Square-Foot Facility to Double the Size of the College's Science Complex

Chestertown, MD, July 21, 2003 — Washington College has broken ground on a new $19 million Science Center to meet the demands of a steadily increasing number of science majors. Construction began in early June with the demolition of the Litrenta Lecture Hall wing on Dunning Hall and the rerouting of utilities to prepare the foundation. The new 45,000-square-foot building will double the size of the College's science teaching and research complex. Renovations to the existing Dunning-Decker Science Complex will be finished after the completion of the new science building, completing the total modernization of the College's science facilities.
“Our new Science Center has been designed to provide a lab-rich environment for supporting new and evolving models for teaching the sciences to undergraduates,” said Dr. John Toll, President Emeritus of Washington College, noting the College's dedication to an engaged, hands-on approach of collaborative research between students and professors.
While total student enrollment at Washington College has grown from 789 in 1986-87 to 1362 in 2002-03, the number of science majors has tripled in the same period. To meet the needs of these students, the new Science Center and the renovated Dunning-Decker Science Complex will provide cutting-edge laboratories for teaching and research in the natural and behavioral sciences, as well as in mathematics and computer science. The goal, Dr. Toll added, is to provide adequate space for both experiential learning and for faculty research. The new facility will have teaching laboratories, research laboratories and laboratory support space. For classroom space, a new trend in science facilities will be followed: small-group instruction rooms equipped with mobile “white boards.” For reasons of safety and security, renovations will include an automated card access security system for labs, stores and supplies. The new and renovated buildings will meet all current requirements for Life Safety and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This new construction and renovation is the largest capital project in the history of Washington College. The Maryland General Assembly appropriated $2,575,000 in 2002 and private fundraising has brought in additional monies, including $2.7 million from the College's Board of Visitors and Governors and $531,000 raised toward a $1-million goal to name the three-story glass atrium connecting the Science Center with the Dunning-Decker Science Complex in honor of the late chemistry professor and Washington College President Joseph H. McLain.
In addition to these gifts and support from reunion classes, other major funding has come from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, $200,000 from Whiting-Turner Contracting, $100,000 from Roy Ans, Class of 1963, $100,000 from the late Ivon Culver, Class of 1935, and $100,000 from the George I. Alden Trust. Also, the College has received a grant of $48,300 from the National Science Foundation to outfit an aquaculture lab to study fish acoustic behavior, a research specialization for Washington College biology professor Martin Connaughton.
Washington College currently offers bachelor of science degrees in biology and biochemistry, chemistry, physics and psychology/behavioral neuroscience; a minor in earth and planetary science; and special courses of study in engineering, environmental studies, nursing, pharmacy science and premed.
Fundraising for the new Science Center is ongoing with opportunities available to sponsor and to name department research suites, teaching and research laboratories, seminar and classrooms, and faculty offices. For more information, contact the Washington College Office of Development and Parent and Alumni Relations at 410-778-7801.

John S. Toll Announces Plan To Step Down As President Of Washington College

Chestertown, MD, June 18, 2003 — Dr. John S. Toll, President of Washington College, announced Monday to the College's Board of Visitors and Governors that at the end of the 2003-2004 academic year he will be prepared to conclude his service as president, a position he has held since January 1995. During his sabbatical year of 2004-2005, Toll plans to continue as an advisor to the institution and to the Board as it installs a new president for the 221-year-old institution.
“As I approach my tenth year at Washington College, the time is appropriate for me to assess the College's future leadership requirements and my own plans and aspirations,” said Toll, who turns 80 this October. “I am enormously proud of what the College has achieved, and I wish to complete my term as President when the College is well positioned to achieve a successful transition to new leadership.”
“John Toll's period of leadership at Washington College will constitute its most successful decade in history,” said Jack S. Griswold, Chair of the Board of Visitors and Governors. Under Toll's leadership, the College has achieved increased donor support and a quadrupling of the College's endowment, expanded academic programs and new academic facilities, a growing applicant pool and increased selectivity, and enhanced rankings in U. S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges and other independent college guides. Meanwhile, the College has remained deliberately small. With an undergraduate enrollment capped at approximately 1250 students, Toll believes the College can provide an ideal environment for collaborative learning and for fostering a strong sense of community.
“Words cannot adequately express my appreciation and admiration for what Dr. Toll has accomplished for Washington College,” said Griswold. “By any standard, his presidency will be remembered as among the College's most remarkable.”
In accepting Dr. Toll's plans for retirement, the Board voted to award him the title of President Emeritus when he concludes his presidency.
Toll is an internationally respected figure in academic and scientific communities. He has attracted a number of national figures to speak at the campus, among them former President George H. W. Bush and James Watson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning physicist who, with Francis Crick, discovered the double helix structure for DNA.
“Throughout a long and distinguished career as both a scientist and an educator, John Toll has built programs that support the pursuit of knowledge in modern physics and related sciences,” Watson remarked upon learning of Toll's intentions to step down. “No educator has had more impact in fostering cooperation in scientific research than John Toll. From university research labs to undergraduate classrooms, John Toll has made significant contributions to the success of science education in America.”
Toll will also be remembered for returning the College's benefactor and first trustee, George Washington, to the forefront of the College's identity, and emphasizing the early institution's role in forging an educated citizenry for what was then a new nation. One of Toll's first initiatives was the Washington Scholars program, which awards $40,000 scholarships to National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society high school students who exemplify the qualities of leadership, scholarship, character and service. Today, more than half of all students enrolled at the College are Washington Scholars.
David L. Warren, President of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, commented on Toll's impact at Washington College: “John Toll is a national treasure in American higher education. With an illustrious career already established, and at a point when most people would be comfortable resting on their accomplishments, John instead chose to take on the challenge of leading Washington College into the new century. Since 1995, he has done that with style, substance, and a degree of success that has been noted all across higher education. Today, thanks to John's efforts, Washington College stands as one of the rising stars of private higher education. Its new-found national stature over the past eight years is in large measure a reflection of the stature of its president.”
A Princeton-trained physicist, Chancellor Emeritus and professor of physics at the University of Maryland, and a former president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Toll's career in higher education has spanned six decades. His first appointment as a college president came in 1965 when he became the first president at the 1,800-student State University of New York at Stony Brook. By the time he left, the school had grown to 17,000 students with specialized schools for public affairs, medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health professions, basic health sciences and social work, and had become the leading centers of research in the State University of New York. In recognition of his accomplishments at Stony Brook, Newsday counted Toll among the top 100 individuals who shaped the twentieth century. The university's gift club for benefactors is named for him.
In 1978, the University of Maryland invited Toll to return, this time as president to preside over a system of five campuses. Ten years later, at the request of then-Governor Schaefer, Toll headed up the merger of Maryland's two public multi-campus university systems and the founding of the University of Maryland System, with Toll named as Chancellor. He left that post in 1989 to become president of the Universities Research Association. In 1995, he accepted the position of Acting President of Washington College and later that year accepted the presidency on a permanent basis. While at an age when most people consider retirement, Toll promised the college ten years. By the end of his 2004-2005 sabbatical year, he will have more than fulfilled that commitment.
His leadership has brought considerable progress, financial support and recognition to Washington College, an effect that colleagues call “The Toll Factor.” At the time of his arrival, the College's endowment was under $27 million; at the end of fiscal year 2002 it stood at $104 million. The fundraising campaign he initiated in 1996 achieved its initial goal of $72 million 18 months ahead of schedule, and is targeted to top $100 million by the end of this year. The campaign has funded the Washington Scholars program, four new endowed faculty chairs, and the expansion of the College's physical plant, including the addition of two new academic facilities, 11 new student residence halls, and a $20 million science teaching and research complex now under construction.
While finances and infrastructure grew stronger under his guidance, so did academic initiatives, including the addition of five new majors and a certification program in elementary education. Two new academic centers combine traditional academic programming with community engagement and research opportunities for students—the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Center for the Environment and Society.
“John Toll's initiatives at Washington College have strengthened its leadership role in preserving the Chesapeake Bay region,” remarked Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, who represents the district encompassing Washington College. “With a renewed focus on environmental studies and its rich historical heritage, Washington College involves students in issues that matter to the people of the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

University Names Building in Honor of Dr. John Toll

Chestertown, MD, May 10, 2001 — In a practice hearkening to grand, old university traditions, the University of Maryland, College Park renamed its physics building in honor of Washington College President John Toll during a ceremony held Thursday, May 3, 2001. The renaming acknowledges Dr. Toll's important contributions as the former physics department chair at Maryland and former president and chancellor of the University of Maryland System (now the University System of Maryland).

"In baseball, Yankee Stadium is rightly known as 'The house that Ruth built'. In the same way, our department should be known as the 'The department that Toll built'," said physics department chair Jordan A. Goodman during the naming ceremony. "Professor Toll is, in large part, responsible for building this department, which is now one of the largest and best-known physics departments in the world."

After earning a B.S. degree with highest honors in physics from Yale in 1944, Toll served in the Navy during WWII. In 1952 he completed his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton, where he helped establish what is now the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. In 1953 he became chair of Maryland's physics department, which was broadened to create the astronomy program. Thirteen years later he left to take over the presidency of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1978 he returned, first as President and later as Chancellor of the expanded University of Maryland system.

Toll was a Guggenheim Fellow, has held leadership roles in dozens of organizations, and has received national and international honors and honorary degrees. He pioneered the establishment of relations between the State of Maryland and China as one of the first university presidents to visit China in the 1970's.

In physics he is recognized as a leader in developing the modern approach to dispersion theory and its application to problems on elementary particle physics. Upon Toll's leaving the Chancellor's Office in 1989 and returning to the Department of Physics, the Board of Regents conferred upon him the status of Chancellor Emeritus. He currently serves as President of Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, and as a part-time physics faculty member in the University of Maryland's College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

Toll was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his "distinguished achievements in advancing quantum field theory and for unparalleled leadership in strengthening academia and science education in the U.S." Since 1874, the Council has elected members whose "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished." Members will be recognized during the Association's Annual Meeting in February.

Last year Toll also was chosen as the distinguished Marylander for the Year 2000 by the University of Maryland chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. The award is given each year to a "distinguished Marylander who has made significant contributions to the University of Maryland."

"This honor is unexpected and humbling," said Toll. "I am proud to be part of the history and great traditions of the University of Maryland."

College To Host Dialogue on Bay Restoration

Chestertown, MD, March 15, 2001 — On Saturday, April 7, 2001, Washington College will host a prominent group of retired statesmen to participate in a dialogue on the origins of the Chesapeake Bay Program. The dialogue will start at 10 a.m. in the College's Norman James Theatre.

The featured guest for this dialogue is the Honorable Charles M. Mathias, former U. S. Senator from Maryland, whose efforts in 1975 led to the creation of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Senator Mathias will be joined by former Maryland Governor Harry Hughes, former Senator Joseph Gartlan of Virginia, former Delegate Tayloe Murphy of Virginia, former Senator Bernard Fowler of Maryland, and the Honorable George Wolff, former member of the Chesapeake Bay Commission from Pennsylvania. The participants will examine the origins of the Bay Program movement and the work that citizens, politicians and environmentalists still must accomplish to restore the health of the Chesapeake.

John Toll, president of Washington College, is the host for the dialogue, which will feature elected officials, public policy makers, students and citizens who will have the opportunity to pose questions to the invited guests. The dialogue is sponsored by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Washington College's Center for the Environment and Society, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program.

The dialogue is free and open to the public, but tickets are required, as space is limited. Please call 410-377-6270 to reserve a space.

President Toll Honored As Distinguished Marylander

Chestertown, MD, November 17, 2000 — Dr. John S. Toll, President of Washington College, has been honored as the Distinguished Marylander of the Year by the University of Maryland Chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. The award is presented each fall to a prominent Marylander who has contributed significantly to the improvement and success of education in the state.

"Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and largest collegiate honor society in the country representing all academic areas," said James Newton, president of the University of Maryland Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. "The nomination of John Toll for our annual award was unanimously endorsed by our executive board. He truly represents a life of tireless commitment to enhancing higher education."

"This award is both unexpected and humbling," said Dr. Toll. "I am deeply grateful to Phi Kappa Phi for this great honor."

Each year Phi Kappa Phi inducts seniors and select juniors from the top ten percent of their class. In honor of Dr. Toll, two University Service Award scholarships will be given in his name. Dr. Toll will present the scholarships during a ceremony on December 3, 2000 at the Baltimore County campus of the University of Maryland.

Washington College President Toll Hailed As Tops In Maryland Education

Chestertown, MD, June 9—The Maryland Association of Higher Education will present Washington College President John S. Toll with its first ever Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s annual symposium today at Towson University.

"Dr. Toll's career as both a distinguished faculty scholar and campus and system administrator, in both the public and private sectors of Maryland higher education, truly exemplifies what the MAHE Lifetime Achievement Award is meant to recognize," says MAHE president Craig Clagett. "Along with his stellar academic accomplishments, Dr. Toll is known for his genuine interest in helping others, whether students, staff, or colleagues. He has set the standard for service to Maryland higher education."

Founded in 1946, MAHE is now in its 54th year serving the interests of all sectors and all professions of higher education in Maryland. Through its conferences, Web site, and publications, MAHE promotes communication and cooperation among all those interested in furthering higher learning in Maryland.

Toll’s accomplishments during his more than 46 years in higher education, 33 in the state of Maryland, led to this first-ever honor. A Yale graduate with a Ph.D. from Princeton in physics, Toll began his career in Maryland education in 1953, when he joined the University of Maryland faculty after helping to establish the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He served for thirteen years as chair of UM’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, leaving to assume the presidency of SUNY Stony Brook. For his work there, Toll was listed among "100 Who Shaped the Century" by Newsday, the principal newspaper of Long Island, New York.

Toll came back to Maryland from Stony Brook in 1978, invited by the University of Maryland to become president of the five-campus system. At the request of then-Governor William Donald Schaefer, Toll headed the merger of Maryland’s two public multi-campus university systems in 1988. This led to the founding of the University of Maryland System, with Toll named Chancellor. He remains Chancellor Emeritus.

In 1994 Toll returned to the physics department at the University of Maryland, working with graduate students and faculty on research and lecturing at freshman honors seminars. He became Acting President of Washington College on January 1, 1995, and accepted the invitation of the Board to continue as president that year.

The private liberal arts and sciences college has flourished under his leadership, with no aspect of institutional life untouched by his enthusiasm.

His impact was readily apparent to the accrediting agency that visited in 1994 and returned for a follow-up visit in 1999. The Periodic Review Report of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools reported "phenomenal progress" and an "incredible turnaround which . . . far exceeds the expectations of even the most optimistic member of the 1994 Review Team."

Toll’s first initiative at the College was to develop and launch the Washington Scholars Program, a $10,000 per year scholarship program for members of the National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society. As a result of this initiative, honor society members entering the College make up more than 50 percent of the total freshman class, an increase from less than 25 percent in 1995. The number of entering freshmen also has increased 20 percent from 236 in 1994 to 282 in 1999. The Class of 2000 is the first graduating class of Washington Scholars.

During his first five years in office, Toll has overseen the addition of majors in environmental studies, anthropology and computer science, a dual degree program in pharmacy, and a K-8 teacher certification program to complement secondary education training. The College also has established itself as a leader in international education and currently offers 38 study abroad programs around the world. Two varsity sports—co-ed and women’s sailing and women’s soccer—have also been added.

As student enrollment as grown, so has the size of the faculty—a 28 percent increase of full-time faculty from 65 in 1994 to 83 in 1999.

An inveterate fund-raiser for education, President Toll has spearheaded The Campaign for Washington’s College. Initiated in 1997 with a goal of $72 million, the campaign has yielded $60 million in funds raised after one year of the public phase. The Campaign is raising money to support academic programs, including developing centers for the study of creative writing, environmental studies, and the American experience; student scholarships; faculty salaries; improved facilities; and endowment.

"John Toll’s leadership has been critical to the early success of this Campaign," notes Jay Griswold of Baltimore, vice chair of the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors and chairman of the Campaign. "He is greatly admired and respected in academic circles and political arenas alike."

Washington College Honors President With Creation Of John Toll Chair

Chestertown, MD, June 1 — In recognition of the accomplishments of Washington College President John S. Toll, the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors has established the John Toll Chair at Washington College.

The creation of the chair was announced at the Chevy Chase Club in Washington, D.C. Keynote speaker at the event was Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

The professorship has been endowed through a gift of $2 million—$1 million raised from board members over a period of only six weeks to be matched with $1 million from the Hodson Challenge. Jay Griswold, chairman of the Campaign for Washington’s College, said, "The members of the board had already contributed $18 million to our Campaign for Washington’s College. This commitment on top of that is indicative of the board’s gratitude for President Toll’s leadership.

"Dr. Toll’s untiring work on behalf of the College has been key to the success of our Campaign. His first five years have been characterized by one success after another." The

Campaign has raised $60 million in the first 20 months of a 5-year effort to raise $72 million for academic programs, faculty, scholarships, and campus enhancements.

The John Toll Chair will be awarded to an outstanding faculty member in any discipline at Washington College who exemplifies the College’s goals of superb teaching and advising, fine research and excellent service. The recipient must also display a strongly positive attitude and a deep commitment to Washington College and its students. The professor will be chosen by the president and approved by the board.

Among Toll’s accomplishments are the following:

• The College’s endowment has risen from $27 million to $109 million.
• Enrollment has increased more than 20 percent, from 1006 to 1225.
• The number of National Honor Society students making up the student body has more than doubled to 550.
• Four major building projects have been completed. The most recent, Louis Goldstein Hall, will open this fall.

Toll came to Washington College a distinguished figure in education. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in physics with highest honors from Yale University in 1944 and serving in the Navy during World War II, Toll completed his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton, where he helped to establish Project Matterhorn, now known as the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. In 1953 he joined the University of Maryland faculty and served for thirteen years as chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, considered one of the best in the country.

In 1965 Toll became the first president at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His work there earned him election to Newsday’s "100 Who Shaped the Century."

On June 9, Toll will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maryland Association for Higher Education, the first the organization has given. In July, he will be one of only eight educational leaders to receive the Council for the Support of Education Chief Executive Leadership Award.

Washington College Tuition And Fees Up 4.24 Percent

Third Lowest Increase Since 1976 Marks Continued Modest Trend

Chestertown, MD — Tuition and student fees at Washington College will rise 4.24 percent for the upcoming academic year. The increase of $1,100 will bring the total bill for the 2000-2001 academic year at Washington College—including tuition, room, board and mandatory fees—to $27,040. The current cost is $25,940.

Officials said that effective cost-control measures and strong fund-raising efforts contributed to the moderate increase. Washington College seeks to ensure up-to-date facilities with the latest technologies for its students. Near completion on campus is Goldstein Hall, the College's newest classroom and faculty office building. It will house 24 faculty offices, three classrooms, five seminar rooms, two teaching labs, and one lecture hall. The Writing Center, Math Workshop, and Study Skills offices will also be located at Goldstein Hall, providing a central location for students. Also on tap over the next four years is construction of new residence halls and renovation of those existing to meet the expectations of post-Millennial college students.

College President John S. Toll said, "We have endeavored to hold down the increase in the cost of Washington College education and to provide financial aid to every student who needs it. We're pleased by the increase in the number of able applicants for admission this year and are working to see that the unique Washington College education is available to those who are well qualified."

Many of those well-qualified students benefit from a major element of Washington College's financial aid package, the Washington Scholars program, now in its fourth year. The Washington Scholars program makes $40,000 in scholarship money available to all Washington College students who were inducted into their high school National Honor Society and maintain a B average.

Namesake Plans to Commemmorate Washington's Death

Chestertown, MD — On December 14 an unprecedented national event will take place. Across the country, bells will toll and flags will fly at half-staff in observance of the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s death. The first president’s educational namesake, Washington College, and the community that surrounds the small liberal arts and sciences college will hold a spirited commemoration of Washington’s death on the College’s Chestertown, Md., campus. Beginning at noon, the observance includes a 21-gun salute and musical tributes composed in honor of Washington, a wreath-laying with color guard accompaniment from the Maryland Air National Guard, and a solemn tolling of bells on campus at 1 p.m.

The ceremony at Washington College brings to an end an 18-month celebration of Washington’s life that brought to campus former U.S. president George Bush, the late John F. Kennedy Jr., presidential scholars Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Norton Smith, and Smithsonian curator Richard G. Doty.

College President John S. Toll says, "In his commitment to the ideals of scholarship, character, service, and leadership, George Washington has served as a historic role model for Washington College students."

Although most Americans believe they know everything there is to know about Washington, few realize that Washington College was founded in 1782 with his gift of 50 guineas and his permission in writing to use his name, the only school to earn that distinction. Washington served on the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors for five years and received an honorary degree from the College in 1789. Founded as the first college in the new nation, Washington College ranks among the country’s top 150 selective liberal arts colleges.

"With his gift of 50 guineas Washington invested in the future of a young democracy, knowing the new nation would require an educated citizenry in order to succeed," said President Toll.

The Washington Scholars program, a merit scholarship program that grants recipients $40,000 over four years at the College, was founded to carry on that vision. The program is open to members of the National Honor Society and the Cum Laude Society; 52 percent of the College’s 1,150 students were NHS members in high school.

Seventy-three percent of a recent graduating class intended to earn advanced degrees, while 35 percent were enrolled in Ph.D. or master’s degree programs to begin in the fall after their graduation.