Statement from Washington College President Baird Tipson regarding the Amethyst Initiative

Along with more than 100 college and university presidents nationwide, I have signed my name to the Amethyst Initiative statement. Launched this past July, the Amethyst Initiative is made up of higher education leaders from across the United States who support a thoughtful, measured public debate on lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.

Alcohol is a pervasive aspect of American campus life, an integral part of student socializing. A significant number of our underage students—men, women, Greek, non-Greek—drink, drink often, and believe they have a right to drink. To them the current law is hypocritical, and its existence undermines the respect that all citizens ought to have for any law.

The 21-year-old drinking age has created a dangerous student culture of clandestine drinking. I believe that young people old enough to defend their country and to vote are old enough to consume alcohol responsibly. The 21-year-old drinking age prevents us from modeling responsible drinking. We need to begin a conversation about the legal age at which people may purchase and consume alcohol.

Baird Tipson
President
Washington College

August 19, 2008

Washington College to Acquire Land for Expansion of Waterfront Programs and to Invest in Quality Development at Stepne Manor Site

Chestertown, MD — The executive committee of the Board of Visitors and Governors of Washington College has approved an agreement to acquire 75 acres of land located on the western edge of Chestertown in partnership with Leroy Kirby, Jr.

The agreement, which President Baird Tipson signed on Monday, June 30, grants the College an option to purchase a 5-acre parcel on the Chester River, contiguous to its existing boathouse, for the development of an expanded waterfront presence. Ownership of this property would allow the College to develop, over time, coherent waterfront programs which would respect the natural beauty of the river frontage. Public access to the area would be greatly enhanced, particularly during the summer months when the College is not in active session. The College would also become a passive investor in a partnership owning the inland 70-acre parcel located north of Route 289, commonly known as Stepne Manor. Kirby would be the managing member of that partnership.

Stepne Manor has long been discussed in town planning meetings as a potential site for development of a new neighborhood that would incorporate the design and planning aesthetics of the historic district of the town. The College intends to sell its interest in the property to Kirby once he receives necessary approvals to proceed with development of the new neighborhood.

"This somewhat complex agreement allows Washington College to accomplish two of its most important goals," explained Baird Tipson, president. "Our strategic plan calls for us to recognize that our setting in Chestertown, amid the beauty of the Chester River and the Chesapeake, is a significant institutional advantage, one that will continue to help us realize our ambition to be one of the nation's most distinguished and distinctive liberal arts colleges. An outstanding waterfront presence will become a critical component of our attractiveness to students. This agreement also promises to enable us to influence the character and quality of what is developed on the Stepne Manor site, which has been identified by the Town of Chestertown as an appropriate location for new residential housing. Because Chestertown is an enormous asset to us, we will seek to do our part to ensure that this town's unique appeal is preserved and sustained for future generations. A carefully-planned residential neighborhood, working from and extending the town's existing street grid and incorporating timeless principles of tasteful design, will be far preferable to the clumsy, insensitive development that has become increasingly common on the upper Eastern Shore."

Tipson emphasized that the College will preserve and improve public access to the waterfront. While specific plans for the waterfront site have yet to be developed, the College has long identified a need for expanded space for academic programs and research vessels, including a new home for its Center for the Study of the Environment and Society, as well as expanded space for its rowing and sailing teams and for water-oriented recreation programs. Tipson added that the agreement does not change the College's possible interest in the former Armory Building, subject to the Town of Chestertown's determination as to its optimal utilization.

"We look forward to collaborating with the Town of Chestertown and Kent County in making the most of this opportunity," Tipson said.

June 30, 2008

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.

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.