Chestertown, MD, June 20, 2003 —The Friends of Washington College's Miller Library will host a Croquet and Lawn Party at the Hynson-Ringgold House River Garden, Water and Cannon Streets in Chestertown, on Sunday, June 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. This event was originally scheduled for June 1 but was postponed because of the weather.
Demonstration and instruction in croquet rules, strategy and technique will be provided by the Quaker Neck Croquet Club starting at 2 p.m. Following the demonstration, party attendees are invited to play croquet with the club members. Light refreshments will be served.
The cost of the event is $20 per person and all proceeds will benefit the Maryland Collection of Washington College's Clifton M. Miller Library.
For information and tickets, please contact Nancy Nunn at 410-810-7139.
Friday, June 20, 2003
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
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.”
“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.”
Monday, June 16, 2003
Twenty-One Muslim Students To Participate In First-Ever American Studies Institute At Washington College
Chestertown, MD, June 16, 2003 — Washington College will host 21 Muslim students from several Asian countries this summer for an ambitious new cultural exchange program. The American Studies Institute at Washington College, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, is the first-ever government-funded program to invite college students from Islamic backgrounds to study American culture and history. The theme of the Institute is “American Democracy: The Great Experiment.” It will run from June 29 to August 2 in Chestertown.
Student leaders from predominantly Islamic universities in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh (seven students from each country, 12 women and 9 men in all) were selected from hundreds of applications by the respective U.S. Embassies in Islamabad, New Delhi and Dhaka. Through experiences such as Fourth of July parades and minor-league baseball games, to academic readings and discussions of political writers and theorists, the students will spend a month in a small American town—Chestertown—immersing themselves in American culture.
A series of lectures by Washington College faculty and distinguished visitors will introduce students to both the possibilities and the realities of American democracy. During the first week, titled “Birthrights,” the students will concentrate on the ideals of the founders, studying the charter documents of the United States along with the writings of Washington, Jefferson, Adams and other members of the original “greatest generation.” The second week's program, “Civil Rights,” will focus on ways that Americans have struggled to realize those ideals, and will include segments on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Week three, “Chestertown, U.S.A.,” will give the students a close look at democracy in action, allowing them to meet with community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Week Four, “America and the World,” will examine the relationship between the United States and other nations.
The Institute is distinctive because of Washington College's small-town setting that allows international students to experience directly an America very different than the one portrayed in movies, television and popular media. Chestertown, known for its picturesque streets lined with 18th-century houses, will be a living laboratory in which to study America's founding, and as a busy county seat, provides an easy way for students to meet and interact with the men and women who translate democratic ideals into everyday practice through local courtrooms, politics, volunteerism and community activism.
In addition to classroom experience, the students will participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including field trips to Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City. Once the students have completed their course of study in Chestertown, they will travel to Washington, D.C., to tour the shrines of American democracy and receive final briefings at the Department of State. By interacting with a wide variety of American citizens, these future leaders will return to their countries with a greater understanding of American history and the democratic ideals that guide it.
For further information about the American Studies Institute, contact Kees de Mooy, Program Manager for the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, 410-810-7156, or visit the Center online at visit the Center online at http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu. The C. V. Starr Center is a forum for new scholarship about American history. Drawing on the special historical strengths of Washington College, the Center explores the early republic, the rise of democracy, and the manifold ways in which the founding era continues to shape the fabric of American culture. The Center is interdisciplinary, encouraging the study of traditional history alongside new approaches, and seeking to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.
Student leaders from predominantly Islamic universities in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh (seven students from each country, 12 women and 9 men in all) were selected from hundreds of applications by the respective U.S. Embassies in Islamabad, New Delhi and Dhaka. Through experiences such as Fourth of July parades and minor-league baseball games, to academic readings and discussions of political writers and theorists, the students will spend a month in a small American town—Chestertown—immersing themselves in American culture.
A series of lectures by Washington College faculty and distinguished visitors will introduce students to both the possibilities and the realities of American democracy. During the first week, titled “Birthrights,” the students will concentrate on the ideals of the founders, studying the charter documents of the United States along with the writings of Washington, Jefferson, Adams and other members of the original “greatest generation.” The second week's program, “Civil Rights,” will focus on ways that Americans have struggled to realize those ideals, and will include segments on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Week three, “Chestertown, U.S.A.,” will give the students a close look at democracy in action, allowing them to meet with community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Week Four, “America and the World,” will examine the relationship between the United States and other nations.
The Institute is distinctive because of Washington College's small-town setting that allows international students to experience directly an America very different than the one portrayed in movies, television and popular media. Chestertown, known for its picturesque streets lined with 18th-century houses, will be a living laboratory in which to study America's founding, and as a busy county seat, provides an easy way for students to meet and interact with the men and women who translate democratic ideals into everyday practice through local courtrooms, politics, volunteerism and community activism.
In addition to classroom experience, the students will participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including field trips to Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City. Once the students have completed their course of study in Chestertown, they will travel to Washington, D.C., to tour the shrines of American democracy and receive final briefings at the Department of State. By interacting with a wide variety of American citizens, these future leaders will return to their countries with a greater understanding of American history and the democratic ideals that guide it.
For further information about the American Studies Institute, contact Kees de Mooy, Program Manager for the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, 410-810-7156, or visit the Center online at visit the Center online at http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu. The C. V. Starr Center is a forum for new scholarship about American history. Drawing on the special historical strengths of Washington College, the Center explores the early republic, the rise of democracy, and the manifold ways in which the founding era continues to shape the fabric of American culture. The Center is interdisciplinary, encouraging the study of traditional history alongside new approaches, and seeking to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Four Retiring Faculty Honored May 14 At Hynson-Ringgold House
Chestertown, MD, May 21, 2003 — Washington College has announced the retirement of four distinguished faculty members this spring: Robert Anderson, professor of philosophy; Colin Dickson, professor of French; Daniel Premo, the Louis L. Goldstein Professor in Public Affairs; and the College's Librarian William Tubbs. Fellow faculty, staff and family joined President John S. Toll at the Hynson-Ringgold House in Chestertown on Wednesday, May 14 to celebrate and to honor their years of service to the College and its students.
Dr. Anderson joined the faculty as assistant professor of philosophy in 1976, was promoted to associate professor in 1984, and was made full professor in 1988. In 1980, he was awarded the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. In addition to serving as chair of the Philosophy Department for several years, Dr. Anderson also was chair of the Humanities Division and of the Honors Program Committee. He has written on the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, and has recently completed a book-length manuscript on Plato's Theaetetus. Dr. Anderson received his A.B. degree from Temple University in 1961 and both his M.S., in 1965, and his Ph.D., in 1976, from Yale University. With his powerful intellect and gift for teaching, Anderson has had a profound influence on the lives of his students. In his own quietly inspirational way, he has attracted majors to a field of study that epitomizes the liberal arts.
Dr. Dickson came to Washington College as assistant professor of French in 1971 and was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and to full professor in 1991. He has served as the chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and has brought his voice of reason to his extensive committee work. He has chaired the Board of Student Publications, Lecture Series, Service & Scholarship Committee, and the Student Aid Committee, and was faculty adviser for several student exchanges. He holds his B.A. from Amherst College, and masters degrees in both physics and Romance languages, as well as his Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Dickson has made his mark as a scholar of Michel de Montaigne, as a gifted jazz musician, and as an inspirational teacher of French language, literature and film.
A former U.S. diplomat in Latin America, Dr. Premo joined the faculty as assistant professor of history and political science in 1970 and was promoted to associate professor in 1974 and to full professor in 1982. He won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1987. Among his many appointments as a respected campus leader, Dr. Premo has served as chair of political science and international studies, chair of the Faculty Finance Committee, and as curator of the Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs. He received his B.A. in Spanish and Social Science from Western Michigan University, and his M.A . and Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. At Washington College, he has been instrumental in developing international programs and model diplomacy programs that engage our students in the world, and, with his gift for teaching, has profoundly touched the lives of his students.
Professor Tubbs was named Librarian in 1983. Tenured in 1987, he was promoted to full professor in 1993. He has been responsible for initiating and implementing the information technologies that have ensured Washington College's position at the forefront of the digital information age. The 2000 external review of the Library praised his leadership of Miller Library in these words: “The physical collection is not large, especially in comparison with those of the wealthier of the College's self-selected peer institutions, but the range and depth of full text and other electronic resources accessible by the Washington College community is certainly comparable with all but the wealthiest of them.” Professor Tubbs received his B.A. in Mathematics from Davis and Elkins College in 1960, his M.Div. in History and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1963, and his M.S. in Bibliography Reference from the School of Library Service at Columbia University in 1966.
“We are proud to honor the years and the commitment to the highest standards in education that these four have given to Washington College,” said Dr. John S. Toll, President of the College. “Each in his own way has imparted the priceless gift of wisdom and the value of on-going, life-long learning to generations of Washington College students.”
Dr. Anderson joined the faculty as assistant professor of philosophy in 1976, was promoted to associate professor in 1984, and was made full professor in 1988. In 1980, he was awarded the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. In addition to serving as chair of the Philosophy Department for several years, Dr. Anderson also was chair of the Humanities Division and of the Honors Program Committee. He has written on the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, and has recently completed a book-length manuscript on Plato's Theaetetus. Dr. Anderson received his A.B. degree from Temple University in 1961 and both his M.S., in 1965, and his Ph.D., in 1976, from Yale University. With his powerful intellect and gift for teaching, Anderson has had a profound influence on the lives of his students. In his own quietly inspirational way, he has attracted majors to a field of study that epitomizes the liberal arts.
Dr. Dickson came to Washington College as assistant professor of French in 1971 and was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and to full professor in 1991. He has served as the chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and has brought his voice of reason to his extensive committee work. He has chaired the Board of Student Publications, Lecture Series, Service & Scholarship Committee, and the Student Aid Committee, and was faculty adviser for several student exchanges. He holds his B.A. from Amherst College, and masters degrees in both physics and Romance languages, as well as his Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Dickson has made his mark as a scholar of Michel de Montaigne, as a gifted jazz musician, and as an inspirational teacher of French language, literature and film.
A former U.S. diplomat in Latin America, Dr. Premo joined the faculty as assistant professor of history and political science in 1970 and was promoted to associate professor in 1974 and to full professor in 1982. He won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1987. Among his many appointments as a respected campus leader, Dr. Premo has served as chair of political science and international studies, chair of the Faculty Finance Committee, and as curator of the Louis L. Goldstein Program in Public Affairs. He received his B.A. in Spanish and Social Science from Western Michigan University, and his M.A . and Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. At Washington College, he has been instrumental in developing international programs and model diplomacy programs that engage our students in the world, and, with his gift for teaching, has profoundly touched the lives of his students.
Professor Tubbs was named Librarian in 1983. Tenured in 1987, he was promoted to full professor in 1993. He has been responsible for initiating and implementing the information technologies that have ensured Washington College's position at the forefront of the digital information age. The 2000 external review of the Library praised his leadership of Miller Library in these words: “The physical collection is not large, especially in comparison with those of the wealthier of the College's self-selected peer institutions, but the range and depth of full text and other electronic resources accessible by the Washington College community is certainly comparable with all but the wealthiest of them.” Professor Tubbs received his B.A. in Mathematics from Davis and Elkins College in 1960, his M.Div. in History and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1963, and his M.S. in Bibliography Reference from the School of Library Service at Columbia University in 1966.
“We are proud to honor the years and the commitment to the highest standards in education that these four have given to Washington College,” said Dr. John S. Toll, President of the College. “Each in his own way has imparted the priceless gift of wisdom and the value of on-going, life-long learning to generations of Washington College students.”
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Maryland College Awards Nation's Largest Undergraduate Literary Prize At 221st Commencement Ceremony
Senior from Lancaster, PA Wins $61,133
Related Links:
- Baltimore Sun: How a Daughter's Loss Became a Writer's Gain
- Washington Post: For a Promising Writer, College's Surprise Ending
Chestertown, MD, May 18, 2003 — Most college seniors will look back on their graduation ceremony as a day of pomp and circumstance culminating in a handshake and a diploma. For Laura Maylene Walter, a 22-year-old English major at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, the ceremony brought another reward: a check for $61,133. Walter's portfolio of fiction and poetry earned her the largest undergraduate literary award in the country—the Sophie Kerr Prize.- Baltimore Sun: How a Daughter's Loss Became a Writer's Gain
- Washington Post: For a Promising Writer, College's Surprise Ending
The awarding of the Sophie Kerr Prize, given annually to the graduating senior who demonstrates the greatest “ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor,” has in recent decades been a highlight of the commencement ceremony at the 221-year-old liberal arts college. The Prize, worth $61,133 this year, is among the largest literary awards in the world. Washington College has awarded nearly one million dollars in prize money since it was first given in 1968, most often to writers of poetry and fiction. Scholarly and journalistic works, though less often selected, are given equal consideration. Walter's winning submission—a novel in progress and eight poems—was one of twenty-seven portfolios submitted for this year's prize.
“This was a difficult choice,” said Professor Bennett Lamond, who presided over the Sophie Kerr Prize Committee's deliberations. “There were some very strong writers among the pool.”
Professor Robert Mooney, Director of the College's creative writing program and O'Neill Literary House, cited Walter's “elegantly supple prose and the musical charm of her poetry” as decisive factors in the committee's selection of her portfolio. “Laura draws from her life without allowing the work to become enmeshed in the private unformed emotion or the trite; quite the contrary, her work investigates, through a brilliant use of language, those human moments that we all share and hold and are called upon to answer,” Mooney said.
In the introduction to her winning portfolio, Walter says her novel began as a response to the grief of her mother's illness and subsequent death two years ago. “After her death, I decided to transform these experiences into a work of fiction,” she wrote. “I investigated the ways we enter and leave this world, the power of memory, and how the past affects the present.”
The daughter of William J. Walter, Jr. of Florida, and the late June Walter of Lancaster, PA, Walter graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors in English. During her years as a student at Washington College, Walters was a writer for the student newspaper, the editor of a literary Broadsides series and a contributor to the Washington College Review, a liberal arts journal. She hopes to continue work on her novel while pursuing a career in publishing.
The Sophie Kerr Prize is the namesake of an Eastern Shore woman who made her fortune in New York, writing women's fiction during the 1930s and 1940s. In accordance with the terms of her will, one-half of the annual income from her bequest to the College is awarded each year to the graduating senior demonstrating the best potential for literary achievement. The other half funds scholarships, supports student publications and the purchase of books, and brings an array of visiting writers, editors and publishers to campus to read, visit classes and discuss student work. Her gift has provided the nucleus for an abundance of literary activity on the bucolic Eastern Shore campus.
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
WC Professor Frank Creegan To Help Lead $1.5 Million NSF-Funded National Chemistry Education Project
Chestertown, MD, May 6, 2003 — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $1.5 million to a team of chemists from Washington College, Franklin and Marshall College, Stony Brook University, Catholic University, and Sandia National Laboratories to introduce, promote, and disseminate nationwide an innovative method of teaching chemistry. Dr. Frank Creegan, W. Alton Jones Professor of Chemistry at Washington College, will serve as co-investigator in the four-year project. The method, “Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning” (POGIL), supplants the traditional lecture format with an environment in which students are actively engaged in mastering a discipline and in developing essential skills by working in self-managed teams on guided inquiry activities.
In recommending the award, the NSF review panel stated, “This project provides the very real possibility of jump-starting chemical education in the 21st century. ” Panelists went on to describe the project as, “a tremendous contribution to chemical education.”
“Washington College's chemistry faculty is student-oriented with an emphasis on undergraduate collaborative research,” said Dr. John S. Toll, President of Washington College, on learning of the award. “The POGIL methods for chemistry education that Dr. Creegan will investigate with his colleagues will not only offer us ways to expand chemistry education on our campus but will help improve science education across the nation.”
Grounded in current understanding of how students learn, POGIL focuses on developing important process skills in the areas of information processing, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication, management, and assessment. Materials that facilitate the POGIL pedagogy have been developed, tested and are fully described at www.pogil.org.
The POGIL project would utilize a series of workshops, consultancies, on-site visits and video and web-based information to disseminate information about the POGIL approach for teaching undergraduate chemistry. Faculty will be provided with opportunities to participate in and develop effective student-centered learning approaches.
The goals of the project include the adoption of the POGIL approach by faculty at various institutions who will continue to innovate using student-centered teaching strategies; the creation of a network of experts to support this effort; the creation of a model for dissemination of innovative educational practices; and increased awareness of new learning and teaching practices.
Creegan holds a B. S. in chemistry from Merrimack College and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Fordham University. He is one of the charter members of MADCP, the Middle Atlantic Discovery Chemistry Project, and has developed numerous guided inquiry (discovery-based) experiments in organic chemistry, which now form the core of a yearlong course for science majors, as well as guided inquiry worksheets for a lectureless course in organic chemistry. Since 1993 he has presented in excess of two-dozen papers and posters at national and regional meetings on classroom and laboratory activities that use the POGIL approach to learning. In 1998-2001, with support from the NSF-funded New Traditions Project centered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the NSF-funded PSMETE fellowship program, Creegan helped mentor Dr. Andrei Straumanis in the development of set of POGIL worksheets that were converted into a book published in January 2003 by Houghton-Mifflin. Creegan is currently engaged in the development of a CD-based, modular laboratory manual for organic chemistry that follows the guided inquiry and learning cycle paradigms. The other co-investigators on the project are Rick Moog and James Spencer of Franklin and Marshall College, David Hanson of Stony Brook University, and Andrei Straumanis of Sandia National Laboratories. Diane Bunce of the Catholic University of America will conduct the project evaluation.
The NSF is an independent federal agency established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to promote and advance scientific progress in the United States. Since its inception, the NSF has occupied a unique place among federal agencies, with responsibility for the overall health of science across all disciplines.
In recommending the award, the NSF review panel stated, “This project provides the very real possibility of jump-starting chemical education in the 21st century. ” Panelists went on to describe the project as, “a tremendous contribution to chemical education.”
“Washington College's chemistry faculty is student-oriented with an emphasis on undergraduate collaborative research,” said Dr. John S. Toll, President of Washington College, on learning of the award. “The POGIL methods for chemistry education that Dr. Creegan will investigate with his colleagues will not only offer us ways to expand chemistry education on our campus but will help improve science education across the nation.”
Grounded in current understanding of how students learn, POGIL focuses on developing important process skills in the areas of information processing, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication, management, and assessment. Materials that facilitate the POGIL pedagogy have been developed, tested and are fully described at www.pogil.org.
The POGIL project would utilize a series of workshops, consultancies, on-site visits and video and web-based information to disseminate information about the POGIL approach for teaching undergraduate chemistry. Faculty will be provided with opportunities to participate in and develop effective student-centered learning approaches.
The goals of the project include the adoption of the POGIL approach by faculty at various institutions who will continue to innovate using student-centered teaching strategies; the creation of a network of experts to support this effort; the creation of a model for dissemination of innovative educational practices; and increased awareness of new learning and teaching practices.
Creegan holds a B. S. in chemistry from Merrimack College and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Fordham University. He is one of the charter members of MADCP, the Middle Atlantic Discovery Chemistry Project, and has developed numerous guided inquiry (discovery-based) experiments in organic chemistry, which now form the core of a yearlong course for science majors, as well as guided inquiry worksheets for a lectureless course in organic chemistry. Since 1993 he has presented in excess of two-dozen papers and posters at national and regional meetings on classroom and laboratory activities that use the POGIL approach to learning. In 1998-2001, with support from the NSF-funded New Traditions Project centered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the NSF-funded PSMETE fellowship program, Creegan helped mentor Dr. Andrei Straumanis in the development of set of POGIL worksheets that were converted into a book published in January 2003 by Houghton-Mifflin. Creegan is currently engaged in the development of a CD-based, modular laboratory manual for organic chemistry that follows the guided inquiry and learning cycle paradigms. The other co-investigators on the project are Rick Moog and James Spencer of Franklin and Marshall College, David Hanson of Stony Brook University, and Andrei Straumanis of Sandia National Laboratories. Diane Bunce of the Catholic University of America will conduct the project evaluation.
The NSF is an independent federal agency established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to promote and advance scientific progress in the United States. Since its inception, the NSF has occupied a unique place among federal agencies, with responsibility for the overall health of science across all disciplines.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Washington College Announces Recipients Of 2003 Schottland Business Leadership Awards
Local College Seniors Sweep Top Business Honor
Chestertown, MD, April 23, 2003 — The Washington College Department of Business Management has announced the recipients of the 2003 Schottland Business Leadership Awards. The program grants one first place award of $5,000 to a graduating senior, with the promise of an additional $10,000 toward graduate school at an accredited business college if the winner accepts a position with an American corporation for at least two years. Two $1,000 second place awards are also given. Senior Dean Zang of Earleville, MD, has been chosen to receive the first place $5,000 award, and Clayton Swears III of Earleville and Laura Wayles Wilson of Worton, MD, will receive the second place awards upon graduation this May 18.The Schottland Business Leadership Award was established at Washington College in 1999 by Stanley A. Schottland, retired CEO and Chairman of American Packaging Corporation, citing the need to foster innovation and excellence in American business. The Schottland Award competition is open to any Washington College student who meets the academic, moral and leadership criteria. Applicants are judged by the College's President's Advisory Council.
First-place winner Zang is a business management major with a minor in political science. Currently serving as president of the College's Student Government Administration, Zang has been acknowledged for both his initiative and proactive role in building cooperative relationships with the Mayor and Council of Chestertown to better handle issues between college students and the town. In his spare time he strikes a balance between his academic, extracurricular and professional i
nterests, and has worked to become a certified residential and commercial Realtor®. After graduation, he intends to work in real estate development and sales and while preparing to apply for MBA. programs. He has been very involved in the Washington College community as a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity, Order of Omega National Greek Honor Society, the Washington College Democrats, Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and the College's chapter of Toastmasters International. He is the son of Dean and Diane Zang of Earlville.
Swears, a business management major with an economics minor, is the son of Clay and Anne Swears of Earlville. President of Washington College's chapter of the Sigma Beta Delta National Business Honor Society and a member of the Cater Society of Junior Fellows, WC Rugby Team and Spanish Club, Swears has a keen interest in finance and investment and has interned with the Corporate Finance Institute in Chestertown. He plans to attend law school.
Wilson is a double major in business management and international studies and has been active on campus as a sister of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, founder and president of Women's Club Lacrosse Team, a senator with the Student Government Association, and as a member of the Cater Society of Junior Fellows, the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, and the Order of Omega. After graduation, she plans to spend the summer visiting Europe then return to apply for graduate programs in international affairs and business. She is the daughter of John and Laura Wilson of Worton.
“Three finer students could not have been chosen for the award,” said Dr. Terrence Scout, Chairman and Ferris Professor, Department of Business Management. “Dean Zang is already an entrepreneur. Clay Swears has all A's in college, and Wayles Wilson has extensive international experience. The future of American business is in good hands with these three.”
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