Dodge PerformingAbout Ƶ - The National Public Honors College
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), the National Public Honors College, is a diverse and engaged community of scholars providing an accessible, transformative and experiential liberal arts and sciences education, setting the unrivaled standard in excellence, integrity and social responsibility. SMCM enrolls some 1,600 students on a 361-acre residential campus. Students choose from more than 60 undergraduate programs and participate in over 70 club activities. A member of NCAA Division III, the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association, SMCM fields 23 varsity men’s and women’s athletic teams. The College has won the United East Conference's Presidents' Trophy for highest athletic performance for three years in a row, and has produced 17 national sailing championships and more than 150 sailing All-Americans.
Key Rankings
- #5th BEST PUBLIC LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE IN THE NATION U.S. News & World Report’s “2026 Best Colleges.” St. Mary’s College of Maryland is listed #5 in the nation only behind four military academies, making St. Mary’s College #1 non-military public liberal arts college.
- #2 Among U.S. public schools for making an impact Princeton Review (2025)
Academic Excellence
Public Honors College for all
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is officially designated as Maryland’s Public Honors College, the first standalone public honors college in the nation. The state General Assembly designated the school Maryland’s public honors college in 1992; the state also granted the College an institutional status designed to assure stable public funding.
Honors College Promise
St. Mary’s College promises that every student has the opportunity to engage in a research, internship, or international experience. Combine that with the rest of your St. Mary’s College experience and you’ll be well on your way to a rewarding career.
Ƶ
Learning Through Experiential and Applied Discovery( Ƶ) is St. Mary’s College’s signature 21st century initiative that integrates credit bearing professional career development and the Honors College Promise with the innovative teaching and excellence of our academic programs. Ƶ is an all-encompassing, integrative pathway that prepares students for whatever their next step is — research, graduate school, or the workforce.
Academics by the numbers
- 69 Academic programs
- 127 full-time faculty
- 10:1 Student-to-faculty ratio
- 95% Faculty holding the highest attainable degree in their field
- 350+ Alumni mentors support student success
- 90% Graduates employed, in school, volunteering, or in the military six months after graduating (Class of 2024).
For Journalists
Topics President Phillips Can Speak On
- Experiential liberal arts education
- Public honors colleges and access to excellence
- Universities and civic leadership
- Community and regional economic development
- College at a Glance / Fast Facts
- How experiential learning is shaping the future of liberal arts education
- The role of public honors colleges in today’s higher education landscape
The National Public Honors College
- Top civilian public liberal arts college in the nation
- 95% graduate placement within six months
- Located on the Chesapeake Bay in historic St. Mary’s City
President Rhonda Phillips
President Rhonda Phillips Biography
President Rhonda Phillips earned her bachelor’s degree of geography and her master’s degree of economic development at the University of Southern Mississippi. She applied those degrees to her first professional positions with the City of Birmingham, Alabama, then at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the International Development Research Council. She earned a M.S. Economics degree and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology—the first woman to earn that doctorate.
Dr. Phillips returned to the University of Southern Mississippi for her first academic professional position, as Director of the Community Planning Program in the Department of Geography and Economic Development. She gained further academic experience at Arizona State University, then as founding Dean of the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University as well as Professor of Agricultural Economics. As President of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Dr. Phillips helped stabilize the future of that historic institution.
During her academic career President Phillips was named a three-time Fulbright recipient including as a UK Ulster Policy Fellow in Northern Ireland; a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners; and a Fellow of the American Council on Education.
President Phillips is a passionate advocate for the vital roles of honors learning; the liberal arts, sciences, fine arts, and athletics; and interdisciplinary teaching and research within academies of higher education. She is a dedicated advocate for the vital contribution of higher education to the personal growth and career development of her students—as well as the social, economic, and environmental progress of our communities. She seeks to exemplify those values within her own teaching, research, and academic leadership as President of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
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