Giving to St. Mary's College

On Saturday, Oct. 21, during the St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Board of Trustees meeting, the Board authorized in-state tuition to be made available to students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have been displaced by recent hurricanes.

“St. Mary’s College desires to assist students whose college education has been interrupted by circumstances beyond their control,” said��Sven Holmes, Board of Trustees chair. “We hope that by making this assistance available, it will ease the minds of some students and provide them an opportunity to keep their education on track.”

“We have witnessed an outpouring of encouragement from our college community in support of initiating this relief for students affected by the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president of St. Mary’s College. “The College community��– students, faculty, and staff��–��follows��the St. Mary’s Way. The concept centers on respecting one another and the world around us. This initiative is the epitome of the St. Mary’s Way in action.”

To support Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands displaced students, St. Mary’s College will offer in-state tuition, extend the transcript deadline, and waive the 12-month residence requirement and the application fee to ensure students can continue their education. For more information, visit /admissions/how-to-apply/admissions-students-affected-hurricanes/.

For additional support, the College’s Foundation has initiated the Displaced Student Assistance Fund – a special fund designed to support students attending St. Mary’s College displaced from Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands. The fund is designed to offset additional or unexpected expenses such as books, clothing, travel costs, and more. For more information regarding the Displaced Student Assistance Fund, visit /giving/displaced-student-assistance-fund/.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,600��students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.

With a ceremonial champagne pour, the St. Mary’s College rowing team, now in its second year as a varsity sport, today christened the newest addition to its fleet.

Donated to the team by friend of the College and former Foundation Board of Directors member Dr. William “Bill” Seale, this eight-person rowing shell, named “President Tuajuanda C. Jordan,” is slated to be the top boat for the women’s team. The eight fastest women on the team will crew this new vessel.

“It will be an honor for crew members named to this new shell for race day,” said coach Daniel Hagelberg.

The shell gifted to the College from Bill Seale will go a long way in helping the growing team. In its two years as a varsity sport, the rowing team has grown from 25 to nearly 50 athletes. Hagelberg thanked all those who have had a hand, including athletes, in embracing the vision he has had for rowing at St. Mary’s College being among the best.

This gift to the Seahawk rowing program is not the first in generous gestures from Seale and is certainly not the first gift to impact the waterfront.�� Several years ago, he donated the sailboat “Riptide” to the waterfront program. He also ignited the College’s $2.5M Capital Campaign Challenge with the first gift, provided support for the St. Mary’s Undergraduate Research Fellows program, and established the William Seale Teaching and Learning Fund.

Hagelberg said Seale’s gift represents more than just a boat as it ensures the team has top equipment in which to compete and seats for all who want to row at the College.��“This new boat is going to live in our boathouse, but it will be woven into the experience of rowers on this team for many, many years to come.”

St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,600 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland students led by the Student Government Association have initiated a disaster relief effort called St. Mary’s College Cares to collect non-perishable items to aid more than 56,000 students and their families devastated by Hurricane Harvey. St. Mary’s College alumni located in southeastern Texas helped coordinate with the Pasadena Independent School District that has more than 60 schools within its district.

“Like people everywhere, the College community has great concern for the people of Texas devastated by Hurricane Harvey,” said Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president of St. Mary’s College. “Our students follow the St. Mary’s Way, a concept adopted by the College community that centers on respecting one another and the world around us. By initiating this disaster relief effort, our students not only are following their code of conduct but showing that they care deeply and want to respond.”

Campus and community individuals wishing to contribute, can drop-off items on the College campus, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Items most in-need include School Supplies: pencils, pens, crayons, carpet squares, bean bags, dry erase markers and erasers, book bags, earbuds for computers, notebooks, construction paper, copy paper, small area rugs for classrooms, library books for 7^th – 8^th grades, band/orchestra instruments; Personal Supplies: phone chargers, new packaged socks of all sizes, new packaged underwear, trash bags, toiletries, cleaning supplies, diapers, towels, paper towels, pet food and all types of nonperishable food.

Those wishing to make a monetary donation in order to purchase non-perishable items to be delivered to southeastern Texas can do so here at www.smcm.edu/cares-harvey.

Local organizations and businesses that wish to participate are encouraged to complete the contact form: www.smcm.edu/cares. St. Mary’s College students will then reach out to those willing to give to coordinate further. For more information, contact Director of Student Activities Kelly Schroeder at 240-895-4209 or 240-577-2955.

St. Mary’s College Foundation Board Member and alumnus Jack Saum Jr. ’89, owner of Beltway Companies, has generously donated a truck and driver in order to make the journey with the non-perishable items to southeastern Texas.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,700 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.

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