Washington College

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Washington College
Image:Wc_logo.gif
Established 1782
Type Private
President Baird Tipson
Staff 468
Undergraduates 1,350
Postgraduates 100
Location Chestertown, Maryland, USA
Campus Rural
Colors Maroon and Black
Mascot The Shoremen
Website www.washcoll.edu
See Washington University (disambiguation) for institutions with similar names.

Washington College is a private, selective, independent liberal arts college located on a 112 acre (45.3 ha) campus in Chestertown, Maryland on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of WC by consenting to have the "College at Chester" named in his honor, through generous financial support, and through service on the College's Board of Visitors and Governors. Washington College is the tenth oldest college in the United States and was the first college chartered after American independence was gained. The school became coeducational in 1891.

Washington College campus
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Washington College campus
Washington College's 18th C. Custom House
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Washington College's 18th C. Custom House
Chestertown's historic waterfront
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Chestertown's historic waterfront

Approximately 1,300 undergraduates and 100 graduate students attend Washington College, 47% from Maryland and the balance from 35 other states and forty foreign nations. Approximately 8% of the American undergraduates are minority students and approximately 8% are international citizens. Approximately 5% of the WC student body is "non-traditional" (25 years old or older). Approximately 80% of all students live in college residence halls; the rest commute either from off-campus housing or from home.

Annual tuition is $29,640 and total expenses per annum (including room, board, and fees) are $36,650. Approximately 85% of the student body receives some form of need-based financial aid or merit-based scholarship award. Tuition has been rising in recent years, with the overall tuition (including room and board) increasing to roughly $37,000.

The school has over 50 student clubs. Freshmen, unless local, are required to live on-campus. On-campus housing is available for approximately 900 students. Most students (70-75%) stay on-campus over the weekend to participate in various social and recreational activities. Approximately 30% of students attend graduate school in the first year following graduation and approximately 45% do so within five years. Student/faculty ratio: 12/1. Average class size is 17. The school confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Arts (in English, Psychology & History).

The college awards the Sophie Kerr prize, the second-largest monetary undergraduate award in the country. The graduating senior with the greatest literary potential is chosen by a faculty committee for this honor each year. The award has grown to over $50,000 annually.

In 2005, Washington College inaugurated another literary prize, the George Washington Book Prize, administered by the college's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and awarded in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and George Washington's Mount Vernon. The prize is awarded annually to the most significant new book about the founding era. At $50,000, the prize is one of the most generous book awards in the United States.

Washington College is host to the Harwood Series, a collection of speaking engagements by national politicians, media pundits, and so forth. In recent years, Haley Barbour, Howard Dean, John McCain, James Carville, and Karl Rove have appeared on campus. Recreationally speaking, WC attracts decent talent to entertain the student body: the Counting Crows, Bruce Hornsby, Wayne Brady, and Larry Hagman have all appeared on campus in one capacity or another recently.

There are three fraternities and three sororities on campus: male Greek life includes Kappa Alpha Order, Theta Chi, and Phi Delta Theta. The female organizations are Alpha Chi Omega, Zeta Tau Alpha, and Alpha Omicron Pi.

The campus newspaper of record is The Elm. Other campus publications include The Collegian (features) and The Medium (creative writing).

It is a Washington College tradition to celebrate May Day (May 1) by liberating oneself from one's restrictive and oppressive clothing and partying desnudo with fellow students mostly by the flagpole. The celebration takes place over two nights with hundreds participating.

Contents

[edit] Academic Departments and Programs

  • American Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Art
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Biology
  • Black Studies
  • Business Management
  • Chemistry
  • Chesapeake Regional Studies
  • Creative Writing
  • Drama
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English
  • Environmental Studies
  • Foreign Languages (French, German, Japanese, Spanish)
  • Gender Studies
  • History
  • Human Development
  • Humanities
  • International Studies
  • Math and Computer Science
  • Music
  • Nursing
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Physical Education
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Pre-Law
  • Premedical
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

[edit] Honorary Societies

[edit] Notable Alumni

For a complete list see List of Washington College alumni

[edit] Varsity Athletics

Washington College is perhaps best known athletically for its men's lacrosse team. It has advanced to the NCAA Division III championship game eight times, winning the title in 1998.

  • Baseball (M)
  • Basketball (M, W)
  • Field Hockey (W)
  • Lacrosse (M, W)
  • Rowing (M, W)
  • Sailing (M, W)
  • Soccer (M, W)
  • Softball (W)
  • Swimming (M, W)
  • Tennis (M, W)
  • Volleyball (W)

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Residence Halls

  • Caroline House -- This three-floor coed building houses men on the first floor, and women on the second and third floors.
  • Cecil House -- This building is configured to accommodate four three-student suites and two six-student suites.
  • Dorchester House -- This building is configured to accommodate four three-man suites and two six-man suites.
  • East Hall -- The International House is a three-floor coed building that serves as a home for students interested in international relation and foreign language study. This theme house has a faculty advisor and has limited housing available for new students.
  • Harford House -- This three-floor building is configured to accommodate four seven-person suites per floor.
  • Kent House -- This is a two-floor, co-ed building with rooms for men and rooms for women on each floor. Men and women share community bathrooms.
  • Middle House -- The Creative Arts House is a coed building for students interested in drama, musical performance, literary arts, and creative arts. Limited housing available for new students.
  • Minta Martin -- This single-sex building houses women only; residents include but are not limited to members of the Alpha Chi Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha sororities.
  • North Campus/Western Shore Residence Halls (Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's) -- These eleven buildings contain four apartment-style suites. Each suite contains four single bedrooms, two baths, a common area, and kitchenette. These halls are limited to upperclassmen.
  • Queen Anne House -- This two-floor, co-ed building is home to the substance-free program. Alcohol and tobacco products are prohibited in this building.
  • Reid Hall -- This three-floor building is for women only.
  • Somerset House -- This four-floor building houses only men.
  • Talbot House -- This building is configured to accommodate four three-student suites and two six-student suites.
  • West Hall -- The Science House is a three-floor coed building that serves as a home for students interested in the natural sciences. This theme house has a faculty advisor and is limited to upperclassmen.
  • Wicomico House -- This is a two-floor coed building. Men are housed on the first floor, with women on the second floor.
  • Worcester House -- This is a two-floor coed building, housing men on the first floor and women on the second floor.

[edit] Academic Buildings

  • Casey Academic Center
  • Daly Hall
  • Dunning Hall
  • Gibson Center
  • Larabee Art Center
  • Louis Goldstein Hall
  • Miller Library
  • Rose O'Neill Literary House
  • Sears House
  • William Smith Hall

[edit] Athletic Facilities

  • Athey Field
  • Benjamin Johnson LIfetime Fitness Center
  • Cain Athletic Center
  • Casey Swim Center
  • Kibler Field at Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium
  • Schottland Tennis Pavilion
  • Truslow Boat House

[edit] Administrative Buildings

  • Alumni House
  • Bunting Hall
  • Custom House
  • Spanish House

[edit] Other

  • Brown Cottage
  • Hodson Hall (Dining Hall)
  • Hynson Pavilion
  • Hynson-Ringgold House (President's House)
  • Nussbaum House
  • White Cottage

[edit] Past Washington College Presidents

  • William Smith 1782-1789
  • Colin Ferguson 1793-1805
  • Hugh McGuire 1813-1815
  • Joab G. Cooper 1816-1817
  • Gerard E. Stack 1817-1818
  • Francis Waters 1818-1823
  • Timothy Clowes 1823-1829
  • Peter Clark 1829-1832
  • Richard W. Ringgold 1832-1854
  • Francis Waters 1854-1860
  • Andrew J. Sutton 1860-1867
  • Robert C. Berkeley 1867-1873
  • William J. Rivers 1873-1887
  • Thomas N. Williams 1887-1889
  • Charles W. Reid 1889-1903
  • James W. Cain 1903-1918
  • Clarence P. Gould 1919-1923
  • Paul E. Titsworth 1923-1933
  • Gilbert W. Mead 1933-1949
  • Daniel Z. Gibson 1950-1970
  • Charles J. Merdinger 1970-1973
  • Joseph H. McLain 1973-1981
  • Douglass Cater 1982-1990
  • Charles H. Trout 1990-1995
  • John S. Toll 1995-2004
  • Baird Tipson 2004-


[edit] External links


Centennial Conference
Bryn Mawr • Dickinson • Franklin & Marshall • Gettysburg • Haverford • Johns Hopkins • McDaniel • Muhlenberg • Swarthmore • Ursinus • Washington Col.
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