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November 25, 2008 |
| Letter from the Director |
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When students graduate from college, not many have the means or foresight to
make a donation to their alma mater. When 22-year-olds are fortunate enough to
find a little spare change, most would prefer to spend it on a cup of coffee at
Starbucks, popcorn at the movies, or on a night out on the town with friends.
This is exactly why a $5.00 donation to St. Mary’s from one of our 2008
graduates really caught my attention.
As a personal friend of the donor,
I called to thank her and inquired about the motivation behind her gift. When
I reached her, I learned that Meg had just arrived home to Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving
break. As is not unusual for St. Mary’s alumni, she has been giving back
to society by working for Teach for America in Louisiana. Meg seemed somewhat
surprised to receive my call for what seemed to her a modest gift, but explained that
she wanted to give back to support the student SafeRide initiative, the Student
Government Association, and the school that she credits with helping her get to
where she is now. Meg shared that although she didn’t have much by way of
financial resources to offer, she wanted to give what she could.
Meg’s
gift is the inspiration for our new Alumni Percentage Challenge. The size of the
gift truly doesn’t matter, only that you get involved. I encourage you to
join Meg and the other very generous alumni that have given back to St. Mary’s.
Your gift, no matter how large or small, will benefit our campus life, help students
in need, improve our facilities, and strengthen the academic quality that is the hallmark of this honors college.
For more information about this challenge, please read the article below. If
you have never donated before, or haven’t done for some time, I ask that
you take two minutes right now to make a difference. Accept the Challenge.
Enjoy this issue,
David Sushinsky ’02
Director
of Alumni Relations and Planned Giving
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| Dedication of the River Center |
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Join us on Saturday, December 6, 2008 as
we dedicate St. Mary’s newest building – the River Center. The ceremony
begins at 3 p.m. in the boat yard, located between the River Center and the Rowing Center.
The event will be held outside and dress is casual.
After the dedication, join us for refreshments and a look inside of both buildings.
To help aid us in planning, kindly RSVP to the
Development Office by calling 240-895-4286 or by e-mailing developmentoffice@smcm.edu by December 1.
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| Need a unique gift for that hard-to-shop-for person? |
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We have salvaged some of the cedar siding from
the old boathouse and turned it into a collectible you can proudly display anywhere.
Each boathouse shingle measures approximately 3” x 4” and comes in
its own gift box. The cost is $300 and the proceeds go to the River Center and
waterfront programs. We will send you a receipt for the tax deductible portion
of your gift along with the shingle.
To order:
By check: Send your check for $300 to SMCM Foundation, 18952 E. Fisher Rd.,
St. Mary’s City, MD, 20686. Please make your check payable to SMCM Foundation.
By credit card: Use the online gift form. Fill in your name and address and enter $300 for your one time gift amount.
In the “gift allocation” part, check “other” and write
“boathouse shingle” in the box.
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| National Aquarium in Baltimore |
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Need a fun family activity this winter? Join other
alumni at the National Aquarium in Baltimore at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 24,
2009 for an afternoon of sightseeing. The aquarium features hundreds of exhibits
featuring more than 16,500 animals. Ticket price includes general admission and
the dolphin show where you can watch the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins frolic and
perform. Discount tickets are available through the secure online campus bookstore site or
call the Alumni Office at 240-895-4280.
Prices are:
Adult (19-59) $22.95
Senior (ages 60+) $21.95
Student (12-18) $13.95
Child (3-11) $11.95
Under 3 FREE
*No strollers or outside food or drinks are permitted in the aquarium.
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Kiplingers Magazine Ranks SMCM #2 in Maryland for ‘Best Value in Public Colleges’ |
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Its outstanding academic quality and affordable
price tag have once again put St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) in Kiplinger
Personal Finance magazine’s top 100 “best values in public colleges
for the 2008-2009 school year.” Kiplinger’s newly published rankings
place SMCM at number two in Maryland for best value, behind only the University
of Maryland, College Park. St. Mary's 2009 ranking nationally is 32
for in-state, up 10 places since the last Kiplinger’s ratings were published
early this year. See full press release. |
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| MentorNet is Back! |
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Some of you remember the online mentor database,
MentorNet, developed and maintained by the Career Development Center. MentorNet
has recently undergone a “facelift,” made possible by a generous contribution
by the Office of Alumni Relations, and we are now looking to fill the database
with alumni and other friends of the College who are willing to serve as professional
mentors for students and recent grads (all previous profiles have been deleted
because most were outdated). Your contributions as a mentor may be as simple as
an occasional e-mail or as involved as job-shadowing and resume advice. Whatever
the case, serving as a mentor will give you the opportunity to give back to SMCM
by “donating” your time and wisdom. When creating your profile you
can also indicate your interest in participating in potential career-related panels
or events on campus. You are also welcome to search the MentorNet database for
your own professional networking purposes…it is never too late to find
a mentor! All are welcome, including professionals and graduate students. Help
us revive this essential career-development tool for our students… JOIN MENTORNET TODAY!Contact the Career Development Center (“CDC”)
at careercenter@smcm.edu with any questions. Stay tuned for regular CDC contributions to SMCMail!
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| Women’s Soccer Wins
First-Ever CAC Championship |
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Junior forward Kaitlin Boswell (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) notched
the most important goal of her career in the 66th minute as Boswell’s
tally helped the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s soccer
team capture the program’s first-ever Capital Athletic Conference (CAC)
championship. With a 1-0 victory over York (Pa.)
College on November 8, St. Mary’s earned the conference’s automatic
bid to the 2008 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament.
The second-seeded Seahawks (12-2-3) were making the program’s second
appearance in a CAC title match. Their first trip to the championship game
was two years ago in head coach Brianne Weaver ’00 ’s first
year at the helm of the Seahawks.
The historical
2008 campaign of the women's soccer team ended November 15 as the Seahawks suffered
a 3-0 setback at the hands of Emory University in the NCAA Division III women's soccer first
round hosted by Lynchburg
College.
The
team ends the season with an impressive overall record of 12-3-3 (6-1-1 CAC),
having won the program's first-ever CAC title and making the school's first trip to the NCAA tournament.
*Photo credit goes
to Dan Grady |
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| Jazz it up on Campus –
February 28, 2009 |
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The
SMCM Jazz Ensemble from the 70's is having a reunion concert on February 28, 2009
at 7:30 p.m. in the Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall. The Jazz Ensemble
was a huge part of the College during the 70's. SMCM musicians from that era have
performed with everyone from Prince to Eugene Ormandy not to mention a veritable
who's who of Jazz. Former jazz instructor Bob Levy will be back to conduct this
performance. |
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| Special Guest at Post Election Event |
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For an event that needed little to add to the
excitement, the alumni that gathered this past Thursday for a post-election discussion
in Washington, D.C. received a surprise visit from Senate House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer (D-Md). On this night, about 130 alumni gathered at Regional Food
and Drink (RFD) Washington to listen to an analysis of the 2008 elections from
Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Professor of political science,
Michael Cain, and fellow political science faculty Todd Eberly and Sahar Shafqat.
For the first hour, the alumni in attendance conversed
with one another, shared stories with their professors and networked with some
current students that drove up for the event. After everyone was well fed and
had the chance to reconnect, the professors began their remarks about the significance
of the elections and their impact in the United States and around the world. When
secret service entered the room soon after Todd Eberly began his analysis, the
inquiring crowd realized that they had a special guest coming to spend the evening
with them. Soon after, Congressman Hoyer entered and joined the professors at
the front of the room. The surprised crowd enjoyed his amusing stories of his
time in college and his inspirational words on how young people can make an impact
on the political process. It was an evening enjoyed by all.
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| Looking Forward to Your Holiday Shopping?? |
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We didn’t think so. However, St. Mary’s is here to help.
Keep at least one of your 2008 New Years Resolutions
by letting us help you get your shopping done weeks before the holidays! Avoid
the traffic, the endless circles trying to find a parking spot, and the persistent
mall kiosk vendors. Our campus bookstore has more items than ever before and with
our on-line shopping option, we can save you stress and time. Visit the secure
SMCM bookstore site to place your order. With all the time you save, you can now enjoy
the holidays with your friends and family. |
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Two Minutes Can Make a Difference |
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When I started working in the Office of Development,
I was surprised to learn that our annual alumni giving percentage is about 22%.
Many of our peer institutions boast numbers over 50%. If we can beat these schools
on our sports fields and for graduate school placements, why do we have
such difficulty beating them here?
Making
a gift to St. Mary’s is as easy as doing some online shopping or paying
your bills through the Internet. There are no stamps to buy, checks to write,
or trips to the post office. Help your class raise its giving percentage by contributing
to our Alumni Percentage Challenge.
For this challenge, the size of the gift doesn’t matter. We just want
to see what classes can get the highest percentage of their graduates to give.
Up until July 1, 2009, we will periodically update you on your class’ progression.
Please take two minutes out of your busy day to give back to St. Mary’s.
Then you can get back to that online shopping… | |
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October