St. Mary's College of Maryland, established in 1840 is a Maryland public liberal arts college and is designated as a Public Honors College (the only one in Maryland and one of only a few around the country). It is a small college, with fewer than 2,000 students. There are baccalaureate degrees offered in 20 disciplines, with Psychology, Biology, and Economics being the most popular. __TOC__ Despite its name, it is a public, non-religious college that has never been owned by or affiliated with a church. The name comes from its location in St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County, Maryland. The campus borders the St. Mary's River. St. Mary's College was designed as a "living monument" to the first settlers of St. Mary's City, which was the first capital of Maryland and the fourth oldest permanent settlement in British North America, founded in 1634.

St. Mary's originated as a seminary (a formal high school) for women in 1840, eventually expanded to a two-year junior college and then a four-year, co-educational state college. The school became a public institution in the 1960s as part of a deal to make gambling illegal in the state.

St. Mary's, although a public school, is independent of the University System of Maryland; it opted out of the system in 1992 during a state-wide fiscal crisis. The school does participate in the consortium of Maryland public colleges and universities (USMAI), where library materials from 16 institutes are accessible. As of 2006, St. Mary's is to be joining the University of Maryland Academic Telecommunications System (UMATS), which interconnects the University System of Maryland with several other networks, including the Internet and Internet2 networks.

St. Mary's mascot is the Seahawk, which is a nickname for the ospreys that can be found nesting not too far offshore. The school colors are Royal Blue, Yellow Gold, and White. The Seahawks compete in NCAA Division III and are known for its nationally ranked varsity sailing team.

The school has a leadership cohort named after Paul H. Nitze, a former trustee of the college, for students with histories of leadership and academic success.

Notable staff

• Jane Margaret O'Brien became the first female president of the college as a four-year institution when she was appointed in 1993.
• Lucille Clifton

Notable organizations

• The varsity sailing team.
• The school's acapella groups, The SMC-Men (C-Men), The Nightingale Acapella (TNA) and the Interchorus.

Notable Alumni

• Paul Reed Smith, renowned luthier (guitar craftsman).

College culture

• The Green Door is a long-time favorite off-campus bar for students and professors. The Green Door is owned by alumni of SMCM.
• On May Day it is a tradition for students to ride or run naked on the bike paths, usually down to the water front.
• Students may be tossed by their "friends" into St. John's Pond, the pond that divides the campus. This practice is called "ponding," and it generally marks a special occasion, the most common being a birthday.

External links

• St. Mary's Official website

Universities and colleges in Maryland | Liberal arts colleges | St. Mary's County, Maryland | Educational institutions established in 1840