ST. MARY’S CITY, Md.—St. Mary’s College of Maryland has received a $200,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant will fund initiatives over a three-year period, beginning in spring 2013, to expand civic engagement and service-learning opportunities in the college’s core curriculum.
“As a residential liberal arts college, St. Mary’s College of Maryland has a tradition of civic engagement and a proud history of equipping its graduates for public life as citizens and leaders,” said President Joseph R. Urgo. “Funding from the Mellon Foundation opens doors for new opportunities for St. Mary’s students to serve our local and global communities on a larger scale, while preparing for lives and careers marked by civic participation."
St. Mary’s faculty reinforced the college’s dedication to civic learning when it adopted a new core curriculum in fall 2008. A key feature of the curriculum is to expose students to life experiences outside of classrooms, specifically through service opportunities, internships, and international study abroad.
The Mellon Foundation grant will provide an estimated $60,000 to $70,000 a year to faculty-proposed projects that will help students meet the college’s core curriculum requirement.
“St. Mary’s College students, encouraged by faculty and the college’s administration, have responded to the social needs of our communities through a myriad of student-led projects and clubs,” said Beth Rushing, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty. “We are proud to have such efforts recognized by the Mellon Foundation, and we look forward to creating new, and improving existing, high-impact educational experiences through civic engagement and service-learning.”
Source: SMCM