State Legislature Approves Tuition Reduction Measure for St. Mary’s College of Maryland
This past Saturday, during its regular session, the Maryland Legislature passed the state’s FY15 budget which includes funds for an 8.6% tuition reduction for in-state undergraduate students attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland. In doing so, the Legislature adopted a $1.5 million grant proposal by Governor Martin O’Malley expressly for the purpose of tuition relief.
“We are grateful to Governor O’Malley and the Maryland State Legislature for their ongoing commitment to higher education and to St. Mary’s College of Maryland,” said Interim President Ian Newbould. Newbould explained that the tuition relief is budget neutral to the college in terms of revenue. “The funding will go directly to Maryland families; none will be used for the college’s operating costs,” he said.
The legislation enables the Board of Trustees to reduce the 2014-15 in-state undergraduate tuition rate it set in February. The Board will convene a special meeting on April 11 for the sole purpose of voting to reduce tuition by more than $1,000. With the Board’s approval, the new, reduced tuition rate will take effect in the fall of 2014.
Speaking on behalf of the Board, Chair Gail Harmon said, “St. Mary’s College relies on the state’s enduring support to fulfill our special mission for Maryland’s students. The Legislature’s decision affirms the college’s dual mandates: the promise of public education, accessible to all, combined with high standards of academic excellence. This is wonderful news for our students and their families.”
Delegate John Bohanan, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and Economic Development and champion of the legislation, said, “We were able to address the tuition challenge in a significant way for Maryland students attending St. Mary’s. The college is a tremendous asset for our state, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to moderate the cost of attendance.” Bohanan was also co-sponsor on a bill approved by the state’s House and Senate in 2013 that froze in-state undergraduate tuition at St. Mary’s College for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. The tuition freeze combined with the reduced tuition rate yields more than $2,000 in cost savings for Maryland families.
St. Mary’s has contributed significantly to the state’s college completion goal. Over the past 20 years, the college has increased enrollment of Maryland residents by nearly 50%. Currently, 85% of the college’s student body comes from Maryland. St. Mary’s has the highest four-year graduation rate among Maryland public higher education institutions and the third highest graduation rate in the nation amongst small public colleges. Over the past two years, St. Mary’s College has awarded 25% of its degrees in STEM-related fields, compared to the state-wide average of 20%.
St. Mary’s Men’s Lacrosse to Support Wounded Warrior Project on April 12th
The St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s lacrosse team will host a Face-Off for a Cause event on Saturday, April 12th at Seahawk Stadium. The event will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, which works, “To honor and empower Wounded Warriors”.
Fun. Integrity. Loyalty. Innovation. Service. These five core values are held near and dear by the WWP staff and which the Seahawks strive to live up to with their event in supporting the great services provided by WWP to wounded warriors and their families.
The event was organized by seniors Gordon Muldoon (Solomons Island, Md./Patuxent) and Zack Blewett (Darnestown, Md./The Heights School), who found it impossible to ignore the influence of the armed forces on their daily lives.
Muldoon stated, “With our college situated just south of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and north of United States Coast Guard Station at St. Inigoes, it is almost impossible to not be impacted in a positive manner by the men and women of our armed forces. With this spirit in mind, and in honor of their brethren in arms, the St. Mary’s men’s lacrosse team decided to partner with the Wounded Warrior Project to raise funds and awareness for those service members who have been injured in combat.”
Muldoon and Blewett have planned an action-packed day which begins with a free youth clinic and ends with a lacrosse doubleheader. There will also be food vendors and a silent auction while Lax.com will be selling Wounded Warrior Project t-shirts. Admission to the doubleheader will be $5.00 and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Kids that attend the clinic will get in for free!
The free youth clinic is meant for boys in grades 3rd-8th and will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the varsity practice fields across Mattapany Road. The clinic is provided by Trilogy Lacrosse and will be run by Trilogy National Director Will Casertano as well as St. Mary’s College student-athletes. For more information and to register for the free clinic, visit the Trilogy Lacrosse Face-Off for a Cause Clinic at St. Mary’s College page at http://www.trilogylacrosse.com/clinics/face-off-for-a-cause-st-marys.
Following the clinic, Leonardtown High School will take on Muldoon’s high school alma mater, Patuxent High School, at 12:00 p.m. in a Southern Maryland Athletic Conference showdown at Seahawk Stadium. St. Mary’s will step on the field next at 3:00 p.m. to square off against Christopher Newport University in Capital Athletic Conference action.
For fans that cannot make the game, but would still like to donate, please visit the Seahawks Lacrosse Proud Supporter page at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/group-fundraising/SMCMFOFAC.
“What better way to do this than through the sport that we all love? Through lacrosse, our relationships with the defense industry, and with the support of the community, we hope to meet and surpass our original goal of $10,000,” added Muldoon.
The Face-Off for a Cause event was made possible by the generous support of Northrop Grumman, Rockwell Collins, ZimaGear, Mission BBQ, Avian, Trilogy Lacrosse, L-3 Communications, and Red Robin.