Celebrating Academic Innovation

Each year McDaniel students go on to receive national and international recognition for their academic achievements. These achievements are made possible because of the college's outstanding faculty, high-touch classrooms, research experiences and academic support. When you support academic innovation, you contribute to an academic culture that applies dynamic and cutting-edge pedagogy but never loses sight of the importance of close-knit student and faculty relationships.

Support Academic Innovation With Your Gift Now

A Different Kind of Education

Many of our students and alumni describe the liberal arts education they received and their close-knit relationships with individual faculty members as among the most transformative aspects of their McDaniel education. McDaniel faculty are committed to creating a different kind of classroom- one where experiential learning and real-word experiences interact with traditional lectures and academic research. This combination reflects the liberal arts tradition while pushing the boundaries of what's possible in 21st century education.

"Not a single student had anything less than enthusiastic to say about the academic experience, regardless of background, major or class year. It seems the professors have found a way to reach everyone."

- Colleges That Change Lives, Loren Pope

Recognition & Accolades Undergraduate Research & Honors Learning Applied

Supporting Undergraduate Research Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Fund

Having the opportunity to do research with a faculty member at the undergraduate level is unusual at other colleges, but due to the support of our donors, it is afforded to many McDaniel students each year. Through the Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Fund, students are able to earn a research stipend that makes collaborative research with faculty possible.

Learn More About Undergraduate Research Give Now: Support Student Research

Student with diploma in hand at Commencement 2019.

Engaging Exceptional Students Celebrating Excellent Academic Achievement: The Honors Program

Outstanding students each year are invited to apply to our rigorous Honors Program. Review for the Honors Program also includes the possibility of additional merit scholarships for these high-achieving students, and your support helps us attract (and retain) the best and brightest students interested in McDaniel. When you invest in academic innovation, you support these exceptional students and their scholarship.

Learn More About the Honors Program Give Now: Support the Honors Program

Seven students stand six feet apart in front of McDaniel College Gill Center sign that reads "Here on the Hill we never stop climbing".

The McDaniel Commitment Helping students define their path to success.

A four-year integrated experience full of opportunities in research, education abroad, internships, and career development, the McDaniel Commitment is the College’s premier academic program. Students access resources and acquire the skills they need to navigate their four years on the Hill and place them at an advantage for life after McDaniel with the help of The Center for Experience and Opportunity. The one-on-one coaching helps students develop goals, engage in immersive experiences, and stand out when applying for jobs, post-graduate studies, as well as fellowships and scholarships.

Learn More about the McDaniel Commitment

Research in the Liberal Arts Rising Senior Eli Williams Lands Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship On the National Stage

Eli Williams of Mountain Top, Pa., a senior chemistry major at McDaniel College, has been awarded a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). Williams is spending 11 weeks this summer at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research in Rockville, Md., working alongside chemists Dr. Jeffrey Hudgens, Dr. Ioannis Karageorgos, and Dr. Kyle Anderson in the biomolecular measurement division conducting research on the dynamical structure of proteins and glycoproteins. Williams is a member of the college’s Honors program and Green Terror Programs. He has served as vice president of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon national chemistry honor society and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society.

Read "Rising Senior Eli Williams Lands Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship"

Faculty and students in the Green Terror Garden.

Fresh Takes The Green Terror Garden Academic & Delicious

The Green Terror Garden houses several different crops and a variety of flowers designed to offer experiential learning opportunities for all interested students on the Hill. In addition to learning opportunities, goals include transforming the area to be a McDaniel community gathering place, partnering with local organizations such as the Boys and Girls club of Westminster and The Keep and Till. Additionally, the project aims to establish a farmers market on campus and to incorporate crop yield with the college’s dining services. Ultimately, the garden is a foundation for establishing a student-operated farm rooted in restorative agricultural practices.

Learn More About the Garden