Owings Mills HS Graduation
Tuesday, May 28
410-887-1588

Carroll Community Graduation
Wednesday, May 29
410-386-8442

Franklin HS Graduation
Wednesday, May 29
410-887-1119

Little People’s Graduation (#1)
Thursday, May 30
410-848-0834

Little People’s Graduation (#2)
Friday, May 31
410-848-0834

Christian Love Baptist
Friday, May 31- Sunday, June 2     

Alexandria Harmonizers
Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2 

Liberty HS Graduation
Wednesday, June 5
410-751-3560

Winters Mill HS Graduation
Thursday, June 6
410-386-1500

Manchester Valley Graduation
Thursday, June 6
410-386-1673  

Francis Scott Key Graduation
Friday, June 7
410-751-3320

Century HS Graduation
Friday, June 7
410-386-4400

North Carroll HS Graduation
Saturday, June 8
410-751-3450

Westminster HS Graduation
Saturday, June 8
410-751-3630

South Carroll HS Graduation
Sunday, June 9
410-751-3575

Arch Bishop Curley Choir
Sunday, June 9 – Saturday, June 15            

Cape Cod School
Monday, June 10 – Friday, June 14             

Campbell Tennis (Adults)
Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 16
rftennis46@yahoo.com  

Green Terror Swim Camp
Sunday, June 16 – Thursday, June 20
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

McDaniel Forensics Camp
Sunday, June 16 – Friday, June 21
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/calendars/summer-camps-conferences-graduations/summer-science-academy

MD State Boychoir
Sunday, June 16 – Saturday, June 22   

All American LAX (Boys)
Sunday, June 16-Wednesday, June 19
http://www.allamericalacrossecamps.com/

Becky Martin Basketball
Wednesday, June 19 – Friday, June 21 (Day Camp)
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

King of the Hill (#1)
Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22
http://kohlacrosse.com/

King of the Hill (#2)
Sunday, June 23-Tuesday, June 25
http://kohlacrosse.com/

McDaniel Forensics Camp
Sunday, June 23 – Friday, June 28
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/calendars/summer-camps-conferences-graduations/summer-science-academy

McDaniel Music Camp
Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/undergraduate/the-mcdaniel-plan/departments/music/summer-music-camp/

Green Terror Basketball
Monday, June 24 – Friday, June 28 (Day Camp)
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Green Terror Swim
Monday, June 24 – Friday, June 28 (Day Camp)
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Kick/Punt Camp
Wednesday, June 26 – Thursday, June 27
https://www.footballcamps.com/default.asp?page=00

Sports International Football
Thursday, June 27-Sunday, June 30
https://www.footballcamps.com/default.asp?page=00

Christian Life Church
Thursday, June 27 – Sunday, June 30  

Common Ground (Week 1)
Sunday, June 30 – Saturday, July 6
http://www.commongroundonthehill.org/index.html

McDaniel Forensics Camp
Sunday, July 7 – Friday, July 12
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/information/calendars/summer-camps-conferences-graduations/summer-science-academy

Common Ground (Week 2)
Sunday, July 7 – Sunday, July 14
http://www.commongroundonthehill.org/index.html

Soccer Academy
Sunday, July 7 – Thursday, July 11
http://www.soccer-academy.com/

Green Terror Volleyball
Monday, July 8 – Thursday, July 11
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Green Terror Softball
Monday, July 8-Thursday, July 11 (Day Camp)
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Nike Field Hockey
Friday, July 12 – Monday, July 15
http://www.ussportscamps.com/fieldhockey?gclid=CIrvr47FmrYCFSbNOgodUyEAMQ

Parent Preview
Sunday, July 14-Monday, July 15
http://mcdaniel.orgsync.com/org/parentpreview/home

McDaniel Orchestra Camp
Sunday, July 14 - Saturday, July 20
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/undergraduate/the-mcdaniel-plan/departments/music/music-lessons-camps/

Parent Preview
Friday, July 19-Saturday, July 20
http://mcdaniel.orgsync.com/org/parentpreview/home

Point Guard College
Tuesday, July 16 – Saturday, July 20 (Staff July 15)
http://www.pgcbasketball.com/

Green Terror Passing Academy
Tuesday, July 16 – Friday, July 19
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

National Kicking
Friday, July 19 - Sunday, July 21
http://www.kickpunt.com/

Campbell Tennis
Saturday, July 20-Sunday, July 21
rftennis46@yahoo.com

McDaniel Piano / Chamber Studies
Saturday, July 20-Saturday, July 27
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/undergraduate/the-mcdaniel-plan/departments/music/music-lessons-camps/

Sports International (QB Camp)
Sunday, July 21-Tuesday, July 23(Staff July 20)
https://www.footballcamps.com/default.asp?page=00

F.S. Soccer
Sunday, July 21-Friday, July 26
http://www.fssoccer.com/

Nike LAX Camp
Monday, July 22 – Thursday, July 25
http://www.ussportscamps.com/lacrosse/

USA Triathlon Skill Dev Camp
Wed., July 24-Friday, July 26
http://www.usatriathlon.org/elite-international/junior-elite/camps/schedule.aspx

National Cheerleaders
Wednesday, July 24 - Saturday, July 27
http://nca.varsity.com/

McDowell Family Reunion
Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28  

Green Terror Basketball
Sunday, July 28 – Tuesday, July 30
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Green Terror Soccer (Ladies)
Sunday, July 28-Wednesday, July 31
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Green Terror Football Team Camp
Monday, July 29-Friday, August 2
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Point Guard College
Tuesday, July 30 – Saturday, August 3
http://www.pgcbasketball.com/

Green Terror Men’s Soccer
Wed., July 31 – Sat., August 3
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

Providence Baptist
Friday, August 2 – Sunday, August 4  

Green Terror Basketball
Monday, August 5 – Friday, August 9 (Day Camp)
http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/information/camps-clinics/index

1. I will be living in a residence hall on campus and am wondering whether I should bring a computer to school.
2. Can I bring a mobile device, such as an iPad or eReader?
3. How about gaming systems and other wireless devices?
4. Wireless Printers on campus?
5. What kind of computer should I bring?
6. Should I bring a laptop or a desktop computer?
7. I will be living off campus, but I want to buy a computer to have at home. Do the same recommendations you made for the resident student apply to me?
8. Can I buy a computer through the school?
9. What kind of software should I have on my computer?
10. Where can I buy software?
11. Can I connect to the campus network from a computer in my room?
12. Is wireless network access available on campus?
13. What computing lab facilities are available on campus?
14. How do I get a college e-mail account?
15. Will my friends at other schools be able to find my McDaniel College e-mail address?
16. What software is available for e-mail on the computer lab machines?
17. How can I get more information about computing at McDaniel College?

1. I will be living in a residence hall on campus and am wondering whether I should bring a computer to school.
You will find having a computer in your room is very convenient, but if you are unable to bring a computer to school, you will be able to use the general-access computer labs on campus. Please see #11 for additional information.

2. Can I bring a mobile device, such as an iPad or eReader?
Yes. We do support wireless Internet connection on most mobile devices.

3. How about gaming systems and other wireless devices?
We do support internet connection for all known gaming systems, such as XBOX, Playstation, Nintendo Wii, as well as wireless handheld gaming devices (i.e. Nintendo DS/DSI/DSI XL, PSP, Playstation Vita, etc.). We also support miscellaneous devices such as the Roku Box. To check if your device is supported, you may email Max Groft at mgroft@mcdaniel.edu.

4. Wireless Printers on campus?
We now support wireless printers on our network. It is the student’s responsibility to configure their computer to be able to use their printer. Please know that if you do decide to configure your printer on the network, all others using the McDaniel Internet will be able to see your printer, and be able to print to it. We recommend that you turn off your printer when not in use to prevent this. You do not have to use this option, as all printers come with cables to connect to your computer to print.

NOTE: GAMING DEVICES AND WIRELESS PRINTERS MUST BE REGISTERED ON THE MCDANIEL COLLEGE NETWORK IN ORDER TO BE USED ON THE NETWORK. DIRECTIONS FOR HOW TO DO THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE COLLEGE IN THE FALL.

5. What kind of computer should I bring?
You may bring either a Windows machine or a Macintosh. Wireless Ethernet is available in all residence halls, as well as the majority of campus buildings and facilities. Your laptop/desktop must have a wireless Internet card to access the Internet. However, if your computer does not include a wireless card feature, you may either connect to the Internet using an Ethernet cable (no more than 50 ft.), or purchase a compatible wireless card that will externally attach to your computer, usually by USB.

If you bring a Windows machine, we recommend a computer that is running Windows 7. If you purchase a new Windows computer, please see below for additional information on recommended computer configuration. If you bring a Macintosh computer, we recommend a computer that is running System 10.5 or above. Please see additional information below if you decide to buy a new Mac.

**Recommendations for Buying a New Windows Computer**

Recommended Minimum Computer Configuration for Windows7 Desktops or Laptops

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB RAM (for 32-bit systems) or 2 GB RAM (for 64-bit systems)
• 20 GB available hard disk space
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Recommended Minimum Computer Configuration for Windows Vista Desktops or Laptops

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit or 64 bit processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 20 GB available hard disk space
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM and 128 MB of graphics memory

Recommended Minimum Computer Configuration for Windows XP Desktops or Laptops

• Pentium 233 MHz processor or faster
• 64 MB of RAM (128 is recommended)
• 1.5 GB of available hard disk space

Recommended minimum configuration for a new Macintosh computer:

• Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) or later
• 512 MB RAM or greater
• 20 GB hard disk space or greater

Wherever you choose to buy your computer, be sure to ask about educational pricing. Depending on your budget, we also recommend that you consider purchasing a warranty on your machine to protect your investment.

6. Should I bring a laptop or a desktop computer?
Computer technology pricing has come a long way from where it has been. Today, you can purchase either a laptop or a desktop computer reasonably cheap, and even the most inexpensive computer can meet your most basic needs (web browsing, word processing, etc.). It is up to you whether a desktop or a laptop is most convenient for you. Most students on campus choose to bring a laptop for the convenience of portability, while others like desktop computer models as they tend to come with higher specifications for lesser money than a laptop of similar specifications. You may even chose to bring one of each.  

To protect your equipment, we recommend that you:

• Lock your room when you are gone.
• Purchase a cable lock for your laptop so you can secure the laptop to a piece of furniture.
• Ask the Campus Safety Office at McDaniel College to engrave your laptop with identification information.
• Ask your parents to check their homeowners insurance to make sure that your laptop and other personal belongings in your room are covered in case of theft.

7. I will be living off campus, but I want to buy a computer to have at home. Do the same recommendations you made for the resident student apply to me?
Yes, but make sure you buy a computer with the appropriate hardware if you want to connect to the Internet from home. Check with your Internet Service Provider to see what system requirements are needed to do so.

8. Can I buy a computer through the school?
We currently do not directly sell computers through the College or College Bookstore.

Dell offers discounts for McDaniel College students. To find out more, visit https://app.dell.com/consumer/enroll/giftcard/signup.cfm. After you receive your information regarding your McDaniel email address from the College, you will be able to apply your student discount when purchasing your new Dell computer.

For students interested in buying a Macintosh we recommend that you go to the Apple education store web site (www.apple.com) to find information on purchases for current college students. You may also call Apple at 1-800-676-2775.

9. What kind of software should I have on my computer?
It is up to the user to decide what software they will need. McDaniel College does not require students to have specific software installed on the machine, as it is your personal machine. If you do need to use a program that you do not own, you may use one of our many computer labs on campus, as they have a wide variety of software (i.e. Office, Photoshop, etc.).

10. Where can I buy software?
If you are purchasing a new machine and want additional software, you may want to buy the software at the same time, if available. McDaniel College students with a current student ID may go to http://www.campusEstore.com for academic pricing on software.

11. Can I connect to the campus network from a computer in my room?
Absolutely! All residence halls have access to wireless Internet. Most recent computers that have been purchased within the last several years (mostly laptops) come with built-in wireless capability. If not, you may choose to either use the Ethernet port on your computer with a 25 ft. Ethernet cable, or purchase a wireless adapter that will plug into your computer (usually USB) to access the Internet. Most retail stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, BestBuy, etc. carry these devices.

12. Is wireless network access available on campus?
All resident halls have wifi access as well as the majority of campus buildings and facilities.

13. What computing lab facilities are available on campus?
See: http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/it/ctandcomputerlabs/computerlabs.html

We have nine computing labs on campus. All have access to the Internet.

• Charlson Lab in Hoover Library (24-hour access during regular semester) – 25 dual boot iMacs (Mac & Windows 7)
• The Academic Hall Computer Lab in Academic Hall 101 – 26 dual boot iMacs (Mac & Windows 7)
• The Writing Center in Hill Hall – 19 dual boot iMacs (Mac & Windows 7)
• The Windows Lab in Lewis B5 – 23 Windows 7 computers
• The Graphics Lab in Peterson – 18 27”iMacs
• The Foreign Languages Lab in Baker – 24 Macbook Air computers
• The Math/Computer Science Lab in Lewis – 19 iMacs (Mac only)
• The Physics Lab in Lewis – 16 Windows 7 computers

Hours for these labs are posted on McDaniel’s web site.

14. How do I get a college e-mail account?
All McDaniel undergraduate students are required to have and regularly use their mcdaniel.edu email accounts. This account will be used for official communication from the College and for your Blackboard account. You should have received a letter from the College with your email account user ID and McDaniel ID number. If you did not receive this information, please contact Victoria Dinterman at (410)-857-2790.

15. Will my friends at other schools be able to find my McDaniel College e-mail address?
It will be available on our web site unless you indicated otherwise when you activated your account.

16. What software is available for e-mail on the computer lab machines?
Once you activate your mcdaniel.edu e-mail account you may access web e-mail on our web site. You may choose to login two different ways:

From McDaniel Homepage>Login>Email for Students>McDaniel College Student Email Login>(use provided username, do not include @mcdaniel.edu, and your password)

From Gmail.com- type in your username, followed by @connections.mcdaniel.edu (example: abc123@connections.mcdaniel.edu), and your McDaniel password.

17. How can I get more information about computing at McDaniel College?
Donni Folendorf in Information Technology will be happy to answer any questions. You may call her at 410-857-2537 or send e-mail to dfolendorf@mcdaniel.edu.

Academic Hall, dedicated in 2005 and home to the departments of Education and Psychology, Graduate and Professional Studies, and Student Academic Support Services, will be officially named Merritt Hall in memory of Leroy Merritt, Class of 1952, at a campus ceremony on 11 am, Saturday, May 4 during Reunion Weekend.

Enhancing student life at our College, the alma mater he loved, inspired Mr. Merritt to help fund the construction of the Merritt Fitness Center dedicated in 2007, and later to pledge $5 million, intended to motivate alumni and friends to fund renovations to student residence halls and additional athletic facilities as part of the Carpe Diem Campaign for McDaniel.

Sadly, Mr. Merritt passed away January 25, 2010, but his legacy lives on and the Board of Trustees approved the naming of this building in his memory.

• To learn more, read this article from the Spring 2008 edition of The Hill magazine.

Dr. Jeff Groff, assistant professor of Physics at Shepherd University and 2001 alumnus of McDaniel, is the 2013 recipient of the College Scholar Alumni Award in recognition of his leadership for change in both local and global communities.

Groff credited his experiences in the Honors Program and at McDaniel as the reason he was back on campus to accept the award.

“The Honors Program and McDaniel gave me a love of learning, an intellectual curiosity even outside of my field, and lifelong friends,” Groff said as he accepted the award at the March 23 Honors Lecture also featuring Robert Siegler, Teresa Heinz professor of cognitive psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, speaking about “The Development of Numerical Understanding.”

Recognition as an agent of positive change “reminds me of how much more I can do,” said Groff, flanked by screens showing the famous images of Earth as a miniscule pale blue dot taken from 3.7 million miles away by Voyager I as it left our solar system.

Groff explained to a packed audience in McDaniel Lounge, the picture of Earth is one of 60 shots, know as the “family portraits,” Voyager I took on Feb. 14, 1990, requested by astronomer Carl Sagan and comprising the final photographs taken by either of the two Voyager spacecraft that continue, 36 years after their 1977 launch, to send back data from the far reaches of space.

“This is both a picture and a lesson,” Groff said. “I see it as a chance to ponder the scale of the picture – and to recheck my priorities.” 

Groff, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with departmental honors in Physics and a minor in Chemistry, earned a master’s and Ph.D. in Applied Science with a specialization in computational biophysics from the College of William & Mary.

During his years at McDaniel, he made his mark on the Green Terror track and field team, earning Centennial Conference medals in the decathlon (2000 and 2001) and in the discus throw (1999). Groff still holds his place in athletic record books as an All-Time Top 10 Performer in two events:  in the 55-meter event (second place) and in the 60-meter (first place). His outstanding performance and athletic record earned you the Steve Robert Wilson ’75 Memorial Award presented at Honors Convocation.

He has received grants totaling over $78,000, including a prestigious NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Innovation Grant and a NASA West Virginia Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NASA WV EPSCoR) Innovation Grant, in part, to purchase lab equipment for developing new hands-on laboratory exercises that use physical principles to study biological phenomena and systems.

His mentorship of students engaged in research has resulted in three publications in Shepard’s research journal, and currently, he is co-author, with one of his undergraduate research students, of an article for submission to a peer-reviewed international publication.

Groff promotes renewable energy and environmental sustainability and has forged connections with Shepherd’s Environmental Studies faculty to use electronic sensors coupled to digital electronics for environmental monitoring and remote sensing applications. Along with a colleague, he ventured as far west as Nevada with students during a two-week summer trip to study the geological, environmental, and cultural anthropology of the Greater Colorado Plateau. He now brags that he can name all the principle strata of the Grand Canyon from Kaibab to the ancient Vishnu Schist.

He is married to Amanda Lofton, class of 2002, and they have a baby daughter, Evelyn.

The Political Science and International Studies department hosts "Political Change and Security in North Africa" 8:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. April 8 in Decker Auditorium (Lewis Hall of Science). Co-sponsored by CNA Strategic Studies, the full-day conference is free and open to the public.

According to Anouar Boukhars, assistant professor, "The countries of North Africa have experienced considerable political and social upheaval over the past two years. At the same time, violent extremist networks and criminal organizations have grown and are expanding their operations throughout the region. The goal of this conference is to explore the range and scale of challenges that confront the states of North Africa, the United States, and the international community, and to identify policy options for the future."

Janet A. Sanderson, former deputy assistant secretary of state (SAS) for Near East Affairs (2009—2011) will deliver the keynote address. Panel discussions will revolve around efforts to revamp U.S. security interests in North Africa.

• For the full schedule click here

Undergraduate Summer Session 2013

Registration for all students (including degree and non-degree seeking) begins Monday, April 1, online and at the Registrar’s Office.

Regular Courses

Session I: May 28 – June 28

Art History 1113-01: History of Western Art I
Gretchen McKay, Associate Professor of Art History
Online Course
 

Session II: June 3 – July 5

English 2265-02: Special Topic: American Literature
Christopher Love
MTWTH   09:45AM – 11:45AM

History 2267-01: Special Topic: Russia in Revolution  
Jakub Zejmis
MWF 5:15PM – 8:15PM

History 2269-01: Special Topic: Taiji Martial Arts in China
Qin Fang
MWF 5:15PM – 8:15PM

MUL 1152-01: Diversity – Meaning Pop Music
Robin Armstrong, Professor of Music
Online Course

Psychology 2209-01: Developmental Psychology
Sarah Lippy, Adjunct Lecturer in Psychology
MTWTh 11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., Academic Hall 300

Psychology 3306-01: Adolescent Development
Stephanie Madsen, Associate Professor of Psychology
MTWTh 9:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m., Academic Hall G17

Religion 1104-01: Introduction to Religious Studies
Jill Krebs, Lecturer in Religious Studies
Online Course

Sophomore Interdisplinary Studies 2010-01: South Park and Contemporary Issues
Sara Raley, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Joshua Baron, Lecturer in Philosophy
Online Course

Sociology 2412-01: Wealth, Power and Privilege
Deb Lemke, Professor of Sociology
Online Course

Spanish 1101-01: Elementary Spanish I
Guillermo, Gonzalez, Adjunct Lecturer in Spanish
MTWTh 12:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., Baker Memorial Chapel 100
 

Session III: July 8 – August 9

English 2265-01: Tenement House Literature
Joshua Ambrose, Director of the Writing Center
Online Course

English 2272-OL: Popular Romance Fiction
Kathleen Miller
Online Course

Gerontology 1101-01: Introduction to Aging Studies
Diane Martin, Visiting Assistant Professor Psychology
Online Course

General Science 1104: Mastering Calculations in Science—2 crs.
Marilyn Smith, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Online Course

General Science 1106-01: Understanding the Universe
Apollo Mian, Associate Professor of Physics
Online Course

General Science 1111-01: Introductory Astronomy
Apollo Mian, Associate Professor of Physics
Online Course

Philosophy 1101: Introduction to Philosophy
Joshua Baron, Lecturer in Philosophy
Online Course

Philosophy 2265: Philosophy – Violent Media
Joshua Baron, Lecturer in Philosophy
Online Course

School Library Media 3317-01: Children’s Literature
Jan Niles, Graduate Adjunct lecturer
Online Course

Sociology 1104-01: Introduction to Sociology
Linda Semu, Associate Professor of Sociology
Online Course

Except where noted, courses are 4 credit hours.

Special Opportunities

Independent Study courses provide opportunity for individual study under the direction of a faculty member. Independent Study is arranged by the sponsoring faculty member and the student, and students complete a form available in the Registrar's Office.

Student Internships are available through cooperative programs with government, business, industry, institutions, and individuals.  Internships are coordinated through the Office of Career Services and may be arranged directly through the academic departments or programs of the College.  Credit bearing internships must be sponsored by a member of the faculty, and students complete a form available in the Registrar's Office.

Common Ground on the Hill (June 30 - July 12, 2013), now celebrating its 19th year, is built around an international community of musicians, artists, dancers, poets, and scholars that assemble each year during July for Common Ground's Tradition Weeks.  Students of all ages may enroll, whether for non-credit or credit.  Common Ground courses are academically rigorous, while allowing students to acquire new skills and perspectives in a friendly, encouraging environment.   For information on tuition and fees for Common Ground and to enroll, see www.commongroundonthehill.org or contact 410-857-2771 or commongroundonthehill@gmail.com.

Expenses

1. Tuition: $392.50/credit hour

• 4 credit hour course: $1,570
• 2 credit hour course: $785
• .5 credit hour course $196

Courses are available to Auditors at one half the tuition.  Senior citizens are charged $25 per credit hour.

2. Housing (Session I and II only): approximately $145/week, standard double room

• Residence hall, 5 weeks: approximately $725
• Other options available

3. Meals: $126/week to $170/week

• Five weeks, 14 meals/week: $630
• Five weeks, 20 meals/week: $850

Registration for all students (including degree and non-degree seeking) begins Monday, April 1, online and at the Registrar’s Office.

Matthew C. Winner, a library media specialist at Longfellow Elementary School in Howard County and a 2009 graduate of McDaniel’s master’s in School Librarianship program, has been named a “Mover & Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication, Library Journal.

In its March 15 issue, Library Journal named 50 outstanding professionals committed to providing excellent service to meet the needs of the people they serve. Winner was selected because of his commitment to librarianship and use of technology in engaging and innovative ways.

Library Journal lauded Winner’s work with video games on the Nintendo Wii, as programmatic and instructional tools. Students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade visit the library each week during Library Media classes to participate in engaging activities and research projects that extend the curriculum learned in the general classroom and challenge them to grow as effective and responsible users of information.

While the library’s collections hosts a myriad of student favorites, perhaps no section is frequented more regularly than that of the graphic novels, a collection Winner has worked meticulously to develop and support. The library also hosts an annual Book Swap, along with a book fair and quarterly evening book clubs for students in grades three to five and their parents.

Winner is co-authoring a book on using the Wii to support math instruction and the Common Core State Standards. He is also the co-founder of the Level Up Book Club, an online book club for teachers, librarians and professionals exploring the concepts of game-based learning and gamification.

“Each member of this year’s Movers & Shakers class embodies service to their community and a passion for advancing libraries and their profession,” said Mike Kelley, Library Journal Editor-in-Chief.

• Read more about Winner and all of the inductees
• More information about the M.S. in School Librarianship

The 2013 Movers & Shakers were selected by the editors of Library Journal, the profession’s leading trade magazine. In its 137th year of publication, Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field. Considered to be the “bible” of the library world, LJ is read by more than 100,000 library directors, administrators, and staff in public, academic, and special libraries. Library Journal is a publication of Media Source Inc., which also owns School Library Journal, The Horn Book Magazine and Junior Library Guild.

F2013 First Year Seminar Classes

Senior Laura Barbour’s plate is full – she’s finishing her capstone in anti-epileptic drugs, wrapping up coursework in her self-designed Neuroscience major and thinking about entrance exams and applications for medical school. Still, she carved time out of her busy schedule to compete in March in the 2013 World Mounted Games in New Zealand and help the U.S. team finish sixth, its best ever in a foreign country.

Barbour, who’s from Boonsboro, Md., fell in love with riding when she first sat on a pony at the age of 3. Six years later, she joined the U.S. Pony Club (USPC) where she was introduced to mounted games, a sport with teams of five riders who perform a series of relay races involving jousting, galloping dismounts and vaults, leaning off the side of the ponies to grab equipment and galloping hand-offs.

“This year was the first time I qualified to ride on the U.S. world team competing at the 2013 World Mounted Games team championships at the Horse of the Year show in New Zealand,” she says of the competition on borrowed ponies against teams from 10 other countries. “It has been a great honor to be on this team, and it’s been the trip of a lifetime.”

Barbour competed in mounted games in Australia in 2009 and 2011 and at the Royal Welsh Show in 2011 and in France in 2012. Tryouts are in Kentucky and coach Clive Jones picks who makes the team.

“I love Mounted Games because it's a very exciting and team-oriented sport,” says Barbour, who talks proudly about her two horses: Cookie Monster, an American paint pony for mounted-games practice, and Dirty Dancing, a thoroughbred mare for events and foxhunting. “IMGA (International Mounted Games Association) is like a big family and I have friends all over the world thanks to the competitions I have ridden in.”

Now it’s back to campus for the home stretch to graduation. The research project she’s been working on with Psychology professor and neuroscientist Madeline Rhodes, “Enzyme-Altering Anti-Epileptic Drugs Influence Affective and learning and Memory Processes of Male Rats,” took a first place in Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences.

Barbour and Rhodes have presented the behavioral data from the research on how a class of anti-epileptic drugs affect learning and memory in male rats at conferences in Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Now the chemical data is being analyzed, and the student-professor team has plans to publish the paper once all aspects of the study are complete.

For more information about mounted games, go to:

• IMGA at www.mounted-games.org
• USMGA at www.usmga.us
• MGAA is www.mountedgames.org
• The website for the world competition is www.wtc2013.co.nz

McDaniel College will award more than 600 bachelor’s and master’s degrees during its 143rd Commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. May 25 on campus in Gill Center. Admission to the ceremony is by ticket only.

Honorary degrees will be awarded to Washington Insiders Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour senior correspondent, her husband Al Hunt, Bloomberg News executive editor, and McDaniel Trustee and alumna Christine Royer ’48, vice president (ret.) of Barnard College.

Woodruff, a graduate of Duke University, has covered politics and other news for more than three decades at CNN, NBC and PBS and regularly co-anchors the PBS NewsHour.

Hunt, a graduate of Wake Forest University, directs coverage of Bloomberg’s Washington bureau of 250 reporters and editors and hosts Bloomberg’s political news TV program, “Political Capital with Al Hunt.”

Royer, also Barnard’s former director of Admissions and English professor, is a passionate advocate for liberal arts education and for access and equity in higher education.

Student awards include the Argonaut Award, which is presented yearly to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average, and the Edith Farr Ridington Phi Beta Kappa Writing Award for the best honors paper.

In conjunction with Commencement, several events are held on Friday, May 24.

Graduating McDaniel seniors who are members of the College’s Army ROTC program will be commissioned as second lieutenants into the U.S. Army at 10 a.m. May 24 in Baker Memorial Chapel. McDaniel has had an Army ROTC program since 1919.

Senior Investiture and Honors Convocation is 7:30 p.m. May 24 in Gill Center. A Commencement party will follow for parents, students, faculty and staff in the Decker College Center Forum.

• Click here for more information on the weekend’s activities, or call 410-857-2247. 

Baltimore Sun Media Group’s “b” has named Jessica Watson ’05 one of 10 Baltimoreans under 30 to watch, but with the designer’s travel schedule that won’t be easy.

This is the year Watson, CEO and founder of the design/marketing firm JWatson Creative, is working remotely – four weeks at a time in a city that’s new to her. So far, she’s been to South Beach, Fla., and Atlanta, and now is back in Baltimore preparing to go to New Orleans in April. She rents an apartment and lives like a local, attending social and networking events, checking out co-working spaces, enjoying local shops and cafes, and participating in volunteer activities.

“The results have been a new burst of creative energy that I can immediately see in my work, amazing experiences with new friends I hope to stay connected with, and a sense of adventure like no other,” says Watson, who travels with her MacBook Pro, a set of small design inspiration books, a couple of paper sample books and Pantone color guides.

“That’s the bare essentials of what I need to design. Other than that, I have challenged myself to seek design and creative inspiration, and fresh ideas, from my immediate surroundings.”

Watson is moving westward, planning to make a stop in Southern California, head up the Pacific Coast highway to Portland and Seattle, travel the northern part of the U.S. and eventually land back in Baltimore. She makes a point of going to networking events, social activities and volunteer work because she never knows just where she’ll meet a potential client.

Most of her clients are in the Baltimore/D.C./Virginia area but she has always had clients outside of the area too. Watson doesn’t recruit clients in her destination cities before heading their way, but she does actively seek new and interesting things to do, and that always leads to something more.

“In South Beach I did a sunset kayak in Coral Gables, I sailed the Gulf Stream (with some pretty sizeable waves!) and I did a police-escorted bike ride up the main roads of the beach. It was amazing. I met such great people and many of us are still connected online,” says Watson, who graduated from McDaniel with a degree in Communication and minors in Business Administration and Graphic Design. “In Atlanta, I volunteered to pull up an invasive plant at a nature reserve, I attended a seminar with Atlanta Web Design Group, and I fell in love with the Georgia Aquarium and Botanical Garden.”

In addition to founding JWatson Creative, Watson serves as a manager for B’more Creatives, which supports women in creative professions, and she is active in the Tyanna Foundation for breast cancer research and awareness.

Never far from her heart is the artist, the Jessica Watson who turned her dorm room into a studio and gallery. On campus, Watson used art as a way to escape from the stresses of college life, as well as a way to connect with others – and earn a little income. In her sophomore year, she opened her dorm room Escape Art Gallery, the first of its kind at McDaniel, where students and faculty flocked to buy her brightly colored canvases right off the walls. In her junior and senior years, she organized an “interactive art show” where visitors could escape the mundane and learn to create their own unique masterpieces.

These days, she travels with a small set of acrylics – just in case.

“I grab small canvases on the go so when the mood strikes I can let my inner artist truly shine,” she says. “And I’m never without my camera or at least my iPhone because I have seen some beautiful scenes with my eyes that I love capturing on camera.”

Jessica Watson is truly someone to watch…if you can find her.

• Read about Watson (she’s photo number 10) in “b” online

Hayoung Kim, a senior from Rockville, Md., has been named a 2013 Newman Civic Fellow, one of 181 student leaders nationwide who demonstrates an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities. She was nominated for the honor by McDaniel president Roger N. Casey.

Students named Newman Civic Fellows make the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.

“These students represent the next generation of public problem solvers and civic leaders. They serve as national examples of the role that higher education can—and does—play in building stronger communities,” notes Campus Compact President Maureen Curley. 

A political science and international studies major, Hayoung Kim has traveled abroad to China, Tibet, South Korea, Macedonia and Nicaragua, where she participated in international study programs and volunteer work. This includes studying at the Preparing Global Leaders Institute, where she joined other young leaders being trained in conflict resolution and prevention. These experiences have fueled her heart with passion addressing conflict issues not just for the United States, but also for the world, motivating her tireless dedication and passion to foster diplomacy through understanding and tolerance of different communities.

Besides her two years of leadership experience with the McDaniel College Student Government Association and Global Fellows Program, she has also interned in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Justice. These experiences have given her insight into both the history at the root of global conflict in local communities abroad and different leadership perspectives of political leaders, and will enable her to achieve her goal of becoming a leader in conflict resolution for the United States.

Furthermore, Hayoung Kim is an entrepreneur having started her own company, Bridge Education Abroad Institute, Inc., making study abroad opportunities available to more students.

About the company, she said, “From empowering students to exposing them to different political cultures, Bridge Education Abroad Institute provides unique experiences for its participants. We provide opportunities for students to strengthen their leadership and diplomatic skills. Bridge Education Abroad Institute will support students worldwide to broaden their horizons in this quickly changing world. Students from all over the world will get together to discuss relevant issues and exchange cultural values. We believe this cultural exchange between students is a critical step in solving many arising problems around the world.”

Newman Civic Fellow awards are made in memory of Dr. Frank Newman, a founder of Campus Compact, who dedicated his life to creating systemic change through education reform. At the core of Dr. Newman’s leadership was a belief in the power of individuals to make a difference and in the power of connection with others. Frank Newman had a tremendous impact on American education and its role in the development of citizens who want to make a difference.  This class of Newman Civic Fellows embodies this spirit and dedication.

The Newman Civic Fellows Awards are made possible through the generous support of the KPMG Foundation.

Click here for a full list of 2013 Newman Civic Fellows.

Less than a decade after her graduation from McDaniel, Jennifer Kraeer ’05 was honored with the German Embassy Teacher of Excellence Award for single-handedly initiating, developing and implementing a German language program for Dorchester County, Md., schools.

After graduating from McDaniel in 2005 with majors in German and History, Kraeer returned to her home on the Eastern Shore and landed a job teaching Special Education. Kraeer’s love of the German language, which took root in Foreign Language professor Mohamed Esa’s class, remained with her, but Dorchester schools did not have a German program.

And that seemed strange to Kraeer since Dorchester County has a partnership with Dueren County in Germany. In fact, students from the two Dorchester high schools participate in an exchange program with two high schools in Germany – Gymnasium Kreuzau and Gymnasium Wirteltor.

“We were sending students to Germany as exchange students but they had no prior experience with the language,” Kraeer says, explaining that she based her case for German in the schools on her belief that the exchange experience would be much more meaningful for the Maryland students as well as host families if they had some foundation in the German language.

The Dorchester County school board approved the course in German I that Kraeer developed and wrote. It was first offered in 2010-2011 at North Dorchester High School and Cambridge-South Dorchester High School. Now in its third year, the program has been extended by Kraeer to include German II and III.

It doesn’t surprise her mentor, professor Esa.

“Jennifer is one of the best and most dedicated students I have ever had,” he says. “She always wanted to start a program at her school, and I have always encouraged her to try that. Now she single handedly started a program on her own.”

Kraeer couldn’t be more pleased with the honor – but more importantly with the fact that exchange students no longer go from Dorchester County without some understanding of the German language.

“I was very surprised and touched to receive this honor. It has been very inspiring to learn the incredible things that world language teachers are doing across the country,” she says.

Six senior Art students are the featured artists in McDaniel’s student honors exhibition, “smARTies,” opening March 26 in Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. The exhibition runs through April 5, with an opening reception 7-9 p.m. March 26. Some work in the exhibition explores adult content and is intended for mature audiences only.

Students showcasing their works are Dani Allen of Laurel, Md.; Caitlin Bennett of Bothell, Wash.; Dara Dinisio of Parkville, Md.; Elyse Hyle of Phoenix, Md.; Claire Woolley of Ephrata, Pa.; and Kira Young of Glen Rock, Pa. 

The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Rice Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon-4 p.m., Thursday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Call 410-857-2595 for more information.

About the Artists:

Dani Allen works with mixed media and video. She said that her work, “explores the construction of sexual identity through examining sexual fantasy and a woman’s relationship to her body.” She added, “I use my own life experiences and sexual identity as material in order to open a dialogue about the boundaries imposed on personal sexuality and how to test those boundaries.”

Caitlin Bennett exhibits ink drawings, photographs and mixed media sculpture.

Art by Dara Dinisio.

Dara Dinisio uses old magazines, color pallets, wire hangers and thread to explore the fashion industry. She said, “I incorporate the idea of expectations on an individual. You can see the attempt to hide underneath your clothes, but inevitably, you are wearing characteristics of yourself and the rapidly progressive fashion industry for everyone to see and judge.”

Art by Elyse Hyle.

Elyse Hyle looks at childhood and adulthood hardships and the striking similarity in the emotions that they elicit. Many of her works depict childhood toys and some are interactive encouraging viewers to play. According to Hyle, “As adults, we look back at our childhood as a carefree wondrous time, but in reality, childhood was just as hard for us as adulthood is today. As children, we were just better at letting the stresses of life go and focus on the things that made us happier.”

Claire Woolley displays drawings, sculpture and photography. According to Woolley, “my body of work focuses on human insecurities. People are drawn to chairs to sit down, to get out of the line of attention. I want my work to express that sometimes it can be just as comfortable to stand, be proud, and don’t be so quick to take a seat.”

Art by Kira Young.

Kira Young creates drawings and paintings utilizing acrylic, watercolor and ink media that “experiment with the notions of contradiction and rebellion,” she said. “Ultimately, I am exploring how beauty and spontaneity can be found in the imperfections and the contradictions, as well as in carefully controlled and manipulated artworks.”

Robert Siegler, Teresa Heinz professor of cognitive psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, will speak at McDaniel College’s annual Honors Program lecture at 7:30 p.m. March 28 in McDaniel Lounge.

Siegler’s talk, “The Development of Numerical Understanding,” is free and open to the public.

A well-known psychologist and prominent math education expert, Siegler has done significant research on children’s thinking, particularly their mathematical and scientific thinking, such as the development of early number sense and learning fractions.

He has served on the National Math Panel and is involved in improving math education. In addition, he has published more than 200 articles and chapters, written nine books and edited five others. His books have been translated into numerous languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, German and French.

The lecture is sponsored by McDaniel’s Honors Program, which was established in 1986 as a four-year program to provide a more challenging education for academically talented students. Students in the program become part of a community of scholars and are selected on the basis of academic records, test scores and leadership potential.

Baltimore poet, essayist and translator Lia Purpura will give the annual Bothe Poetry Reading at 7:30 p.m. April 2 in McDaniel Lounge.

A 2012 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship recipient, Purpura is the author of “Rough Likeness,” “King Baby,” “On Looking,” “Increase,” “Stone Sky Lifting,” “The Brighter the Veil,” and “Poems of Grzegorz Musial: Berliner Tagebuch and Taste of Ash.” Her poems and essays have also appeared in many magazines and anthologies.

She has received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowship, Fulbright Fellowship, three Pushcart Prizes and a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Purpura is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She serves as writer in residence at the UMBC and teaches in the Master of Fine Arts program at the Rainier Writing Workshop in Tacoma, Wash. For more information about Lia Purpura, visit her website at http://liapurpura.com.

The Bothe lecture brings a visiting writer to McDaniel’s campus for one day to meet with student writers and to give a public reading and lecture. B. Christopher Bothe, a member of the class of 1972, was a poet, award-winning journalist, and printer who died in 1984. Bothe’s family and friends developed the lecture in his memory in 1987.

From his vantage point inside legendary 30 Rockefeller Center, MSNBC news anchor Thomas Roberts ’94 relishes the opportunity to explore society’s most pressing social justice issues during his live, hour-long program weekdays at 11 a.m.

“We’re having a deeper conversation about social justice in this country and really shining a bright light in dark corners, whether it’s equal pay for women, LGBT rights or immigration reform,” he says. “I feel proud that we get to display those conversations on the show.”

In 2006 while working at CNN Headline News in Atlanta, Roberts was among the first national news anchors to make public that he is gay. On Sept. 29, 2012, Roberts became the first cable news anchor to marry his same-sex partner, Patrick Abner, on their 12th anniversary as a couple.

Roberts will be back at McDaniel for a SmartTALK conversation with President Roger Casey at 7 p.m. March 27 in WMC Alumni Hall. Learn how his liberal arts education launched his career, how he successfully shattered the “glass closet” in broadcast journalism, and how he works to encourage struggling LGBT youths that “It gets better.”

Time magazine editors and presidential historians Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy will discuss their book, “The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in McDaniel College’s Decker Auditorium in Lewis Hall of Science. Bryn Upton, associate professor of History at McDaniel, will moderate the conversation with questions submitted by the audience followed by a book signing.

The Office of Communications & Marketing with the Friends of Carroll County Public Library are sponsoring this event in partnership with the Carroll County Celebrating America initiative, which fosters a greater sense and understanding of America’s history. Tickets are $12 per person, which includes a copy of “The Presidents Club,” and available on a first-come, first-served basis, online at https://library.carr.org/presidentsclub/.

Learn the secret history of the private relationships among the last 13 presidents of the United States, including backroom deals, rescue missions, secret alliances and bitter rivalries. Gibbs, deputy managing editor at Time, and Duffy, executive editor at Time, examine the private relationships among modern American presidents, including Jack Kennedy and “Ike” Eisenhower’s rivalry, Jerry Ford and Jimmy Carter’s unexpected alliance, and the deep sense of competition between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, in this book.

The book also questions whether there is life for former presidents outside the White House. Combining history, psychology, and politics, Duffy and Gibbs look at what presidents have done after completing their terms, how they have related to each other, and what they still can offer the country.

Upton specializes in American History at McDaniel, teaching such courses as “Greed, Gangsters and the Great Depression: The United States 1898-1940,” “Black America and the Civil Rights Movement, 1865-1968,” and “U.S. Intellectual Tradition,” and presenting his research, most recently on topics that include “Bourne at the Right Time: Film and our post-Cold War Identity” and “Leftist Legacies: How Personal Politics and Memoirs are Rewriting the 1960s.” He received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University and bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College.

• View a video of Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy talking about “The Presidents Club”

More than 200 students from every public high school in Carroll County along with their teachers and chaperones descended on McDaniel’s campus March 14 to celebrate French language and culture as part of the college’s sixth annual French Day.

French professor Martine Motard-Noar and students in the Department of Foreign Languages organized the daylong event. According to Professor Motard-Noar, French Day was started to “energize students by showing them what can be done with French.”

The high school students started off the day by taking a nationally competitive exam in French, “Le Grand Concours,” which is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students earning top scores on the test can earn a trip to Paris to study French, as well as other prizes.

McDaniel faculty members then led various workshops and hands-on activities. Jonathan Slade, associate professor of Communication and Cinema, introduced students to the “French New Wave,” one of the most significant film movements in the history of cinema, which involved French filmmakers of the late ’50s  and early ’60s, while Cathy Bodin, adjunct lecturer in the Department of Foreign Languages, led a workshop on “Mardi Gras” complete with mask-making and King Cake.

The students also enjoyed a French lunch followed by a New Orleans jazz concert.

Senior Eddie Blankenship of Taneytown, Md., a McDaniel student coordinator of the event, said that he hoped the students learned more about the French-speaking world than they do in their high school classrooms.

Freshman Brad Brooks of Newark, Del., finished fourth in the 1650 freestyle March 23, the final day of the 2013 NCAA Division III men's swimming championship at Conroe ISD Natatorium.

Swimming in the final heat to open the evening session, Brooks placed fourth overall with a time of 15:31.60. The place earned him All-America accolades. His time was 14.43 seconds better than his previous program and Centennial Conference record in the event. He also knocked another 6.54 seconds off his 1000 free record, splitting a time of 9:23.95.

Earlier in the week, Brooks was 10th in the 500 free (4:29.30) to become the first All-American in program history with honorable mention accolades.

A senior on the baseball team, Zach Jones of Frederick, Md., was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) National Division III Pitcher of the Week for the week of Mar. 4-10.

Jones threw a no-hitter to lead the Green Terror (5-2) to earn his second honor in as many weeks. Jones fanned a career-high 12 batters in the team's 10-0 game-one win over Penn State-York. He allowed just one base runner – a fifth-inning, one-out walk – in the seven-inning game. It was McDaniel's first no-hitter since Mar. 14, 2001, and the first in the Centennial Conference (CC) since Mar. 10, 2010.

• More sports at McDaniel Athletics

Read on for a list of events on the Hill in the coming weeks.

Art on View, Student Honors Exhibition, March 26-April 5, opening reception 7-9 p.m. March 26 with artists’ talks at 7:30 p.m., Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410.857.2595. Some work in this exhibition explores adult content and is intended for mature audiences only.

SmartTALK, Thomas Roberts ’94, news anchor MSNBC, with Pres. Roger Casey, 7 p.m. March 27, WMC Alumni Hall.

Honors Program Lecture, “The Development of Numerical Understanding” by Carnegie Mellon U. professor Robert Siegler, 7:30 p.m. March 28, McDaniel Lounge.

Bothe Poetry Reading, poet, essayist and translator Lia Purpura, 7:30 p.m. April 2, McDaniel Lounge. 

Guest Artist Recital, performance by pianist Brian Ganz, 7:30 p.m. April 5, McDaniel Lounge.

Concert*, Common Ground on the Hill, The Kruger Brothers, acoustic Americana masters, 8 p.m. April 6, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster. Information: 410.848.7272.

Conference, Political Change and Security in North Africa, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. April 8, Decker Auditorium. For more information, contact Dr. Anouar Boukhars at aboukhars@mcdaniel.edu.

Art on View, Wentz Juried Undergraduate Exhibit, April 9-19, opening reception 7-9 p.m. April 9, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410.857.2595.

Student Jazz Guitar Ensemble, directed by Tim Jenkins, 7 p.m. April 9, Baker Chapel.

Sunday Brunch on the Hill*, campus dining hall, special menu and live music, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. April 14, Englar Dining Hall.

Children’s Chorus of Carroll County, directed by Diane Jones, 3 p.m. April 14, Baker Memorial Chapel.

ROTC President’s Review, 1 p.m. April 16, Baker Memorial Chapel.

Book Talk, McDaniel professor Mona Kerby discusses books and writing, 4:30 p.m. April 16, Richwine Room, Hoover Library.

On Stage, “Intimate Portraits,” developed by McDaniel’s Devised Theatre class, directed by Gené Fouché, 7:30 p.m. April 17-20, WMC Alumni Hall. Box office: 410-857-2448.

* indicates a fee, otherwise all published events are free and open to the public.

A special initiative by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

There are a lot of things for you "to do" between NOW and August. We've created this checklist to keep you on track. You'll need to work in order, as each step is needed in order for you to move on to the next. You can check off the items as you complete them, or print out this checklist. Make sure you meet all deadlines.

Green Terror FYE Progress Meter

Each of the steps below is extremely important to complete in order! Follow the steps below and when you complete a step be sure to check the box and watch your progress meter move you towards becoming a First Year Green Terror student!!.

Now that you are becoming a Green Terror, congratulations –and “a lot of paperwork”– are in order. But to keep the process as simple as possible, we have done away with much of the paper, created a number of online forms, and put them here.

Please complete and submit the following forms prior to July 1, 2013.

Questions? Problems? Contact (firstyearteam@mcdaniel.edu), or call 410-857-2790 M-F 8:30-4:30 EST.

1. Health Form/Health Insurance (REQUIRED) – Download, fill out, and mail in.
   BEGIN THIS PROCESS as soon as possible (you will need to schedule a Doctor’s appointment, have the form completed, and mailed into McDaniel by July 15).
   Note: This form is so important, you will not be given a room key on campus until this form is completed and delivered to Student Health Services.
2. First Year Seminar Course Selection Form (REQUIRED if you haven’t been placed in an FYS) If you have already have your FYS assignment, and have talked with your advisor or registered for classes, you do not need to fill this out again.
3. Roommate Housing Questionnaire (REQUIRED IF A RESIDENT STUDENT) – We’ll use this form to match you with your roommate!
4. Special Housing Form (if applicable) – Students may request special housing circumstances due to specific medical or psychological concerns. However, these request may be evaluated and approved by the appropriate College department. In order to submit a request, students must complete the following steps and submit all forms and documentation together to the Office of Residence Life.
5. Student Academic Support Services Form (if applicable) – students with documented disabilities will be provided with appropriate accommodations by the Office of Student Academic Support Services. Students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to register with this office.

Registering for classes is simple, but there a few steps to follow. We’ve created this information to address your initial questions and concerns. Good luck and please remember that your advisor, Peer Mentor and the First Year Team are here to assist you in this process!

Once you have been registered for a First Year Seminar course, you will be assigned to an academic advisor (this will be the professor teaching your FYS). Your academic advisor is available to help you make informed decisions about the courses you select, the major you choose, and the opportunities that you pursue while at McDaniel. He or she will also help you to understand academic regulations and degree requirements and to find the support and other resources that you may need on campus.

It is important to get to know your advisor well and to provide him or her with information about your interests, strengths as a student, and aspirations.
The process of “advising” at the college level means that you will discuss with your advisor the general education courses required for the college (The McDaniel Plan), review the results of your placement exams in English, Math and Second Language (this is why they must be completed by 6/1/12) and then choose the most appropriate classes for you to take in the Fall of 2012.

You will receive the name of your FYS course and advisor by approximately 6/15/12. You will receive this information in your McDaniel email account. Please check this account daily.

The next step will be to contact your advisor by email or phone and set up a time to meet by phone, email or in person. The advising and registration period runs from Monday, 6/18/12 to 6/29/12. It is important that you contact your advisor as soon as possible so you do not fall behind in the process of advising and class registration. Classes fill very quickly so you do not want to miss any of this process.

Before you have your advising appointment, it is important to do the following:

• Review the McDaniel curriculum called The McDaniel Plan
• Review the 2012/2013 online course catalog. The catalog has all the courses, requirements and academic policies of the college.
• Log into The Archway and click on “Test Summary” to review the results of your placement exams. You can use the links to the right to see “what my scores mean” and the math and second language placement charts.

Between 6/18/12 and 6/29/12: Advising and Registration Should be Completed.

During this time you will have your advising appointment and will choose classes with the help of your advisor that you will register for the Fall 2012 semester. Please make sure you are proactive and contact your advisor for advising. Your advisor must give his/her consent (clearance) before you will be able to register for classes.

When you are done with advising then you will register for your classes online. Please watch the following tutorial videos before you register so you know how to use The Archway.

• Select courses for your Preferred Sections ‘basket’
• Register course in your Preferred Sections ‘basket’
• Drop a course
• See your class schedule

When you are ready log onto The Archway with your McDaniel username and password and register for your Fall 2012 classes. You already have one course (FYS) so you will be signing up for three additional classes for a full time load of 16 credit hours.

If you have questions or get stuck call or email your advisor, they are available to help you complete this process and ease your overall transition to McDaniel. You should complete advising and registration by 7/1/12 to get the best chance of getting the courses you want.

Reminder 1: all placement exams should be taken on Blackboard and need to be completed by 5/31/13.

Reminder 2: advising cannot take place without the completion of these exams.

English Placement

• When a first-year student takes the English placement exam, the essay is reviewed by the English department.
• If you submitted the exam correctly on the Blackboard site you will see a grade of “0” in the blackboard gradebook. This does not mean you earned a “0”. It means the exam has been received and it is being reviewed for your placement.
• After review the student is placed in one of two courses: ENG 1002 or ENG 1101. See the English Placement Infographic for more information.
• Your English placement results will be posted in the Archway for you and your advisor to see when you log into Archway (look under “test summary”).
• If you place in English 1002, it MUST be taken in the Fall 2013 semester. It is only offered one time per year.
• • If you are placed into ENG 1101 you can take it in the Fall of 2013 OR the Spring of 2014. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH 1101 SECTIONS FOR ALL FIRST YEAR STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN  ENG 1101 IN FALL 2013. It is evenly split between Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 to accommodate the whole first year class

Math Placement

• When a first-year student takes the Math placement exam and submits online in blackboard, the grade is received and posted in the gradebook online.
• Students are required to take parts 1, 2, and 3. Part 4(Calc) is optional.
• The raw scores for each of the parts of the math placement exam will be posted in the gradebook in Blackboard and also in the Archway for you and your advisor to see when you log in (look under “test summary”).
• Please see the Math Placement Infographic to see what your scores mean in terms of placement and courses you then qualify to take.
• If you are unhappy with your score, you can retake the exam online in blackboard July 2013 OR retake the math exam during orientation in August. You may only retake it once before the start of the fall semester, so choose which time you would like to retake the exam.

Second Language

• You should take the language exam in the language you studied in high school, even if starting a new language at McDaniel.
• When a first-year student takes the language placement exam and submits online in blackboard the grade is received and posted in the gradebook online.
• The raw scores for each of the parts of the language placement exam will be posted in the gradebook in Blackboard and also in the Archway for you and your advisor to see when you log in (look under “test summary”).
• There is follow up testing during orientation for students who place above the 2211 level for any language. This advanced testing is required and MAY CHANGE YOUR ULTIMATE PLACEMENT IN A COURSE.
• Please refer to the chart below for the course you will be placed in based on your exam score.

Now that you are beginning to see yourself here next fall, it is important to think about how you’ll get involved.

Living on campus? Much of your home life will center around the Residence Halls. First Year Students live in Whiteford Hall (women), Rouzer Hall (men), and Daniel McLea (Honors Students) Hall. Strangers quickly become friends and friends become family over late-night study breaks and impromptu pizza parties. Don’t forget to answer the roommate questionnaire to get your roommate for next year. You can learn more about our residences here.

Want to get involved? With over 75 clubs and organizations on campus, there is certain to be something to spark your fancy. There will be an Involvement Fair August 29, 2012 for you to learn more about all of the clubs on campus. In the meantime, talk to your Peer Mentor about clubs you might be interested in joining.

Want to be a member of an intercollegiate athletic team? Outstanding coaches, fantastic facilities, and a supportive community make athletics at McDaniel a truly superb experience. Make sure you’ve been in contact with the appropriate coach by filling out a “For Recruits” questionnaire.

Want to join the choir or try out for a play? Arts are an integral part of the experience here. Let us know you are interested and we’ll put you in contact with the right folks.

Health and Wellness? The Wellness Center is located on the second floor of Winslow Hall. Services are available to all currently enrolled full-time undergraduate and graduate students during the academic calendar year. Please see Counseling Services and Health Services for more information. Make sure you submit your Health form by July 15th for the fall semester.

Fall 2013 Students

Step #1 - To activate your McDaniel College e-mail account:

• McDaniel College has a student “portal” that students can use to access information and systems you will need as a student.
• You can activate your McDaniel email account on the log in page of the portal.
• The portal can be found at: https://my.mcdaniel.edu
• At the bottom of the portal log in page click on “activate your account”
• Use the username and ID that is included in the welcome letter in the “welcome packet”.

Step #2 - Your Archway Account

Once you have activated your McDaniel account you can log into the portal anytime with your McDaniel username and password

In the portal students can access the following items that you will need as a new student (list is not exhaustive):

1. The Archway
   1. The Archway is where you will initially review your McDaniel Plan and register for your Fall 2012 classes. Archway is also the central student system for grades, academic history, class schedule, financial aid information and billing information.
2. Blackboard
   1. Blackboard is where you will take your placement exams (if you need to) before arriving to McDaniel. Following the start of classes, you’ll find information and materials about your courses in Blackboard.
3. Online Catalog
4. Student Services Information

Questions? Contact the Information Technology Help Desk at help@mcdaniel.edu or 410-871-3390

New Student Orientation

The New Student Orientation events assist you in the transition to McDaniel, both academically and socially. There is time to get settled in your hall, get to know classmates, meet professors, and figure out where all of your classes actually take place on campus. By Monday you’ll feel like a Green Terror!

There is an orientation period for:

• First Year Students: August 21-25, 2013
• Transfer Students: August 23-25, 2013

(A finalized schedule for both orientations will updated in Summer 2013)

As soon as a new student deposits, McDaniel does all it can to connect the new student to the community and prepare the student for arrival. In the summer prior to arriving to the Hill, the First Year Program connects students to one another and the community with a student Facebook group; support for a placement exam process; a connection to a faculty advisor for the advising process and class registration, a connection to the a student Peer Mentor and a lot of support for all the “to do” items before arriving to campus in August.

Every new student has a student Peer Mentor to help support the transition to college and McDaniel in the first year. The primary goal of the Peer Mentor program at McDaniel is to enhance the first year experience of all new students at the College. This is done in the process of building mentoring relationships with all new students which provide meaning and relevance to the first year. The College has several Peer Mentor roles: First Year Seminar Peer Mentor, Honors Peer Mentor, Transfer Peer Mentor and International Peer Mentor.

In the first year, every new student will have a faculty advisor. First Year Students are linked to advisors who also teach their First Year Seminar (FYS) course. New transfer students are linked to an advisor in the major and/or minor department. Advising relationships are an important part of the first year and a great support system for new students. The advisor can help you to “get to know” McDaniel and help to connect you to resources if you need support in your first year.

So what is advising (for those of you to college)? The process of “advising” at the college level means that you will discuss with your advisor the general education courses required for the college (The McDaniel Plan), review the results of your placement exams in English, Math and Second Language and then choose the most appropriate classes for you to take for that semester.

For First Year Students, you will receive the name of your FYS course and advisor by approximately 6/11/13. You will receive this information in your McDaniel email account. Please check this account daily.

For transfer students, once you confirm your major with Academic Affairs (410-857-2790) the college will assign you an advisor in your major department.

The next step will be to contact your advisor by email or phone and set up a time to meet by phone, email or in person. The advising period will start June 17 so please get in touch with your advisor ASAP.  It is important that you contact your advisor as soon as possible so you do not fall behind in the process of advising and class registration. Classes fill very quickly so you do not want to miss any of this process.

Before you have your advising appointment, it is important to do the following:

• Review the McDaniel curriculum called The McDaniel Plan
• Review the 2013/2014 online course catalog. The catalog has all the courses, requirements and academic policies of the college.
• Log into The Archway and click on “Test Summary” to review the results of your placement exams. You can use the links on the left hand side menu in Blackboard to see “what my scores mean” and the math and second language placement charts.

During your advising appointment you will choose classes with the help of your advisor that you will register for the Fall 2013 semester. Please make sure you are proactive and contact your advisor for advising. Your advisor must give his/her consent (clearance) before you will be able to register for classes.

When you are done with advising then you will register for your classes online. Please watch the following tutorial videos before you register so you know how to use The Archway.

• Select courses for your Preferred Sections ‘basket’
• Register course in your Preferred Sections ‘basket’
• Drop a course
• See your class schedule

Registration ONLINE in the Archway begins Monday, June 24, 2013. You will be assigned a time. You can register at your time and any time after. The sooner you register the better so you have the best chance of getting 1st choices of classes.

When you are ready log onto The Archway with your McDaniel username and password and register for your Fall 2013 classes. You already have one course (FYS) or if a transfer your will already have TSS (Transfer Student Seminar) scheduled. A full course load is four 4-credit academic classes.

If you have questions or get stuck call or email your advisor, they are available to help you complete this process and ease your overall transition to McDaniel.

The First Year Program has orientation programs for first-year students and new transfer students. The goals of the overall orientation program are as follows:

• To support new students as they begin the college and McDaniel experience.
• To promote engagement with the values of the McDaniel community.
• To provide accurate and relevant information about the McDaniel community.
• To create opportunities and offer experiences in academic and social settings in which students can begin the connection to the campus community.
• To support the connection of new students to faculty, staff, administration and other students at McDaniel with opportunities to start and build relationships.
• To create opportunities for new students to connect with campus departments, offices and programs that will support student success at McDaniel.
• To provide students with opportunities to discuss and reflect, in a supportive environment, on any fears and anxieties about starting college.
• To establish a strong network and foundation in which students can move forward to a successful semester.

Click here to find out more information on Orientation 2013!

There are a lot of things for you "to do" between NOW and August. We've created this checklist to keep you on track. You'll need to work in order, as each step is needed in order for you to move on to the next. You can check off the items as you complete them, or print out this checklist. Make sure you meet all deadlines.

Green Terror FYE Progress Meter

Each of the steps below is extremely important to complete in order! Follow the steps below and when you complete a step be sure to check the box and watch your progress meter move you towards becoming a First Year Green Terror student!!.

The First Year Experience offers new students ongoing individual and class support throughout the entire first year at McDaniel both academically and socially.

Fall & Spring Support and Social Events Linked to First Year Students

• Workshops on time management, academic strategies, getting to know Westminster, presentations on campus offices and resources to help new students.
• Social events throughout semester designed for the first-year students
• Project teams of peer mentors to help with typical retention issues facing first-year students
• Facebook group for students continues throughout entire year
• Family Weekend (October 2013)
• First Year Student Appreciation Week
• Peer Mentor Program for support for transition needs
• First Year Council (formed in the Fall semester of current students) sponsors events in the Spring to connect students and ease transition into Sophomore year.

Important Offices & Support in the First Year:

Academic Resources

• FYS Faculty Advisor and/or Department Advisor
• Department Chairs/Academic Departments
• Faculty Members Teaching Courses
• FYS Peer Mentors, Honors Peer Mentors (for FY students) and Transfer Peer Mentors for new transfers
• Student Academic Support Services (SASS Office: For students with documented disabilities)
• Center for Experience and Opportunity (on-campus employment, community engagement, career development, scholarships/fellowships)
• Hoover Library
• Writing Center
• Department Tutors (e.g. math, second language, etc.)
• 2012-2013 Undergraduate Catalog

Student Affairs/Student Life Resources

• Office of Residence Life
• Residence Life FY FAQs
• Athletics
• Wellness Center (Student Health and Counseling Services)
• Office of Student Engagement
• 2012-2013 Student Handbook
• Meal Plans / Dining
• Department of Campus Safety
• Student Technology FAQs

Additional Campus Resources/Information

• Important Offices and Resources
• McDaniel 1Card
• Student Health Insurance Plan & Waiver Process
• 2013 McDaniel College Medical Health Form (required of all students).
• Tuition Management Systems (payment plans)

Welcome to McDaniel!

As a new student who is also an international student, one of the first offices you should connect with is the International Programs Office.

The Director is Rose Falkner and she can be reached at rfalkner@mcdaniel.edu.

In addition to connecting with the International Programs Office, there are other important “things to do” as a new student.

If you are an entering first year student, please follow the “next steps” for “I am a First year Student”.

If you are an entering first year transfer student, please follow the “next steps” for “I am a First Year Transfer”.

First Year Seminars (FYS) and Transfer Student Seminars (TSS) are innovative topical and thematic courses on a range of subjects suitable for first-year students or first year transfer students that provide an introduction to the liberal arts and an academic transition to college. They seek to excite students intellectually and engage them as scholars. In addition to offering a rigorous academic content, First Year Seminars focus on fundamental skills that are necessary for academic success: critical thinking, effective writing, analytic reading, and oral communication.

Additionally, courses engage students as members of the McDaniel community by providing an introduction to important dimensions of the College: the nature of the liberal arts and sciences, the Honor System, academic expectations, information literacy, study skills and time management, cultural and co-curricular opportunities, and choosing a major.

In the FYS course, seminars are limited to 15 students. A student’s FYS professor serves as that student’s first academic advisor.

All first-year students must enroll in a First Year Seminar or a Transfer Student Seminar (if a transfer student) in the first semester.

ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MOVE-IN DAY – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

8:00 AM TO 11:00 AM – RESIDENTS

The Department of Campus Safety will do its part to ease traffic tie-ups on move-in day and we ask for your help and cooperation with the instructions below. We rarely have waits of more than an hour, and once in the designated unloading areas you will have lots of help unloading. All you need to do is follow a few instructions.

Approach to campus: The College has several vehicle entrances. Use only the ones specified below. If you are using a GPS enabled device, please use 256 West Main Street, Westminster, MD as the address.

Approaching the campus from the east on Maryland route (MD) 140 westbound

1. Turn left from MD 140 west onto MD 31 west at the traffic light.
2. Turn left again onto MD 32 (West Main Street).
3. Proceed up the hill and turn left onto the campus at the first legal left driveway (look for signs for Move In).

Approaching the campus from the west on MD 140 eastbound

1. Turn right onto MD 32 (West Main Street).
2. Proceed up the hill and turn left onto the campus at the first legal left driveway (look for signs for Move In).

Approaching the campus from the south on MD 27, or from the North on MD 97

1. Follow signage toward Westminster.
2. Exit MD 27 onto MD 140 west.
3. Once on MD 140 follow the above directions.

Resident Student Key Pick Up:

1. Once on campus, keep to the right at the fork (do not head down into Bair Stadium).
2. You will see signage directing you to keep to the right and stay inside the line of cones.
3. Throughout the queue, keep as far as possible to the right and as close as you can to the car in front of you.
4. While waiting in line (if more than one person is in the car) all students should proceed to the front entrance of the Gill Gymnasium.
5. Resident students will check in at the front of Gill Gymnasium and receive residence hall keys.
6. Students should then return to their cars and proceed to their residence halls.
7. If congestion is a problem, you’ll be asked to wait in your car in line until we can move you to the unloading zone in front of each residence hall.
8. Remember to keep to the right of roadways while waiting. This keeps your place in the line and facilitates vehicles exiting the unloading zones.
9. Someone must remain with the car at all times.
10. When your car arrives at the designated unloading areas, McDaniel students and staff will help you unload your belongings and bring them to your residence hall room.
11. After your car is unloaded, you will be directed to the closest convenient parking area.
12. Resident students should then proceed to the Forum, Lower Level of the Decker College Center to the New Student Welcome Center. This includes getting lots of free McDaniel College gifts.

Finally, it’s never too early to be prepared. Print this letter out now and put it in the glovebox in the car you will be using to move to campus. This way you have it tucked away for use in a few short weeks

Congratulations on your choice of McDaniel College. We hope to make your move-in day as easy as possible. If you have special needs with which we can help, please call me at (410) 857-2202.

Best of luck!
Mike Webster, MS ‘01
Director of Campus Safety

The FYS Program

Sending your child off to college is filled with many different emotions and fears. Especially when you have a child with a learning disability. How will they adjust and will they have a smooth transition?

The Step Ahead program organized by the Student Academic Support Services office is a unique summer bridge program for first year students that fine tunes the necessary academic, independent and social skills for a smooth transition into college. Step Ahead runs from August 16th through August 21, days before all other McDaniel students arrive on campus. As a result, Step Ahead participants can move into their assigned residential rooms and establish some important connections within the college community early.

The five-day program features team-building activities, academic workshops, field trips and all kinds of tips about college life, from the whimsical to the serious. Step Ahead participants will also have time to meet with their academic counselors and start the initial steps of a sound college routine that incorporates college resources, supportive faculty and staff, as well as some of their peers.

Parents/students can fill out this Step Ahead form to receive more information regarding Step Ahead.

Step Ahead participants will be charged: $250.
Space is limited so click here to download and fill out the registration form. Completed forms should be mailed to the SASS office.

Academic Affairs

The Office of Academic Affairs oversees the Academic Affairs Division of the College, which includes the following offices, departments and programs: Undergraduate Academic Programs, Center for Faculty Excellence, Academic & Government Grants, Graduate and Professional Studies, Hoover Library, Information Technology, Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Registrar's Office, Student Academic Support Services, Center for Community Outreach & Service. The main Academic Affairs office can be reached at 410-857-2279.

Bursars Office or Student Billing

Located in Elderdice Hall next to Financial Aid and the Registrar's Office, provide a variety of financial services to our students, staff, and departments. This office can be reached at 410-857-2210.

The Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs (ODMA)

The Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs (ODMA), functions under the administration of the Provost and the Office of Academic Affairs. The mission of the ODMA is to provide visible leadership and direction for the College’s efforts on behalf of diversity and multiculturalism; offer programs and provide guidance and assistance, both academic and non-academic, to underrepresented students; support and coordinate student groups that serve the needs of diverse student populations; develop programs and services to promote diversity awareness and understanding within the larger campus community; and be a resource to students, faculty and staff in their efforts on behalf of diversity and multiculturalism.

Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs strives to integrate our students' educational experiences into a campus community filled with opportunities, challenges, and services that promote their development as a total person. The Division of Student Affairs is comprised of seven departments: Residence Life, Student Engagement, Food Services, Student Conduct, Campus Safety, and the Wellness Center.  Each of our departments has a dedicated staff of professionals whose only focus is the success of each and every McDaniel College student. The main Student Affairs office can be reached at 410-857-2240.

Registrar’s Office 

The Registrar’s Office is the main office of student records at the College. This office coordinates registration, class scheduling, midterm and final grades, transcripts, and a variety of different activities associated with student records. They are located in Elderdice Hall and can be reached at 410-857-2755.

Student Outreach Network Team (SON Team)

The Student Outreach Network (SON) was officially implemented in early February 2007 and is chaired by Beth Gerl, the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs. Each week the SON group gathers to share and discuss students who are demonstrating various signs of “at-risk” behavior. As each student is discussed, members of the group provide up-to-date knowledge which includes, but not limited to, academic performance, out-of-classroom involvement, disciplinary issues, and information gathered from faculty, coaches, family and friends. With key “players” at the table, discussion ensues to develop an appropriate plan of action. From week to week, staff and faculty members are involved in this plan of action through direct and indirect intervention of each student.

First Year Seminar Course Selection Form (REQUIRED)(PDF).

An important part of the first-year experience at McDaniel is the First Year Seminar (FYS) course. As part of the First Year Program at McDaniel, all first-year students take one First Year Seminar (FYS) course (4-credit course) during their first semester at McDaniel College. First Year Seminars are innovative topical and thematic courses on a range of subjects suitable for first-year students that provide an introduction to the liberal arts and an academic transition to college. They seek to excite students intellectually and engage them as scholars. In addition to offering a rigorous academic content, First Year Seminars focus on fundamental skills that are necessary for academic success: critical thinking, effective writing, analytic reading, and oral communication.

All First Year Seminars are designed to ease student transition from high school to college and to encourage their full participation in the McDaniel College community.

• A common goal of these courses is also to promote cooperation among students and to foster their intellectual development in the college environment.
• These seminars are unique in that they are limited to only 15 students, and the professor serves as the students’ academic advisor for the first year.
• There is also a student Peer Mentor in the FYS course with the students to ease overall transition to college life at McDaniel. This student serves as the student’s mentor for the entire first year.

At this point, you will need to consider the FYS courses. A reminder that the FYS is a 4-credit course that will be a part of your full course load for Fall 2012.

Please keep in mind that you do not have to choose an FYS in your field of intended study. The FYS courses are meant to give you exposure to different fields and disciplines. This is what the college experience is all about!

Please review the following FYS course descriptions and give us your level of interest in as many classes as you’d like – but, please, try to rate at least up to five selections: First Year Seminar Course Selection Form (REQUIRED). The more classes you rate, the more likely it is that you’ll get one you’ve expressed interest in.

Once enrolled in an FYS course, you cannot drop or change the enrollment so please choose carefully.

2013 Course Names (coming soon)

Your First Year Seminar selection needs to be completed by 6/8/12, no later. This is important because your advisor (needed to register for classes) is determined by the FYS that is assigned to you.

After selection, you will receive an email to your MCDANIEL email account by approximately 6/15/12 notifying you of who your professor/first year advisor will be and also the name of your student Peer Mentor. Please check that account by 6/15/12 so you are on track for the next step.

For the second time in four years, a McDaniel senior is the recipient of the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council’s prestigious Portz Award for Outstanding Honors Student at a four-year college in Maryland.

Eric Spioch (above) of Westminster, Md., is majoring in Spanish and Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies with a linguistic specialization. A graduate of Westminster High School and one of the college’s first four Arabic majors graduating in May, Spioch studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt, during the spring of his junior year, where he volunteered at the Children’s Cancer Hospital of Egypt. He chronicled his experience online at http://118arabiannights.wordpress.com/.  

Spioch and five other McDaniel Honors Program students presented papers at the MCHC conference where the Portz Award was announced. The award, which has been given annually since 2004 by the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council (MCHC), acknowledges the achievements of honors students who excel academically and through community involvement. The award carries a $500 stipend. Criteria include a student’s grade-point average (both overall and in honors courses), letters of recommendation from faculty, and completion of a student project.

At McDaniel, Spioch is involved not only with the Honors program as a senior class representative, but in athletics on both the track and field and cross country teams.

Spioch was nominated for the award by Stephanie Madsen, associate professor and chair of psychology and director of the Honors program, and Sara Raley, assistant professor of sociology and assistant director of the Honors program. Their letter of nomination noted Spioch’s enthusiasm for learning and his engagement in academics as well as community and campus life.

“Eric is well known among the faculty in a wide variety of departments as one of McDaniel’s brightest and most engaged students – a reflection of the breadth and rigor that characterizes Eric’s approach to all of his studies,” wrote Madsen and Raley in their letter of recommendation for the award. “He is a model student in honors class, willing to take intellectual risks and to explore topics well outside of his major.”

In fact, his student project submission for the Portz Award was a paper that he completed in his honors seminar on “Attachment Theory,” and, although he had not previously studied Psychology, he was the top student in the course.

Just as he is a top student at the college. In fact, as much as he relished his time abroad, Spioch counts his return to campus as a homecoming.

“There really is nothing like coming home to McDaniel and my family here. I was able to bring back all the memories and skills that I gained and share them with the campus community,” he said, explaining that he volunteered as a “candy striper” in the outpatient chemotherapy department, organizing activities with the pediatric patients and talking with the children and their families. “While this doesn't sound particularly academic, the time I spent at the hospital was when I got to practice the most Arabic and really interact with and learn from people of all walks of Egyptian life.”

Spioch has his career sights set on being an independent translator – and is hoping the job involves traveling. But first he has an interest in working as a language analyst, “utilizing my language skills as well as my critical thinking abilities. I'm not sure if this will include grad school, but at the very least I plan to obtain a translation certification.”

Spioch is the second student from McDaniel to earn the Portz Award. Eric Lemmon, who graduated as McDaniel’s first quadruple major in physics, chemistry, biology and biochemistry, received the award in 2010.

McDaniel students who presented papers at the MCHC conference are:

Senior Clara Burgess, a Sociology major from Chevy Chase, Md.: “Building a Global Campus – Influences on Study Abroad Participation”

Senior Casey Dunn, an English and Communication major from Eldersburg, Md.: “Sh*t Honors Students Say” Here’s the video Dunn made for his presentation.

Senior Catherine O’Keeffe, a Biology major from Tuckahoe, N.Y.: “Creating a Genetic Knock-out in the Social Amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum”

Sophomore Matthew Peterson, a Biochemistry major from Littleton, Colo.: “Come to Jesus: Bible Study As A Strategy to Engage Students in Critical Reading Outside The Classroom”

Senior Luke Schmidt, a Biology major from Red Lion, Pa.: “Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) mediates hyperglycemia-induced augmented vascular contractility” (with Maria Alicia Carrillo-Sepulveda, Kenia Pedrosa Nunes, Kathryn Spitler, R Clinton Webb, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Ga.)

Senior Eric Spioch, a Spanish and Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies major from Westminster, Md.: “The Muslims Did It Better:  Linking Religious and Political Powers in Spain”

Martin K.P. Hill, whose exemplary service to McDaniel College’s Board for two decades and as its chair since 2007, was honored as an Outstanding Director by the Baltimore Business Journal at a ceremony held March 7. He joins an elite group of Greater Baltimore board directors whose commitment to corporate and nonprofit organizations were judged as exceptional.

“Marty is a distinguished volunteer leader to higher education and other community organizations,” said President Roger N. Casey, who nominated Hill for this honor. “He’s guided by the principles of truth, fairness, and goodwill.”

In an interview published by the Baltimore Business Journal, Hill discussed the importance of bringing expertise, time and commitment to any board.

“You need to be prepared to do your homework, to be involved,” Hill said.

Hill began his relationship with McDaniel College in 1990 when his daughter Jennifer transferred to the liberal arts school (formerly Western Maryland College) to complete her undergraduate studies. As a parent, he volunteered in admissions and with a student group that launched a campus-wide recycling project. He joined the Parents Board and shortly thereafter, became chair of the Parents Fund and initiated challenge grants in 1991 and 1993 for senior class gifts to the Annual Fund. He also participated annually in the Carroll County Student Grant Program, which offers a grant to every local high school student enrolling at McDaniel.

While Hill’s generosity continues to be extraordinary, he combines that generosity with a relentless volunteerism. In 1994, as chair of the College’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Marty gave a pacesetting gift of $1.5 million to launch the campaign’s public phase and worked tirelessly to recruit – and mentor – other leaders to join McDaniel’s efforts.

Simultaneously, he served as chair of the Buildings and Grounds committee and led the Board’s approval of a 10-year campus master plan that provided a blueprint of building projects to support the College’s mission and growth. During his tenure, every academic building on campus was renovated and two major academic halls (for the sciences and graduate and professional studies) newly constructed. Additional major capital improvements also include a residential village featuring apartment-style housing for students built using geothermal heating and cooling, a new fitness center constructed, the College’s dining hall renovated, and in November 2012, a new $8-million athletic stadium dedicated.

Food Network celebrity chef James Parker took McDaniel students on a tour of his fruit and veggie art, magically transforming beets into roses, leeks into spider mums and the lowly eggplant into intricately carved wings of a squash bird with a carrot beak.

Parker teaches classes, books demonstrations and sells his creations out of his Virginia-based Veggy Art. He has served as the pumpkin carver from the White House Halloween Event and is featured on the Food Network.

As Parker deftly peeled, sliced and carved, students stopped by over the three-hour lunch period to watch and learn. His visit is the brainstorm of Mandy Piper, dining hall manager with the college’s SODEXO food service, who is offering cooking classes such as Parker’s veggie art once a month to the McDaniel community. A recent sushi class drew about 300 mostly students, and next month’s class features New Orleans cuisine.

Jacqueline Kolawole (below right), a sophomore from Washington, D.C., considered the time well spent – and relevant to her Art major.

“He is not only professionally talented, he has a knack for story telling as well. We learned about his profession, his career story and carving techniques,” says Kolawole, whose second major is Business Administration. “It was surprising to see the amount of care he put into the beginning of each carving as well as the end carving. The way his work combines artistic talent and a knowledge and love for edible objects was fantastic.”

Parker chatted with his audience, offering his trademark insights into his craft, as he assembled a vividly colored centerpiece.

“I get my inspiration everywhere – kids, nature, photographs – but I don’t copy what I see,” Parker says. “First I get the idea, then have to figure out how to translate produce into that idea.”

“I’m always looking for inspiration in everything… what? You guys don’t dream about vegetables?”

“Keep the rules in mind,” he says, explaining that traditionally real and veggie flowers should never be mixed in the same centerpiece. “But question everything – I like to add some real flowers to add texture and softness. Make sure they are non-toxic in case you get someone who eats the flowers too.”

Sophomore Greg Laslo (below right) of Finksburg, Md., stopped by out of curiosity.

“You don’t think of food this way,” he says. “But I’ll probably try it.”

Janice Smith-Warshaw, a 1996 graduate of McDaniel’s Deaf Education graduate program, will become the first deaf woman to be superintendent of the Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) since the school opened in 1839.

In distinguishing herself as an educator, she joins 1996 Deaf Education classmates Michelle Shearer, National Teacher of the Year, and David Martin, American Sign Language Teachers Association Teacher of the Year, both in 2011.

“I’ve learned tremendously from the Bilingual Deaf Education program at McDaniel College, which shaped my success in teaching and approach to curriculum,” Smith-Warshaw writes in an e-mail from the West Coast, where she is curriculum supervisor at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR). 

Smith-Warshaw is a strong supporter of the philosophy of bilingualism as a means to help Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students develop bilingual proficiency through American Sign Language (ASL) and written English.

“Since ASL is the primary language, known as the ‘mother tongue,’ I strongly believe that ASL should be used as the language of instruction for our D/HH students,” she says, explaining that the critical years of language competence among D/HH students is from birth to third grade when they develop many cognitive skills and are able to transfer those skills as they learn to write in English. “The bilingual programs promote D/HH students to use their first language to excel in their second language literacy skills.”

Smith-Warshaw has served at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside since 2000, and is currently a curriculum supervisor there. She has been a principal of several different programs over the years in early childhood education, high school, 5th-year post-HS program, and physical education, before becoming the supervisor of the curriculum department in 2009-2010. She earned a B.S. degree from the University of South Carolina in 1986, an M.S. degree from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) in 1996, and Ed.S. degree from Gallaudet University in 2009. In April, she will receive her Ed.D. degree in Leadership for Educational Justice at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

She already knows her top priorities when she assumes her role as superintendent of the Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) on May 1: to promote a healthy and positive learning environment for the development of positive self-esteem for all D/HH students and to welcome teachers, Deaf and hearing parents, and the Deaf community as invested members of the school. Among her goals is closing the achievement gap between Deaf and hearing students by continuing to provide 21st-century skills for all D/HH students to succeed in college and the workforce.

Among the McDaniel professors who had an impact on her life is Dr. Janet Conley, associate coordinator of the Deaf Education program.

“Janice was an enthusiastic student and a concerned teacher; her interest in literacy development was especially evident in her creative and relevant instruction,” Conley says. “She is a positive reflection on our program and will make significant contributions to her new position as the superintendent of the Illinois School for the Deaf.”

Smith-Warshaw is looking forward to her new opportunity, where she will no doubt apply the professional philosophy she expresses with the acronym WHOLE:

• W for whole language. Learning goes from whole to part – and is easier when students get a big picture, the whole, at first. The whole gives students a framework with borders like a puzzle.
• H for holistic literacy. Researchers have shown that Deaf and hard of hearing students learn more when being exposed early to signed and written language. Students’ language knowledge increases along with their literacy. Learning becomes easier when signed and written language are equally accepted for use.
• O for overall, the importance of my teaching role was facilitating student learning.
• L for language of instruction. D/HH students will be able to build important background knowledge and concepts in ASL. Then, these concepts are transferred into written English.
• E for empowerment. D/HH students need to feel empowered by using both languages (ASL and English). It will provide them many opportunities to improve the quality of language competency in order to motivate students to use both languages as tools for learning.

From the moment they saw the words “Little Rock Nine” on a poster promoting a talk by Dr. Terrence Roberts, students Roger Isom and Ian Danquah knew they couldn’t miss this opportunity to meet and hear living history.

“I knew that it was a rare opportunity to learn about Little Rock Nine, a monumental event in our history, from one of nine students who lived it,” says Isom, a freshman from Annapolis, Md. “When I read the words ‘Little Rock Nine’ on a flyer I immediately recalled learning about the event in my U.S. History class. I remembered a photo, in my history book, of one of the students bombarded by a mob of angry people as she tried to get into the school.”

As part of the college’s Black History Month celebration, Terrence J. Roberts was on campus speaking about lessons from the Little Rock experience. Roberts was one of the nine African-American students who were the first to integrate classes in 1957 at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., for which he and the others were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

He went on to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and was a college professor and clinical psychologist for 30 years. Today, he is the principal consultant with T. Roberts & Associates, a consulting firm focusing on resolving people problems in the workplace.

McDaniel’s Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs helped bring Roberts to campus, as well as sponsored a Spike Lee movie series as part of Black History Month, including “Miracle at St. Anna” with a discussion led by English professor Reanna Ursin, “Malcolm X” with a discussion by Social Work lecturer Michelle Young, and “Jungle Fever” with a discussion led by Political Science and International Studies professor Debora Johnson-Ross. With entertainment by the college’s Gospel Choir, students also enjoyed a Black History celebration dinner in the dining hall complete with trivia games and prizes.

For Isom and Danquah, the highlight of activities was Roberts’ talk.

“It fascinated me that someone who changed education through integration during the Civil Rights Era was here on campus nearly 60 years later to tell their story,” says Danquah, a sophomore from Morristown, N.J., who is majoring in Communication.

Roberts attitude about learning – taking executive responsibility for your own learning – resonated with Isom.

“Throughout the talk he emphasized the importance of education and learning all that we can,” says Isom, who is majoring in Exercise Science and Spanish toward a goal of being a strength-and-conditioning coach specializing in prevention of obesity in youth. “His deep appreciation for learning demonstrated to me that education is too valuable to not take seriously. I am a hardworking student and to hear him speak about education really motivated me to work even harder.”

McDaniel College has been named to the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education. This is the first time that McDaniel has been named to the Honor Roll.

“Receiving this award is a very important step in our continued efforts to provide significant opportunities for our students to engage with their communities,” says Julia Jasken, director of the college’s Center for Experience and Opportunity (CEO). “We're proud of what we've accomplished so far, but are also looking forward to the future. We are eager to continue forging new relationships with communities in Carroll County.”

Sara Krome, who works in the CEO as associate director of community outreach and initiatives, added, “There is an incredible amount of service-oriented work completed by the college in partnership with the community."

McDaniel students engaged in nearly 112,000 community service hours during the yearlong period covered by the Honor Roll, according to Krome.

A commitment to support service-learning and community outreach experiences is a core part of McDaniel College's mission statement:  “Through flexible academic programs, collaborative and experiential learning, and global engagement, McDaniel prepares students for successful lives of leadership, service, and social responsibility.”

A key component of McDaniel's application was the college's partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Westminster, which was formed in 2010 to strengthen the relationship between the campus and club, with increased volunteer opportunities, access to college facilities and events, and club-based programming.

Also included in the application was McDaniel's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) currently in its 22nd year at the College, and the unique and innovative partnership between McDaniel and Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., in developing a master's degree in human services management, which has become the core of Target's Community Living Program.

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the initiative celebrates the transformative power and volunteer spirit that exists within the higher education community.

The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education.

A full list of honorees is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.

Senior Zach Jones of Frederick, Md., threw McDaniel's first no-hitter in nearly 12 years March 9 to lead his team to a doubleheader sweep of Penn State-York and freshman swimmer Brad Brooks heads to the 2013 Division III men's and women's swimming and diving championship Mar. 20-23 in Shenandoah, Texas.

Pitcher Zach Jones struck out a career-high 12 batters and allowed just one baserunner – a fifth-inning, one-out walk – in a 10-0 game-one win for the Green Terror (5-2), who completed the sweep with a 14-2 victory in the nightcap.

In men’s swimming Brooks earned the invitation to the Division III championship after swimming his best NCAA B-Cut times of the season March 2-3 at the Centennial Conference championship.

• More sports at McDaniel Athletics

Read on for a list of events on the Hill in the coming weeks.

Art on View, “Ornate Organics," mixed media display of 2-D and 3-D works by Amy Boone-McCreesh, through March 22, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410.857.2595.

Graduate Open House, “Financing Your Graduate Education,” 5-7 p.m. March 13 with presentations at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., Academic Hall, Room 301. RSVP required 410.857.2751 or gradadms@mcdaniel.edu.

Art on View, Student Honors Exhibition, March 26-April 5, opening reception 7-9 p.m. March 26 with artists’ talks at 7:30 p.m., Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410.857.2595. Some work in this exhibition explores adult content and is intended for mature audiences only.

SmartTALK, Thomas Roberts ’94, news anchor MSNBC, with Pres. Roger Casey, 7 p.m. March 27, WMC Alumni Hall.

Honors Program Lecture, “The Development of Numerical Understanding” by Carnegie Mellon U. professor Robert Siegler, 7:30 p.m. March 28, McDaniel Lounge.

Bothe Poetry Reading, poet, essayist and translator Lia Purpura, 7:30 p.m. April 2, McDaniel Lounge. 

Guest Artist Recital, performance by pianist Brian Ganz, 7:30 p.m. April 5, McDaniel Lounge.

Concert*, Common Ground on the Hill, The Kruger Brothers, acoustic Americana masters, 8 p.m. April 6, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster. Information: 410.848.7272.

Art on View, Wentz Juried Undergraduate Exhibit, April 9-19, opening reception 7-9 p.m. April 9, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410.857.2595.

Student Jazz Guitar Ensemble, directed by Tim Jenkins, 7 p.m. April 9, Baker Chapel.

* indicates a fee, otherwise all published events are free and open to the public.

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Senior James Porteous doesn’t graduate until December but already he is putting his Environmental Studies major to work identifying possible sinkholes and mapping their density in Carroll County for his senior capstone project.

Mentoring Porteous’ work sleuthing for karst features – landscape typical of sinkhole formation – brings back memories of her own undergraduate days to Environmental Studies professor Mona Becker, who spent two summers and a winter mapping sinkhole density in south-central Pennsylvania’s York, Adams and Lancaster counties.

“I’ve thought for a while that it would be a good idea to map sinkhole density in Carroll County – and I thought James would be interested in doing that,” Becker says.

She knew that sinkhole and karst land formation maps existed in Pennsylvania because she helped put them together in the early 1990s with geologist Bill Kochanov for the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey. But at the time Becker used aerial photos, not the Google Earth Imaging that Porteous has access to.

Sinkholes form when water-soluble bedrock such as limestone and marble is dissolved by groundwater, explains Porteous, whose home state of Florida is littered with sinkholes. 

“If the soil is sandy, it erodes at a steady pace like an hourglass,” he says. “If it is clay, it holds the burden for a time and then collapses all at once.”

Becker and Porteous make frequent field trips to examine sinkholes and even the depressions that indicate one is either developing or filling in. But, with a previous estimate by a hydrogeologist of more than 600 sinkholes in Carroll County, neither professor nor student expects to examine every one.

Still, at the top of their list of sinkholes to visit was the huge one – 10 meters across and more than 100 feet deep – on a farm outside of Hanover, Pa. Becker and Porteous went to see that and other dramatic sinkholes in the Hanover-McSherrystown area near a rock quarry, which no doubt contributed to the formation of the sinkholes as workers lowered area groundwater levels when they pump more and more water out of the quarry.

Mostly, Porteous spends his project time going over the aerial images and circling depressions in the landscape. The goal is to map density.

“Sinkholes are not isolated – they are integrated,” Porteous says. “It’s important to understand the density and where they are so that you can mitigate risk when building.”

“You don’t want to build where there is a high density of sinkholes,” Becker says, explaining that 10 sinkholes per square mile should certainly alert a builder to consider re-locating his site.

The benefits of Maryland Independent Higher Education Day in Annapolis to students and legislators alike reach beyond promoting the importance of the state’s independent colleges and the Sellinger Program that provides financial aid to these institutions.

In mid-February, the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) brought more than 200 students – seven from McDaniel College – to Annapolis to meet with state legislators and participate in the Maryland legislative process. As Herb Smith, Political Science professor and director of government relations, explains in the State and Local Government class he’s been teaching for 40 years, state legislators are more accessible than their counterparts in Congress.

“In terms of the legislators themselves, it’s vitally important to put a face and personal narratives on the financial aid that Maryland provides independent institutions of higher education via the Sellinger Program,” says Smith, who has been taking a group of students to Annapolis for the past 15 years. “They (students) make a difference in Annapolis, and the difference matters.”

Alan Lyons, a junior Political Science major from Westminster, Md., has made the trip three times because he believes the cause is a good one and also finds that it is an excellent networking experience. Lyons addressed the student delegation at the start of the day, trying to help newcomers make the most of their time in the state capital.

“Smaller, private colleges are in a difficult position in the current economic, societal, and educational situation – undergoing cutbacks, programmatic reorientations, as money and popular sentiment trends toward other arenas,” Lyons says. “But they are still a valuable and highly necessary resource, both as an educational option for students and for the communities and societies in which they reside.”

Junior Political Science major Shannon Conway of Baltimore learned about the ways McDaniel benefits from state aid.

“For example some of the money given to us last year was used for library renovations, which helps students study more efficiently,” says Conway, who also cited the Sellinger Program, which this year funds 3.4 percent of McDaniel’s operating budget. “I wanted to thank the legislators for their support but it was also exciting to see them at work.”

McDaniel students with Political Science professor Herb Smith (3rd from left), and President Roger Casey (2nd from right).

Carroll County delegates Justin Ready and Nancy Stocksdale, a 1956 alumna of McDaniel, with state senator Joe Getty – all of whom regularly sponsor internships for McDaniel students – took time for meetings and conversation over lunch. Others met individually with students.

The conversations make a difference, says Kyle Connor, a senior Political Science major from New Market, Md., 
 
“Visiting legislators provides senators and delegates a first-hand experience with the Maryland students themselves showing that their legislative policies are working or need improvement,” Connor, a Political Science major, says.

Also meeting with delegates and attending Maryland Higher Education Day in Annapolis are sophomore Cody Knipfer of Ellicott City, Md., and Augustina Rius of Rockville, Md.; junior Kristen Hall of Essex, Md.; and graduate student Mary Grace Pazmany of Olney, Md.

Rave reviews from Time for Kids, the Wall Street Journal and others celebrated the recent release of Lisa Graff’s new children’s novel – just as the adjunct lecturer was wrapping up “Reading Like a Writer,” the online course she developed for McDaniel’s graduate certificate program, Writing for Children and Young Adults (WCYA).

“A Tangle of Knots” is Graff’s sixth book for 8- to 12-year-olds, and that doesn’t count the science fiction she co-authors for young adults under the pen name Isla Neal. A magical story told in puzzle-like pieces, “A Tangle of Knots” features an 11-year-old orphan named Cady, who has an exceptional Talent for baking cakes.

Although Graff writes children’s books, she doesn’t shy away from tough topics – “Double Dog Dare” deals with divorce, “The Thing about Georgie” centers on dwarfism and the main character in “Umbrella Summer” is grieving and healing after the death of her brother.

These critically acclaimed books – which have landed on the reading lists of 23 states – coupled with Graff’s five years experience as an associate children’s book editor with Farrar, Straus & Giroux made her a top choice for instructor, says WCYA program coordinator and professor Mona Kerby, a noted children’s book author in her own right.

“Lisa is a great writer – just read the first page of ‘The Thing About Georgie’ and you’ll see what I mean,” says Kerby, who most recently published “Owney, the Mail Pouch Pooch.” “She also had the outstanding experience as an associate editor of knowing what manuscripts were or were not selected and why. She can line edit, dissect stories and offer feedback.”

The writer-editor turned teacher is savoring every minute of her first-time teaching at the college level. She enjoys seeing what the students bring to the table – especially their analyses of the books read for class.

“These are books I've read now four, five times or more, and I'm always shocked to find new perspectives on the stories. That's probably the best part of teaching the literature class – the lively discussions, the things my students point out in the books we read that I never would have picked up on otherwise,” says Graff, who finds keeping up with grading the hardest part of teaching but points out that no one ever went into teaching for the grading.

The idea for “A Tangle of Knots” took root when Graff discovered the Unclaimed Baggage Center, a real store in Alabama that buys unclaimed luggage, mostly from airports, and resells the contents to the public.

“I thought that seemed like an amazing place to set a story, so I held onto the idea for a few years until I had a story idea that would fit just right,” says Graff, who grew up in the shadow of a ski resort in Big Bear, Calif., and wrote her first book at age 8 after whining to her mother that she was bored. “My book takes place mostly in the Lost Luggage Emporium in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is my invented (slightly magical) version of the real store.”

Cake recipes – including peanut butter, peach, s’more and garlic cakes – help describe the characters in the book. 

“I definitely love baking. For me, adding recipes to a book is a really fun way to include readers in the story. It breaks the reader out of the action of the book for just a moment, and in this case, it tells you something about a character you might not have known otherwise,” she says. “Plus, cakes are delicious!”

Want to try making Miss Mallory’s Peach Cake? Here’s the recipe.

And here’s a video taking you through the recipe step by step:

McDaniel’s contingent of 18 students gathered in Boston recently at Harvard’s Model U.N. to discuss the greatest challenges facing the world today with more than 3,000 delegates from 300 colleges and universities in 48 countries.

Led by Political Science and International Studies professors Charles Neal and Anouar Boukhars, the students studied the foreign policy views of their assigned country, Colombia, in order to become empowered speakers debating and supporting their programs. Neal took his first group of McDaniel (then WMC) students to the Harvard Model U.N. more than three decades ago in 1980. 

“There is no other platform, other than an internship or job, that gives a political science college student the opportunity to put in practice the field's most crucial skills,” says Israel De La Cruz, a senior from Boston who shared McDaniel’s head delegate responsibilities with senior Megan Rogers.

“Participating in Model U.N. allows me to put five fundamental skills that I have acquired during my academic career to practice: research, public speaking, cooperative work, writing, and my personal favorite: debating.”

Breaks between U.N. sessions and discussions of such wide-ranging topics as international peace and security, economic and social progress and human rights gave the delegates time to experience the rich cultural diversity represented at the event and to explore Boston. While De La Cruz and Rogers were veterans of past Model U.N. gatherings, sophomore Kenneth Rankins was a newcomer.

All were thrilled to be among peers from literally dozens of different cultures.

“It was very fascinating to be on an elevator with multiple people who were talking to each other in different languages,” says Rankins, an Environmental Studies and Political Science and International Studies double major from Philadelphia.

Rogers of Ellicott City, Md., like her fellow McDaniel delegates, learned how to interact with those who have different cultural backgrounds and how to improve debate skills.

“The vast amount of countries a student at Model U.N. has the ability to interact
with is a learning experience within itself,” says Rogers, who is majoring in Political Science and International Studies. “You learn a lot about other countries and cultures and how to appropriately interact with those who differ from you. You also find out that in the grand scheme of things, you're not much different than others.

“On a lighter note, it was a great feeling walking around Boston as a diehard Ravens fan
knowing that your city won the ring this year, and that (New England Patriots coach) Bill Belichick and (Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady had to watch the game from home.”

Also attending the 2013 Harvard Model United Nations are freshmen Cole Harris of Timonium, Md., and Caroline Unger of Park Ridge, Ill.; sophomore Philip Wright of East Greenville, Pa.; juniors Phillip Farinella of Livingston, N.J. and Kat Dales of New Freedom, Pa.; and seniors Matthew Arnold of Ellicott City, Md.; Erica Brandenburg of Albuquerque; Travis Compton of Bellmore, N.Y.; Maria Fauconnet of Pasadena, Md.; Gary McKenna of Dix Hills, N.Y.; Noah Patton of Montgomery Village, Md.; Caitlin Roetheli of San Antonio, Texas; Emily Schaefer of Hampstead, Md.; Emily Smiley of Cockeysville, Md.; and Dagmar Vilimkova of Annapolis, Md.

Stephen Corrieri has been named McDaniel College's head men's soccer coach.

"As we conducted this search, Stephen stood out to us as someone with an excellent soccer background," Director of Athletics Paul Moyer said. "He has been a part of programs that have had a great deal of success, and we are confident he can do the same thing with our team."

Corrieri has spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach at York College (Pa.). During his tenure on staff, the Spartans have been consistently ranked among the top teams in Division III. In his first year on the sidelines, the squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

York won the Capital Athletic Conference in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of Corrieri's six years on staff.

"I'm very excited to take over the program," Corrieri said. "I'm looking forward to working with our guys here and can't wait to get started."

Prior to his time on the Spartan sideline, he served as the head boys' soccer coach at Susquehannock High School in Glen Rock, Pa., from 2002-06. While there, his teams won four consecutive division titles and a pair of York County championships. He took the squad to the 2006 PIAA State quarterfinals and was twice named YAIAA Coach of the Year.

Corrieri played for Carlisle United FC in the English Professional Soccer League from 1994-96. Following his time as a professional player, he also spent five years in semi-professional leagues in England, Scotland and Wales. He holds a United State Soccer Federation B License.

Corrieri graduated from Wolverhamption University in Birmingham, U.K., in 2000 with a bachelor of arts in Marketing Management in the Sports Industry. Corrieri will assume his duties immediately.

McDaniel College Theatre arts students perform in “The Sleep of Reason,” a highly imaginative fantasy examining the turbulent final years of one of the world’s greatest painters, Francisco Goya, at 7:30 p.m. March 6 in WMC Alumni Hall at McDaniel College.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and those with a McDaniel College ID. For ticket information, call 410-857-2448. Recommended for mature audiences only.

“The Sleep of Reason” is written by Antonio Buero-Vallejo, who is considered the most important Spanish dramatist of the second half of the 20th century, and translated from Spanish by Marion Peter Holt. Set in Spain in 1823, the play focuses on King Ferdinand of Spain’s obsession to punish those he deemed his enemies, including one enemy in particular, Goya.

Directed by McDaniel Theatre Arts professor Ira Domser, the play features senior Shelley Hierstetter of Mount Airy, Md., as Leocadia; junior Paul Davis Griffin of Westminster, Md., as Goya; sophomores Kevin Anderson as King Ferdinand; Najee Banks of Baltimore as Dr. Arrieta; Liz Flores of Westminster, Md., as the voice of Mariquita; Sarah Hull of Keedysville, Md., as Gumersinda; and Joshua Meltzer of Woodbury, Minn., as Father Duaso; and freshman Joshua Harding of Federalsburg, Md., as Calomarde.

Others in the cast are seniors Mae Alexander of Keymar, Md., and Simone Davis of Baltimore, sophomores Megan Knauff of Westminster, Md., Nicholas Kouhi of Lauderdale, Minn., Ashley Manning of Randallstown, Md., Adrian Rowe of Edgewood, Md., and Wykeema Stanley of Baltimore, and freshmen Samantha Arana of Silver Spring, Md., Brittany Ensor of Finksburg, Md., and Pia Moreno of Quito, Ecuador.

Cast of "Sleep of Reason."

A solo exhibition at McDaniel College showcases 2-D and 3-D mixed media works by Amy Boone-McCreesh. “Ornate Organics” runs Feb. 26-March 22, with an opening reception 7-9 p.m. and artist’s talk at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, in Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall.

Boone-McCreesh’s mixed media works explore decoration and human relationships. She is interested in the role that decoration and embellishment play in tribal and foreign cultures and takes inspiration from celebratory and funerary displays.

“Currently, my work is a tribute to craft and the long human tradition of making,” said Boone-McCreesh. “I am interested in exploring the cultural lines between functional items and decorations and revisiting these themes in the context of contemporary art.”

Found objects, second-hand fabrics, celebratory ephemera repetition and the amassing of materials and mark making are her primary vehicles for expression.

“Referencing the visual vocabulary within my three-dimensional work has acted as a way to inform and ground the abstract compositions of my two-dimensional work,” she says. “It is my interest to evoke imagery of rituals, tradition and ceremony while maintaining a contemporary aesthetic.”

Raised in south-central Pennsylvania, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design and Master of Fine Arts degree from Towson University. Currently, she resides in Baltimore and teaches art to both young children and adults. More information about Amy Boone-McCreesh can be found at http://www.amyboonemccreesh.com.

The exhibition and reception are both free and open to the public. Rice Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon-4 p.m., Thursday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Call 410-857-2595 for more information.

Senior Joe Camlin won the Centennial Conference wrestling heavyweight title, junior Emma Duesterhaus swam to her first gold, freshman swimmer Brad Brooks took three gold medals and senior Carlos Hernandez won gold for shot put in Feb. 22-24 events.

Senior Joe Camlin of Westminster, Md., won the title at heavyweight to lead McDaniel to a third-place finish Feb. 23 at the 2013 Centennial Conference (CC) wrestling championship hosted by Johns Hopkins. The Green Terror finished with 48 points for its best place finish since finishing third in 2009.

Freshman Brad Brooks of Newark, Del., swam three individual events at the Centennial Conference (CC) men's swimming championship. Brad Brooks won three gold medals at Franklin & Marshall and won in NCAA Division III B-Cut time each time Feb. 23-24. Brooks, the outstanding performer of the meet, led a Green Terror rewriting of the record books as well. The freshman established three new championship meet records, four new CC records and six new program records. All told, seven McDaniel program records fell over the three days and five other top-10 times were recorded. As a team, the Green Terror finished seventh with 236.5 points.'

Junior Emma Duesterhaus of Spartanburg, S.C., led an overhaul of the McDaniel women's swimming all-time top-10, winning a pair of medals that included her first career gold at the 2013 Centennial Conference (CC) championship Feb. 22-24 hosted by Franklin & Marshall. The Green Terror finished sixth as a team with 350 points.

Senior Carlos Hernandez of Derwood, Md., bettered his previous personal best Feb. 23 by more than five inches to win the shot put at the 2013 Centennial Conference (CC) men's indoor track and field championship hosted by Ursinus.

• More sports at McDaniel Athletics.

Read on for a list of events on the Hill in the coming weeks.

Art on View, "Ornate Organics," mixed media display of 2-D and 3-D works by Amy Boone-McCreesh, opening 7-9 p.m. Feb. 26 with artist’s talk at 7:30 p.m., through March 22, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410-857-2595.

Student voice and piano recital, 7:30 p.m. March 1, Levine Recital Hall. Students expected to perform are Clarissa Balint of Mount Rainier, Md.; Charles Eron of Hanover, Pa.; Esther Jones of Littlestown, Pa.; Victoria Mansfield of Mount Airy, Md., and Lisa Staples of Burtonsville, Md.

Common Ground on the Hill* concert, Tom Paxton, 8 p.m. March 2, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster, Information and ticket prices: 410-848-7272.

On Stage*, “The Sleep of Reason,” written by Antonio Buerro-Vallejo, translated by Marion Peter Holt, presented by Theatre Arts students, directed by professor Ira Domser, 7:30 p.m. March 6-9, WMC Alumni Hall. Box office: 410-857-2448. Recommended for mature audiences only.

Sunday Brunch on the Hill*, community invite, campus dining hall, special menu and live music, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. March 10, Englar Dining Hall.

Chamber Music on the Hill*, The Morpheus Trio with Kyle Engler, Daniel Lau and Larry Williams, 3 p.m. March 10, Decker College Center Forum.

Graduate Open House, “Financing Your Graduate Education,” 5-7 p.m. March 13 with presentations at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., Academic Hall, Room 301. RSVP required 410-857-2751 or gradadms@mcdaniel.edu.

Art on View, Student Honors Exhibition, March 26-April 5, opening reception 7-9 p.m. March 26 with artists’ talks at 7:30 p.m., Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410-857-2595. Some work in this exhibition explores adult content and is intended for mature audiences only.'

SmartTALK, Thomas Roberts ’94, news anchor MSNBC, with Pres. Roger Casey, 7 p.m. March 27, WMC Alumni Hall.

* indicates a fee, otherwise all published events are free and open to the public

McDaniel College selects a new provost and dean of the faculty. Dr. Jeanine S. Stewart, a professor of psychology with a decade of experience in higher education administration, joins McDaniel College effective July 1, 2013.

Dr. Stewart strongly believes in the power of the student-centered liberal arts education offered at McDaniel. She has held senior-level leadership positions at both Washington and Lee University and at Hollins University, where since 2008, she has served as the chief academic officer.

“I learned that innovation is alive at McDaniel College and I am committed to supporting this distinctive model of education, communicating its value to students, and nurturing the engagement of the institution’s supportive alumni,” said Stewart.

At McDaniel she will be responsible for planning, administering, and enhancing the academic program both at the undergraduate and graduate levels with oversight of such academic support areas as academic advising, library and instructional technology, the office of the registrar, institutional research, faculty development and grants.

“Following an extensive national search, we chose Dr. Stewart for her remarkable skills as a strategic thinker, leader, and collaborator. She is an excellent educator who values the synergy between teaching and scholarship, and she models the values of McDaniel’s mission and First Principles,” said McDaniel President Roger Casey.

“McDaniel’s [Western Maryland College] founding charter positions the college at the vanguard of societal change, as a coeducational institution that, as early as 1867, was grounded in principles of equity and inclusion,” noted Stewart in her letter of application.

“Institutions like McDaniel College create spaces for intellectual innovation by juxtaposing art and science, or politics and literature, not only via interdisciplinary curricula but also in residence halls and on playing fields where one cannot avoid learning from those who analyze problems through a different lens.”

At Hollins University, Stewart oversees two of the oldest study-abroad programs in the country, in Paris and in London. Under her leadership, Hollins began a summer internship program in London that has grown in popularity since its successful launch in 2009. She has also worked to strengthen Hollins’ NCAA Division III athletics program with increased emphasis on the recruitment of competitive student-athletes.

Prior to joining Hollins, she served as interim dean of the college and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Washington and Lee University. She has made presentations at the Council of Independent College’s Workshops for Department and Division Chairs and CIC’s annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers. Stewart served on several Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation teams, and she currently serves on the board of the Roanoke Higher Education Authority.

A native of Newport, Rhode Island, Stewart holds a bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass., where she majored in psychology, and a Ph.D. in sensory and systems neuroscience from the University of Virginia. She completed her postdoctoral training in neurobiological development at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. She has contributed to the peer-reviewed literature in neuroscience and is currently working on a collaborative scholarly project with two accountants and a social psychologist focused on the connection between employee well-being and the financial bottom line of organizations.

Her husband, Robert Stewart, is chair of the psychology department at Washington and Lee University. They have two daughters.

Stewart succeeds Dr. Thomas Falkner, who served as McDaniel provost and dean of the faculty since 2004. Falkner is returning to teaching at McDaniel and recently led a Jan Term study tour to Greece.

Disney has no secrets from the 20 students in David Petrie’s Animating Life class. In fact, through Disney’s Youth Education Series (Y.E.S.), the students went behind, under, over and through the scenes at Disney World to unravel the mysteries of animation.

They rode Space Mountain with the lights on, then off – and now know that the special effects in the darkness create the thrill.

They roamed under the Haunted Mansion to learn how Disney Imagineers use a very old magic trick to make “ghosts” appear.

They learned about audio-animatronics, the technology that synchronizes sound, music and movement in 3-D figures to make everything from the presidents to the pirates of the Caribbean come to realistic life.

The trip was even an educational experience for senior Shannon Savoia, marking her 20th visit to the Magic Kingdom – and her second time in the Animating Life course.

“I am a huge, completely obsessed fan of Walt Disney and the Walt Disney World Theme Parks. I took painting lessons throughout my childhood and became very interested in animation so a combination of both was very appealing to me,” says the Business Administration major from Holmdel, N.J. “Unbelievably, I actually learned things that I never knew before.”

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Even before they entered the Magic Kingdom, Petrie’s students were introduced to the history and the science of animation – and the 12 principles of animation, which included a brief introduction to human anatomy and biomechanics – courses Petrie, a lecturer in the Exercise Science and Physical Education department, teaches during spring and fall semesters. One of only four class periods is devoted to audio-animatronics and dimensional animation, including PIXAR, computer animation and motion-capture technology.

“Animation has become an important art form not only for entertainment but also in medicine, video gaming with Avatars, and forensics,” Petrie says. “Audio animatronics paved the way for creative theme park rides and also provided clues to instrumentation for prosthetics.

“And animation is used in medicine for everything from 3-D anatomy teaching software to diagnostic modeling technology.”

After four two-hour classes, the students spend five full days at Disney World, their visit enhanced by Y.E.S. tours on Energy and Waves plus the Properties of Motion as well as some lessons in animation. But the magic, as they say, doesn’t end there.

Petrie gives each student a three-ring notebook literally packed with information about animation, Disney, their trip – and even a Petrie guided tour of what to look for, brimming with nuggets such as:

• “EPCOT: The sidewalks twinkle at night. Take the right-hand path after the Epcot ball. You’ll come upon them. Absolutely magical. And the fireflies in the trees!”
• “African Outpost: Open the lids of the crates and see what happens.”
• “American Pavilion: View the American Flag that was taken from the rubble of 9/11/2001. It will put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye.”

It’s not surprising that Savoia, who wants to pursue a career in the business side of Disney, has learned something new during each of her two Animating Life Jan Terms – or that the class ranks among her favorite college experiences. 

“I take away from this class some of my favorite memories in college. I had the most amazing time both in the classroom and on the trip and I recommend it to anyone who is a Disney fan like myself, who has never been to Disney, or anyone with an interest in animation/audio animatronics,” she says. “It was also cool to go home and tell my family all the inside information and new facts that I learned, as they are also Disney addicts.”

Video by David Petrie.

Jeffrey Kane’s talent for teaching showed when he used the child’s game of telephone line or whisper down the lane to explain the basics of the theoretical mathematics paper he recently delivered at an international professional conference in India.

The Mathematics major’s original research with Computer Science professor Pavel Naumov resulted in the paper, “Epistemic Logic for Communication Chains,” which is also the game of telephone line expressed mathematically.  And that was the example he used in his presentation of the paper, which mathematically describes communication in a network.

“It was nice that I had something that I could say that all these people with doctorates didn’t know off the top of their heads,” says the junior from Elkridge, Md., who has wanted to be a teacher since second grade. “To talk with people who are such experts in this field was rewarding.”  

Kane’s collaborative research with Naumov during the summer of 2012 resulted in the paper that was accepted for full presentation and publication at the 14th Conference on Theoretical Aspects of Rationality and Knowledge (TARK), which brings together researchers from a variety of fields to further understanding of interdisciplinary issues involving reasoning about rationality and knowledge. Also accepted, and presented by Naumov, was “R.E. Axionmatization of Conditional Independence,” a joint paper with senior Brittany Nicholls.

The research and travel was funded in part by The James E. Lightner Endowed Fund for Mathematics, established in 2005 by McDaniel trustee William H. Elliott, III, class of 1970.

McDaniel’s Mathematics and Computer Science faculty and students frequently present papers at professional conferences. In March, Naumov will present at the International Workshop on Strategic Reasoning in Rome the research he conducted with junior Economics-Mathematics major Kristine Harjes, who is studying this semester in Budapest, Hungary. McDaniel has also been represented in presentations at the previous two TARK conferences in the Netherlands and at Stanford University in California.

Naumov saw potential in Kane, who as a freshman in Naumov’s First Year Seminar solved complicated problems in 30 seconds flat. Kane asked Naumov his Erdős number, a reference to how closely connected Naumov is to someone who collaborated with the late Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, know for his brilliant proofs and prolific publications with literally hundreds of collaborators.

“It’s just geekish fun,” Naumov says, comparing it to the idea of six degrees of separation.

His students say Naumov has a way of coming back from conferences brimming with ideas for research collaborations. His students are his filters, Kane says, adding that Naumov’s excitement over whatever current topic he’s promoting regularly results in luring them to signing on to do the research with him.

“Professor Naumov came back from a conference in Spain with the idea for this research saying that it would be easy and it would impress everyone,” Kane says, smiling as he glances across the table at his mentor. “Well, it wasn’t easy but it was impressive.”

Naumov grins, and adds, “I had an idea of what it would look like but it turned out differently and we discovered something else along the way. We had a productive summer with this research – we have three different results, two more are under review at other organizations. So maybe it wasn’t easy but…”

An estate gift of $420,000 will soon enrich opportunities for student-faculty research. Alumna Nancy Gardner Gaston, class of 1962, who died April 2011, had bequeathed this generous gift to establish the Nancy C. Gaston Fund for Student-Faculty Research.

During her years on the Hill, Gaston majored in Home Economics and frequently praised her education at WMC as “well-rounded” and taught by “excellent faculty who were dedicated to students.”

Beloved by her students, she taught home economics for 31 years with the Anne Arundel County Board of  Education. She also was a docent in the State’s Governor’s House, served as director for both the Anne Arundel County Historical Society , the Anne Arundel Retired Teachers Association and the Anne Arundel Public Library Board, and was active in her community of Linthicum Heights, Md.

Gaston also was an accomplished organist playing for many small churches or serving as a substitute in her home church. She was married to Charles “Bill” Gaston for 42 years until his death in 2008. He was a project engineer for the National Security Agency (NSA).

“She was sharp as a briar,” says her WMC classmate and one-time lab partner Manetta Pusey. They were friends long after earning their diplomas, were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, and more recently, the Gastons often traveled to Salisbury, Md., to share the holidays with the Puseys.

“[Nancy] was someone you just wanted to be around,” said Pusey. “She did so many things for people, no one could out give Nancy.”

Construction is underway on Hoover’s new information literacy interactive learning classroom, the first project of a planned $3.5 million renovation of all five floors of the library.

• Read more about the Hoover Library Renovation.

Muqtedar Khan, a professor at the University of Delaware, will speak as part of McDaniel College’s annual Ridington lecture at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 on campus in McDaniel Lounge. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, examines the challenges Islam faces in the West and in the future.

An associate professor of Islam and Global Affairs, and founder of the Islamic Studies Program at University of Delaware, Muqtedar Khan is also a fellow of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. He is the author of “American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom,” “Jihad for Jerusalem: Identity and Strategy in International Relations,” “Islamic Democratic Discourse,” and “Debating Moderate Islam: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West.” In addition, he is a frequent contributor to the BBC, CNN, Fox, NPR, and other radio and TV networks. His website is www.ijtihad.org.

The annual Ridington lecture honors two long-time teachers at McDaniel, William Robbins Ridington and Edith Farr Ridington. After the Ridingtons’ deaths, their family endowed this annual lectureship, which began in 1991.

Sophomore Jordan Birden of Baltimore won the high jump Feb. 8 to lead McDaniel at the Hagerstown Invitational in men's indoor track and field action. The Green Terror recorded a total of seven top-three finishes at the non-scoring meet.

In addition to Birden's 1.80-meter victory, the distance medley relay of sophomore Peter Merkel of Ellicott City, Md., senior Gary Smith of Pasadena, Md., freshman Colin LaPenta of Morristown, N.J., and freshman Chris Jones of Centreville, Va., added a second victory, taking the race in a time of 11:12.81.

• More sports at McDaniel Athletics.

Read on for a list of events on the Hill in the coming weeks.

Art on View, “possessions,” mixed media exhibit by Stewart Watson, through Feb. 22, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410-857-2595.

Foreign Film Festival*, “Incendies,” Belgium, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster. Information and ticket prices: 410-848-7272.

Monday Night Music, “Songs from a Modern Day Hymnal” with The Tim Jenkins Group, 7 p.m. Feb. 18, McDaniel Lounge.

Ridington Lecture, Challenges Islam faces in the West and in the future, University of Delaware Political Science and International Studies professor Muqtedar Khan, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, McDaniel Lounge.

Foreign Film Festival*, “The Intouchables,” France, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster. Information and ticket prices: 410-848-7272.

Art on View, “Ornate Organics, mixed media display of 2-D and 3-D works by Amy Boone-McCreesh, opening 7-9 p.m. Feb. 26 with artist’s talk at 7:30 p.m., through March 22, Rice Gallery, Peterson Hall. Gallery hours: 410-857-2595.

Student voice and piano recital, 7:30 p.m. March 1, Levine Recital Hall.

Common Ground on the Hill* concert, Tom Paxton, 8 p.m. March 2, Carroll Arts Center, Westminster, Information and ticket prices: 410-848-7272.

On Stage*, “The Sleep of Reason,” written by Antonio Buerro-Vallejo, translated by Marion Peter Holt, presented by Theatre Arts students, directed by professor Ira Domser, 7:30 p.m. March 6-9, WMC Alumni Hall. Box office: 410-857-2448.

* indicates a fee, otherwise all published events are free and open to the public.

The professional journal, Psychological Reports, will publish a collaborative research paper by two Communication majors and their professor that indicates that Facebook may serve as an outlet for individuals who are lonely and avoid social situations.

The study, conducted in the fall of 2012 among 313 McDaniel students by junior Sean Lajoie and senior Nathan Trainor with professor Robert Lemieux, explored the relationship between use of the social networking site Facebook and scores in affinity-seeking, social loneliness and social avoidance.

Lemieux includes data collection and analysis in his Communication Scholarship class to help his students realize that generating knowledge that becomes accepted by others is a challenging endeavor.

“It’s a nice warm-up for the demands of the real world as it provides them with the tools to formulate a project, write persuasively, and interpret data,” says Lemieux, who already had collected data on the topic that was added to by the students’ study. “And, of course, they get excited about seeing their names in print.”

While Lajoie of Mount Laurel, N.J., and Trainor of Manchester, Md., are thrilled to be published authors of a professional paper before graduation, they both rate as even more important what they learned about data collection and interpretation.

“I learned just how much goes into these studies – how many questionnaires you have to make and distribute, how much data you need to collect, and really just everything that goes into making an intriguing quantitative study,” says Trainor, an aspiring sports journalist whose role was to help Lajoie, the primary researcher.

Lajoie’s favorite part of the study was testing his hypotheses about the social networking site that he says is, with Twitter, the main vehicle of communication for his peers. The results showed that degrees of social loneliness and social avoidance correlated positively and significantly with how much time people spent on Facebook. People who are lonely and avoid social situations rejected fewer friends – and women perceive Facebook as more important than men do.

The study also uncovered some information that surprised the researchers.

“The questionnaires that I distributed provided a few eye-opening responses – one being the average number of minutes spent on Facebook each day. There was a small group that said they spent three-plus hours on Facebook daily,” says Lajoie, who is also considering a career in sports journalism. “Another thing that caught my eye was the average answer of how many of your Facebook friends are considered close friends being surprisingly low.

“I also learned about how many people have such high senses of anxiety or apprehension in face-to-face conversations. There was an alarming amount of people that preferred communicating via social networking as opposed to communicating in person. Many participants even admitted to spending more time on Facebook than they knowingly should and holding more back when faced with a conversation in person.”

Anne Marie Foerster Luu, adjunct lecturer in McDaniel College’s master’s degree program for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), has been named the international TESOL Teacher of the Year. She is the first recipient of the award created by TESOL and National Geographic.

The TESOL Teacher of the Year Award honors exceptional English language teachers at all levels. The monetary award gives her the opportunity to attend and be recognized at the 2013 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo in Dallas, Texas, in March.

A resident of Silver Spring, Md., Foerster Luu has taught in the TESOL graduate program at McDaniel for six years. In addition, she has been a Pre-K-12 English language teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools.

For more information about McDaniel’s master’s degree in TESOL, contact Graduate and Professional Studies at 410-857-2500 or click here.

For Accounting professor Susan Milstein and her dedicated band of 35 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) students, tax season is in full swing. In this, the 22nd year of the program Milstein conceived and created, the 21 newcomers and 14 veterans are already training to help some 200 clients with income-tax return preparation.

It’s a program that produces winners all around.

“VITA is all that I hoped it would become and more,” says Milstein, a CPA whose tax preparation business is in its fourth decade. “Our VITA program helps our students, helps our community and helps our college.”

Rooted in Milstein’s love for doing tax returns and desire to give back to the community, McDaniel’s VITA program serves moderate- to low-income families and individuals by having students help answer questions, prepare tax returns and file electronically. The students receive credit for training hours and time spent with clients. Certified public accountants, most of whom are alumni, volunteer at each of the 21 sessions to check returns and help students respond to questions.

Junior Katherine Chen, a Business Administration-Economics dual major from Fallston, Md., is overseeing the tax preparation schedule and has been volunteering since her first year at McDaniel.

“I get no greater joy than knowing that I've made a difference. This program gave me the opportunities to refine my organizational and leadership skills with hands-on practice with tax preparation – something I hope to build a career on,” says Chen, noting personal growth, a sense of accomplishment, and recognition and feedback from her professors as additional benefits of her participation with VITA.

Senior Sophie Diven has volunteered for VITA for the past three years for the experience of preparing taxes and working with people.

“After working with the program for the past few years, I have become much more comfortable walking into situations, not knowing how the parties involved will react,” says the Accounting Economics and Business Administration major from Timonium, Md. “Money is a private topic for many people, so you have to make the people you are working with trust and feel comfortable around you, also understanding that the topic is sensitive and they might react to certain situations differently than you would expect.”

Clients return year after year for help with their tax returns, and acting director of Financial Aid Ellie Geiman provides training in the computer side of electronic filing. Many of the McDaniel students who have worked with VITA have been hired by accounting firms immediately after graduation due in part to their expertise in tax preparation.

Acting director of financial aid Ellie Geiman helps VITA first-year student volunteers understand how to file taxes electronically.

The student volunteers, Milstein says, are never the same again.

“They mature and find it so rewarding to help people who really need it,” she says.

VITA is open to individuals who earn $35,000 a year or less and families with earnings of $50,000 a year or less. Tax help sessions are 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, and 28, March 5, 7, 12, 14, 26, and 28, April 2, 4, and 9, and noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 16 and 23, March 2, 9 and 30, and April 6.

Appointments are required and scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 410-871-3344 or ext. 3344 on campus. Leave a message and someone will return your call. To contact VITA via e-mail: vitatax@mcdaniel.edu.

Although it has been three months since Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the New Jersey Shore, residents there continue to recover. Perrie White, a senior Sociology major, from Mantoloking, N.J., whose town was devastated during Sandy, decided to spend her Jan Term giving back to her neighbors in need.

White spent nearly eight hours a day, six days a week, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Bay Head, N.J., leading 150 volunteers at the church, managing donations and serving between 250 and 300 meals daily.

“At first, I didn't know what I was going to do to fulfill my Jan Term requirement,” White said. “But, then, my advisor Dr. Dundes (Sociology professor) gave me the idea of volunteering at home. Since my mom is heavily involved in the community, she helped get me in touch with the church. This is the only church in the area that made it through the storm, so it has been bombarded with donations of food and other supplies, and really needed someone to help manage the day-to-day activities.”

During her time there, she was even interviewed by local newspapers and several filmmakers documenting the hurricane’s aftermath. 

While she was on-campus at McDaniel during Sandy, she was hearing about what was happening to her hometown and, as she said, “really wanted to go home.” She left McDaniel a few days after the storm, and was there with her parents when they witnessed the destruction for the first time.

“It was awful,” she recounted. “Although my family is displaced while we renovate our house, I was lucky. There are people who have nothing left.

“This has been a bittersweet situation. I never would have stepped foot in this church otherwise. In some ways, it is the best thing that could have happened. I've discovered that I enjoy helping and being depended on by others. I am thinking that I might look into a career in national disaster planning after graduation in May.”