| Good Neighbors: Washington College and Kent County--By Baird Tipson, President of Washington College |
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MICUA Matters Fall 2009
We could argue that the community benefits from our presence. Our lectures, concerts, and athletic events are open to the public, and virtually all are free. Local residents use our Miller Library. At our founding in 1782, William Smith promised that the College would be the cultural center of the Eastern Shore, and our newly renovated Gibson Center for the Arts will deliver on that promise. A study completed in 2005 found that the College pumped more than $50 million each year into the local economies. When people move to Chestertown, they often cite the College’s presence as an important factor.
Faculty, staff, and students also do their part. Our faculty members serve on the Kent County School Board and volunteer in the schools. Local nonprofits recruit our faculty and staff and often use our facilities. In fiscal 2009, 29 students on our payroll spent more than 2,000 hours working for local nonprofit organizations. Many others are involved in Character Counts or perform other types of community service.
Those of us who volunteer in this way gain not only the satisfaction of making a contribution to the place in which we work, but also the wider perspective that community involvement brings. Neighbors become fellow-workers, and fellow-workers become friends.
Recognizing that “local talent is a good investment,” Washington College has a long record of scholarship support for local students. In the past academic year, 59 Kent County residents received $756,000 in scholarship aid and 32 from Queen Anne’s County received $368,000. In addition, 23 students from five local high schools are receiving tuition waivers totaling $206,000 to permit them to earn college credit during their senior year. Combined, these students are receiving in excess of $1.3 million in scholarship assistance from the College’s institutional resources.
One of our most visible contributions to the local community is the Vincent Hynson scholarship. A master’s graduate of Washington College who died tragically young, Vincent Hynson served as community leader, teacher, pastor, and mentor to hundreds of Kent County’s young people. The Vincent Hynson Scholarship covers tuition, room, and board for a county resident who embodies the values for which Vincent Hynson stood. Presently it is funded entirely by annual contributions. In my final year at the College, I hope to raise an endowment that will enable it to continue forever. |
Washington College exists to educate students broadly in the liberal arts. As President, I focus our resources toward fulfilling that goal. But don’t we also have an obligation to the community in which we reside, an obligation to the citizens of Chestertown, Kent County, and the larger Eastern Shore?