St. Mary’s College of Maryland recently hosted a visit by a delegation from Pärnu County, Estonia, visiting St. Mary’s County. In 2019, St. Mary’s County formally established a “sister county” relationship with its Baltic counterparts, and this visit was part of the collaboration the relationship was meant to establish.
The group of 15 was briefed on several programs at the College. They were welcomed by Interim Associate Provost and Professor of Biology Jeffrey Byrd, who gave an overview of what it means to be the National Public Honors College and the liberal arts focus of the College. He also discussed the new marine science major and the research vessel that is slated for support of that program.
Also briefing the delegation were Associate Professor of Chemistry Troy Townsend ’07 and Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy Antonio Ugues Jr. Townsend’s topics included the close interaction between students and faculty and the opportunity for students to participate in hands-on research or internships, while Ugues described how the Center for the Study of Democracy partners with the community to provide informative programming, as well as the curricular and professional opportunities offered in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy.
Later that same evening, the delegation visited the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.
As part of their two-and-a-half day tour, the delegation visited a variety of locations around the county, meeting with officials in municipal government, economic development, emergency management, education and more.
