Dear Parents & Families,
While we’re technically in the throes of winter, the spring semester is in full swing, with many events and activities planned, even before the warmer weather returns for good. Read on for a variety of interesting content this month, and as always don’t hesitate to send us your feedback at communication@smcm.edu.
SMCM Begins Reaccreditation Process
This year, St. Mary's College has started the process to reaffirm its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; accreditation is what allows us to confer degrees and participate in the federal financial aid system. This multi-year effort will have various phases and has opportunities for everyone in the SMCM community to be involved. For the latest information on the progress of this periodic reaccreditation process, visit the Middle States Reaccreditation website.
Seahawk Spotlight
Lights, Camera...Internship
Senior economics major Kevin Jones ’23 has made the most of his four years at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. With minors in the diverse fields of business and art, he has taken advantage of internship and work opportunities to supplement his studies, and melded those experiences into a skill set that will prepare him for a career.
It was more than the academic opportunities that attracted him to SMCM, however. After being accepted into a number of schools, it was a campus visit that ultimately sold him. “I came here for a tour before I made a decision, I liked that it seemed peaceful,” he stated. “[It] seemed like a nice switch-up from the city.” The College’s comparatively low tuition as a public institution also figured into his decision.
Kevin found his way into opportunities to apply his classroom knowledge in practical applications through his economics faculty adviser, Professor Asif Dowla, who holds the Landers Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts. “He’s a no-nonsense type of guy,” said Kevin. “He wants what’s in the student’s best interest.” At Professor Dowla’s urging, Kevin sought internships, initially with the Division of Inclusive Diversity, Equity, Access, and Accountability (IDEAA) and later with the Office of Integrated Marketing & Communications (IMC).
Those opportunities gave Kevin hands-on, practical experience, not only in the sense of technical skills, but in working with people. “I’ve been learning how to deal with people,” Kevin explained. “It's a real-world application of some of the things I’ve learned in my business classes.”
As a member of the IMC team during 2022-2023, Kevin has produced videos used by the College in its marketing and communications efforts. He figures it is good preparation for his career goals working for a brand such as Nike, a sports team, or a tech company. “Basically their marketing, but more on the creative side,” Kevin said. “Their branding, visual brand, video, photos.”
Don’t be surprised to see “Directed by Kevin Jones” on a screen near you.
From the Office of Student Success Services (OS3)
Advice: Parenting a Perfectionist
By Joanne Goldwater
Associate Dean for Retention & Student Success/Seahawk Family Liaison
Office of Student Success Services (OS3)
“Personal growth is about progress, not perfection.” (Hal Elrod, author of “The Miracle Morning”)
Many of us strive to do our best. Sometimes, we struggle and sometimes things are easy for us. When I was in high school geometry, my best was to get a C. Whew!! I wasn’t shooting for the moon. I just wanted to pass the class.
For some of our students with perfectionist tendencies, getting a C or a B is almost unthinkable. They may struggle with day-to-day tasks. To learn more about parenting a perfectionist, including what a perfectionist student looks like, how to help your student, and some suggestions for conversation starters with your student, please click here.
In the meantime, here are a few thoughts to keep in mind.
- Many people who are perfectionists actually have a fear of failure. To help reduce that fear, encourage your student to focus on the process of learning rather than the outcome.
- Perfectionists tend to set really high expectations for themselves (and others). To help your student set realistic expectations, be sure you don’t set them up with unrealistic goals (e.g. telling them that they must make all As).
- Perfectionists often live by “shoulds”. (“I should work on this paper a little longer to make it perfect, even though I missed the deadline.”) To help your student, help them focus on their needs, wants, and feelings by asking open ended questions. “What would have happened if you had submitted it the way it was?”
OS3 webinar
Please join us on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 7 PM for the next Parent/Family Zoom Webinar: "The Great Debate: SMP vs. Senior Capstone". Staff from the Office of Student Success Services (OS3) and our Peer Academic Success Strategies (PASS) Specialists will explain the St. Mary's Project (SMP) and the Senior Capstone, and provide info on the pros and cons of doing one or the other. Senior year will be here before you know it! This session will be helpful to parents and family members as well as first- and second-year students. All are welcome.
From the Center for Career & Professional Development
We are excited to share that through our CORE-P Professional Pathways program, we’ve matched your first-year student with one of our incredible alumni mentors! The Center for Career & Professional Development has partnered with the Office of Alumni Relations to expand the Mentor-a-Seahawk program through the CORE-P 102: Career & Network Navigation II classes. We have matched almost 400 students with approximately 250 alumni mentors from countries around the world. Your students and their mentors are engaging in ongoing communications to bolster your students' professionalism and networking skills.
News & Events
The Board of Trustees met on February 3 and 4, and approved a 0% increase in tuition and modest increases in mandatory fees, room, and board charges for 2023-24. This marks the 4th consecutive year of no increases in tuition. President Jordan delivered her State of the College message on February 13, with the theme of “Embracing Our Prominence.” Her address outlined the progress the College has made on several fronts of the past few years, and she outlined how the ongoing Strategic Planning Process will build on that progress in a transformational way.