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{{Infobox University|name=St. Mary's College of Maryland|image_name= smcm-seal.png|image_size= 136px|motto=|established=1840|type=Public coeducational liberal arts college|endowment=[[United States Dollar|U.S. $]]30.3 million|president=Jane Margaret O'Brien|city=[[St. Mary's City, Maryland|St. Mary's City]]|state=[[Maryland]]|country=[[United States|USA]]|undergrad=1950|postgrad=40|faculty=134|campus=[[Rural]], 315 acres (approx. 1.3 km²)|free_label=|free=|nickname=Seahawks|affiliations=[[Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association|MAISA]]|athletics= [[NCAA]] [[Division III]]<br>13 Varsity Teams|colors= Blue {{color box|#00285C}}, Gold {{color box|#FDD017}}& White|website=[http://www.smcm.edu/ www.smcm.edu]|}}'''St. Mary's College of Maryland''', established in 1840, is a public, secular [[liberal arts college]] located in [[St. Mary's City, Maryland]]. It is a member of the [[Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges]] and designated as a Public Honors College (the only one in the state of Maryland and one of few around the U.S.). St. Mary's College is a small college, with fewer than 2,000 enrolled students. The institution offers baccalaureate degrees in 22 disciplines, of which psychology, biology, and economics are among the most popular. The institution also offers one postgraduate degree, a Masters of Arts in Teaching.<ref>[http://www.smcm.edu/edstudy/d10-MAT/index.htm/ Masters of Art in Teaching Degree program website]</ref> The college shares much of its campus with Historic St. Mary's City, the fourth site of colonization in [[British North America]] and one of the premier archaeological sites on the East Coast.

The predecessor institution was St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College (1949-1968), in turn preceded by St. Mary’s Female Seminary Junior College (1927-1949). Both of these “junior colleges” actually combined the last two years of high school and the first two years of college, making it a four-year institution. After earning an [[associate's degree| associate's degree (A.A.)]] at St. Mary's girls would often continue studies at another university, where they would study for two more years and receive a [[B.A.]]

The institution was named after St. Mary's City, the colonial site of [[Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore|Lord Baltimore]]’s Baltimore’s experiment in religious tolerance. The institution was built upon land that once had been inhabited by the colonists two hundred years before.

For roughly the first 100 years (1840-1937) of its existence, the head of St. Mary's was called the “principal.” When the school received accreditation as a junior college and included within the Maryland state budget in 1937, the term “principal” was changed to "president.” The current president is [[Jane Margaret O'Brien]].<ref>[http://www.smcm.edu/publications/styleguides/StyleWeb%20College%20Founding.doc/ College Founding]</ref> <ref>[http://www.smcm.edu/about_collegetimeline.html/ College Timeline]</ref>

St. Mary's, although a state-operated institution, is independent of the [[University System of Maryland]]; it opted out of the system in 1992 during a state-wide fiscal crisis. However, in early 2006, St. Mary's joined the University of Maryland Academic Telecommunications System (UMATS), which interconnects the University System of Maryland with several other networks, including the Internet and [[Internet2]] networks.<ref>[http://netservices.smcm.edu/internet2.php/ Net Services]</ref>

St. Mary's mascot is the Seahawk, which is a nickname for the [[osprey]]s that can be found nesting in the near off-shore areas. The school colors are Navy Blue, Yellow Gold, and White. The Seahawks compete in [[NCAA Division III]]. St. Mary's athletics are recognized for the storied varsity [[baseball]] team and the nationally-ranked varsity [[sailing]] team. ===Green initiatives==Goodpaster Hall, an academic building devoted to Chemistry, Psychology, and Educational Studies that opened in January 2008, was built to a [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design]] (LEED) rating of Silver. It is one of few "[[Green Politics|green]]" buildings in the state of Maryland.<ref>[http://www.smcm.edu/goodpaster/ Goodpaster Hall: Office of Development]</ref> Other green initiatives include a student-supported green energy referendum, campus composting, and a geothermal system in the new River Center.

"Founded on the site of Maryland’s first capital, the College stands as a living legacy to the ideals of freedom and inclusiveness. Our beautiful residential campus on the banks of the St. Mary’s River inspires our work, our play, and our commitment to the environment." <ref>[http://www.smcm.edu/about_ourphilosophy.html St. Mary's College Mission Statement]</ref>