Washington College Washington College is a private , independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown , Maryland , on the Eastern Shore . Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782 . George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the " College at Chester " named in his honor , through generous financial support , and through service on the college ' s Board of Visitors and Governors . Washington College is the 10th - oldest college in the United States and was the first college chartered after American independence . The school became coeducational in 1891 . History . Washington College evolved from the Kent County Free School , an institution of more than 60 years ’ standing in “ Chester Town , ” which by the college ’ s founding date of 1782 had reached considerable strength and importance as a port city . George Washington consented to the fledgling college ’ s use of his name , pledged the sum of 50 guineas to its establishment , and extended his warm wishes for the “ lasting and extensive usefulness ” of the institution . He would later serve on Washington College ’ s Board of Visitors and Governors — his only such involvement with an institution of higher learning during his lifetime . The college ’ s first president , the Reverend William Smith , was a prominent figure in colonial affairs of letters and church , and he had a wide acquaintance among the great men of colonial days including Benjamin Franklin . Joining General Washington on the Board of Visitors and Governors of the new college were such distinguished figures as U . S . Senator John Henry , Congressman Joshua Seney and his Excellency William Paca , Governor of Maryland . The Maryland legislature granted its first college charter upon Washington College in May 1782 . The following spring , on May 14 , 1783 , the college held its first commencement . With his election as first President of the United States , General Washington retired from the Board of Visitors and Governors and accepted the honorary degree of doctor of laws , which a delegation from Chestertown presented to him on June 24 , 1789 , in New York , then the seat of Congress . Since Washington ’ s last visit to campus , Washington College has hosted five U . S . presidents : Franklin Delano Roosevelt , Harry S Truman , Dwight Eisenhower , John F . Kennedy and George H . W . Bush . The original college building , opened in 1788 , was destroyed by fire January 11 , 1827 . The oldest existing building — Middle Hall — was erected in 1844 on the site of the original college building . By 1860 , Middle Hall was joined by East and West Halls . All three structures , known as the Hill Dorms , are on the Maryland Register of Historic Places . Academics . Student body and admissions . For the 2011 - 2012 academic year , 56 . 6 % of applicants were accepted to the college . Approximately 1 , 400 undergraduate s and 100 graduate student s attend Washington College , 47 percent from Maryland and the balance from 35 other states and forty foreign nations . Approximately 8 percent of the American undergraduates are minority students and approximately 8 percent are international citizens . Approximately 5 percent of the college ' s student body is " non - traditional " ( 25 years old or older ) . Approximately 80 percent of all students live in college residence halls ; the rest commute either from off - campus housing or from home . Tuition for the 2012 - 2013 year is $ 39 , 208 and total expenses per annum ( including room , board , and fees ) are $ 48 , 768 . Approximately 85 percent of the student body receives some form of need - based financial aid or merit - based scholarship award . The cost of attendance has been rising in recent years , with the overall costs ( including room and board ) increasing by roughly $ 2 , 000 per year . Rankings . Washington College has had a regional reputation for excellence for some time , especially in Maryland . However , under the new president , Mitchell Reiss , greater national recognition is the goal . The fruits of this effort are visible with Washington College ' s recent ranking among the top liberal arts institutions in the United States according to " U . S . News " rankings . In the 2011 edition of " U . S . News & World Report " Best Colleges , Washington College rose 19 positions to 93rd in the nation in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category . Literary prizes . Each year , Washington College awards the nation ' s largest undergraduate literary prize . Since 1968 , the Sophie Kerr Prize has been presented to one graduating senior who demonstrates the greatest literary promise . The endowment created by Sophie Kerr , a writer who published 23 novels and dozens of short stories , has provided more than $ 1 . 4 million in prize money to young writers . At a ceremony held at the Poets House in New York City on May 17 , 2011 , Lisa Jones was selected as the winner of the $ 61 , 000 Sophie Kerr Prize . In 2005 , Washington College inaugurated another literary prize , the George Washington Book Prize , administered by the college ' s C . V . Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and awarded in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and George Washington ' s Mount Vernon . The prize is awarded annually to the most significant new book about the founding era . At $ 50 , 000 , the prize is one of the most generous book awards in the United States . Richard Beeman won the 2010 George Washington Book Prize for his work , " Plain , Honest Men : The Making of the American Constitution . " Student life . The school has over 90 student clubs . freshmen , unless local , are required to live on - campus . On - campus housing is available for approximately 900 students . Most students ( 70 - 75 percent ) stay on - campus over the weekend to participate in various social and recreational activities . Approximately 30 percent of students attend graduate school in the first year following graduation and approximately 45 percent do so within five years . Student / faculty ratio : 12 / 1 . Average class size is 17 . The school confers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts , Bachelor of Science , and Master of Arts ( in English , psychology and history ) . Sustainability initiatives are branded George Goes Green and include a green pledge , recycling , composting , an annual energy reduction competition , and use of biofuels . Washington College has also joined American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment with a Campus Carbon Neutrality goal . The Center for Environment & Society oversees the Chesapeake Semester program , four interdisciplinary courses that use the College ' s location in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to explore environmental issues and advocacy . Washington College is host to the Harwood Series , which includes speeches by national politicians , and media pundits . In recent years , Haley Barbour , Howard Dean , John McCain , James Carville , Cokie Roberts , Chris Matthews , Ellen Sauerbrey , Donna Shalala , Eugene McCarthy , Cornel West , Birch Bayh , Gary Hart , Richard Lugar , John F . Kennedy Jr . and Karl Rove have appeared on campus . Entertainers such as the Counting Crows , Bruce Hornsby , Eddy Arnold , Wayne Brady , Jason Mraz , DJ Kool , Guster , Nick Swardson , Jamie Kennedy , Gym Class Heroes and Larry Hagman have all appeared on campus in one capacity or another . Because of its reputation as a liberal arts school with creative writing being a strength , writers such as John Barth , Ray Bradbury , Bobbie Ann Mason , Colum McCann , Junot Diaz , and Robert Pinsky have given readings at the campus . Greek Life . Greek life at Washington College comprises four men ' s fraternities and three women ' s sororities , fraternities are mainly housed on the " quad " , and sororities line the " Western Shore " housing . Men ' s fraternities Sororities Traditions . George Washington Birthday Ball : A college - wide dance where students , faculty , staff , alumni , and friends of the college come together to celebrate George Washington ' s birthday . The event usually takes place on , or around , the actual date of George Washington ' s birth . Formal dress is required for all in attendance . The All Campus Picnic : A carnival held for the students and community members before the beginning of the academic year . The Renaissance Christmas Dinner : Held before the beginning of Winter Break and features performances by the Early Music Consort and Vocal Consort of the College . War on the Shore : The annual men ' s lacrosse game , held in late spring between Washington College and Salisbury University , two of Maryland ' s Eastern Shore ' s undergraduate schools . Beginning in 2004 , the winner of the game has been awarded the Charles B . Clark Cup . May Day : Started in 1968 by Professor Bennett Lamond of the English Department , who retired in 2004 . He brought a class out onto the green , where they read poetry and drank wine . Later that night some of the students returned , and Washington College ' s May Day celebration was born . Since then , May Day has become a two - day festival on April 30 and May 1 , often involving public nudity by a percentage of the student body . The event draws many students as spectators . Notable alumni and affiliates . The college boasts of a notable list of persons who served on the original Board of visitors and governors , including : Athletics . Varsity sports . Washington College has competed in intercollegiate athletics since the 19th century . Its oldest current varsity sports are the baseball team , which dates back to at least the early 1870s , and the men ' s basketball team , which plays its 100th season in 2011 - 12 . Men ' s teams are known as the Shoremen ; women ' s teams are known as the Shorewomen . Fourteen of Washington College ' s 17 varsity teams compete in the Centennial Conference . The men ' s and women ' s rowing teams compete in the Mid - Atlantic Rowing Conference ( MARC ) , while the sailing team competes in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association ( MAISA ) , a part of the Inter - Collegiate Sailing Association ( ICSA ) . The college ' s 17 varsity teams are : The college is known athletically for its men ' s lacrosse team . It won the 1998 NCAA Division III National Championship and a share of the 1954 USILA Laurie Cox Division National Championship . The men ' s lacrosse team has participated in the NCAA Division II or III Tournament 28 times since 1974 and the NCAA Division III Championship game eight times . Washington College Men ' s Lacrosse players have earned All - America honors 226 times . The men ' s lacrosse team , along with the women ' s lacrosse , men ' s and women ' s soccer , and field hockey teams , competes on Kibler Field at Roy Kirby , Jr . Stadium . Completed in 2006 , the stadium was named one of the top 10 venues for collegiate lacrosse by Lacrosse Magazine . The college ' s men ' s tennis team emerged as a national power in the 1980s and won the 1994 and 1997 NCAA Division III National Championships . It has competed in 18 NCAA Division III Tournaments and won 20 conference championships since 1986 . From 1985 until 2005 , the team won 122 consecutive conference dual matches . Washington College men ' s tennis players have earned All - America honors 42 times , while their female counterparts have earned All - America honors 11 times . The women ' s tennis team competed in the 1992 NCAA Division III Tournament . Both tennis teams play their home matches outdoors at the Ellen Bordley Schottland Tennis Center . During inclement weather , matches are played indoors at the Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center . Washington College ' s women ' s rowing team qualified for the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Division III Championships as an at - large eight , while the men ' s rowing team won the 2010 Mid - Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship . The sailing team competed in the ICSA Co - Ed National Semifinals in 2008 , 2009 , and 2010 and advanced to the ICSA Co - Ed National Championship Finals in 2009 . The rowing and sailing teams host regattas on the Chester River and call the college ' s Truslow Boat House and Lelia Hynson Boating Park home . The swim teams have enjoyed a history of success sending individual swimmers to the NCAA Division III Championships . Female swimmers have earned All - America honors 21 times , while male swimmers have achieved that feat three times . Home swim meets are held inside Casey Swim Center . Eight baseball players who played at Washington College have gone on to play in the Major Leagues , including two - time National League home run leader and four - time All - Star " Swish " Nicholson . Athey Baseball Park , renovated in 2009 , is the home of the baseball team . The men ' s basketball team has made four appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament , most recently in 1990 , when it advanced to the national semifinals . It also posted a perfect 20 - 0 record during the 1924 - 25 season . The men ' s and women ' s basketball teams and the women ' s volleyball team play their home games inside Cain Athletic Center . The field hockey team advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1996 and 1997 , while the men ' s soccer team played in the NCAA College Division Tournament in 1973 . While men have been playing varsity sports at Washington College for well over a century , varsity opportunities for women have been a more recent development . The first varsity sports for women – rowing , tennis , and volleyball – were added in the mid - 1970s and were followed by the additions of softball , lacrosse , field hockey , and swimming by the mid - 1980s . Varsity women ' s basketball began play during the 1993 - 94 season , while co - ed sailing was elevated to varsity status four years later . The women ' s soccer team is the college ' s newest varsity sport ; it began play during the fall of 1998 . Washington College fielded a varsity football team through 1950 , a men ' s track and field team through 1982 , and a men ' s cross country team through 1989 . The college has also previously sponsored varsity men ' s golf and varsity wrestling during its history . A number of famous athletes and coaches have spoken at Washington College , including Super Bowl - winning head coach Brian Billick , Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson , and former Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver . Club , intramural , and recreational sports . Recent club sports offerings at Washington College have included : Club sports are student - run and funded by the Student Government Association . Among Washington College ' s most successful club sports is its equestrian team . Founded in 2002 , the team has been represented at collegiate national championships in both hunt seat and western riding competitions . The Men ' s Rugby Club has also enjoyed a recent surge of success and has gained national attention in both 15 ' s and 7 ' s play . The athletic department also offers a variety of intramural sports , open to the student body , faculty , and staff . Recent intramural sports have included co - ed soccer , co - ed dodgeball , co - ed flag football , co - ed basketball , co - ed volleyball , co - ed kickball , and co - ed ultimate . Recreation trips are sponsored by the athletic department and student affairs and have included white water rafting , skiing , rock - fishing , rock climbing , crabbing , camping , cycling , and water skiing and wakeboarding . Facilities . Despite the economic downturn , Washington College recently invested $ 70 million in its physical plant . In Fall 2009 , the College opened two major new facilities : The Gibson Center for the Arts and the Hodson Hall Commons . After undergoing a $ 24 million renovation and expansion of the original structure , the Gibson Center for the Arts now accommodates a recital hall , an art gallery , a mainstage theatre and a small experimental theatre in addition to classrooms , practice rooms and faculty offices . Hodson Hall Commons , another renovation / expansion project , reflects the historic features of adjoining Hodson Hall while accommodating the interests of today ’ s students . The Commons ' first floor offers a central entertainment and performance space alongside café - style dining options and the Hodson Student Center . The main dining hall is located on the Common ' s second floor , providing scenic views of the surrounding campus . Residence halls . Middle , East and West Halls stand on the crest of a low hill ( the terrace ) at the center of campus . Middle Hall ( built 1844 ) and East and West Halls ( built 1854 ) hold a special place in the history of Washington College in that they are the oldest surviving campus buildings . They serve as monuments to the original Common Building ( completed in 1789 ) , whose site they occupy . They are all three story buildings constructed of brick . They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 . They now function as follows : Other residence halls include :