Signature Centers

At Washington College’s three Signature Centers, students find themselves at a dynamic intersection of academics and hands-on learning in the real world.

Each center is linked to a broad intellectual community and provides programming, events, internships, and coursework that complement the College’s diverse academic departments and programs. They grow from three primary areas of focus: the environment—the Center for Environment & Society; literature and writing—the Rose O’Neill Literary House; and history—the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

Center for Environment & Society

Our vision is a Chesapeake Bay and watershed that is healthy and thriving; one in which natural systems and human communities are in balance. Our interdisciplinary academic programs promote the integration of environmental issues, social values, and good old river mud.

The Center for Environment & Society offers internships and fellowships in the great outdoors. The Center is also home to the:

• Chester River Watershed Observatory
• Chester River Field Research Station
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program
• Past Is Present Archaeology Lab

The Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past and present. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

The Rose O’Neill Literary House 

The Lit House is one of the cultural hubs of the campus. It offers literary programming across disciplines, spaces to study and to hold class, professional mentorship and guidance for students, and training in new and antique printing technologies. The Lit House helps students grow as artists and to envision the lives they can have as writers, editors, and publishers.

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