FROM LEFT: MARTHA E. CHURCH IN 1990; WITH STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS IN 1986; ON THE COVER OF THE WINTER 1994 ISSUE OF HOOD MAGAZINE; AT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA IN 1983.
First Woman President Remembered Fondly Martha E. Church, November 17, 1930 - January 27, 2019
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resident Emerita Martha E. Church, Ph.D., was selected as Hood’s first woman president in 1975, and became recognized as one of the 100 most effective college and university presidents in the nation. During her tenure, the College confirmed its commitment to diversity, revised its curriculum, enhanced its academic reputation, instituted a nationally recognized Honors Program, and strengthened
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services for adult learners. She also led an expansion of the Hood Graduate School, and, through state-ofthe-art technology, established the Catherine Filene Shouse Career Center as a national model. In 2017, the College dedicated the Martha E. Church Center for Community and Civic Engagement in Downtown Frederick. Under President Church’s leadership, Hood’s endowment grew from $2 million to $37 million, and
several buildings were constructed, including the Beneficial-Hodson Library and Information Technology Center, the Hodson Science link, and the Joseph A. Pastore Facilities Center. A number of buildings also received extensive renovations. “As the first female president of Hood College, she paved the way for my own presidency. Martha was a tremendous leader, mentor and friend,” said President Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D. “It was an
COURTESY OF LIBRARY ARCHIVES (4)
By Laurie Ward
