Jane Sypher to Address Annual Women’s History Month Event, March 18
The former dean of the College of Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown Campus and community activist Jane Hale Sypher will be recognized with a scholarship named in her honor at the St. Mary’s Commission for Women’s annual dinner banquet March 18 at the Dr. James Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown. Sypher will also give the keynote address at this year’s “Writing Women Back into History” themed event.
“It is exciting, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the CSM Foundation, to see Jane honored for her contributions to education in St. Mary’s County,” said CSM Vice President of Advancement Michelle Goodwin, who worked closely with Sypher during her years at CSM. “The naming of this scholarship acknowledges Jane as a woman who has made an enormous impact on the lives of many students. With this scholarship, her contributions to education will continue.”
Sypher, a life-long resident of St. Mary’s County, began her career in secondary education as a teacher at Great Mills High School, where she also held positions as career education coordinator and assistant principal. She was acting principal at Leonardtown High School before being named assistant dean and then dean of CSM’s Leonardtown Campus beginning in 1992.
Sypher retired in 2004 after 30 years of work in both the public school system and CSM. She holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a master’s degree from Bowie State University. She served as the first female president of Lexington Park Rotary, secretary of St. Mary’s County Democratic Club, board member for St. Mary’s Hospital and was a onetime St. Mary’s oyster king.
As CSM dean, Sypher oversaw not only the growth of the student population and size of the Leonardtown Campus but also the growth in prominence of the college within the community.
The St. Mary’s County Commission for Women (CFW) established the Jane Hale Sypher Scholarship at CSM to provide annual scholarships to returning students from St. Mary’s County. Funding for the scholarship will come from donations and contributions collected by CFW at its annual Women’s History Month Banquet.
The banquet starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person and reservations must be made by Monday, March 8. To order tickets, contact Stephanie Figeroux, St. Mary’s County Department of Human Services, at 301-475-4200, ext. 1849.