May 2025

Greetings,

April was a busy month as we hosted The Patuxent Defense Forum with The Patuxent Partnership. continued The Aməricas Dialogue & Africa Series and welcomed Sophie Marinez for Birthright Citizenship, Dictatorships, and the 1937 Anti-Black Genocide in the Dominican Republic. We co-sponsored the second Civil Rights Panel, "What Does Justice for All Look Like?" and had Belinda Kong present SARS Stories: Affect and Archive of the 2003 Pandemic as part of the Asia Series. As part of our civic engagement activities, we hosted the National Civics Bee with the St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce at the end of March.

For more information regarding the Center for the Study of Democracy, please visit our website, send us an email and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Warm regards,

Antonio Ugues Jr., PhD

Director, Center for the Study of Democracy

Congratulations Dr. Ugues!

At the St. Mary's College of Maryland Awards Convocation on Friday, April 11, 2025, Dr. Ugues received the Homer L. Dodge Award for Outstanding Service. This impressive award was established in 1985 by the late Norton T. Dodge, faculty emeritus, to recognize efforts to enhance and improve the College. He was introduced by Argelia González-Hurtado, associate professor of Spanish and presented the award by Nancy R. Dodge.

by Argelia Hurtado-Gonzalez

Dr. Antonio Ugues Jr. is a dedicated educator, researcher, and proud Latino leader at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Dr. Ugues is the Chair of the Political Science and Public Policy Department and the Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy.

Since becoming director in 2019, Tony has transformed the Center through close collaboration with faculty, students, and the community, creating innovative programs focused on media literacy, Africa and African Diaspora studies, Asian Studies, and the Americas. His leadership has enriched our campus community by organizing over 100 events that have spark meaningful conversations about democracy, justice, and civic engagement in local, national, and global contexts.

Beyond his transformative work with the Center, Tony is a humble person of integrity who thinks and acts with intent. He is a thoughtful leader who deeply values his students and colleagues. His efforts have made St. Mary’s a place where ideas flourish, diverse voices are heard, and all members of the community feel inspired and engaged. He truly

embodies the values of service, scholarship, and community.

Please join us in celebrating our colleague and friend, Dr. Antonio Ugues Jr. for his outstanding service contributions.

It Pays to Bee Knowledgeable in Civics

On March 29, 2025, we welcomed nineteen 6th, 7th and 8th graders to campus to flex their civics knowledge. The Center co-sponsored the event in conjunction with The St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce who partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host the civics competition. There were cash prizes awarded to the winners and every student went home with a new tablet.

Finalists will be invited to Washington, DC in the Fall to compete in the national championship. Congratulations to all!

Congrats Aidan!

Aidan Trump, student assistant at the CSD, is graduating with degrees in Public Policy and Political Science. He has served as the secretary for the St. Mary's College Habitat for Humanity (H4H) club and has been a part of the college's newspaper, The Point News. Aidan has worked at the Center for the past year and has been a great asset. Thank you for all of your hard work and contributions!

Farewell for now

The time has come. Spring semester has flown by in the blink of an eye and now we must bid adieu to the 2024-2025 school year. It is both bittersweet and exciting, and means that summer is right around the corner!

As some students graduate and many head home for summer break, our monthly newsletter will take a break as well. We will not be sending a newsletter out in June or July, but look for it in your inbox again when school starts back up in August. There will be more exciting events to share with you that are coming up in the Fall.

We wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing and fun break and look forward to seeing you in August!