Hood is particularly well-regarded for its science laboratories, as well as for the strong, collaborative relationships between the College and the nearby Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center of the National Institutes of Health, an internationally renowned research facility. Other specialized resources include art studios, Georgetown Hill at Hood College Lab School, the moot courtroom, the Virginia Munson Hammell '67 Trading Room, specialized nursing labs, and music study and performance facilities. These, together with other specialized facilities and opportunities, are described in the Undergraduate Programs and Courses of Study section of this catalog, within academic departmental listings.
The Center for the Humanities
The Center for the Humanities organizes and funds programs and educational opportunities focusing on the humanities for the Hood community. Students are offered the opportunity to enhance course study with free admission to cultural performances and activities. The Janice E. Cole Writing Prize is awarded annually by the Center to the best essay on a subject in the humanities. Humanities faculty coordinate interdisciplinary studies among the humanities disciplines.
The Beneficial-Hodson Library and Learning Commons
The Beneficial-Hodson Library and Learning Commons supports scholarship at Hood College by serving the research, teaching, and learning needs of students and faculty. The Learning Commons centralizes the academic support programs of the Library, Information Technology, and the Josephine Steiner Student Success Center.
The library is located conveniently near the academic buildings on campus and online through the library’s home page (www.hood.edu/library/). From the website, students can access full-text scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, electronic books, and other digital content. In addition to the 170,000+ volumes housed in the library, Hood students and faculty have access to print and electronic materials at other libraries through its robust interlibrary loan program, which facilitates borrowing from libraries across the globe.
Students have a choice of study environments in the library. Study carrels, computer stations, lounge chairs, and large tables offer varied settings for individual study. The library also has a number of group study rooms available; some offer small, intimate spaces, while others offer large collaborative spaces. The Learning Commons now features a self-serve café to help support long stays in the library.
Library staff are available to assist students, through in-person sessions, both walk-in and by appointment, or virtually through text messaging, instant messaging, email, video conferencing, and telephone. Subject-specific research guides are available on the library website, as well as citation guidelines, copyright and privacy policies, and other instructional tools. Group library instruction is provided by Research & Instruction Librarians both in the classroom and in the library computer lab. Faculty may arrange information literacy sessions at any time during the year.
Students can also explore and conduct research on Hood College history, through historical school records, photographs, and related documents held in the Hood College Special Collections and Archive, located on the 2nd floor.
Library hours vary to accommodate campus needs throughout the year. Students can access the library during closed hours by scanning their Hood ID at the front doors. The library's hours can be found on its web site at www.hood.edu/library/.
The Information Technology Center
The Information Technology Center is conveniently located on the first floor of the Beneficial-Hodson Library and Learning Commons building for students, faculty, and staff. The center is comprised of the IT help desk and support personnel and is open to all campus constituents during normal business hours. IT support staff are available to troubleshoot technical issues and answer questions concerning the Beneficial-Hodson Library and Learning Commons technology, technology found in computer labs and technology found in critical study spaces across campus.
Among the College’s highest priorities is helping students prepare to function productively in a knowledge-based society. With this goal in mind, the College has advanced the role of technology from being one of purely administrative to one of core importance, both academically and administratively. Every student has access to a Microsoft Office 365 Cloud account, including a suite of productivity applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. High-speed internet service is available to every student as well as 1 TB of file storage without a technology fee. Secure Wi-Fi is available throughout campus and supports BYOD and gaming under the College’s AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). Visitor Wi-Fi is also available for guests while on campus.
All technology services are accessible from classrooms and residence halls and from off campus via the Internet. Students can use personal devices in the residence halls to access the Internet, send email, print documents, and consult course materials. The College uses the Blackboard Learning Management System to publish instructor course content and make academic resources available to students using the Internet and the Beneficial-Hodson Library and Learning Commons academic databases. Access to all streaming services are supported on the campus network as well as support for popular gaming devices and services.
The College embraces the concept of technology-enhanced “Living Learning Centers” by locating a small computer lab in each residence hall. These centers include both Windows and Apple technology as well as a high-speed, networked printer. The College features 32 computer labs located throughout campus. In total, all labs provide more than 500 desktop and laptop computers along with a sophisticated software suite of applications. Nine of the computer labs are open to students, while the remaining computer labs focus on specific academic disciplines.
Every computer lab has a laser printer and other technical resources needed to support academic printing needs. Discipline-specific labs include biology, molecular modeling, general and organic chemistry, mathematics, geographic information system (GIS), nursing simulators, coastal studies, Linux computing, cybersecurity, bioinformatics, communication arts, sociology, and video editing. All of these special labs have sophisticated, domain-specific software that enhance the learning process and extend students’ analytical resources. To extend the reach of academic computing labs, the College implemented a Virtual Computer Lab (VCL) to complement existing on-campus labs. The Hood VCL allows students to access specialized software suites from any location, on a 24/7 basis.
The Shirley Conner Hardinge Center for Global and International Studies
The Shirley Conner Hardinge Center for Global and International Studies enhances the teaching, learning, and research of global issues at Hood College. The Center develops innovative ways to educate students in a world where a global perspective and cross-cultural understanding are essential to effective leadership within all disciplines. The Center funds scholarships for students studying abroad, provides funding for students and faculty engaged in international/global research, supports the development of short-term international programs, funds a yearly international visiting scholar, and funds awards recognizing outstanding contributions to global studies. In addition, the Center supports curricular and co-curricular programming and initiatives in various majors and minors broadly related to Global and International Studies.
The Tidball Center for the Study of Educational Environments
The Tidball Center for the Study of Educational Environments is housed in Alumnae Hall. It contains materials accumulated by former trustee Dr. M. Elizabeth Tidball during 25 years of research on collegiate learning environments. These include books, commissioned databases, educational journals, and speeches. Since 1992, Dr. Charles S. Tidball has become a colleague in research on the baccalaureate origins of accomplished graduates. In addition, the Small College Database he has developed is an online resource of the Center.