By Amelia Bickel
News Co-Editor
President Dr. Bryan Matthews ’75 M’86 P’12 is absolutely no stranger to the Washington College community.
Current students will recognize Matthews from his previous year as the Interim President, but he also brings over 25 years of experience with the College to his new position.
Over the years, he has served the College in various roles: Director of Athletics, Assistant to the President for Special Projects, and Interim Vice President and Dean of Students. After his tenure as Interim President, the Washington College Board of Visitors and Governors unanimously appointed Matthews to the permanent position, as announced in May 2026.
Matthews’ term will last three years, effective May 2026 through June 2029. He looks forward to having a definite amount of time to work with the College.
“The difference with becoming permanent President versus Interim is that I now have a clearly defined window of time to work with,” Matthews said. “This means planning can be approached within that framework.”
Though Matthews has been intertwined with WC and the surrounding community for years, his experience as Interim gave him the chance to learn from the inside how WC has changed, identify challenges and opportunities, and determine where resources can be best devoted.
“I am proud of the way the students, faculty, and staff approached last year,” Matthews said. “I found a college of dedicated, enthusiastic, and committed people who love this college — as I do.”
Matthews’ number-one goal for the College is raising enrollment numbers.
“Not only is Washington College a more vibrant place with more students, but with a primarily tuition-driven budget, the financial strength and stability is greatly impacted by having more students,” Matthews said.
With a new recruitment system in the works, he aims to adapt the College’s strategies to suit the evolving ways prospective students search for and select their colleges.
“Everyone [at WC] has a great story to tell to prospective students and their parents, we need to find more/better ways to share our stories,” Matthews said. “Technology provides new tools to help, but the secret sauce is in people and relationships.”
However, Matthews does not intend to sacrifice the uniqueness of the College to attract more students.
“Washington College has never been the right place for everyone, and we don’t need [it] to be,” he said. “For those of us who were fortunate enough to find it…we understand how special it is.”
Instead, Matthews aims to showcase WC’s differences and spread awareness about the type of education and experience that the College offers.
“When I think of us as a premier liberal arts institution, I don’t think of us having to change who we are,” Matthews said. “I think of us having to brand, market, promote, and generally share our story in bigger and better ways so that a much larger piece of the college-bound world learns about us. We should be known for the many ways that we are distinctive.”
Matthews also hopes to strengthen WC’s connection to the community and Eastern Shore.
Outside of his service to the College, Matthews has been involved with the Kent County community for years, in leadership roles such as Vice President of KRM Development Corporation and director of community and government relations for the Dixon Group, according to the College’s website.
Matthews has also served as President of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce and is currently on the boards for the Mid Shore Community Foundation and Kent County Character Counts.
“I have lived most of my adult life in Kent County and Chestertown — by choice. I have seen the impact that the College has on Chestertown and vice versa,” he said. “The two have grown together for 244 years and we need each other.”
Matthews’ Inauguration will take place on the campus green Friday, Sept. 25 at 4 p.m. RSVP by Sept. 15 to attend.
Photo caption: President Matthews looks forward to his years ahead with Washington College
Photo by Hope Benjamin