University of Mary Washington faculty, staff and students hit the ground running this year, sharing their academic specialties and love for what they do over the airwaves. Since the first days of January, their voices have contributed to the live broadcasts and pre-recorded podcasts that weave their way into home conversations, office discussions and the morning commute.
UMW experts transmitted their thoughts, offering insights on topics like map-making and artificial intelligence, and issuing invitations to on-campus events. Here – touting their zeal for everything from recruiting students to leading the school – are some of them:
Biz Beat Banter: UMW President Troy Paino: On Jan. 10, UMW President Troy Paino spoke with Bill Freehling, host of the Fredericksburg Advance’s Biz Beat Banter podcast. The 45-minute conversation covered highlights of Paino’s career before his 2016 arrival at Mary Washington, his duties as president and his goals for the University.
“I felt that what would give my life the most meaning is if I was doing something where I was investing in other people’s lives,” Paino said of his journey to college presidency and his George Washington Hall corner office. “Education is an opportunity to invest in other people and to be a part of an enterprise that at its core is hope. You’re dealing with young people at a stage of life where it’s all before them.”
Town Talk/UMW’s Great Lives: On Jan. 21, UMW’s Scott Harris, director of the William B. Crawley Great Lives lecture series, joined host Ted Schubel on the Town Talk radio show, aired live from WFVA’s Stafford County studio. The hour-long broadcast explored Mary Washington’s signature lecture series, which features – for free – presentations by biographers on their celebrated subjects. Speakers present on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 3 in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.
“When you take biography as a vehicle, it helps give you a much more grounded sense of how the past evolved, and people can relate,” Harris, who also serves as executive director of UMW Museums, said on the show. “People like hearing stories about other people.” Read more.