January 27, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Gari Melchers Home & Studio Bus Trip to See Picasso

by

Bus Trip: Picasso in Richmond

Join the Friends of Belmont Wednesday, April 13 and enjoy the remarkable exhibit “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris.”  Our day trip to Richmond will showcase the beautiful newly renovated Virginia Musuem of Fine Arts. You will have time to enjoy the permanent exhibits, as well as take in the current visiting Picasso masterpieces.

Cost of the trip is $50 for members, $60 for non-members, and includes transportation and admission. Enjoy lunch on your own at one of the two musuem cafes.

Our motor coach will leave Belmont at 9 a.m. and return by 4 p.m.

Registration deadline is March 30. Registration Form

For questions, please contact Special Events Coordinator Betsy Labar at 540-654-1848.

Mindy Erchull

by

Mindy Erchull, assistant professor of psychology, has received the 2011 Psi Chi Southeastern Regional Faculty Advisor Award for her active involvement as the university’s Psi Chi chapter advisor.

The award is presented annually to one Psi Chi faculty advisor per region who best demonstrates Psi Chi’s purpose of encouraging excellence in scholarship, particularly in psychology, and advancing the science of psychology. The Psi Chi Southeast region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia. Erchull’s award was announced during UMW’s Psi Chi spring induction ceremony on March 10.

Since becoming the university’s Psi Chi advisor in 2006, Erchull has facilitated programs already in place and helped chapter officers to add more workshops to assist students in preparing for graduate school and job applications. In addition, she has traveled with past chapter presidents to national leadership conferences sponsored by Psi Chi, and the university chapter was under Erchull’s guidance when the group received a regional chapter award in spring 2010.

In addition to serving as the chapter’s advisor, Erchull has served as a faculty consultant to Psi Chi for three years, reviewing grant and award applications and serving as a reviewer for the “Psi Chi Student Research Journal.” In addition, Erchull has served as president of the campus Phi Beta Kappa chapter and has been a member or a convener of several Phi Beta Kappa committees.

In 2010, she received the Mary Roth Walsh Teaching the Psychology of Women Award at the American Psychological Association Convention. The award, sponsored by the Society for the Psychology of Women, recognizes a young faculty member who employs innovative methods to address issues of diversity in teaching the psychology of women.

Erchull, a member of the UMW faculty since 2005, received a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in social psychology from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Connecticut College. Her research focuses on such issues as objectification, feminism and psychological aspects of reproductive health.

She has been a reviewer for the Association for Women in Psychology, the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, and the American Psychological Association conference submissions and a reviewer for publications that include “Sex Roles,” “Women’s Studies” and “Health Care for Women International.” She is also a consulting editor for “Psychology of Women Quarterly.” Her own articles have appeared in “Psychology of Women Quarterly,” “Sex Roles” and “Health Psychology,” among other academic journals.

Erchull is co-chair of the Hyde Graduate Student Research Grants Committee for the Society for the Psychology of Women. Her professional memberships include the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, Association for Women in Psychology, Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Virginia Academy of Academic Psychologists and the Virginia Psychological Association.

Five Faculty Presented at Conference

by

Five UMW faculty members presented papers at the 2011 International Conference on Global Management Studies held Feb. 28 and March 1 in Las Vegas. The conference was organized by the Association of Global Management Studies and co-sponsored by the UMW College of Business.

Mukesh Srivastava, associate dean of the College of Business (COB) and associate professor, chaired the conference and presented the paper “Co-Creation Methodologies in a Matrix Organization: A Hermeneutic Approach.”

Faleh Alshameri, visiting assistant professor in the COB, presented his paper “Automated Metadata for Image Mining.”

Louis Martinette, associate professor in the COB, presented his co-authored paper “The Relationship Between Learning Orientation and Business Performance and the Moderating Effect of Competitive Advantage in Service Organizations.”

John St.Clair, director of distance and blended learning, presented his paper “Student Interest in Online Courses at a Liberal Arts University.”

Xiaofeng Zhao, assistant professor in the COB, presented his paper “A Queuing Theory Based Model to Estimate the Variability of Waiting Time in Supply Chain Operations.”

Of the 67 papers submitted, 22 from seven countries—Australia, Canada, China, Iran, New Zealand, Singapore and the U.S.—were accepted for presentation. Find more information about the conference and the Association of Global Management Studies (AGMS) at www.association-gms.org.

The AGMS promotes research and advances the knowledge of global management educators, researchers and practitioners. Founded in 2009 by Srivastava, it publishes the “International Journal of Global Management Studies” and the “International Journal of Global Management Studies Professional.” Both journals are listed in Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities and are available online via EBSCO’s Business Source Complete database.

To enhance global outreach, development of a regional AGMS chapter is underway in China. The chapter will be led jointly by a Chinese university and a member of the College of Business.

The 3rd international conference of the AGMS will be held in 2012 at the Harvard Faculty Club, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The strategic direction for the conference will be “A Conference of Choice and Quality” for academics and practitioner scholars globally.

Professors at Book Festival

by

Four University of Mary Washington faculty authors will speak at the 17th annual Virginia Festival of the Book, to be held March 16 through 20 in Charlottesville. Professors Claudia Emerson, Jeffrey McClurken, Debra Schleef and Steve Watkins will participate in readings and panel discussions.

Jeffrey W. McClurken will present his book “Take Care of the Living: Reconstructing Confederate Veteran Families in Virginia” (2009) as part of the panel discussion and session “Civil War: Going to War and Its Aftermath” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16 at the University of Virginia (UVA) Bookstore at 400 Emmet Street South. McClurken is associate professor and chair of history and American studies.

Debra J. Schleef will participate in the reading and panel discussion during the session “Political and Social Trends in the South” at noon on Saturday, March 19 at the UVA Bookstore. Schleef, associate professor of sociology and chair of sociology and anthropology, is author of “Latinos in Dixie: Class and Assimilation in Richmond, Virginia” (2009).

Steve Watkins will read and serve on the discussion panel titled “Fiction: Young Adult Novels—Great Reading for All Ages!” at noon on March 19 at the Village School at 215 East High Street. Watkins, professor of English, is author of the Golden Kite Award-winning “Down Sand Mountain” (2008) and the 2011 novel “What Comes After.” Watkins will sign his books at the Children’s and Young Adult Author Dessert Reception at 7 p.m. Friday, March 18 at Charlottesville Catholic School.

Claudia Emerson will read and moderate the session “Best New Poets 2010” at 4 p.m. on March 19 at the UVA Bookstore. Emerson, professor of English and Arrington distinguished chair of poetry, is author of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning “Late Wife” and “Figure Studies” (2008).

All programs at the festival are open to the public and, with the exception of a few ticketed events, are free of charge. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities produces the festival, which is described as the largest gathering of authors, writers and readers in the state. For more information, visit www.vabook.org or call (434) 924-7548.

Multicultural Fair 2011 Saturday, April 9

by

The Multicultural Fair generally attracts 3,000 to 4,000 people each year, and exemplifies UMW’s commitment to enhancing multicultural awareness. The Fair provides an entire day devoted to multicultural entertainment, children’s activities, international and American food, and ethnic craft vendors. Each year the Multicultural Student Affairs and James Farmer Multicultural Center work closely with UMW student organizations, faculty and staff in planning festivities. The University also partners with the greater Fredericksburg community, which plays an integral role in  successfully implementing the fair.

UMW Professor Receives Regional Award

by

Mindy Erchull, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington, has received the 2011 Psi Chi Southeastern Regional Faculty Advisor Award for her active involvement as the university’s Psi Chi chapter advisor.

UMW Student Researches Pathogens in Hopes of Saving Lives

by

As a University of Mary Washington student, Thien Phan is pursuing a scientific breakthrough that could one day save thousands of lives. A senior biology major, Phan is conducting research in conjunction with the biology department’s phage hunters course, which is offered at certain colleges as part of the National Genomics Research Initiative. In 2008, the university became one of the first schools in the nation to be selected to participate in nationwide initiative, which is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance.

Marketing the UMW Experience

by

Learn the results of the UMW on line marketing survey conducted in February, and hear how UMW is planning to enhance our image and reputation in the months ahead. Educational Marketing Group consultants Bob and Marlene Brock will present their findings and observations about our university on Thursday, March 17, 11:30-12:30, in Lee Hall 411. Everyone is welcome.

Afro-Latin American Women’s Writings in Latin America

by

March 29, 2011 :: Lee Hall, 411 :: 6 p.m.

The legacy of Black women’s writings in Latin American remains at best one of the least known bodies of literature in the Americas. This presentation takes up that issue as it seeks to confront some of the situations that surround that body of work, at times paying special attention to the writers themselves. Presented by Dr. Dawn Duke, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at The University of Tennessee . Dr. Duke specializes in Afro-Latin American literature and cultural studies.

New Faculty Publication

by

The UMW Bookstore would like to invite you to a special book signing event.  UMW Professor of Modern Languages, Jim F. Gaines will be available to answer questions and sign copies of his new book, “Moliere and Paradox:  Skepticism and Theater in the Early Modern Age.” This event will be held in the bookstore on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from 3 to 5 p.m.