Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honor society, inducted five new members. They are Nicole Cochran, Cooper Lawton, Patrick Marek, Emily Meyer, and Matthew Vasquez.
The officers for 2012-2013 are Marissa Yoder (President), Matt Cronin (Vice President), Nicole Cochran (Secretary), and Cooper Lawton (Treasurer).
Professor Robert Rycroft is chair of the Board of Trustees of Omicron Delta Epsilon.
For more than 1,000 University of Mary Washington students, this weekend marks the culmination of countless classes and years of hard work, and the transition to life as alumni.
The 101st undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held Saturday, May 12 beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle. The ceremony will feature historian and economist Neil Howe’s address and the presentation of the university’s top honors and awards. The senior convocation ceremony on Friday, May 11 will celebrate the accomplishments of the senior class with a keynote speaker and senior awards.
Shawn Boyer, founder and CEO of SnagAJob.com, will deliver the address during the commencement ceremony for graduate students on Friday, May 11. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the William M. Anderson Center, followed by a reception in the Jepson Alumni Executive Center.
For more information, visit http://www.umw.edu/commencement.
The UMW College of Business celebrated graduates and inducted several students into the National Omicron-Psi Honor Society Wednesday, May 9 at the Stafford Campus.
Dean of the College of Business, Lynne D. Richardson, presented outstanding graduate awards to four faculty-nominated students. To qualify, students had to have a minimum 3.8 GPA and have demonstrated leadership, enthusiasm, commitment, and professional potential.
Brian A. Roinestad was named the outstanding graduate in the MBA program.
“He always demonstrated considerable eagerness to learn, exceptional dedication to his learning objectives, and his always-positive attitude and behavior were worthy of emulation by his fellow students,” said his anonymous faculty nominator. Roinsetad completed his MBA in general management in the fall and also holds a B.A. in English from UMW.
The outstanding graduate in the MSMIS program went to William Nelson Robinson, Jr.
“He has both the intellectual ability and the tenacity to complete rigorous programs in academic or professional settings,” his nominator stated. Robinson completed his degree in general management in the fall.
Kevin Richard Powell received the dual MBA/MSMIS outstanding student award. His nominee described him as “a consummate critical thinker, and one of the most inherently fair and honest students that I’ve met in my teaching career.” Powell will graduate May 11.
Debrah Ann Farnell will receive her BPS in leadership and management May 12 and was presented the outstanding student award.
“The goal of the BPS program is to create caring, creative, and competent professionals. This student is the embodiment of those goals,” said her nominator.
Six UMW students were also inducted into the Omicron-Psi Honor Society. Omicron-Psi is an organization for high achieving and service oriented non-traditional students.
“If our lives are lived with honor, we know we have always done the best we honestly could,” said Brazilian-born Celina Cavalcante Falck-Cook, the first nominee presented for induction, who will graduate May 11 with a Master of Education degree.
Carol A. Hostetter plans to complete her M.Ed. in art education next spring. She was described as, “hard working, talented, creative, and kind,” through a recommendation letter for Omicron-Psi induction.
Lisa Ann Peacock “demonstrates high ethical standards in all aspects of her life,” according to her recommendation letter. Peacock will graduate May 11 with an MBA in public administration.
Emmanuel Opoku Sarfo will complete his Bachelor of Professional Studies this summer in accounting and plans to pursue an MBA. Originally from Ghana, Sarfo was said to “exude an enthusiasm and resilience which tend to be uncommon attributes in the stressful nature of the human services profession,” through a recommendation.
William Nelson Robinson, Jr. and Sarah Duffy, Teacher of the Year at Locust Grove Elementary School, also were inducted into Omicron-Psi.
Ken Tyler has been named director of athletics at the University of Mary Washington. Tyler comes to UMW after serving as director of athletics at West Virginia Wesleyan College, an NCAA Division II school in Buckhannon, W.Va. Tyler succeeds Edward Hegmann, who is retiring from the university next month after 36 years. Tyler begins work at UMW in June.
“I am delighted that Ken Tyler has accepted our offer to become our next director of athletics,” said UMW President Richard V. Hurley. “I am impressed by his experience, his enthusiasm and his ideas on how to advance our athletic program.”
Tyler has been at West Virginia Wesleyan since July 2008, overseeing the largest athletic department in the state of West Virginia, with more than 500 student athletes and 19 varsity sports. While in Buckhannon, Tyler’s programs swept the President’s and Commissioner’s Cups for overall athletic excellence in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference each year of his tenure.
“I am grateful and honored to be named director of athletics at the University of Mary Washington,” Tyler said. “I want to thank President Hurley, Vice-President Searcy and all the members of the search committee for this wonderful opportunity. Mary Washington’s outstanding academic reputation, combined with its strong and broad-based athletic program, makes this one of the best small-college positions in the country.” He added, “Ed Hegmann and the terrific coaching staff have laid a very solid foundation, and I look forward to working with everyone to take the program to the next level. My family and I are excited to join the Eagle family, and I can’t wait to get started!”
At WVWC, Tyler added the sport of women’s lacrosse and created the position of director of compliance and academic services. He also made facility improvements in department offices; the stadium; arena; locker rooms; and baseball, softball and soccer fields. In addition, he created a student-athlete lounge and academic support area. Under Tyler’s tenure, the athletics office acquired a 25-passenger bus with a professional driver to replace coach-driven 15-passenger vans and instituted mandatory university drug-testing for randomly selected student athletes.
Tyler’s strategic plan included adding full-time assistant coach positions for team sports and launching a new athletics website. The success of the programs was immediate, as the football team improved from 1-10 during Tyler’s first year to 9-2 in 2010 and 2011, including undefeated records at home both seasons. The men’s basketball team went from eight wins in 2010 to 19 wins and the NCAA Tournament in 2011, the second-biggest turnaround in Division II. This winter, the Bobcat women’s basketball team finished 23-7, won the program’s first-ever WVIAC tournament championship and received the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth. The 2011-12 men’s basketball team finished 22-9, and won Wesleyan’s first-ever NCAA tournament game.
With Tyler at the helm, Wesleyan won 22 WVIAC championships. In 2010-11, the Bobcats finished No. 76 nationally in the Division II Learfield Director’s Cup standings, the best finish in school history and tops in the WVIAC. That same year, Wesleyan finished fifth in the nation in student athletes recognized on the Academic Honor Roll of the Division II Athletic Directors Association. The Bobcats also have been extremely active in community engagement activities.
Tyler was on the Division II Athletic Directors Association board of directors,. He also served as the Atlantic Region chair on the Division II National Men’s Basketball committee, vice-chair of WVIAC athletic directors and chair of the WVIAC Basketball Tournament committee. He arrived at Wesleyan after a seven-year stay at Shepherd University, where he served as head men’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director.
Prior to his time at Shepherd, Tyler spent six years at Albright (Pa.) College, serving as the head men’s basketball coach and assistant director of athletics. He also had one-year stints as assistant men’s basketball coach at East Stroudsburg University (Pa.), Roanoke (Va.) College and James Madison University under legendary coach “Lefty” Driesell.
An aggressive and successful fundraiser, Tyler spearheaded significant facility upgrade campaigns at Shepherd and Albright. At Wesleyan, he launched the Corporate Partner Program, the Letterman’s Club, and the Hank Ellis Golf Classic, which raised more than$75,000 annually for Wesleyan athletics. Tyler was an active board member in the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, serving as campaign chairman from 2006-08 and raising more than $3 million.
Tyler earned a bachelor of arts in history and a master’s degree in education from The College of William and Mary. He was a guard on the basketball team at Division I William and Mary, where he played against all-time greats Len Bias and David Robinson.
Tyler is an avid reader and a Civil War enthusiast. He and his wife, Dawn, have two children –son Jordan, 14, and daughter Logan, 10.
Monday, May 14 is Employee Appreciation Day. The University Awards Ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Dodd Auditorium and will include the announcement of the following award winners:
During the ceremony, Michael Spencer, assistant professor of historic preservation, will present a unique perspective of the UMW campus.
Outdoor festivities will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Ball Circle and will include:
Casual Friday Dress Code is welcomed for this event.
The University will close at 3 p.m. Everyone’s help with clean-up is greatly appreciated.
Picnic rain location – Seacobeck Hall
To let us know of any dietary concerns for the lunch buffet or for any other questions, please call Human Resources at x1215.
In honor of Employee Appreciation Day, the University Bookstore will offer 20% off one regularly priced clothing or insignia item for UMW faculty and staff Monday, 5/14, and Tuesday, 5/15, only.
Special store hours: Monday: 9:00 a.m.—10:15 a.m. & 1:45 p.m.—3:00 p.m. Tuesday: 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
