Author: Brynn Boyer

On Wednesday, March 21, UMW students got an inside look at Washington D.C. and learned about leadership in the process. “Leaders of the Free World: Global Citizenship,” part of the AT&T Student Leadership Colloquium, gave 10 students the opportunity to spend the day at the U.S. Capitol Building, while thinking critically about leadership and citizenship.

The group visited Rep. Rob Wittman’s office, took a tour of the Capitol building with aides from Rep. Bruce Braley’s office and talked with Rep. Jared Polis about the importance of education. The students also spoke with Rep. John Lewis for more than two hours about leading through change.

Courtney Chapman-Thomas, director of leadership and coordinator of strategic initiatives, and Anand Rao, associate professor of English and director of speaking intensive programs, accompanied the students, who ranged from freshmen to graduating seniors. The day trip was open to all students on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The next event for the AT&T Student Leadership Colloquium will be a leadership discussion and project on Monday, April 2. The discussion will take place in Lee Hall, Room 411 at 6 p.m. and will be based on the topic “I serve, but do I lead?”

Newest DTLT team member Alan Levine joined Jim Groom as invited speakers at the March 6-8, 2012 SXSWedu conference in Austin, Texas.  Sharing their experiences in teaching the ds106 Digital Storytelling Conference, Levine and Groom joined Philipp Schmidt (P2PU) and Karen Fasinpaur (K12 Open Ed) in a lively panel discussion on Developing a Culture of Openness.

Levine also led a hands on session, Create Something from the StoryBox where participants explored a storytelling digital time capsule project he conducted during a year of travel in 2011.

UMW Libraries recently purchased a 1920s photograph of “Faculty and Students, Summer School, July 22, 1920, State Normal School” which was showcased in the Flashback section of the Free Lance-Star. The photograph was originally purchased by Ingrid and Michael Kelly at the Big Flea Market in Chantilly. The Kellys, whose daughter and son-in-law graduated from Mary Washington in the 1980s, hoped that by publishing the image in the paper someone might be able to recognize a family member who attended Mary Washington in those early years. Founded in 1908, the University of Mary Washington transitioned from the State Normal School to the State Teachers College at Fredericksburg in 1924.

University historian, William B. “Bill” Crawley, and archivist, Carolyn S. Parsons were contacted by the Free Lance-Star staff regarding the history of the image. President Algernon. B. Chandler, Jr. and Bunyan Yates Tyner, dean and professor of education, were identified seated in the front row surrounded by other students and faculty. Early yearbooks and bulletins usually show only photographs of classes attending the full academic session, so to locate an image of an early summer school session is unique. Already researchers have stopped by the University Archives to see if they can locate their grandmothers or aunts in the photograph.

The original Free Lance-Star article on the photograph is located at http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2012/022012/02212012/678094.

The University Archives collects materials on the history of the University of Mary Washington and serves as the official repository for archival and historical materials for all offices, departments, and divisions of the University. For additional information visit UMW Libraries, Special Collections, at http://libguides.umw.edu/SpecColl.

Congratulations to Tim Owens, instructional technology specialist in the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies, who has been selected as an Excellent Eagle Employee by the Staff Advisory Council. To thank him for such a wonderful job, Tim will have a reserved parking spot of his choosing from Monday, April 2 through Monday, April 30.

Here is what one of Tim’s co-workers said about him:

“Tim sets a high standard for customer service at the university. He provides prompt, professional service and takes the extra step to find the solution to technical problems. Not only will he find solutions but he will explain your options, make recommendations and work to put the solution into place. He is incredibly accommodating and always happy to work with people.”

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email to Priscilla Sullivan (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the Subject Line.  In your email, be sure to list the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized.  Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

Nina Mikhalevsky, professor of philosophy, was the keynote speaker for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division’s Women’s History Month observance on Wednesday, March 28. Her presentation focused on the history of women’s education and the current status of women’s education today, particularly in math, science and engineering.