Abbie McGhee, coordinator of community events, presented a session on Free Online Resources at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors – International (ACCED-I) in Toronto, Canada. Attendees included campus professionals who design, market, coordinate and plan conferences and special events on the campuses of colleges and universities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
Stephen Farnsworth Appears on C-SPAN
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the university’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, talked about his book, “Spinner in Chief: How Presidents Sell Their Policies and Themselves,” on C-SPAN’s Washington classroom for a session that focused on the White House and the media. The program aired nationally on April 26.
The session was part of a joint educational partnership involving C-SPAN, the Washington Center, George Mason University, and Purdue University. The course focused on “The Presidency, Congress, and Media,” examining all facets of politics in the TV and digital age, taking a look at the issues and events shaping the agenda for the next Congress and next round of elections, as well as the historical process of public policy making.
In addition Farnsworth, and Benjamin F. Hermerding, an Alvey Scholar at UMW and a research associate at the Center, are coauthors of an opinion column, “Could the Old Dominion Give Birth Again?” published in the Free-Lance Star on April 24. The column was based on an analysis of the Center’s recent survey of Virginia voters that found considerable interest within the state in having both Sen. Mark Warner (D) and Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) seek the presidential nominations of their respective parties.
Strategic Resource Allocation Process Underway
A message from President Hurley:
As you may know, the Strategic Resource Allocation project that I announced earlier is now underway. Both the Academic and Support task forces have organized and are moving forward in conducting their important work. Although much of the work of these groups must be confidential in nature, everyone involved is committed to providing as much communication about the process as is appropriate and to creating opportunities for input from throughout the UMW community. Therefore, a new website has been created to foster this type of information sharing. In order to access the website, there is a link to the site posted on the President’s Office page.
Best wishes for a great summer.
Richard V. Hurley
President
Status of Amendments to the Honor Constitution
The University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors considered four procedural changes to the Honor Constitution recommended by students and approved three at the April 19 meeting. The recommended changes are listed below. Number three, the definition of stealing, was not endorsed by the BOV.
“On behalf of the Fredericksburg Campus Honor Council, I would like to thank all those students who participated by voting and express our appreciation to Dr. David Rettinger for his assistance in the process,” said Alice O’Brien, president of the Fredericksburg Campus Honor Council. “Honor is a way of life at the University of Mary Washington, and we take pride in the fact that the Board of Visitors of the University delegates to the students the authority to operate and maintain the honor system. Your acceptance of and participation in the honor system is vital to its continued success and relevance to the community.”
1. Change to Honor Suspension: This sanction was amended so that suspension would no longer be retroactive. The new sanction of suspension can be applied to the current or future semester(s).
2. Procedure for handling multiple Honor Code violations: This new procedure clarifies that cases are heard through completion, in the order they are received by the Honor Council.
3. Stealing. Changes throughout to indicate that, for purposes of making an honor accusation, “stealing” is limited to an academic context.
4. Clarifying official beginning of an honor case: Addition to Article II, Section 1.F – the official start of an honor proceeding begins with first contact either by the accuser or by the Honor Council.
CED Students Present Research
John Broome Selected for Journal’s Editorial Board
John P. Broome, assistant professor of curriculum & instruction in the College of Education, was selected to join the Editorial Board of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal).
“Established in 2000, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal) is a peer-reviewed publication of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) and is co-sponsored by four other teacher education associations. It is an interactive electronic journal, capable of incorporating into its articles video, sound, animated images, and simulations, as well as ongoing dialog about issues that advance the field.” (Source: CITE Journal website)
UMW Graduates Continue Prestigious Fulbright Tradition
For three recent University of Mary Washington alumni, the next year will be one of travel, teaching, and learning a new culture. Aubrey Elliott, Peter Hawes and Michaela Sands, all 2012 graduates, are the 11th, 12th and 13th students, respectively, to receive prestigious U.S. Fulbright grants in the university’s history. The scholarships continue a tradition of Fulbright awards over the past six years.
“This is our best showing ever, providing further evidence that UMW’s students are among the best in the nation,” said Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history. “We also should congratulate the campus Fulbright committee of Patricia Reynolds, Melina Patterson, Rosemary Jesionowski and Dianne Baker for their hard work in advising Aubrey, Michaela and Peter in the application process.”
Aubrey Elliott
Through the Fulbright, Elliott will spend eight months in Turkey as an English teaching assistant.
“I’m really looking forward to learning a new language, teaching others and experiencing life in another country,” the Culpeper native said.
Elliott graduated from Mary Washington in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in history followed by a master’s degree in secondary education in 2013. He played on the UMW rugby team throughout his time at Mary Washington, including one year as the team’s senior representative. As a senior, Elliott became a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, and Phi Beta Kappa.
Peter Hawes
As a Fulbright scholar, Hawes will work for one year as an English teaching assistant in Nepal. In addition to providing classroom instruction, he will assist the Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA). Hawes will leave for his placement at a rural school in July.
“I am expecting it to be pretty challenging in a lot of ways,” he said. “For me personally, I feel there is a lot I can learn from people who live in traditional communities like that.”
Hawes, a native of Centreville, received a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing in 2012. While at Mary Washington, he was a member of several campus organizations and was a co-founding officer of the Outdoors Club. He spent his summers and vacations at small-scale, sustainable farms in Virginia and Vermont and at local agricultural conferences. Hawes received departmental honors in English and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Michaela Sands
The Fulbright scholarship will enable Sands, a native of Burke, to spend one year as an English teaching assistant at a school in Thailand. She will leave for her placement in September.
“I love traveling and exploring, so this is a great opportunity for me to explore the sociological and anthropological aspects of another culture,” Sands said. “This will be a great journey, both personally and professionally.”
Sands graduated from Mary Washington in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology followed by a master of science in elementary education degree in 2013. While an undergraduate, she volunteered with several campus organizations and was a member of the varsity cross country team. She received the Barbara Bishop Mann ’66 Virginia Educator Award in 2013.
2013 Health Insurance and Flexible Spending Accounts Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is May 1 – 24, 2013. This is the time each year to make decisions about your health benefits and flexible spending accounts. You may enroll in a plan, change plans, add or remove family members, or waive state health coverage. You must enroll every plan year to have a Flexible Spending Account. Additional information is located at http://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/hbenefits/OE2013/OpenEnrollment2013.html
UMW Blogs Downtime May 14 and 15
Hello,
On May 14 & 15, UMW Blogs will be unavailable for scheduled downtime. Users should expect to be unable to access the system for either viewing or administering sites during that time. The outage will begin the morning of Tuesday, May 14 at 9:00am, and the system will be back up by 5:00pm on Wednesday, May 15.
Another reminder will be sent out the campus community closer to the downtime. In the meantime, please make a note on your calendars and plan for UMW Blogs to be inaccessible during this time.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@umw.edu, or 540-654-2255.
Thanks for your patience while we perform this important maintenance.
Jerry Slezak
Director, IT Support Services, George Washington Hall B027
University of Mary Washington
1301 College Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
540-654-2118