A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Gary Richards
Gary Richards, associate professor and chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, was a participant at the 27th Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in New Orleans. He was the facilitator of the Breakfast Book Club, one of the Festival’s special events. This year, the focus was on the short stories of Southern writer Eudora Welty.
Elizabeth Larus, professor of political science and international affairs, presented a paper, “Technological Change and China’s Naval Modernization: Security Implications for Taiwan,” at an international conference on Cross-Strait Relations in an Era of Technological Change on Tuesday, March 5. The conference was organized by St. Antony’s College, Oxford University (UK).
Image credit: innovateOSU “Jim Groom Keynote”
Jim Groom delivered the keynote presentation at Ohio State University’s fourth annual educational technology conference, innovateOSU, titled “Domain of One’s Own: Open Educational Experiences.” The presentation shared the work that has been happening at UMW over the past eight years, chronicling the fruits of DTLT‘s experimentations with commodity web hosting which led to innovative projects such as UMW Blogs, Digital Storytelling (ds106), and most recently Domain of One’s Own. You can see the slides for this presentation here. To see an archived video of the live presentation click here.
The 23rd Annual Multicultural Fair will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Multicultural Fair is one of the largest, most anticipated events hosted at the University of Mary Washington. The Multicultural Fair will feature over 30 performances, 50 multicultural vendors, food representing various cuisines, and kid-friendly activities.
For additional information about the Multicultural Fair go to to the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s website at http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/fair. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please attend a volunteer meeting on Wednesday, April 10 at 4:00 p.m. in the Red Room of Woodard Campus Center, or stop by the Multicultural Center (Lee 211) to sign-up.
Students work one-on-one with professors through UMW’s undergraduate research programs.
Dr. Nicole Myers, Laura Gomez, Alexandra Hanson, Georgia Karellas, Anne Roberts, and Michaela Sands
On March 22-23rd, Dr. Nicole Myers, Associate Professor of Education and five students from the College of Education participated in the 10th Annual Teachers of Promise (TOP) Institute in Richmond, VA. These students were selected by faculty for their promising potential in the field of education as demonstrated through their coursework and practicum experiences.
The weekend allowed TOP participants the opportunity to meet other future teachers from across the state, engage in workshops, connect with award-winning mentor teachers, and hear from various keynote speakers the ways in which they engage students in learning opportunities.
The event included a Gala Celebration at the Virginia Science Museum, a pinning and recognition ceremony, and exciting and motivating presentations. One UMW student, Laura Gomez, received a mini-grant to be used toward the purchase of classroom materials.
Congratulations to the five 2013 UMW Teachers of Promise: Laura Gomez, Alexandra Hanson, Georgia Karellas, Anne Roberts, and Michaela Sands. We are proud of your achievement within the program and look forward to the impact you will be making in the field as Teachers of Promise.
In his capacity as a board member of the United States section of MSF/Doctors Without Borders, Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history and American studies, participated in the annual Field Associative Debate (FAD) for MSF staff serving throughout South Sudan, in Juba on 1-2 March.
This year’s FAD topic covered arguments in favor of and against the utilization of “remote control” management in constricted relief contexts, whereby international staff avoid direct presence and leave local operations to national staff — in its extreme form, a sort of humanitarian sub-contracting. After debating this year’s topic, staff members then presented recommendations and motions for consideration by the MSF International General Assembly. After the FAD was completed, Prof. Al-Tikriti conducted a brief field visit to MSF’s child and maternity hospital intervention in Aweil, South Sudan. Upon his return, he completed a thought piece on his experience for internal review.
A brief video produced to commemorate this year’s South Sudan FAD can be accessed here:
Two new exhibitions are open at the University of Mary Washington Galleries. “Someone Tell Johnny,” an exhibition of senior students’ work, will run through Friday, March 29 at the duPont Gallery and “SPOTLIGHT: Designers from the UMW Department of Theatre & Dance” will run through Friday, April 26 at the Ridderhof Martin Gallery. Both exhibits are free and open to the public.
Computer generated concept image, dimensions variable © David Hunt
Appears in the “SPOTLIGHT” exhibition
“Someone Tell Johnny” features the work of 14 UMW students, including Leah Embry, Mattson Fields, Trey Foster, Heather Gorell, Marie Hamilton, Marlene Logan, Angela Maniece, Cristina Martinez, Emily Nicolaides, Chelsea Pomeroy, Katherine Sleyman, Melinda Watanabe, Kelsey Witt and Johnny Hink.
“SPOTLIGHT” features drawings, costumes, models and images from the Department of Theatre & Dance’s 100-year history at UMW.
Both galleries are located on College Avenue on the Fredericksburg campus. During the exhibition, the duPont Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The Ridderhof Martin Gallery is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The galleries are closed during university holidays and breaks. Free parking for gallery visitors is designated in the lot on College Avenue at Thornton Street. For directions and more information, call (540) 654-1013 or visit http://galleries.umw.edu.
H&R Block Offers Discount to UMW Employees:
To receive $15 off your tax preparation print off this H&R Block coupon. Offer valid through 4/30/13.
Health Benefits and Flexible Reimbursement Accounts Open Enrollment:
Open Enrollment Dates May 1 – May 24, 2013. More information will be sent to employees in the coming weeks. Employee meeting scheduled for May 3 at 10:00 am Stafford Campus – North Building.
Employee Discounts:
As a state employee, please remember you can take advantage of the discounts on this page: http://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeediscounts.html.
Employee Banking Opportunities and Discounts:
To view the list of participating financial institutions, visit: http://adminfinance.umw.edu/hr/benefits/banking-information/.
UMW: A Great Place to Work:
Click on the link below to see a highlight of the major benefits and perks available to you just for working at UMW!
http://adminfinance.umw.edu/hr/benefits/benefits-of-working-umw/