James Goehring, professor of religion, presented an invited plenary address on “Recent Research in Egyptian Monasticism (2008-2012)” at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies in Rome from Sept. 17 to 22.
UMW Philharmonic and PBS Update
Several PBS stations across the country have agreed to air “A Fiddler’s Holiday” with The Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band featuring the UMW Philharmonic led by Maestro Kevin Bartram.
Last week, an email from President Richard V. Hurley went out to all UMW alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, and staff. In his communication, President Hurley asked members of the Mary Washington community to contact PBS stations to request the airing of the unique musical program filmed last December in Dodd Auditorium and around Fredericksburg.
Several alumni contacted UMW to acknowledge their support of the program and Mary Washington, including a loyal alumna from New York. “I am a life member of the Alumni Association, and I still take interest and pride in the school,” said Dorothy Shaw ’41. “While ‘fiddling’ isn’t my style, UMW is, and I’d like to see (or hear) this program with friends.”
Stations agreeing to air the show during this holiday season include WETA in the District of Columbia; WCVE in Richmond; WHTJ in Charlottesville; WVPT in Harrisonburg; UNC-TV throughout North Carolina; ETV in Columbia, S.C.; WQPT in Moline, Ill.; KCTS in Seattle, Wash.; WHMT in Albany, N.Y.; and the station Ms. Shaw contacted – WNED in Buffalo, N.Y./Toronto, Canada.
PBS program directors are still finalizing their holiday schedules, so there is time to contact them to make your request. See the complete list of PBS stations and contact those that have not yet made programming commitments. For more information, visit the website at special.umw.edu.
Gwen Hale and Students Presented at Regional Conference
Gwen Hale (left) and tutors from the Writing Center presented at the PCAS/ACAS conference in Nashville
Gwen Hale, director of the Writing Center and Writing Program, presented at the Popular/American Cultural Association in the South (PCAS/ACAS) conference in Nashville, Tenn. Several tutors in the Writing Center also presented at the conference from Sept. 27 to 30. Hale presented “Making Room: Using Technology, Social Media, and Old Fashioned Ingenuity in Writing Centers to Serve the Influx of University Students with Varying Skill Sets, Educational Needs, and Social Backgrounds.”
Carly Boucher presented “Bridging the Gap of Different Englishes in American Universities,” Connie Dowell presented “Just a Blog Post?: Writing Centers and 21st Century Composition,” Sarah Foote presented “Voice is Choice!: The Importance of Finding and Teaching Voice in Writing,” Nicollo Madden presented “Pop Music as a Learning Devive for those with Autism” and Zehra Yousofi presented “Brawny: It’s More than Just a Paper Towel.”
“Aside from delivering amazing presentations, several of the UMW students were approached by scholars from other universities. Zehra Yousofi was approached about applying for a graduate program at the University of Kentucky. Further, she was approached about publishing the paper she presented at the conference. Next, Nicollo Madden was approached about continuing his scholarship and applying for a graduate program at Morgan State University. The students attended numerous sessions and networked with scholars from all over the South. Now that they have had a taste of presenting at conferences, they have all concluded that they certainly want to do it again.” — Gwen Hale
Leadership Council and President’s Cabinet Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the Leadership Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 19 and the President’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 2 are now available. Topics in the Leadership Council minutes include the UMW Philharmonic Orchestra’s PBS special, the Governor’s Day of Service and the 2012 institutional effectiveness report. The President’s Cabinet meeting minutes includes a report digital initiatives.
Suzanne Houff Publishes Book on Instructional Design
Suzanne G. Houff, professor of education, is the author of the recently published book “Instructional Alignment: Optimizing Objectives, Methods, and Assessment for Developing Unit Pairs.” The book, released by R&L Education in September 2012, “offers a concise and basic approach to instructional design.”
UMW 2012 Bonus Pay
From the Offices of Human Resources and Payroll
To: UMW Faculty and Staff
From: The Offices of Human Resources and Payroll
Subject: 2012 Bonus Pay
Date: October 1, 2012
The Governor and General Assembly have approved a one-time bonus for all salaried employees, including part time classified employees. In addition, President Hurley has approved a one-time bonus for wage employees paid an hourly rate for hours worked.
Here are the specifics:
- Salaried full and part time employees who were employed April 1, 2012 and remain employed on November 24, 2012, will receive a one-time 3% bonus, which will be paid on November 30, 2012.
- Salaried employees are instructional, research, post-doctoral fellows, administrative and professional faculty, and classified staff.
- A/P faculty and classified employees must have satisfactory 2012 performance evaluations (Below Contributor and Unsatisfactory ratings are not eligible). Classified employees may have received no Written Notices within the 2012 performance cycle.
- All eligible employees will receive 3% before withholding. There is no option for variable amounts.
- The bonus for salaried full and part time employees will be calculated using the employee’s annual salary that is creditable for retirement contribution (base salary plus special pay items) active as of November 24, 2102. Special pay actions are those included on the faculty appointment letter that are active as of November 24, 2012.
- Wage employees who were employed April 1, 2012 and remain employed on November 24, 2012 will receive a one-time bonus equal to 3% of their calendar year to date regular earnings as of November 18, 2012. The wage employee bonus will be paid on December 12, 2012.
- Bonuses will be processed and taxed in accordance with state and federal guidelines.
- Bonus payments are subject to garnishment withholding. If you currently have a court ordered garnishment reducing your net pay, you may contact the Payroll Office with specific questions on how your bonus pay will be affected.
- Employees may contribute the bonus to their 403(b) or 457 supplemental retirement account (subject to calendar year maximum contribution limits). Please initiate this process with the Payroll Office no later than October 31, 2012.
- The bonus is considered a discretionary bonus and will not be included in overtime calculations.
Please contact the Offices of Human Resources or Payroll with any questions.
A Closer Look at Student Research
In the tissue culture lab in the University of Mary Washington’s Jepson Hall, Chloe Fusselman donned a white lab coat, put on gloves and carefully picked up a beaker of liquid. She was practicing her sterile lab techniques with her adviser, Professor of Biology Deborah O’Dell, since the methods are critical to her research project […]
Culturing Independent Inquiry
Student lab research reveals real-world applications.
BB&T Chosen as Vendor for New ATM
BB & T has been selected as the vendor to place a new ATM on campus. We anticipate a start up date of late October. The ATM will be placed in Lee Hall and will carry denominations of $5 and $20. For BB & T accounts there will be no transaction fee, for all others the transaction fee will be $2. Your patience has been appreciated as we work through this project.
— Richard R. Pearce, Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO