Author: Brynn Boyer

Dear UMW Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I am writing to inform you of the latest developments in the provost search process.  The search committee has determined that it will invite three candidates to visit UMW later this month.  We are very excited about the high quality of these individuals and look forward to introducing them to the Mary Washington community.

As I indicated previously, a very important part of their UMW visits will be open forums for the candidates to deliver brief presentations and answer questions from faculty, staff, and students.  These forums will be held in Dodd Auditorium on the dates and times listed below:

Thursday, February 21, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Monday, February 25, 3:00-4:00 p.m. (note: the time of this session has been changed from the prior announcement to accommodate faculty departmental meeting schedules)

Tuesday, February 26, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

The names of the candidates and information about them will be released to the UMW community on Tuesday, February 19.  A survey will be provided so that you may provide the search committee with feedback following the candidates’ visits.

Thank you for your continued interest in the provost search.

Sincerely,

Richard V. Hurley
President

UMW faculty members will discuss the 10 year anniversary of the Iraq War during a roundtable on Wednesday, Feb. 13. The discussion will begin at 4 p.m. in Combs Hall, Room 139 and is free and open to the public.

The roundtable will feature Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history, Eric Bonds, assistant professor of sociology, Jason Davidson, associate professor of political science and Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies. All four faculty members have published scholarly research on aspects of the war. Ranjit Singh, associate professor of political science, will serve as the moderator.

For more information, contact Jason Davidson at jdavidso@umw.edu or (540) 654-1509.

Ranjit Singh

On Friday, Feb. 6, Roberta Gentry, assistant professor in the College of Education, will speak at the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children professional development conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Her presentation, “Supporting Pre-Service Special Educators in the Virtual World,” reviews research conducted using TeachLive to train pre-service teachers. The TeachLive Lab uses a mixed-reality (blended real and virtual characters), avatar-based (virtual characters controlled by human performers) simulated environment. In the TeachLive Lab, candidates build content and pedagogical skills in a controlled environment that enables consistent data collection, immediate feedback, and ongoing assessment.

The University of Mary Washington’s Eagle Dining has been awarded The Marstel-Day and Stafford Printing Green Frontier Award, which celebrates excellence in green business practices. Eagle Dining was one of five local businesses honored at the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala on Friday, Feb. 1.

Eagle Dining at UMW received the The Marstel-Day and Stafford Printing Green Frontier Award from the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

Eagle Dining, which is managed by Sodexo, has undertaken many sustainability initiatives, including purchasing locally sourced seafood and produce, reducing the use of paper goods and creating a “Go Green” meal plan. Every “Go Green” meal plan purchased by students donates $5 to a sustainability grant fund. UMW students can apply for the grant funds to support on-campus sustainability efforts. Eagle Dining has also been named a green restaurant as part of the Virginia Green initiative.

“Following the lead of our parent corporation, Sodexo, our team is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and providing highly sustainable and eco-friendly food services at the University of Mary Washington,” said Kori Dean, general manager of Eagle Dining. “It is extremely gratifying to have those efforts recognized by such a prestigious organization. We will continue to look for the practices that will help us to be not only one of the best campus dining operations in the Commonwealth, but also one of the most sustainable.”

Several of Eagle Dining’s philanthropic efforts have included work with Dinners for the Homeless and STOP Hunger. In November 2012 the Eagle Dining sponsored campus-wide food drive collected more than 3,000 pounds of food for the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank and Presbyterian Food Pantry. For more information about Eagle Dining by Sodexo’s community outreach, visit http://umwdining.com/community/index.html.

Local businesses Reality Realty Professionals, the Title Professional LLC, NSWC Federal Credit Union and the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative also received awards at the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s gala.

# # #

News release prepared by:  Julia Davis