Sharon Neville was the lucky winner of the $100 Walmart gift card from the Oct. 18 fall luncheon. Thank you to everyone who brought their UMW Eagle One card and had it swiped for the special giveaway!
Wednesday Lunchtime Cycle Class
Hello Eagles!
Can’t come to the gym before or after work? Why not stop by our Lunchtime Cycle Class? Nancy, an experienced group fitness instructor and personal trainer, teaches a Wednesday Cycle 45 class from 12:15 – 1 p.m. It is free to faculty and staff!
Don’t forget that your EagleONE ID is required to access the Fitness Center.
To check out the rest of the Group Fitness Schedule, see the Campus Recreation Website.
See you in the Fitness Center!
Campus Recreation
Going for Green
Princeton Review ranks UMW as a green college
Leaders in Law
UMW alumni named industry leaders by Virginia Lawyers Media
Student-Athletes Give Back Ten for Ten
The popular NCAA commercial that states, “There are over 400,000 NCAA student-athletes and just about all of us will be going pro in something other than sports,” is a snapshot of the uplifting yet bittersweet truth. Most student-athletes at Mary Washington have just four years to compete for NCAA Championships before the biggest game day on their schedule: graduation. And while those four years often seem to come and go in a blink of an eye, the student-athlete experience instills character traits and values which last a lifetime.
It is for that very reason Mary Washington student-athletes took on the Ten for Ten Challenge this fall, a peer-led effort to secure donations of $10 from UMW’s student-athletes, in hopes of teams achieving 100 percent participation by Oct. 10. The goal of the new initiative was to educate current Eagles on the power of philanthropic giving, honor the many transformative Eagle Club gifts in recent years, and build on a foundation of generosity so that future Eagles will also have a life-changing experience at Mary Washington.
As one of the first student-athletes to go Ten for Ten, junior basketball player Kendall Parker stated, “[Eagle Club] donations, small or large, make a great impact on every student-athlete’s life whether they realize it or not. It is important that my teammates donate as well because if it weren’t for the Eagle Club [members], we would not have all of the resources that we use on a daily basis. Donations play a huge role in our process of winning a CAC Championship and beyond.”
Parker’s call to her peers was heard and, for the first time ever, more than half of the student-athlete population – 277 to be exact – made gifts to support their programs. Eleven teams had 100 percent Ten for Ten giving participation, and 20 out of 22 varsity sport programs participated in all. In addition, two of the four team sport programs also participated.
“I’m really proud of our student-athletes for rising up and showing tremendous leadership with the Ten for Ten Challenge,” said Ken Tyler, Director of Athletics. “They have demonstrated their commitment to UMW Athletics and have helped sustain a legacy of excellence. Now, I’m excited to watch our alumni, families, and friends help the Eagles soar even higher!”
UMW’s student-athletes are now challenging alumni and friends to follow their lead!
Make your gift to the Eagle Club today.
Staff Advisory Council News
Fall Employee Luncheon and Awards
Our annual Fall employee luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 11:30 in the University Center’s Chandler Ballroom. Join your co-workers and friends for lunch, fun and fellowship. Charles Coleman and Larry Atkins award winners will be announced. Everyone will have a chance to win prizes. Bring your EagleOne ID card to enter the luncheon and be entered to win a gift card. We look forward to seeing you there!
Food Drive
SAC is collecting non-perishable food items through Friday, Dec. 16. Donations will benefit the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, except for donations collected between Nov. 6-11. Those donations will benefit the Student Athletes’ STOP Hunger Now Food Drive. If you’re interested in having a donation collection box in your area, please contact SAC Activities.
Community Engagement Forum
Your input is valuable! Forum Notes have been posted. Please take a moment to review the notes and leave comments. The engagement committee will follow up with the Cabinet within the next few weeks to share insight and perspective from the forums.
Excellent Eagle Employee
To nominate your co-workers, supervisor, or employees for the Excellent Eagle Employee award, simply send an email to eenominations@umw.edu with Excellent Eagle Employee in the subject line. Be sure to provide the person’s name, department, and work location with the most convenient parking lot, and the reason they should be recognized.
Thoughts, Ideas, Suggestions and Feedback
Your input and suggestions are important to us! Share your thoughts and ideas with SAC by completing the suggestions form on our website. Let us know what’s on your mind. What can we do to help make UMW a great place to work?
Upcoming Meeting
SAC’s next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Stafford campus at 1 p.m. Meetings are open to any member of the UMW community who’d like to attend. Dr. Anand Rao will be our guest speaker. Dr Rao is Director of the Speaking Intensive Program and Chairman of the University Faculty Council.
Don’t Forget to Give Feedback to Engagement Forums
The Community Engagement Forums were a success. Thank you to the 103 faculty and staff who participated. We also appreciate Anand Rao, University Faculty Council Chair and Michael Morley, Staff Advisory Council President for leading the discussions.
The Forum Notes are now posted. Please take a moment to review and comment. The President’s Cabinet and other members of university leadership are reading along. The engagement committee will be following up with Cabinet within the next few weeks to share additional insight and perspective from the forum discussions.
In-Band Salary Adjustments for Classified and Wage Employees
President Paino has authorized 2016-17 in band salary adjustments for classified and wage employees. An in-band salary adjustment is a non-competitive pay practice which allows the University the flexibility to adjust individual salaries within their Pay Band based on a change to higher level duties.
Supervisors may review the process and timeline for detailed guidance. Designated in-band supervisors, assigned within cabinet divisions, are asked to set internal deadlines for their reporting supervisors to ensure timely reviews and cabinet level submission to Human Resources. Cabinet members will be submitting their recommendations to the Office of Human Resources by COB on November 18, 2016.
Information sessions are being offered as follows:
- 4-5 p.m., Monday, October 17, University Center, Colonnade Room
- 10-11 a.m., Wednesday, October 26, HCC, Digital Auditorium
Farnsworth Lectures in State Department Program
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently delivered a U.S. State Department lecture titled “U.S. Journalism, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Development,” before a delegation of international journalists visiting under the government’s Institute for International Education Visitor Leadership Program.
Full Circle
Geology students stand knee-deep in the water, calling out measurements as waves pass by. On shore, their classmates scribble numbers into notepads as the humid breeze blows the choppy waters of the Potomac River onto the sandy beach beneath their feet.
UMW alumna Pamela Grothe used to be one of those students, but today she’s snapping pictures and working with the group in a different role.
A 2006 graduate, Grothe returned to UMW this past August to fill the position of her previous professor and long-time mentor Neil Tibert, who died unexpectedly last year. Having come full circle from geology student to professor, it’s now her turn to instill a love of the subject into students that Tibert once gave her.
“I feel privileged that I can stand here in his footsteps,” said Grothe, who did research in the Dominican Republic with Tibert as an undergraduate. “I can only hope to teach as well as he did and inspire students as they continue along in their academic and professional careers as he did for me.”
After graduation, Grothe stayed in touch with Tibert, getting advice on graduate school and her doctorate program, which she is currently finishing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her next career goal: to find a college-level teaching position with a tight-knit geology department just like the one at UMW.
“I always knew I wanted to teach in some capacity,” said Grothe, who came to UMW as an education major before switching to geology. Then last spring, in the wake of Tibert’s death, she got a bittersweet offer to return to UMW as a visiting professor.
A class full of mostly geology majors, you can sense the enthusiasm of the students as they sketch the sand dunes and measure the distance between ripples in the water. The field trip, one of several for the course, will help the class understand modern environments by comparing and contrasting the Rappahannock River and the Potomac River.
“I feel like a detective,” said junior and geology major Andrew Bolton, describing the study of rocks. “It’s like a picture and you can look at it and find out what the world was like so long ago.”
Crouched down in the water, surrounded by students, Grothe seems right at home. As an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for teaching – and for her alma mater – it’s clear she has found her calling.
“I came to UMW as an undergraduate looking for close relationships with my professors,” said Grothe, smiling. “And now the best part of this job is getting to work so closely with the students.”