June 8, 2023

Grothe’s Climate Change Insight Blasts Through Media

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe spoke to The Richmond Times-Dispatch for an article titled “One scientist drills into the past to figure out ocean warming.” Grothe is working to understand how much of these El Niño temperature surges are related to the warming climate. Read more.

Grothe received more than 70 media mentions related to the article, including News & Advance, NWI.Com, Kenosha News, Billings Gazette, Tucson.com, WFMZ, Independent Tribune, Bristol Herald Courier, The Post Star, The Bismark Tribune, Tulsa World and Newsbreak.

Harris Published in ‘White House History Quarterly’

University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris

University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris

University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris’ piece, “The New York City Death and Burial of President James Monroe,” which traces a series of temporary entombments that ultimately took the fifth president’s remains from New York to Virginia, is included in the new issue of White House History Quarterly – The White House and New York. The issue explores the historical connections between New York City and the White House from the first Oath of Office to the present day. Take a look at the publication.

Swerzenski Comments on Image Manipulation in ‘Elle’

Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski

Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski

Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski spoke to Elle magazine for an article titled “When Did Everyone’s Skin Get So Damn Smooth?” Swerzenski said that while the early 2000s were instrumental in shaping how we perceive our skin—largely because of the rise of technology like Photoshop, which was used by photographers to perfect the images people saw in mass media—it’s important to recognize such phenomena in context. “I think often these conversations can get an ‘okay, Boomer’ tone,” he said. “There are so many incidents throughout history of people in dark rooms, messing with photos and changing and altering them.” Read more.

Schiffrin Shares Parenting Research With MSN

Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin

Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin

Professor of Psychology Holly Schiffrin contributed to an article titled “Science Suggests Parents Are Taking Parenting Too Far” on MSN.com. “When I was in college, there was no parental involvement unless there was some kind of crisis,” she said in the piece. “It’s just a really different level of involvement now. Parents are giving kids feedback on their papers, or emailing or calling me and other faculty members. It’s not every student, but it’s shocking that it happens at all.” Read more.

Farnsworth Quoted on Politics in ‘The Washington Post’

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth was featured for his expertise in a piece titled “Reform-minded prosecutors in Northern Virginia face primary challenges.” It appeared in The Washington Post, NBC 4, U.S. News, Bollyinside, WTVR,  WMAL and Fox News. In the piece, Farnsworth cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from a primary that historically draws only a narrow slice of the electorate. Still, he said if voters were to reject reform incumbents, it would be noteworthy. Read more.

Farnsworth also received other recent media mentions, including:

‘Virginia has made it a lot easier’: Early voting underway through June 17 (RVA HUB)
“That’s a big change from the way it used to be in Virginia,” said Stephen Farnsworth, political science professor and director of the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “Where most of the votes were cast on election day, that’s just no longer the case here.”

Gupta Talks India, Australia Relationship on ‘Asia First’

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta contributed to a segment titled “Indian PM Modi wraps up Australia visit with new agreements on migration, green hydrogen” on Channel News Asia. “The two countries are trying to strengthen their trade and investment relations, and further grow their business ties. Hence, easier travel between the two nations is definitely a plus,” Gupta told CNA’s Asia First. Watch the segment.

Wells Shares Perspectives on Music on ‘With Good Reason’

Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells

Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells

Assistant Professor of Music Theory Robert Wells talked to With Good Reason radio for a segment titled “Music for Life.” Imagine you’re looking at a piece of art like a painting or a sculpture. You can probably describe it in some basic ways using math–it’s 30 inches long, it’s twice as tall as it is deep, that sort of thing. Robert Wells, assistant professor of music theory at the University of Mary Washington, says we can do the same thing with music. Listen to the show.

Fleming Contributes to ‘Student Affairs Now’ Podcast

Dave Fleming, Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Housing and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs

Dave Fleming, Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Housing and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs

Dean of Residence Life and Housing and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs David Fleming was one of three featured speakers on a Student Affairs Now podcast titled “Rethinking Performance Reviews: Better Practices for Staff Evaluation and Development. Listen to the podcast.

Larus Comments in Financial Times on China’s Illegal Fishing

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, commented in the Financial Times that Washington views China’s illegal, unreported and unregulated (IIU) fishing as a national security concern: fishing fleets deplete stocks and deprive coastal communities of critical food sources, but also can be pressed to supplement the maritime militia that supports China’s navy, coast guard & maritime police. Read more.

Notice of 2023 Pay Increases

Dear Colleagues,

I’m pleased to announce a state-wide 5% pay increase has been authorized and that UMW Classified, A/P faculty, full-time teaching faculty, adjunct faculty and wage employees are all eligible to receive this pay increase per the criteria described below:

2023 UMW Salary Increase FAQs

Classified Staff

  • Classified staff hired on or before March 10, 2023 and remaining employed as of June 10, 2023 will receive a 5% base pay increase effective June 10, 2023, provided they received a rating of “Contributor” or satisfactory on their last performance evaluation or more recent interim evaluation.

A/P Faculty

  • A/P faculty hired on or before March 10, 2023 and remaining employed as of June 10, 2023 will receive a 5% base pay increase effective June 10, 2023, provided they received a rating of “Contributor” or satisfactory on their last performance evaluation or more recent interim evaluation.

Pay increases for both classified staff and A/P faculty will appear in paychecks beginning July 3, 2022.  Please refer to 2023 UMW Salary Increase FAQs for information about employees working fewer than 12 months annually and are not actively working on June 10.

Full-Time and Adjunct Teaching Faculty

  • Full-time and adjunct teaching faculty will receive their increase information in their appointment or reappointment letter.

Wage Staff

  • All wage staff hired on or before March 10, 2023 and remaining employed as of June10, 2023 will receive a 5% hourly rate increase effective June 19, 2023.  Pay rate increases for wage staff will appear in paychecks beginning July 14, 2023.

Deferred Compensation

Part or all of the salary increase may be deferred, subject to relevant plan guidelines and limitations. Please see 2023 UMW Salary Increase FAQs for detailed guidance to enroll in or change contribution amounts for the 403b Pre-tax Annuity.

You may contact Human Resources with questions about salary increase eligibility.

Thank you for all you do to make UMW such an outstanding university!

Beth Williams
Executive Director for Human Resources
540 654-1294
bwilli22@umw.edu