Scott Powers, Professor of French, published an essay on ecofeminism in contemporary fiction of Quebec entitled “L’écoféminisme d’Audrée Wilhelmy. Le ‘devenir-animal’ de la femme dans Le corps des bêtes.” The essay appears as a chapter in the edited volume Animal et animalité : stratégies de représentation dans les littératures d’expression française (Classiques Garnier, 2022).
Barrenechea Receives Research Fellowship
Antonio Barrenechea, Professor of English, was recently awarded the 2022-2023 Reese Fellowship in American Bibliography and History of the Book in the Americas, from the Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley. His project “One Hemisphere Many Nations: Boltonian Americanism and Literary Historiography” will explore the Herbert Bolton archive in relation to the emergence of literary pan-Americanism in the lead-up to World War II. The full project will entail working with rare, untranslated, and out-of-print scholarly books forming the early Literature of the Americas academic field.
Farnsworth Lectures on Presidential Communication
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently presented an online lecture, “Presidents, Presidential Candidates and Shaping the Public Discourse,” to political science and communication students at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The talk drew on Professor Farnsworth’s recently published book, Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management From Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump.
General Assembly reconvenes for veto session (Cardinal News)
What to expect from this year’s reconvene session (WVTF; WAMU)
‘The Problem With Jon Stewart’ Has a Problem — With Ratings (Yahoo.com)
Jon Stewart’s Struggles Add to List of Streaming Talk Show Flops (Bloomberg)
Fossil Fuel Fiesta in Alexandria (Connection News Papers)
Glenn Youngkin Went From Private Equity Executive to Virginia’s Executive Mansion (Market Realist)
Larus Comments on Ukraine War on Vietnam News
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, offered commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine on Vietnam News. Dr. Larus claimed that Ukraine and Russia are locked in a war of attrition and that the war is going to last months or perhaps years. Dr. Larus indicated that supplying Ukraine with NATO arms will help Ukraine fight against Russia but will not lead to a decisive victory, and that it will be difficult for Ukraine, even with NATO arms, to undo the success that Russia has had in taking Mariupol and other areas in the east. Her comments begin at 13 minutes into the program.
Yakabouski Talks College Costs in Article Yarn
Director of Undergraduate Admissions Melissa Yakabouski commented in 10 Financial Aid Tips for College Students | Paying For College in Article Yarn. “It can be tempting to disregard a college based on its high price tag,” Yakabouski said. “But in almost all cases, the sticker price is not what a student is actually going to pay. Read more.
Palmwood Comments on Romantic Relationships in PsyPost
Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Erin Palmwood Contributed to a PsyPost article, Having an unsupportive romantic partner is associated with neurophysiological changes in error processing. “Romantic relationships are a huge part of many people’s lives, but there is still so much that we don’t know about how they impact our day-to-day experiences,” said Palmwood, who also is a licensed clinical psychologist. Read more.
Schiffrin Shares Thoughts in Journal of Child and Family Studies
Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin contributed to an article, “A 4-year-old can run errands alone … and not just on reality TV” in the Journal of Child and Family Studies. “The biggest gift parents can give their children is the opportunity to make their own decisions,” Schiffrin said. “Parents who ‘help’ their children too much stress themselves out and leave their kids ill-prepared to be adults.” The article was picked up by WUNC, NPR and Wisconsin Public Radio.
Blevins’ Book Chapter Featured at Mid-Atlantic Writing Center Association Conference
Assistant Professor of English Brenta Blevins co-authored a forthcoming book chapter, “Leveling Up with Emergent Tutoring: Exploring the Ludus and Paidia of Writing, Tutoring, and Augmented Reality.” Her co-author, Lindsay A. Sabatino, associate professor of English and director of the writing center at Wagner College, delivered the conference keynote keynote address at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Writing Center Association Conference at the University of Maryland, College Park. Read more.
University Staff Council opportunities
The University Staff Council is currently accepting nominations for three University committees: University Staff Council, the University Budget Advisory Committee, and the James Farmer Multicultural Center Advisory Committee. So that our representation reflects all parts of the UMW community, we invite you to nominate a deserving colleague(s) or yourself.
- University Staff Council: seven openings – six Classified, one Wage – for three-year terms. The USC continues to advocate for staff concerns and partner with faculty and administration to tackle issues and build community. We want our representation to reflect all parts of our UMW community and nominations are open to all staff members across the three campuses and at all UMW-affiliated organizations.
- University Budget Advisory Committee: a Faculty Council committee with three USC openings for one-year terms. Budget/Finance experience is preferred but not required. One available opening is reserved for a non-Finance staff member. UBAC works with campus leadership on short and long-term University budget priorities. These priorities are reviewed, summarized, and presented annually to the UMW President.
- James Farmer Multicultural Center Advisory Committee: a Faculty Council committee with one USC opening for a one-year term. The committee works with the director and staff of the JFMC on planning and setting priorities, enhancing opportunities for multicultural learning through student programming and leadership development opportunities for all students.
Please nominate a deserving colleague or colleagues OR yourself through the following link: Committee Nominations. Or you can copy/paste the following URL into your browser https://umw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5arS0e8RX3KK7jw. Visit the USC webpage for more information about the elections and USC activities.
Nominations will close on April 26, 2022, for all three committees. All nominees will be contacted to accept their nomination prior to voting. Voting is scheduled May 3 through May 14.
All UMW community members – staff and faculty – are encouraged to nominate eligible UMW staff members for these committee positions.
Faculty Early Retirement Program
Dear Colleagues,
For several years, faculty members have been asking UMW to offer a Faculty Early Retirement Incentive Program (FERIP), and we are now at a point where it makes strategic sense to put such a plan in place. In response, UMW has designed a program that will provide an incentive to eligible faculty members who may be thinking about retiring but need some short-term financial assistance to make it work. At the same time, the proposed plan will provide the university with some additional flexibility in strategically allocating faculty positions that align enrollment and academic program demand.
A proposed plan was approved by the Board of Visitors at its meeting on February 18, 2022, but implementation of the plan is contingent upon a multi-layered state approval process, which is ongoing; for this reason, UMW’s FERIP is not yet considered final.
The proposed plan offers approved participants 100% of their final base salary payable monthly over a two-year period.
The application period is tentatively planned for this fall with a required retirement date of May 15, 2023. Per the requirements in the Code of Virginia, only teaching faculty are eligible to apply for the FERIP. Additional eligibility criteria include : tenured status; at least 60 years of age; employed full-time in a non-classified teaching position at UMW for at least 10 years, and agree to withdraw from active membership in the Virginia Retirement System.
The proposed early retirement plan is entirely voluntary and eligible faculty must apply to participate. Applications will be assessed by a committee comprised of the Provost, Deans, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Diversity Officer and the Executive Director of Human Resources. Further details about the application and approval process will be provided once we receive final state authorization to move forward with implementation of the proposed plan.
Sincerely,
Timothy M. O’Donnell Beth Williams
Interim Provost Executive Director of Human Resources