A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Join us as we take a stand against sexual assault and domestic violence.
Take Back the Night
Thursday, April 2
6:30 p.m.
Lee Hall Patio (rain location Lee Hall rm. 412)
Come hear various speakers tell their stories of resilience, perseverance and hope and enjoy musical and inspirational expressions of the arts.
Hosted by UMW’s Talley Center, this is a night of inspiration, empowerment and encouragement for survivors and the community. All are welcome – learn more about the event!
The University Staff Council is currently accepting nominations for three University committees: University Staff Council, University Budget Advisory Committee, and James Farmer Multicultural Center Advisory Committee. We want our representation to reflect all parts of the UMW community, and we invite you to nominate a deserving colleague(s) or yourself.
Nominations will be accepted through April 6, 2026. To nominate yourself or someone else for the USC, UBAC, or JFMCAC, complete the Nominee Form or paste the URL listed below into your internet browser: https://umw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hS9mBlFtLhRUuG.
Thank you for your enthusiastic participation!
USC Elections Committee
UMW’s Center for Historic Preservation invites you to a guest lecture from Professor of Art History Lydia M. Brandt from McCausland College of Arts and Sciences in South Carolina titled “Making of an Icon: The Transformation of George Washington’s Mount Vernon.”
The lecture will be held Tuesday, April 7 at 5 p.m. in Combs Hall, Room 237.
Eagles in Recovery will host a guest lecture by VCU’s Assistant Director of Substance Use and Recovery Support Tom Bannard. The talk is titled “The Shifting Environment of Cannabis: Things to know about prevalence, impacts and policies on College Campus” and will be on Tuesday, April 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Cedric Rucker University Center Capital Room 314.
Eagles in Recovery supports staff, faculty and students — for more information visit the Eagles in Recovery website or reach out to CPRS Devin Walsh at 540-654-5640 or dwalsh@umw.edu.
Islamic History and Heritage Celebration Banquet with speaker Dr. Daoud Nassimi will be held Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in the Cedric Rucker University Center Chandler Ballroom.
It’s almost time for the 36th Annual Multicultural Fair coming up on Saturday, April 11. It will be spread across UMW’s Fredericksburg Campus from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. and is FREE & open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Come out and enjoy live entertainment, craft vendors, ethnic food, children’s activities and more.
Start your morning with meaningful conversation, fresh perspectives, and connections that energize your professional journey. The Women’s Leadership Colloquium Coffee Talk this April will be on Affirmation & Handling Emotional Fatigue.
Anyone is welcome to join Tuesday, April 14 from 8 to 9 a.m. at 718 Venue on 718 Caroline Street in Fredericksburg. This session will explore what emotional fatigue looks and feels like, why it’s common now, and most importantly, what we can do about it. The speaker is former President of Germanna Community College and consultant Dr. Janet Gullickson.
The final Mary Talk of the season will feature Associate Professor of History Jason Sellers in a talk titled “Prompt in Action at the First Semblance of Danger: Fredericksburg in the American Revolution.” Sellers will explore how the city played a pivotal — yet often overlooked — role during the Revolutionary era.
While Fredericksburg was never the site of a major battle, it served as a hub for manufacturing weapons, shaping political ideas, and preparing soldiers for war. The presentation will examine why the city became such an important staging ground while remaining largely untouched by enemy forces.
Learn more and register to attend live or access the recording afterward.
Simpson Library’s Head of Special Collections and Digital Scholarship Angie Kemp (middle in green) and team accepting HFFI award
Angie Kemp, Head of Special Collections and Digital Scholarship at Simpson Library, has been awarded the 2026 Special Recognition Award from the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI). The award honors individuals, groups or organizations that demonstrate notable leadership and initiative in support of preservation education in the Fredericksburg area and beyond.
Kemp and her Special Collections team received this award for their efforts to digitize, index, transcribe, and make available online a large collection of 18th and 19th century property records, in the form of insurance policies from Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, the oldest insurance company in the state. Mutual Assurance shared in the HFFI award.
These property records include names of homeowners, the location and size of each property, and the monetary value of each structure. Many of the policies have detailed structural drawings of homes and other buildings, indicating what they were made of and how many rooms they had. For genealogists, historic preservationists, and others who care about the history and evolution of towns and cities in Virginia, these records reveal a great deal of valuable information that was previously inaccessible for most.
Kemp’s innovative approach uses XML and other tools to batch-process index data that was previously compiled and published by UMW’s Center for Historic Preservation to create a searchable transcription of each policy with much of the custom, handwritten information automatically added. More information about the project and the complete list of students who have worked on the team are available in the project summary.
The award was presented at HFFI’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
Adjunct Instructor of Historic Preservation Michelle Arcari Rose
Adjunct Instructor of Historic Preservation Michelle Arcari Rose was featured by The Washington Post and MSN in an article titled “Trump shared renderings of the new Kennedy Center. It looks like the old one.” In the piece, Rose provides insight on the proposed design changes to the Kennedy Center.
She notes that the updated design maintains a similar overall feel, describing it as a “modern prairie-style upgrade,” while raising concerns about the process behind the renovation and whether officials are following preservation laws governing such changes. Read more in The Washington Post.
More media mentions for Rose include:
Biz Beat Roundup: Local organization names new executive director (Fredericksburg Free Press; The Free Lance-Star)
Fredericksburg-based Washington Heritage Museums (WHM) has selected its next leader. Rose was previously associate general counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and she also serves as an adjunct professor for the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. Learn more from The Free Lance-Star or Fredericksburg Free Press.
Washington Heritage Museums Names New Executive Director (FXBG Advance)
Rose previously worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, and currently works as an adjunct instructor at the University of Mary Washington where she teaches historic preservation law. Read more in the FXBG Advance.