April 11, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Vaccine incentive winners for week No. 1

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The following message is from the Office of Human Resources.

We had our first drawing yesterday for winners among vaccinated employees! The three winners, all of whom have been notified, were Smita O., Miriam L., and Tracy C. Congratulations!

Remember to upload your vaccination card if you have not done so already. All employees who submit their information for the first time by next Tuesday will be eligible for the drawing on Tuesday, July 13. Prizes include a reserved parking space for the semester or $250 in University Center meals, Bookstore items or professional development funds. Those who uploaded their cards by the end of the day yesterday will be in the pool for the July 6 drawing.

Here is where to convey your information: HR Faculty Staff Vaccine Information. And, if you have been vaccinated but misplaced your card, go here.

Upcoming Postage Rate Increase

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USPS has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) requesting a price increase that, if approved, will apply a 6.8% increase to letters and flats, and would take effect Aug. 29, 2021.

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

Product Current Prices Planned Prices
Letters (1 oz.) 55 cents 58 cents
Letters additional ounce(s) 20 cents 20 cents (unchanged)
Letters (metered 1 oz.) 51 cents 53 cents
Domestic Postcards 36 cents 40 cents
Flats (1 oz.)

Outbound International Letters
(1 oz.)

 $1.00

$1.20

 $1.16

$1.30

 

More information can be found here: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0528-usps-proceeds-with-request-for-postal-rate-change.htm

Devlin’s With Good Reason Interview Re-Aired

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Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin’s interview on With Good Reason re-airs this week, June 25 through July 1, as part of the episode, “Wearing Down the Appalachian Trail.”  With Good Reason airs Sundays at 2 p.m. on Fredericksburg’s Radio IQ 88.3 Digital and at various times throughout the week on stations across Virginia and the United States. Check the website for show times.

Camping, hiking, and enjoying the great outdoors are American pastimes. But for African Americans, gathering in public spaces has long been fraught. Erin Devlin discusses the racism that was built into America’s national parks. Listen here.

Let us know what events your department is hosting!

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Eagle Takeoff is also known as “Welcome Week” but instead of just one week, it’s the full schedule of everything going on around campus the first 6 weeks of the semester. From the Eagle Resource Fair on Move-in Day, to Family Weekend the first weekend in October, we want to include all events that are open to all students in an electronic and printed calendar.

Please submit your event(s) to this form: https://umw.presence.io/form/eagle-takeoff-event-submissions

And remember, if your department/organization has a portal in myUMW (Presence), you are always encourage to submit any and all events to the campus-wide events calendar through this form: https://umw.presence.io/form/event-registration

If you would like your event(s) to be included on a printed calendar, please submit either of these forms by Friday, July 23.

Thank you for helping to make our students return to campus better than ever!

Email Sandrine Sutphin at ssutphin@umw.edu if you have any questions.

5% Pay Increase

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Dear Colleagues,

As you are aware, the governor approved the state budget which included a 5% base salary adjustment for classified employees effective June 10, 2021. Although the bill did have a provision that allows for the exemption of certain higher education employees, UMW is committed to giving each and every eligible employee, whether faculty or staff, this 5% pay increase.

All UMW classified staff, A/P faculty, full-time teaching faculty, adjunct faculty and wage staff are eligible to receive a pay increase as described below:

Classified staff

  • All classified employees who were employed in salaried positions as of March 10, 2021, and who received a rating of “Contributor” or “Extraordinary Contributor” (or the equivalent) on their last performance evaluation or more recent interim evaluation are eligible to receive the 5% base salary adjustment effective June 10, 2021.
  • Pay increases for classified employees will appear in the paychecks beginning July 1, 2021.

A/P faculty

  • All A/P Faculty employees who were employed in salaried positions as of March 10, 2021, and who received a rating of “Contributor” or “Extraordinary Contributor” (or the equivalent) on their last performance evaluation or more recent interim evaluation are eligible to receive the 5% base salary adjustment effective June 10, 2021.
  • Pay increases for A/P faculty will appear in the paychecks beginning July 1, 2021.
  • The amount of the increase will be prorated for part-time and quasi salaried staff who are working fewer than twelve months per year or less than 100% full time (40 hours per week or equivalent) on June 10, 2021.

Full-time teaching faculty

  • All full-time Teaching Faculty who were employed as of March 10, 2021, and who received a satisfactory rating (or the equivalent) on their last annual performance review will receive the 5% base salary adjustment effective August 16, 2021.
  • Pay increases will appear in the paychecks beginning September 1, 2021.

Wage staff

  • All wage employees who were employed in positions as of March 10, 2021 and remain employed on June 7, 2021 will receive the 5% pay increase effective June 21, 2021.
  • Pay increases for wage employees appear in the paychecks beginning July 16, 2021.

Adjunct Faculty

  • The scale used to compensate adjunct faculty has been increased. Revised adjunct pay steps, representing a 5% increase in compensation per credit hour taught, will be in effect starting in fall 2021.

Deferred Compensation

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

Please review the FAQ’s and if you still have questions, please contact Terri Arthur, tlockhar@umw.edu in Human Resources.

Thank you,

 

Beth Williams
Executive Director for Human Resources
University of Mary Washington
(540) 654-1294
bwilli22@umw.edu
1301 College Avenue
George Washington Hall, Room 203
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Death of an employee

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It is with great sadness that we report the death of a member of the UMW Public Safety team. Last week, Fire Suppression Technician Alvin L. Holland suffered an apparent heart attack while in his office. Attempts to revive him by colleagues in the UMW Public Safety office, as well Fredericksburg fire and EMS personnel, were unsuccessful.

Holland, employed at Mary Washington since 2017, was a familiar face “behind the scenes” on campus as he performed maintenance on fire safety systems. For several years prior to that, he worked on UMW fire safety systems as a contractor.

Al is survived by his wife Brenda, two children, and grandchildren. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family.

A viewing will take place next Wednesday, July 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. with another viewing at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 8. The funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday. All will take place at:

Bennett Funeral Home
8014 Lee Davis Road
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mechanicsville Little League. Al spent more than 30 years on the board of directors and volunteered countless hours to the organization. Mailing address:

P.O. Box 482
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

For UMW employees in need of grief counseling, the following resources are available:
Anthem participants: www.anthemEAP.com, 1-855-223-9277
Company code: Commonwealth of Virginia

Aetna participants: www.mylifevalues.com, 1-888-238-6232
Username and password: COVA
Kaiser Permanente participants: 1-866-517-7042

A message from the Vice President for Student Affairs

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Dear UMW Community,

On May 13, 2021, President Paino released his response to the report and recommendations of the UMW Police Advisory Committee, which met throughout the 2020-21 academic year.

Dr. Paino’s recommendations included an evaluation of the University’s mental health crisis response. Here is the specific recommendation:

Restructure mental health crisis response. Dr. Juliette Landphair, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Dr. Tev Zukor, Director of the Talley Counseling Center, will form a working group that includes University Police, those on staff responsible for mental health crisis response, and interested students, to develop a timeline and plan for reform that might include:

  • 24/7 availability of clinical professionals for student support
  • Changes in UMW Police protocols during a mental health crisis
  • More Residence Life staff training and communication responsibilities to proactively inform students about student support options

The working group has been established and includes the members below. In addition to gathering feedback from the community, we will be reviewing relevant data, including Campus Police Surveys, and University policies and protocols around crisis response.

We look forward to reporting out the results of our work in the fall. In the meantime, do not hesitate to email me or Dr. Zukor with any questions or insights.

Sincerely,

Juliette Landphair, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs

 

Mental Health Crisis Response Working Group

Co-Chairs

  • Dr. Juliette Landphair, Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Dr. Tev Zukor, Director of Talley Center

Members

  • Megan Brown, Area Coordinator for Residence Life and Housing
  • Alexandra Diviney, Class of 2022
  • Lt. Bill Gill, UMW Police
  • Vivian Hyatt, Class of 2022
  • Sgt. Tegan Lewis, UMW Police
  • Marissa Miller, Director of Prevention and Education

Farnsworth Lectures to Virginia Boys State, Fredericksburg Area League of Women Voters

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Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently delivered an online lecture entitled “Virginia’s Candidate Selection Process: Examining Recent Primaries and Conventions” at the 2021 American Legion Boys’ State of Virginia. The week-long government education program brings together several hundred of Virginia’s top rising high school seniors in the social sciences.

Dr. Farnsworth also recently delivered a lecture, “Voter Suppression Efforts Across the South (But not in Virginia)” at the Annual Meeting of the Fredericksburg Area League of Women Voters.

Dr. Farnsworth also contributed comments to the following news stories:

McAuliffe commits to five debates in Virginia governor’s race, Youngkin to one (The Washington Post; Westport News)

Schapiro: A Republican campaign in search of a theme (Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Roanoke Times)

Biden-Putin Summit Wraps Up in Geneva (CTV News Channel)

Analysis: Biden, Putin meet face-to-face in Geneva (CP24)

Democrats Playing Too Nice? (CTV News Channel)

Trump joins Rumble as his search for alternative social media platform continues (ABC 6; CBS12; CNY Central)

2022’s midterm elections already are pressuring Democrats, as Wall Street ‘might be praying for Republican gains’ (MarketWatch; Morningstar; Crumpe)

Petition against Louise Lucas seeks to do the unprecedented-recall a Virginia lawmaker (The Virginian-Pilot; Yahoo News)

Richardson Column in The Free Lance-Star

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UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s most recent column in The Free Lance-Star is entitled, “Learning to Make Good Decisions by Making Bad Ones First.”

MANY years ago, a reporter asked Walmart founder Sam Walton, “How did you become so successful?” Walton answered, “I’ve made a lot of good decisions.”

The follow-up question by the reporter was then, “How did you learn to make good decisions?” Walton simply replied, “By making a lot of bad decisions.”

Can you relate to this? I certainly can. Read more.