April 12, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Larus Comments in Financial Times on Biden Taiwan Policy, Vietnam News on UN Proposal

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Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Larus, Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, commented in the Financial Times that President Biden had come out with a “firmer posture” on China than most experts had expected but had also benefited from Trump’s precedent. She commented that “Some of the heavy lifting on Taiwan has already been done for him.”
https://www.ft.com/content/05d67774-fdf7-41ae-b17e-a8f2fe8e9f6f
https://oltnews.com/u-s-facilitates-diplomats-meeting-with-taiwanese-officials

Professor Larus also commented April 3 on Vietnam TV News on prospects for strengthening UN cooperation with regional organizations in peacemaking efforts, an item on the agenda as Vietnam begins official duties as (rotating) president of the UN Security Council. Professor Larus’ comments begin at 17 min into the program at https://vnews.gov.vn/video/the-gioi-360-do-ngay-03-4-2021-207815.htm

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 latest column in The Free Lance-Star is entitled, “Taking Too Long on Searches.”

RECRUITMENT is challenging in the best of times. But during a pandemic, it seems like searching for new employees has gotten ridiculous.

I’ve hired a lot people in my higher education career. Before we begin searches, we sit down and map out the recruitment plan. We include everything from who will be involved in the hiring process to where we will advertise for the position to the timetable we expect to follow. Evidently, planning all of this is not what many organizations do or if they do plan, they don’t stick to the plan. Read more.

Romero Convenes International Conference on Social Justice in Classics

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Joseph Romero (CPRD) convened a conference for Classicists across the globe to address the past, present, and future of the discipline.

Romero Convenes Conference on Classics and Social Justice

On March 20, 2021, Joseph Romero (CPRD) collaborated with Hannah Čulík-Baird (Boston University) to present a second online conference in an ongoing series entitled, Res Difficiles, which attracted over 300 registrants from across the globe to engage in difficult conversations about the past, present, and future of the discipline. Our keynote speaker was the esteemed classicist, Dr. Patrice Rankine (Professor of Classics, Dean of Arts and Sciences, University of Richmond). The papers are now posted on the conference website: resdifficiles.com. Romero and Čulík-Baird have been invited to guest edit a selection of papers from the ongoing series for the online Classics journal, Ancient History Bulletin in this and the coming year. A third installment of the popular series is planned for 2022.

Machande to Serve as Interim Dean for the College of Business

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College of Business Interim Dean Ken Machande

College of Business Interim Dean Ken Machande

The following message is from President Paino.

In December, Dr. Lynne Richardson announced that she would be retiring as the Dean of the College of Business in July of this year. After consulting with and receiving input from a number of constituencies, including the faculty and staff in the College of Business, I am very pleased to announce that Professor Ken Machande has agreed to serve as the Interim Dean of the College of Business and lead the College as we consider the plans and timing for an external search for a Dean and prepare for the next review cycle of AACSB.

Professor Machande has been a member of the faculty for nearly 20 years, has served as the Associate Dean in the College of Business since 2012, and also served as the Interim Dean of the College of Business in 2018-2019. Ken brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and professional accomplishments to this role, and he will ensure both a smooth transition as well as further ongoing efforts to move the College of Business forward. Please join me in welcoming Ken to this role and thanking him for his willingness to further serve the University at this time.

Smith, Student’s Work with Local Brewery Highlighted in The Free Lance-Star

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Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith '12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith’s work with junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki was recently highlighted in an article in The Free Lance-Star about how the pair are helping Mary Washington alum Ray Parrish ’91, co-owner of Maltese Brewing Company in Fredericksburg, who aspires to earn a Guinness World Record for spicest beer. Smith and Ebenki are determining the heat content of Maltese’s Signal One 2.0, a pineapple IPA infused with 500 Carolina Reaper chilies, the world’s hottest pepper. Read more.

UMW Students Creating Theatre for Young Audiences

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UMW Theatre and Studio 115 has teamed up with Fairfax County Public Schools to present Bedtime Stories (As Told By Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up) by Ed Monk.

Dad is determined to make bedtime a smashing success. How hard could it be?! Just read a few books and then . . . REST AND RELAXATION! Little does he know that the kids have impossibly high standards and, as he begins to dive in, Dad quickly realizes he doesn’t remember the classics as well as he thought. As his retellings teeter off the rails, he weaves unforgettable stories from familiar, yet fractured, tales.

This performance is free and presented virtually one time only with Broadway On Demand on April 9 at 7:00 pm.

Please visit http://www.broadwayondemand.com/signup to register for an account prior to the performance. To attend the performance, visit: http://www.umwtheatre.org/bedtime.

If you would like to share information about the performance with parents of young children (aged 4-11) or any educators in your life you may share this linked PDF.

We are excited about this opportunity for our students to share this story with our community. We hope you will join us and spread the word. Should you have any questions, please email jreynol2@umw.edu.

James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Efforts to Establish Historical Marker at Freedom Rides Site Highlighted in FLS

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Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A recent article in The Free Lance-Star highlighted the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s work with City Councilman Chuck Frye to establish an official historical marker at the site of the former Fredericksburg bus station where the Freedom Riders stopped in 1961, in their quest to desegregate interstate travel, orchestrated by civil rights icon and late Mary Washington history professor James L. Farmer Jr.

“It’s a great milestone that the city has met and it’s a huge deal that we have taken time to settle down and tell the story of Fredericksburg,” Frye said. “To me, it shows how history books don’t tell the story of African–American history. And here in 2021 we’re researching information and coming up with actual history.” Read more. 

“A Climate of Change” Featured in The Free Lance-Star

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A Climate of Change flyer“A Climate of Change,” hosted by UMW and Marstel-Day, a local environmental consulting firm, was featured in The Free Lance-Star. This three-part series of public discussions with local leaders, held on Tuesdays in April on Zoom, aims to amp up critical dialogue about climate change and issues like environmental justice, clean energy and conservation. Following each discussion, UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger and Marstel-Day President and CEO Rebecca Rubin will moderate a public question-and-answer session. Read more.

2021 DIII Week

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Dear UMW Colleagues,

April 5-11 marks the NCAA’s Division III week, a national celebration of Division III student-athletes and their commitment to academic and athletic excellence. Division III student-athletes receive no athletic scholarships whatsoever. Like all of our students, UMW student-athletes learn valuable lessons in the classroom and in their chosen activities. I’d like to highlight what two UMW alumni have told me about how athletics influenced them after Mary Washington and into their careers.

Jin Wong '97

Jin Wong ’97

In order of graduation from UMW, Jin Wong (Business, Class of 1997, Baseball) currently works as Assistant General Manager for Baseball Operations for the Kansas City Royals.

Being a student-athlete at UMW, I came to understand the importance of time management and prioritization. Sports encourages teamwork, nurtures leadership skills, satisfies our competitive natures, and helps us understand how we cope with pressure and expectations. I firmly believe that these skills I developed while a member of the baseball team proved extremely valuable for me in life after UMW.

Shelby Harris, (Economics, Class of 2016, Tennis) is the Private Events Manager at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Shelby Harris '16

Shelby Harris ’16

Being a student-athlete at UMW prepared me in multiple ways for life post-college. I learned the importance of time management and organization from when I had to balance school work with practices. These skills have transferred over to my career where I have to multitask and adhere to deadlines. Being a captain of my collegiate team taught me leadership and communication skills which have been key throughout my personal and professional life. The early morning workouts and the late nights traveling for matches instilled in me the importance of working hard and not being afraid of long hours. Especially when I started my career right out of college, I was always willing to come in as early or stay as late as needed to get the job done. 

Most importantly, being a part of a team at UMW gave me a family that I am still close with years after we have all graduated. Having a strong support system and network post-college has really been beneficial for all of us as we have journeyed through different careers in all regions of the country. For these reasons, I am super grateful for my time at UMW as a student-athlete! 

I hope you’ll join me in applauding our student-athletes, as well as their coaches and trainers, as they continue to develop life-long skills here at UMW.

Best wishes,

Mary Beth Mathews, Faculty Athletics Representative, Professor of Religious Studies

Campus Recreation’s Fun Run Hybrid 5K

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Fun Run Hybrid 5KGet ready for a FUN RUN! Hybrid 5k on April 10th at 1 p.m. All participants will receive a Freddy’s gift card AND and Amazon gift card will be given for top times. Winner will receive an IM CHAMP t-shirt. Link to register here.

Campus Rec is now hiring interns for Fall 2021. Positions include: Graphic Design, Videography/Photography, and Communications. Apply here.