A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
James Farmer Multicultural Center Assistant Director Christopher Williams
Chris Williams, assistant director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center and a member of the Recording Academy, was featured in VPM discussing the use of campaign music by Virginia gubernatorial candidates. Williams noted that the music selected by Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears “signals that she has her own plans and own future,” reflecting strategic messaging through sound. Read the full story.
Director of the Office of TIX & ADA Compliance Ruth Davison
Director of the Office of Disability Resources Alex Ecklund
Director of the Office of TIX & ADA Compliance Ruth Davison and Director of the Office of Disability Resources Alex Ecklund had a program selected for the 2025 national conference of the Association on Higher Education and Disability in Denver, CO.
Their presentation entitled “One Campus’ Journey to Improve Accessibility Across Indoor and Outdoor Spaces” focused on UMW’s capital projects to enhance accessibility.
Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao presented “Building Chatbots for AI Literacy” at the AI Ready RVA Teacher & AI Summer Workshop in Richmond. The two-day event brought together educators focused on integrating artificial intelligence into classrooms in responsible and engaging ways. Rao shared insights from his work with Playlab AI and praised the workshop for its commitment to supporting teacher development.
Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon
Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon was featured in an article in Style Weekly titled “Race and Place.” The article highlights Moon’s upcoming talk at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture on Thursday, August 7, where she will discuss her new book, Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia. The event explores how racial dynamics have shaped one of Virginia’s most historic cities. Read the full story.
Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds
Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was quoted in Arizona Luminaria in an article examining the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by public officials in data center development projects. “Part of due diligence for elected officials is to know the company so they can scrutinize how it can behave elsewhere,” said Bonds, who has written extensively on data center transparency, particularly in Virginia. Read the full story.
Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar
Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar offered insight into Virginia’s rising unemployment rate in a recent interview with Channel 8 News, featured on MSN. “Is it a permanent move or temporary? That is something we have to keep an eye out for,” Dhar said, noting that more information is needed to determine the reason behind the increase. Read the full story.
Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth was quoted in a TRT Global article titled “Losing message war: Why Democrats are struggling to challenge Trump.” In the article, Farnsworth said, “Republicans have been much better at painting the Democrats as out of touch than the reverse,” noting the GOP’s success in shaping public perception through messaging. Read the article from TRT Global.
Other media mentions for Farnsworth include:
Republicans are speaking out about gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign (Virginia Political Newsletter)
“Ultimately unified beats divided anytime,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “And the Republican Party’s inability to really get together is yet another problem for a party that’s already looking at a difficult year.” Read more in Virginia Political Newsletter.
Virginia House in the balance: 5 key races to watch this fall (Virginia Mercury)
“It’s no surprise that the most competitive districts right now are in Republican hands,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “This is an environment where Republicans are facing significant headwinds for a bunch of reasons, and that’s creating a tailwind that would help Democrats who, in other years, might be more vulnerable.” Read more in Virginia Mercury.
Trump suggests he may endorse Earle-Sears for VA governor (Fox 5 DC; MSN)
University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth pointed out that Trump often endorses candidates he sees as winners. “The polls are really unfavorable right now, and it might be a really difficult environment to get a full-throated endorsement,” he said. Read more in Fox 5 DC or in MSN.
Virginia House in the Balance: 5 Key Races to Watch this Fall (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
“It’s no surprise that the most competitive districts right now are in Republican hands,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “This is an environment where Republicans are facing significant headwinds for a bunch of reasons, and that’s creating a tailwind that would help Democrats who, in other years, might be more vulnerable.” Read more in Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elisabeth Larus, a China expert and adjunct senior fellow at the Pacific Forum, was featured in a BBC News article titled “Trump looks forward to visiting China: Will Rubio, sanctioned by Beijing, become an obstacle to his trip?”
Commenting on meetings between U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and top Chinese officials, Larus observed, “Rubio’s meetings with Beijing’s top brass were inevitably awkward, including a lack of eye contact and faces that looked grim rather than smiling. But their primary role was to pave the way for a meeting between Trump and Xi, not to engage in in-depth, substantive discussions.” Read the full story.
UMW Professor Emeritus of Physics Bulent Atalay
Professor Emeritus of Physics Bulent Atalay was recently featured in Smithsonian Magazine for his reflections on the interplay between art and science, as exemplified by Leonardo da Vinci.
“Just as the artist is restricted only by his imagination and his facility with his chisel or brush, the scientist is restricted only by his imagination and his facility with his mathematics,” Atalay writes. A former faculty member at UMW and UVA, Atalay continues to lecture internationally. Read the full story.
A year-long, campus-wide digital accessibility initiative is beginning that will strengthen our digital presence and ensure our online spaces are welcoming and accessible to all. This collaborative effort is an opportunity to build on UMW’s leadership in digital innovation and student engagement as we align with new accessibility standards and regulations.
Please be aware of the requirements as training and implementation begin this fall. The scope of this work includes all of our websites and the systems we use daily such as umw.edu and Canvas and includes documents, digital tools and other electronic content. For example, all Word, PowerPoint, PDF and video files shared with students in Canvas or via email, and any other online methods, including our social media posts, must be compliant by the deadline of April 24, 2026.
What are the requirements?
ADA Title II now requires all state and local government entities, including the University of Mary Washington, to ensure their websites and mobile apps meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026. The new rule aims to ensure that all people with disabilities have full and equal access to public entities’ services, programs, and activities available on mobile apps and websites.
WCAG is a set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). It provides a set of recommendations and standards to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Public entities must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1 Level AA, as ruled in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In addition, VA HB 2541, signed into law in 2025, also addresses information and communication technology as it relates to digital accessibility, with updates and organizational changes to the Information Technology Access Act. It also has a deadline of April 24, 2026.
Why is this a priority?
We are proactively working toward achieving and maintaining these federal and state requirements as set in the standards, which will necessitate a campus-wide, coordinated effort across our web-based institutional spaces. Meeting these accessibility standards is about more than compliance—it’s about ensuring every community member and visitor to our website and online services can fully participate in the UMW experience. Accessible websites and materials improve usability for everyone.
What’s in progress?
This work is already underway. We made important strides during the pandemic through digital coursework and the leadership of Digital Learning Support, the Center for Teaching, and the Office of Disability Resources. These teams have helped implement best practices in online content creation.
We’ve also refined our University website templates as part of the recent redesign to better align with WCAG standards. Our new sites are built with accessibility in mind, and we’ll continue replacing outdated templates and offering training to web editors to implement the accessibility standards.
This initiative will be led by the Web Accessibility & VAHB2541 Work Group, chaired by Director of Compliance/Title IX Coordinator/ADA Coordinator Ruth Davison and Chief Information Officer Jonathan Piersol. Key personnel will be invited to support assessment, implementation, and ongoing monitoring.
We’ll be assessing and auditing existing content and any new content going into the spring semester. In limited circumstances, some kinds of web and mobile app content, primarily archived content and old documents, may be exempt. Anything active or newly created must be in compliance.
How do I learn more about next steps and implementation?
We’ll be sharing more opportunities to contribute to the assessment, ask questions, and learn best practices as the fall semester begins. Implementation guidelines and support—including labs and workshops—will be available during professional development days, with a focus on accessibility for documents, websites, audio/video content, and supplemental applications in use and being created for the spring semester.
Updates and information will be shared via the web accessibility website.
We appreciate your attention to this effort and commitment to these requirements for web accessibility.