April 22, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Whalen Appointed to Board of Directors for Electronic Literature Organization

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Associate Professor in the Department of English, Linguistics and Communication

Zach Whalen has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Electronic Literature Organization, an international organization dedicated to the investigation of literature produced for digital media. This large community of scholars and practitioners working with “born digital” literature hosts an annual convention, maintains a network of scholarly archives and databases, and has published four anthologies of electronic literature. Read more.

Mary Talk: Farnsworth to Discuss Political Humor, Sept. 25

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Join us online for the first Mary Talk of the season!

Stephen Farnsworth, Ph.D. is a professor of political science and the director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at UMW. In this Mary Talk, Dr. Farnsworth will discuss how political humor has become an increasingly important part of U.S. political communication, particularly regarding presidents and presidential elections. Research shows that consumption of late-night comedy in the wake of the 2020 election led to decreases in viewers’ levels of cynicism and political negativity. And increasingly, political humor provides an important way to challenge the disinformation present in much of our contemporary political discourse.

Wednesday, September 25
7:30-8:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Online (via Zoom)

Register to watch the Talk. You will receive a link to the streaming video, which can be watched live or at a later time. You also will have the opportunity to submit questions.

Singh Publishes Essay on Nature and Morality

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Department of Political Science and International Affairs Associate Professor Ranjit Singh

Department of Political Science and International Affairs Associate Professor Ranjit Singh

Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Ranjit Singh’s essay “Life on the Move” appears in the latest issue of The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy. Founded in 1983 and associated with the deep ecology movement, The Trumpeter is an environmental humanities journal dedicated to the development of an ecosophy, or wisdom born of ecological understanding and insight.  From the abstract to Singh’s peer-reviewed essay:

What does the War on Terror have to teach us about the ongoing War on Invasive Species? Rooted in the author’s personal experiences as an immigrant on a family farm in Virginia, this essay explores themes of language, mental frames, and violent conflict in novel ways that shed insight into the morality of the struggle to manage unwanted species.

Readers may access Prof. Singh’s essay here. 

Majid Shares Credit Expertise with WalletHub

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Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid

Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid

Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid spoke to WalletHub about the shifting power of the American Express credit card. “Offering cards to those with lower credit scores is unlikely in the immediate future. American Express traditionally caters to individuals with good to excellent credit,” Majid told WalletHub. “However, the financial services industry is dynamic, so future strategies could change.” Read more.

Sarkar Shares Opinions on Internationally Based Banks

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College of Business Associate Professor Sayan Sarkar

College of Business Associate Professor Sayan Sarkar

Sayan Sarkar, an associate professor in the College of Business, was recently quoted by WalletHub, answering the question, “Do you think U.S. consumers are especially suspicious of internationally based banks?” “In my opinion, American consumers tend to be more familiar with domestic banks,” Sarkar said. “Domestic banks possess inherent advantages, particularly in their understanding of local populations’ needs and compliance with local regulations.” Read more.

Kilmartin Pens Article About Masculinity in Australian Publication

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Professor Emeritus of Psychology Christopher Kilmartin

Professor Emeritus of Psychology Christopher Kilmartin

Professor Emeritus of Psychology Christopher Kilmartin co-wrote an article titled “What Tim Walz’s version of masculinity can teach the right” that ran in the Australian publication Crikey. The article summary states: “Public displays of affection between Tim Walz and his teen son have been criticised as ‘weird’. But right-wing critics could learn much from this version of masculinity.” Read the article.

Larus Comments on Harris Campaign and Trump-Harris Debate on Taiwan News

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, was featured in a two-part series by Global News Taiwan on Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, September 7 and 10. The program host refers to Professor Larus as 藍若思 beginning at 5 minutes into the program and at 19 minutes into the program.

Larus also offered pre-debate commentary to RW News Taiwan (in Chinese) in advance of the September 10 Trump-Harris Debate. Her name appears as 藍若思 after the first reference.

Upcoming Dining Events

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All members of the University of Mary Washington faculty and staff are invited to attend several special dining events that will be hosted at the Top of the CRUC in the next couple of weeks.  These events include:

The Latino Melting Pot Dinner – Tuesday, September 24th, 5pm to 8pm. This event is co-sponsored with the Latino Student Association and will feature a wide variety of Hispanic cuisines in celebration of Latino Identities Month. Costs: Faculty and staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $14.92 Flex Dollars; Other guests $17.23 plus tax.

Hispanic themed “Eat Local” event, Monday, September 30th, 5pm to 8pm. This event features dishes from local restaurants Juan More Tacos and El Vaso Loco. Costs for this dining event: Faculty and Staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $13.54 Flex Dollars; Other Guests $16.08 plus tax.

Global Cafe, Wednesday, October 2nd, 5pm to 8pm.  This annual event is co-sponsored by the Center for International Education. Guests will enjoy  culinary treats from around the world while learning about UMW’s Study Abroad programs. Costs: Faculty and staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $14.92 Flex; Other guests $17.23 plus tax.

For more details about these events, contact Rose Benedict, rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.

 

UMW Theatre Opens Season With ‘Twelve Angry Jurors,’ Sept. 19-29

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Twelve Angry Jurors posterThe 2024-2025 UMW Theatre season begins with Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose, adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel. Performances will be September 19-21 & September 26-28 at 7:30 p.m., and September 22, 28, & September 29 at 2:00 p.m. in Klein Theatre, duPont Hall at the University of Mary Washington. Guests may also attend the Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance on September 18 at 7:30 p.m. The box office opens at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. AfterWords, a post-show talkback with the cast, will take place after the matinee performance on September 22. Tickets are $30 for standard admission and $25 for students, senior citizens, and military. Groups of ten or more can receive a discount as well.

Set in the 1950’s, Twelve Angry Jurors focuses on a jury, tasked with deciding the fate of a young boy in a murder trial in which the boy is being accused of killing his father. The story takes place in the deliberation room, where the group must reach a unanimous vote of “guilty” or “not guilty.” In what seems like a cut-and-dry case to most, one juror is undecided, arguing there is reasonable doubt. With the young boy’s life in their hands, the twelve men and women must come to a fair verdict. Twelve Angry Jurors is a reflection on the American judicial system and society that portrays themes of discrimination, prejudice, stubbornness of beliefs, and justice.

Inspired by his experience as a juror in a New York City courtroom, Reginald Rose originally wrote Twelve Angry Men in 1954 as a one-hour teleplay for CBS Studio One. One year later, the show was adapted into a play and staged in San Francisco. The show was revived and made its Broadway debut on October 28, 2004, at the American Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 328 performances. The show has been adapted to include women, retitled Twelve Angry Women, Twelve Angry Men and Women, or Twelve Angry Jurors.

Twelve Angry Jurors is a multi-award-winning show that has won a Drama Desk Award, a Drama League Award, and three Tony Award nominations. Twelve Angry Jurors is directed by assistant professor Marc Williams. Scenic design is by associate professor Michael Benson and costume design is by associate professor Kevin McCluskey. Lighting and sound design are by Catherine Girardi and student sound designer Matthew Carrol, respectively. For further information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit www.FredTix.com.

Celebration of Life for Former Executive Director of Development Zachary Hatcher, Sept. 6

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The following message is from the Chief of Staff:

Campus Colleagues,

Following the sad news of the passing of Zachary Hatcher, former executive director of development at UMW, we wanted to update you with more details from his obituary and invite you to a Celebration of Life, September 6, at 3 p.m. at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to FAHASS, Chesapeake Bay Foundation or The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region in Zach’s memory, as all of these foundations were very near to his heart.

More information is available in the obituary online, or in the campus email from July.

Jeff McClurken
Chief of Staff