On Monday night, Folger Theatre’s production of Sense and Sensibility won four Helen Hayes awards, including best play and best ensemble. Cate Brewer, lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance, was a member of the cast for this production, and performed the role of Mrs. Jennings for the last three weeks of the run. The Helen Hayes Awards are D.C. theater’s professional theater awards. This year was the 33rd annual celebration of the Helen Hayes Awards.
Alumna Donates $1 Million for Comprehensive Scholarship
A member of the 1908 Society at the University of Mary Washington has donated $1 million to create a new Alvey Scholarship for exceptional students from states other than Virginia.
The donor, who asked that her name and class year remain anonymous, wishes to enhance opportunities for out-of-state students to pursue their educational goals while residing on campus and benefiting from the true Mary Washington experience.
Established in 2004, the endowed Alvey Scholars program at Mary Washington provides comprehensive, merit scholarships to students with outstanding academic credentials, thus enabling Mary Washington to compete for and attract the best and brightest students from across the country. Candidates for these scholarships are selected from freshmen accepted to the University through the honors admission program; each Alvey scholarship is renewable up to four years if student recipients continue to meet award criteria.
“This $1 million gift is a great example of the dedication and loyalty our alumni have to their alma mater,” said UMW President Troy D. Paino. “This donor’s personal journey in a career made possible by a degree from Mary Washington is now helping the University create infinite opportunities and possibilities for students that will continue generation after generation.”
The 1908 Society at Mary Washington recognizes nearly 8,000 living alumni from classes that already have celebrated 50th reunions. In June 2017, members of the Class of 1967 will be inducted into this society, named to commemorate the year of the University’s founding.
For more information, contact Donna Raab, executive director of campaign initiatives, at draab@umw.edu or 540-654-2059.
SAC News
VPSW Thank you: A special thank you to all those that made Virginia Public Service Week possible. Thank you for all that you do.
May S.A.C. Meeting: Our May meeting will be held this Thursday, May 18th 1:00PM in Monroe 240. We will have two guest speakers this month — Rick Pearce, VP for Administration and Finance, will bring us the latest budget news and BOV information. Sandra Fritton, Director of Disability Resources, will give an overview of the Office of Disability Resources and accessibility issues on campus, and discuss tools and tips we can use to help disabled students and guests. There will also be an opportunity for discussion and to ask any questions you may have for either speaker. You do not have to be a member of the S.A.C to attend monthly meetings – all are welcome!
Dr. Jeffrey W. McClurken appointed Special Advisor to the President: Dr. Jeffrey W. McClurken was announced as the new Special Advisor to the President, effective July 25, 2017. Dr. McClurken is Professor of History and American Studies and also currently serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for Teaching, Technology and Innovation. He was selected through an internal search process that invited applications from full-time UMW teaching faculty. In his new role, Dr. McClurken will report to the President and will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. Among his duties, he will provide advice and counsel on the strategic direction of the University, serve as Clerk and liaison to the Board of Visitors, and represent the University to the external community. Dr. McClurken will also continue to teach each year and will maintain a role in strategic oversight of digital learning initiatives.
Leadership UMW 2017-2018 – Apply Now! Applications are now being accepted for Leadership UMW 2017-18. Take this opportunity to assess and build your leadership capacity with a cohort of faculty and staff from across the university, understand yourself and others through self and multi-rater feedback assessments, group interaction and mentorship relations, learn strategies to motivate and improve individual and team performance, develop individual development plans, and learn the inner workings of UMW as an academic institution and as a business. Information about the curriculum, participants, mentors and more can be found at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/hr/employee-development-program-2/leadership-umw/. The application form is due May 19, 2017. For questions about the application process or the program, contact Sabrina Johnson at sjohnson@umw.edu or Golda Eldridge at geldridg@umw.edu.
Upcoming Summer Construction Projects: Please be aware of upcoming summer construction projects on campus. For detailed information, go to http://umweagleeye.wpengine.com/2017/05/11/upcoming-summer-construction-projects/.
Excellent Eagle Employee Program: Nominate your co-workers, supervisor or employees for the Excellent Eagle Employee award. It’s easy! Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee nomination form on our website. Take some time to nominate someone today! Winners get reserved parking on campus for the month.
#1 F.A.N. (Fantastic Action Noticed) In addition to the Excellent Eagle program, you can also recognize a colleague using HR’s #1 F.A.N. program. Did you experience exceptional customer service or awesome collaboration? If so, nominate the person or people involved in that experience. Complete the #1 F.A.N. form on the HR website, and your colleague will be able to choose a UMW spirit item as a token of appreciation.
Newsletter, Social Media and Other Information: You’ll find important information in SAC’s monthly newsletter. Check it out and find other information on our website, including a list of our new members. If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow us @UMW_S.A.C.
Al-Tikriti Chapter Submission Published
Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history, published a chapter in an edited volume titled “An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīh.”
This segment of an edited volume originated as a presentation for the “International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu” in Izmir, Turkey in July, 2015.
The contribution analyzes Kātip Çelebi’s (d. 1657) world history almanac, Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ, and its place in his own oeuvre, 17th century Ottoman historical writing, and Islamicate calendar literature in general. It also summarizes the contents and structure of the text, as well as its evolution as a living text in the decades following its completion.
This invited conference attendance was made possible with the support of both Izmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi and the University of Mary Washington.
Publication Date: May 2017
Publication Name: Al-Tikriti, Nabil. “An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ.” In Eds. Turan Gökçe, Mikail Acıpınar, İrfan Kokdaş, and Özer Küpeli. International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium Proceedings / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu Bildirileri (Izmir: İzmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2017).
Barry Organizes Conference at Georgetown University
Jennifer Barry, Assistant Professor of Religion, co-organized a day-long conference at Georgetown University on April 28, 2017. She is a steering committee member of the First Millennium Network, a cross-disciplinary working group in conjunction with scholars from the Catholic University of America, George Mason University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, College Park.
The conference consisted of several world-renowned speakers who specialize in Apocalyptic Literature from a variety of different disciplines and areas of focus such as Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies and Medieval Studies. The University of Mary Washington has only recently joined the First Millennium Network through Barry’s ongoing efforts in connecting UMW to the greater DC area.
The First Millennium Network seeks to extend the scholarly perspective by finding creative ways to encourage interdisciplinary and comparative study of the entirety of the first millennium of the Common Era, particularly in Western Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic world. The Network places special emphasis on the diversity of, and interconnections among, the religious communities within first millennium societies—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism, etc.—in their multitude of forms. To find out more, follow us on Twitter (@First1000Net) Facebook, or visit our website.
Wynn Publishes Work on Student Misconceptions about Plants
Assistant Professor of Biology April Wynn and colleagues had a recent paper published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. The paper is a meta-analysis of the misconceptions that students of all levels hold about plants biology. The goal of this work is to be a resource for instructors to identify misconceptions in order to focus on enriching the education in these areas of plant biology.
http://www.asmscience.org/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1253
Larus Presents Research on U.S. Seapower
Elizabeth Larus, professor of political science, presented “Naval Diplomacy and U.S. Seapower in the Asia-Pacific” at the World International Studies Conference (WISC), Taipei, Taiwan, April 1-3, 2017.
Reunion Weekend is June 2-4
Each year the Office of Alumni Relations hosts Reunion Weekend on the Mary Washington campus. Nearly 800 alumni and guests are expected to come back to campus and participate in dozens of intellectual, cultural, and social activities. While alumni from all classes are welcome at Reunion Weekend, classes ending in twos and sevens from 1947–2007 are invited back to campus this year to celebrate their milestone reunions. This very special Reunion Weekend will be held June 2-4, 2017.
We would like to extend the invitation for the entire campus community to participate in the various events throughout the weekend in order to connect with former students. The Reunion Weekend schedule and registration link is listed online at http://alumni.umw.edu/reunionweekend. Registration closes on May 29. If you are interested in seeing who is currently signed up to attend, visit the registration page and click “Attendee List.” Click the column header labeled “Preferred Class Year” to sort the list by class year.
We hope to see you there!
Bales Receives McFarland/SABR Baseball Research Award
Jack Bales, Humanities Reference Librarian, has been awarded the McFarland/SABR Baseball Research Award for his article, “The Show Girl and the Shortstop: The Strange Saga of Violet Popovich and Her Shooting of Cub Billy Jurges.” Jack’s article appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Baseball Research Journal. This award is given by SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, to recognize research projects that have advanced understanding of baseball. The award, which includes a cash prize, will be presented at the SABR annual conference.
Barrenechea Lectures at University of Rome, Gives Interview on New Book
Antonio Barrenechea, Associate Professor of English, recently delivered the lecture “Hemispheric Studies Beyond Suspicion” at the University of Rome (Sapienza). He was also interviewed about his new book, America Unbound: Encyclopedic Literature and Hemispheric Studies. The interview will be published in the inaugural issue of the Italian journal America Critica.