Lynne Richardson: And the Metzger Goes To …
The sand pail and shovel in Lynne Richardson’s office remind her of the challenges she faced with her team as inaugural dean of the University of Mary Washington’s College of Business (COB).
College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson won the Patricia Lacey Metzger Distinguished Achievement Award at today’s 26th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @ UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.
“Each faculty and staff member received one to remind us that we couldn’t achieve our big goals until we learned to play well in the sand box together,” she said. “And we have!”
Richardson was honored in part for those efforts this morning, when she received the Patricia Lacey Metzger Distinguished Achievement Award – to a standing ovation – at the Leadership Colloquium for Professional Women. Given each year, the honor goes to someone who has demonstrated leadership in her field, personal and professional integrity, and commitment to community service.
Richardson’s accomplishments put her “far above and beyond these basic criteria by mentoring, teaching, supporting, publishing and leading …” said last year’s Metzger-winner, Central Rappahannock Regional Library Director Martha Hutzel, who presented the award. “She holds a leadership position in a male dominated field.”
As coordinator of the Colloquium and a pinch-hitter for a seminar presenter who suffered a last-minute family emergency, Richardson emceed the event and even introduced Hutzel. The recipient of an unprecedented 19 Metzger nominations, Richardson had no prior knowledge that she had won the award.
After serving as dean at Mississippi State and Ball State universities, Richardson came to UMW eight years ago to, among other things, merge the business programs on the Stafford and Fredericksburg campuses. She got down to brass tacks, laying the groundwork for the COB to earn its prestigious AACSB International accreditation last year. Mary Washington also recently ranked fourth on a list of Best Colleges in Virginia for Business Majors.
What sets UMW’s business school apart from others, she said, is the personalized attention faculty give students, opportunities for applied learning projects and the University’s strong relationship with local businesses.
“External recognitions always benefit us,” said Richardson, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama and also teaches marketing at UMW. She also has “They’re validations that the work we’re doing is exemplary.”
She should know. She also received last year’s Patricia M. Flynn Distinguished Woman in Business Education Award for thought leadership. And through her weekly newspaper columns, community service and solid advice, she shares that wisdom.
“Be confident in your abilities and speak up,” she tells students. “You can do anything you decide to do.”
Q: Where do you draw inspiration for your Free Lance-Star columns?
A: My answer is always the same whenever I’m asked that – I just talk to people about their workplaces! I often get emails and handwritten letters from readers who say they feel like they know me before even meeting me because of the column.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of your job? The most challenging?
A: They are one and the same – completing the long journey that earned us AACSB accreditation. It was a team sport, but someone had to be the coach … and that was me.
Q: What would people be most surprised to learn about you?
A: I was the official scorer for the University of North Alabama baseball team in 1984-85.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: My husband and I are empty nesters, so we attend many UMW athletics events. I’m also a voracious reader.
Q: Have you read any good books recently?
A: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is one of the most complex and surprising books I’ve read in years.
Q: What’s your motto?
A: If it is to be, it’s up to me!
Freedom Rides Tour a ‘Life-Changing’ Experience
Last weekend, a group of 21 area residents joined 46 Mary Washington students, as well as UMW faculty and administrators, to trace the route of the 1961 Freedom Rides, the historic protest to desegregate interstate travel, organized by the late civil rights icon and Mary Washington history professor Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. and the organization he co-founded, Congress for Racial Equality. Photo by Lynda Allen.
Stafford resident Frank White joined the Air Force in 1957, three days after finishing high school. Stationed in Texas, he traveled by Greyhound bus to visit his family in Virginia. For days and nights, he remained dressed in his uniform, sitting quietly in the back as the bus barreled through the deep South.
“Don’t make waves, don’t draw attention to yourself,” the young airman was warned by his African American superiors.
Mr. White remembered those travels as he sat at the front of the bus last weekend, one of 21 area residents who joined 46 UMW students, as well as faculty and administrators, to trace the route of the 1961 Freedom Rides during fall break. This social justice experience celebrates Dr. James L. Farmer Jr., the late civil rights pioneer and Mary Washington history professor who orchestrated the historic protest to desegregate interstate travel.
After the success of last year’s civil rights trip, James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC) Director Marion Sanford and Assistant Director Chris Williams wondered what they could do to make this one even more meaningful. With the 100th anniversary of Dr. Farmer’s birth approaching and the University announcing a centennial celebration in his honor, they decided to dedicate this year’s experience to his signature movement and lifelong commitment to social justice. Read more.
UMW Pathway Provides Grad-Level Engineering Opportunities
Thanks to a new pathway program with George Mason University, UMW students will now have the opportunity to enroll in pre-master’s courses in Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering. Photo by Ron Aira/George Mason University.
Engineers share a lot in common with superheros.
The latter leap tall buildings in a single bound, fight evil-doers and travel faster than a speeding bullet. The former design sustainable and safe infrastructure, combat cyber-crime and create signals that move at lightning speed.
UMW students aren’t caped crusaders, but they need to be prepared to tackle and solve complex problems plaguing our society. Starting in fall 2020, a new agreement with George Mason University will help them do that. Mary Washington undergraduates will have the opportunity to take graduate-level courses in Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE) during their senior year. Students can earn up to nine credits that will be applied to their bachelor’s degree at UMW and potentially later be used toward a master’s degree in engineering at Mason. Read more.
Alum Celebrates Identity, Inclusion at Gender and Sexual Minorities Event
Gender and Sexual Minorities and Allies Cultural Celebration keynote speaker Ted Lewis ’04.
For Ted Lewis ’04, the process of embracing being nonbinary began at Mary Washington. Now executive director for a Richmond-based nonprofit, Lewis – who uses they/them pronouns – helps Virginia’s LGBTQ+ youth discover their own fully authentic selves.
This week, Lewis returned to UMW to share personal experiences of coming out and organizing LGBTQ+ youth at universities and communities throughout the South. They spoke with students as part of the Gender and Sexual Minorities and Allies Cultural Celebration in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium yesterday at 7 p.m.
“Being authentic saved my life,” said Lewis, who recalled how powerful it was to connect with LGBTQ+ elders in college. “I’m eager to provide that experience to UMW students.” Read more.
