January 16, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Wells Presents Duo Piano Recital, March 13

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Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells

Assistant Professor of Music Robert Wells

UMW music professor Dr. Robert Wells will be joining his former piano professor, Dr. Derek Parsons (Furman University), to present a two-piano recital at UMW. The concert will be on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 PM in Dodd Auditorium, and admission will be free. Parsons will be performing Anglo-Canadian composer Healey Willan’s piano concerto, accompanied by Wells on a second piano, after which Wells will perform American composer Amy Beach’s piano concerto, accompanied by Parsons. This concert will kick off a music-filled weekend for the UMW Music Department, with the UMW Chamber Music Festival occurring on Saturday and Sunday at Belmont.

Cooperman Comments on Super Tuesday on WAMU 88.5

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Associate Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman

Associate Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman

Associate Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman commented on the battle for delegates in Virginia’s Super Tuesday Primary on WAMU 88.5.

Political scientist Rosalyn Cooperman at the University of Mary Washington said healthcare was a key issue for voters in the primary. “It’s an issue all the candidates have talked about,” she said. “Everything from Sanders’ Medicare for All to Biden talking about the Affordable Care Act, and maintaining protections for preexisting conditions.”

She added that defeating Trump was similarly top of mind.

“It’s not just an anti-Trump message. It’s the notion of getting back to an era where there was more predictability,” Cooperman said. Read more.

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 weekly column in The Free Lance-Star discusses why you should LISTEN TO YOUR GUT.

 

WE ALL have gut feelings. But how often do we follow them?

I’m amazed at how people do something that will probably not be in their best interest and later say they knew it was a mistake. It’s an epidemic of not listening to our instincts.

It could be a high-profile decision that will probably not play well in the court of public opinion. I’m thinking specifically of the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scheme. Stealing signs in baseball is nothing new, but using technology is totally out of bounds. So the owner of the team fired both the coach and the general manager immediately, and two other Major League managers, both previously affiliated with the Astros, lost their jobs as well. Read more.

Professor Wins Grant to Pen Open Education Textbook

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Melissa Wells, an assistant professor in UMW’s College of Education, was recently awarded a $10,000 grant by VIVA – Virtual Library of Virginia – to write an Open Education Resources textbook.

Melissa Wells, an assistant professor in UMW’s College of Education, was recently awarded a $10,000 grant by VIVA – Virtual Library of Virginia – to write an Open Education Resources textbook.

It’s a dilemma faced by many students on financial aid. Funds often don’t hit accounts until a few weeks into the semester, so students can’t purchase textbooks, and they risk falling behind.

Melissa Wells, an assistant professor in UMW’s College of Education (COE), knows this scenario all too well. That’s why she’s designing an Open Education Resources (OER) textbook for her Foundations in Education course, thanks to a $10,000 grant from VIVA – Virtual Library of Virginia – a consortium of nonprofit academic libraries within the Commonwealth. News of the grant comes as educators nationwide celebrate Open Education Week, March 2 to 6.

As the cost of textbooks rises, so does the importance of providing access to personalized learning materials meant for diverse audiences. Buoyed by new Virginia legislation encouraging the adoption of open and affordable materials in higher education, Mary Washington professors like Wells are leading the way. Read more.

Fleming Interviewed About Willard Hall Renovation on WVTF

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Dave Fleming, Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Housing

Dave Fleming, Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Housing

Dave Fleming, Assistant Dean for Residence Life and Housing, was recently interviewed by WVTF Radio IQ 88.3 about the recently renovated and refurbished Willard Hall.

And at the University of Mary Washington students have just moved into the oldest residence on campus. Willard Hall opened in 1911 but has been fully renovated – preserving the historic vibe while adding modern convenience: hardwood floors, open common areas, study nooks, a media room and community kitchen. Assistant Dean for Residence Life and Housing, Dave Fleming, says the project became a rush job four years ago.

“In 2016 we had a steam pipe rupture underneath the building, which buckled some of the flooring here. We were about a year out from renovating anyway, so we decided to close a year early and start that renovation.”

Opened in 1911, Willard Hall is the oldest residence hall on UMW's campus. It recently welcomed students back after a full renovation, which retained the building's historic charm while adding modern amenities. Photo Credit: Radio IQ.

Opened in 1911, Willard Hall is the oldest residence hall on UMW’s campus. It recently welcomed students back after a full renovation, which retained the building’s historic charm while adding modern amenities. Photo Credit: Radio IQ.

Planners were determined to retain the building’s historic charm while adding modern amenities.

“We had a historic preservationist on the construction team,” Fleming explains. “He’s actually a graduate from Mary Washington in historic preservation, and so he was able to really help us navigate some of those decisions.”

And he adds that students were consulted as plans evolved.

“A lot of the surveys that we’ve conducted indicated that the number one thing that students want is more study spaces so we were able to create some of those small study spaces for them.” Read more.

UMW CPSC High School Programming Contest

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UMW CPSC High School Programming Contest

The HCC Digital Auditorium was buzzing with the next generation of computer scientists on Saturday, February 22, 2020. Eleven teams of 3 or 4 students from high schools in Culpeper, Spotsylvania, and Stafford used their programming skills to attempt to solve 13 problems in 3.5 hours of programming. The winning team, from Riverbend, solved 9 problems, and they won the 14” golden cup, championship trophy. All of the teams solved at least 3 problems. Prizes were awarded to students on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place teams. The UMW CPSC Department hosted the area High School Programming Contest. UMW CPSC faculty and students worked on the contest for the past year – planning, recruiting sponsors (SimVentions, BCI, and Lockheed Martin), visiting area high schools, describing programming contests, establishing an ongoing practice contest, and collecting contest entries. The all day contest had 67 attendees – high school students, high school teachers, CPSC faculty, and CPSC students. Everyone received a commemorative t-shirt. Snacks, lunch, and beverages were provided throughout the event. Everyone was tired at the end of the day, but there was a great sense of accomplishment for the high school student programmers, the high school teachers, and the UMW hosts.

Coffee with President Paino, March 17

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Mary Washington President Troy Paino. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Mary Washington President Troy Paino. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Dear UMW Faculty and Staff,

President Paino invites you to join him for coffee and conversation as we continue the series of coffee talks this semester. Please plan to attend one of the following:

  • Tuesday, March 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Lee Hall, Room 412
  • Wednesday, April 1, 4-5 p.m., Stafford Campus, South Building, Room 210
  • Monday, April 20, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Monroe Hall, Room 111

Thank you.

Office of the President

Great Lives Continues with Female Internet Inventors, C.S. Lewis

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The 17th season of the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, March 10, with Female Internet Inventors, featuring Claire L. Evans, author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. This series is open to the public free of charge and no admission tickets are required. Programs begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall. Each lecture concludes with an audience Q&A session with the speaker and a book-signing. The Theresa Y Crawley, D.D.S. Lecture.

The history of technology you probably know is one of men and machines, garages and riches, alpha nerds and brogrammers – but female visionaries have always been at the vanguard of technology and innovation. In fact, women turn up at the very beginning of every important wave in technology. They may have been hidden in plain sight, their inventions and contributions touching our lives in ways we don’t even realize, but they have always been part of the story. In Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet (Penguin Random House), Claire L. Evans finally gives these unsung female heroes their due with her insightful social history of the women who made the Internet what it is today.

The Great Lives series continues on Thursday, March 12, with C.S. Lewis, featuring Devin Brown, author of A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C.S. Lewis. The Coldwell Banker Elite Lecture.

Although Clive Staples Lewis died over a half-century ago, his works live on in the hearts and minds of countless readers, young and old, all over the world. From the Lewis Memorial recently installed in Poets’ Corner to the new Narnia films scheduled for release by Netflix over the next decade, the life and legacy of an Oxford don born near the end of the 19th Century continue to impact the current one. In this talk, which features rare archival photographs, you will visit the places that Lewis knew and loved.

The Great Lives series will continue on Thursday, March 19 with America’s Notorious Pirates, featuring author Eric Jay Dolin. Visit https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/ for more information.

College of Business Presents Money Matters, Tuesdays in March

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Adulting is HARD, and one of the hardest parts is learning money management. That’s why the College of Business is introducing a new program called Money Matters to teach students (and faculty and staff!) some of the basics! Topics include budgeting, saving, loans, insurance, taxes, and more. These sessions are free to attend and led by UMW faculty and alumni.

Larus Offers Guest Lecture on Impeachment at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland

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Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, offered an open lecture “U.S. Impeachment: Presidents and Process” at the Doctoral School of the University of Marie Curie-Skłodowska in Lublin, Poland. Professor Larus is a Fulbright Research Scholar at UMCS in Spring 2020. Her lecture introduced faculty and graduate students to impeachment provisions in the U.S. Constitution and walked them through the impeachment process. She then compared and contrasted the impeachment cases of U.S. presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. Dr. Larus’ presentation was followed by robust Q&A and discussion of U.S. presidential and congressional politics. Graduate students from Poland, Ukraine, and Nigeria participated in discussion.