A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, has been quoted in several regional and national news stories:
Virginia Bracing for a Fight Over Guns (U.S. News & World Report)
UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson
College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s weekly column in The Free Lance-Star discusses how to manage employees that refuse to follow the rules. Read THE RULES DON’T APPLY TO ME.
Every organization has rules. Maybe in your organization they are called protocols or processes or workflows. But they exist.
And they exist, most of the time, for a good reason. In hospitals and manufacturing organizations, safety is a common driver for why things are done certain ways. Ensuring that a person receives the right prescribed medication is important. And if an employee is working on a factory floor surrounded by equipment that could hurt someone if used improperly, teaching how to effectively use the equipment and having expectations about performance are critical. Read more.
A civil rights trailblazer and former NAACP executive director, Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. was the keynote speaker for UMW’s MLK Jr. Celebration.
In 1961, Benjamin Chavis Jr., tired of reading tattered books, boldly marched into the whites-only library in Oxford, North Carolina. The young teen, already a NAACP member, was promptly asked to leave; instead, he stood his ground.
“He asked why,” a friend recalled to The New York Times. “A lot of us when we were told to go away would just do so, but Ben would always challenge, always ask why.”
Chavis’ persistence resulted in blacks being able to borrow books from the Oxford library. It also led to a lifelong career fighting for justice and equality. Just two years after the library incident, he became a statewide youth coordinator for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now a civil rights icon himself and the NAACP’s former executive director, Chavis delivered the University of Mary Washington’s MLK Jr. Celebration keynote address on Wednesday in the University Center’s Chandler Ballroom. The event was sponsored by the Office of the President.
Hosted by the James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC), this weeklong celebration recognizes the life – and assassination – of Dr. King. Events include an MLK Jr. Kids Day, a documentary on his life and legacy, a Day of Service for the UMW community, and a visual and performing arts event honoring King and other champions of social justice. Read more.
The President’s Council on Wellness (PCOW) is sponsoring a Faculty and Staff CommonHealth of Virginia event this month called, Getting Your ZZZs on Wednesday, January 29th from 11am to Noon in the UC Capital Room 314.
A goodnight’s rest can be determined by many different aspects and circumstances. The CommonHealth program (which is a free-state employee wellness program) mentions that “Our bodies have a powerful internal drive to sleep, and sleep is critical to our heart health and well-being. Not only does sleep give our hearts a break by reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones, it also boosts learning, memory, and our immune system. NIH (National Institute of Health) recommends 7-8 hours of sleep daily for adults, and studies suggest that sleep is just as important for survival as eating, drinking, and breathing.” Come join us as we find out tips for good sleep hygiene, getting the best night’s sleep, and what signs might show up for sleeping disorders. If you have any questions, please contact us at wellness@umw.edu.
Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation CourseLearn the practice of mindfulness in a 7-week, non-credit course led by Bill Brooks, a certified meditation teacher through the Meditation Teacher Training Institute. This experience is $15 and participants who attend six or more sessions will receive that money back in the form of a UMW bookstore gift card. Our lives are often overly stimulated. What would happen if we gave ourselves a few minutes each day to stop, and be fully silent and still – to meditate? Research has shown that the practice of mindful meditation can lead to a calm and focused mind. Such a practice helps to reduce stress, enhances self-awareness, and offers a greater sense of inner peace and connectedness with life. This 7-week introductory course is being offered to UMW faculty, staff, and students. It will answer the basic question: What are we doing when we meditate? You will learn about meditation through instruction, discussion and guided practice. Specific training will be provided on obstacles to meditation and how to work with them. Upon completion of this course, you will have the tools and experience needed to continue an independent practice of mindfulness meditation.
Spring 2020: Mondays *New day of the week, different from previous semesters!
6pm-7:30pm
February 10 – March 30 (Excluding Spring Break on March 2)
Leidecker Center, Trinkle B-39
Cost: $15 (but get that money back if you attend 6+ sessions!)
Sign up on our registration site under “Courses”.
For Your Information: A new collaborative program between Campus Recreation, the Talley Center for Counseling Services, the Student Health Center, and the President’s Council on Wellness is beginning January 27. This is a student-focused program. Learn more about the Jump Start Program in case you know a student who may benefit from this program:
This 5-week program is designed to provide students a slow, guided introduction to fitness facilities and programs at UMW. Students will have the opportunity to be introduced to exercise in a less intimidating way by a peer who works for Campus Rec, socialize with others, and get assimilated in a new environment with other UMW students who have similar levels of exercise-familiarity. The group is limited at 12 people, so please register when you are ready to commit.
Students from the Talley Center and Health Center can be referred to the Jump Start Program by their clinician. Otherwise, the program is available for any UMW student to join for $15 per 5-week session. Students can sign up at campusrec.umw.edu under “Courses” or at the Fitness Center front desk.
Once a week, for five weeks, students will meet with their Jump Start Program leaders (two Campus Recreation fitness instructors, Brenna and Sasha) who will spend 60 minutes doing an activity, learning a lesson and having a discussion surrounding the topic of the week. Each lesson will include a worksheet with fitness education.
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, offered commentary January 10 on CNBC Asia’s Capital Connection on the 2020 Taiwan presidential election. Professor Larus indicated that incumbent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen benefited from the Hong Kong protests and that she would likely be reelected. Dr. Larus projected that a second Tsai administration will continue to diversify Taiwan’s economy and distance itself from China, and that Beijing will put more heat on Taipei, bringing the U.S. into play.
Capital Connection is a television business news program aired every weekday on various CNBC channels around the world. It is broadcast live from Singapore. Access the commentary at:
The President’s Council on Wellness (PCOW) would like to welcome everyone back from Winter Break and to the first week of classes at UMW. What does this New Year hold for you and what choices are you making to living well? Share it with us on our Facebook page: UMW Wellness or Instagram: umw_wellness.
“New year — a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours.” Alex Morritt
The January/February edition of our PCOW newsletter called the Wash Post is being put across campus on bulletin boards and in campus bathrooms. This bimonthly theme of the Wash Post is “Winter is Here.” How can we cope with S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), embrace more HYGGE (quality of coziness), and getting optimal amount of sleep? For fun facts, strategies, and tips, check out the Wellness Website for the Wash Post, Volume 12.
Prof. Al-Tikriti in Baku
On Wednesday, 18 December, Middle East History Professor Nabil Al-Tikriti discussed potential future student exchanges and program collaborations between the University of Mary Washington and ADA University of Baku, Azerbaijan. Prof. Al-Tikriti thanks Dr. Jose Sainz, Fariz Ismailzade, Gulnur Ismayil, and Milana Ibrahimova for assisting with this initiative.
Eric Lorentzen, Professor of English
Eric Lorentzen, Professor of English, was recently invited to George Mason University to speak about Victorian serial fiction, Dickens, and elements of popular culture that continue in that tradition today, such as film chronicles, soap operas, teen dramas, and the telenovela. He also discussed Dickens and Victorian literary traditions that survive beyond the realms of visual culture in the twenty-first century.
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, delivered an invited lecture entitled, “A Review of the 2019 Virginia Midterm Elections and a Preview of the 2020 Legislative Session,” at the Virginia Executive Institute Alumni Association Meeting in Chesterfield, VA.
Dr. Farnsworth has also been quoted in several regional and national news stories:
Articles of Impeachment Headed to Senate (CTV News Channel)
How One Election May Have Shifted the Bar for Gun Control (Route Fifty)
Tables Turn in Virginia as Democrats Take Over Legislature (Courthouse News Service)