University of Mary Washington students are stepping into the scenes of their favorite films and TV shows through innovative faculty-led study abroad programs. These immersive itineraries, combining academic rigor with cultural exploration, are held in England, Spain and Iceland, providing trip-takers with unforgettable experiences that sync education with entertainment.

Volcanic lakes, sparkling waterfalls, zigzagging island staircases and other incredible sites bring to life the sets of favorite onscreen stories like Bridgerton, Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

“Visiting filming locations serves as a great entry point to a deeper experience abroad,” said UMW Study Abroad Coordinator Sarah Moran. “Students are able to visit locations they may have only seen in photos or on TV and understand that these are real places.” Read more. 

The Academy of Technology and Innovation at the University of Mary Washington (ATI-UMW) opened its doors to its first cohort of high-schoolers last month, but last week’s dedication ceremony made it official.

“What you all will do is provide the leadership of tomorrow, and the commonwealth is so much better because of it,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told students and their families who gathered, along with legislators, community officials, school board members and more, at the new regional lab school on UMW’s Stafford Campus. “You all are taking on a moment of acceleration in your lives, and that is what gets us so excited, not because of what we’re doing today but what we anticipate you all will do tomorrow … I can’t wait to see where you all will lead Virginia.” Read more.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has awarded a $1.3 million grant to the University of Mary Washington to establish a Call Me MISTER Program (CMM) – the first of its kind in the Fredericksburg region. The four-year grant will provide scholarships, mentorships, professional training, community engagement and additional funding for first-year and transfer students, encouraging K-12 students from underserved communities to become teachers in those communities. It also will provide a pathway for community college students to continue their education to become educators.

“We are deeply grateful to SCHEV for funding the development of a CMM program at Mary Washington. A CMM program aligned with our strong K-12 partnerships will position us well to address any teacher shortage and increase the number of Pell-eligible students on our campus,” said Pete Kelly, dean of the College of Education (COE) at Mary Washington. Read more.

After 25 years teaching political science at the University of Mary Washington, Steve Farnsworth knows how to juggle emails and phone calls from reporters on deadline who want to tap into his mind. This spring semester – in the midst of a presidential race he’s been quoted as calling “unprecedented” – he added another layer, sharing his sought-after expertise on the other side of the globe.

In Poland on a prestigious Fulbright Award to teach a course called “U.S. Presidential Communication” at the University of Warsaw (UW), he worked both inside and outside the classroom to unravel misconceptions about politics in the United States. Now fresh off his third – and, as a “distinguished scholar” this time around, his most illustrious – Fulbright experience, he’ll share with UMW the knowledge and perspectives he gained overseas. Read more.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D), the two leading declared candidates for governor next year, are tied at 39 percent support each, according to a new statewide survey from the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

The remaining respondents in the survey of 1,000 adult Virginians said they were undecided, did not plan to vote or would back another candidate. The poll was conducted by Research America Inc. Sept. 3-9.

Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), another possible candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, would be equally competitive in a general election, according to the poll. In a possible match-up between Spanberger and Miyares, 40 percent of survey respondents backed Spanberger and 39 percent backed Miyares, well within the survey’s margin of error. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington continues to be among the top universities in the college guidebooks. UMW is ranked regionally as a “best bang for the buck” choice and listed among the nation’s top 100 liberal arts colleges in Washington Monthly. Mary Washington is also included in The Best 390 Colleges, the latest higher education rankings edition from The Princeton Review.

The Princeton Review rankings come straight from student surveys focused on their college experiences. For UMW, the survey says that students are happy, love Fredericksburg, Virginia, and find majors and activities that matter to them. Biology, psychology, business administration, and communication and digital studies rise to the top of the list of popular pursuits, and UMW Theatre earns a spot in the best 25 theatre programs for the second year in a row. Mary Washington also received a place in the publication’s Best Regional Colleges category, landing among the top 100 schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. Read more.