A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Dozens of University of Mary Washington students are the newest members of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.
Thirty-eight UMW juniors and seniors were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa during a recent ceremony announcing the 2024 cohort of the University’s Kappa of Virginia chapter. They join an impressive roster of members, including 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. Read more.
When senior Sofia Taylor earned a full-ride Alvey Scholarship to attend the University of Mary Washington, she penned the first of many letters and cards she exchanged with her donor, Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59.
“Irene often said that Mary Washington ‘opened worlds’ for her,” said Taylor, a psychology major and neuroscience and music minor. Because of Rodgers’ support, her own college experience comprised a semester abroad, singing with the UMW Choir, leadership roles in the psychology department and researching the minds of the world’s great composers. “She truly did that for me.” Read more.
Major League Soccer (MLS) executive Mark McClure ’96, vice president, technical operations, will be on his college turf when he returns to the University of Mary Washington as the 2024 Commencement speaker. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 11, beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle, rain or shine. Tickets are not needed for the in-person event, and it’s also streamed online, something in which McClure is an expert.
For more than a decade, he has worked to bring sports fans to Major League Soccer via digital strategy and content and now manages a team that helps broadcast matches around the world on MLS’ streaming services on Apple TV. It’s a broad sports career that has focused on fans, players and their stories, something apt for the English major – McClure holds a B.A. in English from Mary Washington – who followed his love of reading and writing through epic college courses, with time for extra courses in classics and art history and teaching himself coding in the computer labs. Read more.
UMW’s ASPIRE Week returns the week of April 15, 2024, to celebrate campus community values. ASPIRE stands for six values – one highlighted each day of the week – demonstrating the University of Mary Washington’s dedication to providing a diverse, accepting and supportive environment that holds all of its members to the highest standards of conduct, scholarship, integrity, inclusiveness, respect and engagement.
For Student Government Association President Jaylyn Long ’24, who started ASPIRE Week her junior year as SGA vice president, it’s also about putting those values into practice, something students do in their classes and activities. Read more.
Mark Thaden and Shelby Orlando
Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Mark Thaden and Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando preview Mary Wash Day on April 4 and Reunion Weekend May 30-June 2 on WFVA Radio’s ‘Town Talk.’ “Our goals are 2,500 gifts, including 1,000 alumni donors and 250 first-time donors,” said Shelby Orlando. “The goal really is to celebrate milestone reunions, so we start at the 10th and go all the way out to the 65th reunion and beyond. The goal is to create an immersive experience where they get to relive their college days, experience campus, connect with faculty and connect with their former classmates,” said Mark Thaden. Listen to the episode.
The University of Mary Washington has extended the enrollment deadline for admitted first-year undergraduate students to June 1, 2024, allowing an additional month for students and families to review financial aid. UMW has offered additional flexibility for incoming students to make their decision to enroll due to numerous delays in the filing and reporting process for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the U.S. Department of Education.
“We appreciate the patience of our admitted students and their supporters as we navigate this unprecedented situation,” said Dean of Admissions and Associate Vice President Melissa Yakabouski. “It is our goal to provide the best information to our students regarding need-based assistance so they are confident in choosing UMW for their four years of undergraduate education. We understand that students may need time to review, ask questions and make confirming visits once awarding begins, and we want to provide the opportunity to do all of these things. We encourage any student with financial concerns to connect with their UMW admissions or financial aid counselor to have a personal conversation.” Read more.
Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Michael Spencer
J.J. Ballentine was the first president of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. and according to a 2016 article about him by Michael Spencer, an associate professor of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington, he worked to preserve the City’s historic buildings by “implementing a revolving fund program that purchased properties beginning with the 500 block of Caroline Street with the intent to preserve them.” Read more.
The University of Mary Washington has received $200,000 in Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) grants to enhance internship and work-based learning opportunities.
“There’s no substitute for a quality internship as part of the undergraduate experience,” said UMW Provost Timothy O’Donnell. “We are so pleased to have increased support to make this a reality for more UMW students.”
A combination of a pair of $100,000 grants – the Student Internship Support Grant and the Internship Data Collection Grant – the funds bolster an effort already in progress to expand work-based learning at Mary Washington. Read more.
A trio of UMW faculty members has received VIVA Open Grants for adopting, adapting and creating open and affordable course materials from the Virtual Library of Virginia that can be made available to students at little or no cost. These grants work to save students money on expensive textbooks and help professors enhance the knowledge and learning experiences they’re able to offer through their courses.
College of Business Assistant Professor Samira Fallah, Professor of Computer Science Stephen Davies and Associate Professor of Communication Adria Goldman received 2023 awards that together represent more than $72,000 in student cost avoidance throughout a five-year period. Read more.
The College of Business at the University of Mary Washington has successfully completed the continuous improvement review of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has achieved extension of its accreditation for another five years.
“This is a significant milestone signifying our commitment to academic excellence and highest quality standards in business degree programs and in student success,” said UMW College of Business Dean Filiz Tabak.
UMW first achieved AACSB accreditation in 2018, among just 5% of schools earning the international recognition at the time. Only 6% of the world’s business schools are currently accredited by AACSB, demonstrating a commitment to high-quality rigorous standards, innovation and continuous process improvement. Read more.