Author: Marty Morrison

Director of Athletics Ken Tyler announced today that head baseball coach Tom Sheridan has resigned to accept the position of associate head baseball coach at Division I George Washington University.

Tyler stated, “While we are sad to see Coach Sheridan go, we are very pleased that he has earned this outstanding opportunity at George Washington. Coach Sheridan literally built the UMW baseball program from scratch, and, over the last 25 years, has turned it into a consistent winner on the conference, regional, and national level. More importantly, he has made a real difference in the lives of the countless young men he has mentored and coached. We are grateful to Coach Sheridan for his many positive contributions to Mary Washington and we wish him nothing but the best.”

A national search for the next head baseball coach will begin immediately.

Groundbreaking for the Information and Technology Convergence Center is expected to begin after Commencement activities. On Monday, May 14, Facilities Services will close Campus Walk and route all handicapped and pedestrian traffic onto College Avenue until mid-June.  At that time, handicapped traffic will remain on College Avenue, but a pedestrian bypass around the construction site will be routed through the Simpson Parking Lot.  This detour configuration will remain in effect for the duration of the project.

Currently, Facilities Services is installing utilities to support the center.  This work is centered primarily in the Simpson access road between the Jepson Science Center and the Simpson Library. Along with closure of Campus Walk, the bridge in front of Arrington Hall will be closed to prepare for the relocation of city water, sewer and fire mains. This area and the entire construction site will remain fenced for the duration of the project.

Construction on the Convergence Center will commence in late June or early July with an anticipated completion date of spring 2014.  Access to Simpson Library will be via the Campus Walk entrance from Woodard Campus Center.

For more information, contact Len Shelton, associate director of capital planning and construction, at lshelton@umw.edu.  Or visit the Convergence Center project website at provost.umw.edu/convergence-center/.

Get your race on! Once again, UMW is a proud sponsor of the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon on Sunday, May 20. Nearly 9,000 runners will hit the pavement around our campus, and we want to welcome and cheer them. Get into the fervor by handing out water at the official Mary Washington Water Station, near the intersection of Sunken Road and William Street. We need volunteers from 6 to 10 a.m. on race day.

We also need volunteer UMW ambassadors at the Half-Marathon headquarters and registration center at the Fredericksburg Expo Center on Friday, May 18, from 4 to 8 p.m. or Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. We will be handing out information about the school along with towels with our logo. It’s a great way to meet people from all over the country and spread the good news about the place where great minds get to work!

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Kelly Eury, marketing assistant, at keury@umw.edu. Please indicate which day and time you prefer. UMW t-shirts are available for volunteers.

Congratulations to Cathy Byram, office manager in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communications, who has been selected as an Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of May.   A parking spot of her choosing has been reserved for her until the end of the month.

Here is what one of her co-workers said about her:

“I would like to nominate Cathy for a variety of reasons. First, she is absolutely kind and generous. I am fairly new here, having begun in August. Cathy, whose job does not involve me at all, is kind enough to do all of the purchasing for me in the Writing Centers and the WI Program. She does so without any complaint and never asks anything in return although I ask her time and again if there is anything I can do for her. She helps me navigate appropriate channels in order to get things accomplished for students and the university. Cathy goes above and beyond her job description just to help out a fellow employee. I want to nominate Cathy just so she is recognized and knows what an invaluable employee and person she is.” 

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, just send me an email (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the Subject Line.  In your email, be sure to tell me the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized.  Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

Kevin Bartram, director of the UMW Philharmonic, wrote an op-ed in a recent edition of  The Free Lance-Star about the state of the arts in the Fredericksburg area. Bartram is chairman of the Fredericksburg Arts Commission.