After the recent incident in which one of the columns on the amphitheater stage toppled over, I asked the Historic Preservation Department and Facilities Services to consider ways in which we might best address the safety concerns.  The columns are held in place by a single short pin in their base.  Until the mid 1970’s, there was an overhead  trellis which stabilized the columns but that deteriorated and collapsed.   It has only been in the past year that we have experienced the columns being pushed over (vandalized) or inadvertently being toppled.

There are two apparent options:

1. Stabilize the columns through some type of structural means that does not damage them, or
2. Carefully remove the columns using a crane and store them in a safe and secure location for use in the future.

The Historic Preservation faculty (Doug Sanford and Michael Spencer) will provide their recommendation(s) in about a month.  In the meantime, plastic fencing, tape and sand bags have been placed around the stage to deter folks from occupying the area in and around the columns.

Please contact me if you have questions.

Richard R. Pearce

Acting Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO
University of Mary Washington
1301 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA  22401
(540) 654-1020
(540) 654-1162 (fax)
rpearce@umw.edu

More than 160 guests marked the start of construction for UMW’s Dahlgren Campus, Center for Education and Research at an official groundbreaking on Friday, Sept. 17 in King George County.   The $20.4 million, 40,000-square-foot facility will provide a new, technology-rich venue for graduate-level science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.

Among those in attendance were Congressman Rob Wittman, former state Sen. John Chichester and members of the King George County Board of Supervisors.

The University is partnering with five other state schools—the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University and Old Dominion University.  Read the article in The Free Lance-Star.

Senior Shelley Hillberry and junior James Sennett were invited to attend a reception at the home of Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, Wednesday to recognize the 16th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The students were chosen because of their involvement in Student Anti-Violence Educators (SAVE), an organization to educate and promote awareness of sexual assault and relationship violence. Hillberry currently is the SAVE president and Sennett helped found the club in 2009.

The reception was held by the pool behind the vice president’s residence, located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory.

“It was really intimate,” said Hillberry.  “[Biden] gave me a big hug.  He was just hanging out, talking to people and mingling.”

The reception opened with a speech from Dr. Biden, who is a full-time English professor at a community college near the White House.

Her words were followed by a longer speech from the vice president, who impressed upon his guests the importance of the VAWA and the efforts made by the organizations represented.

In addition to the reception, Hillberry and Sennett were also invited to a “Listening Session,” meeting with Lynn Rosenthal, White House advisor for Violence Against Women, as well as representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children, Youth and Families, the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, and the Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.

Hillberry and Sennett were among other students and representatives from organizations such as Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, a nonprofit organization with offices in Richmond and Charlottesville, which coordinates the Red Flag Campaign on college campuses.

The students and representatives had the opportunity to share the work they have contributed on-campus against dating violence and also shared ideas on ways the government can help with prevention education.

After listening to feedback from the students and representatives, the panel of government officials offered resources to the representatives.

UMW has been named to The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.  The University is one of 700 U.S. colleges and universities commended for exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The honor, presented to the Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), was awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education.

COAR is comprised of about 500 students who volunteered nearly 6,600 hours in the community during the 2009-10 academic year. UMW students assisted more than 22 local schools and agencies, including Habitat for Humanity, the Thurman Brisben Center, the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, Friends of the Rappahannock, the American Red Cross, and Mary Washington Hospital. Over the past two years, COAR has more than doubled its number of service hours to the community.

In other honors, the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Red Cross recognized COAR for the second consecutive year with the College Campus Award for its outstanding college blood drive program. During the 2009-10 academic year, the organization collected 594 pints of blood for the Red Cross.  In addition, COAR has been recognized as a Community Partner for its tutoring program at Stafford Junction, a partnership in the Olde Forge neighborhood in Stafford County.

COAR also made an impressive showing as host of UMW’s inaugural Relay for Life, a volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Last spring, the UMW group raised more than $35,000.