Author: Marty Morrison

Painting the Town

UMW students will help color Fredericksburg streets with art at the first annual Fredericksburg Via Colori festival Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26.

The event features street drawings in the centuries-old tradition of volunteer artists creating large-scale pastel artwork on the pavement of city streets. UMW studio and art majors, under the direction of Distinguished Professor of Art Joe DiBella. will focus on several key figures in the history of art.

More than 70 artists will paint large squares on Sophia and Charlotte streets, including world-renowned street painter Curtis Goldstein, who has been featured on the CBS Early Show. Painting will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Each square is sponsored by a business, organization or other entity and proceeds from the sponsorships will be used to support arts-based education in the community.

Via Colori also features performances by musicians, a children’s area, street vendors and roving entertainers. The event is free to the public.

Via Colori is co-sponsored by the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic Orchestra, which will perform at Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall during the Music Department’s Showcase concert on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The showcase is free and open to the public.

Via Colori was organized by the Fredericksburg Arts Commission, whose mission is to promote, expand and support the arts in the Fredericksburg region.

Food Policy Expert to Speak, Sept. 20

Regina Birner, senior research fellow for the International Food Policy Research Institute, will speak on “How to make rural service provision gender-responsive? Insights from India, Ghana and Ethiopia” on Monday, September 20 at 4:30 p.m. in Trinkle Hall, Room 204.

Dr. Birner’s talk is the first in a seven-part public lecture series titled “Winners and Losers, Risks and Rewards: Seven Voices on Globalization, Development and Inequality”.  Sponsors for the event include:

Campus Academic Resources Committee, the CAS Dean, the departments of Political Science and International Affairs, Sociology and Anthropology, Geography, Classics, Philosophy and Religion, the programs for American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies, the James Farmer Multicultural Center and the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies.  Read the news release.

Learning Management System Review

Our current version of Blackboard is due to be upgraded or replaced for the 2011-2012 academic year.

It is time to choose the next learning management system (LMS) to be used at UMW. To this end, the Provost and CIO have formed an LMS Review Committee to identify the learning management systems that best fulfill the unique requirements of the students and faculty at Mary Washington. The committee will be asking for your input all along the way.

The LMS adoption path begins by writing an RFP (request for proposals) in which bids are solicited from LMS vendors. The committee is in the process of writing that RFP and is requesting your input now.  Do you have ideas for an ideal LMS to be adopted for fall 2011? If so, please visit the LMS Adoption website at http://lms.umwblogs.org. There you will see an outline of the RFP draft document and a contact form to leave suggestions for the committee.

Also at the LMS Adoption website you will find a timeline for the entire process. During fall 2010, the committee will identify four potential LMS candidates to invite to campus for live demonstrations for faculty, staff, and students. These demonstrations will take place in late January 2011. After the demos, you will have opportunity to voice your opinion about which demonstrated LMS best meets your needs.  A recommended LMS will be chosen by February 21, 2011.

During the spring and summer of 2011 you will be able to learn about the new LMS and receive assistance in migrating your existing Blackboard course(s) to the new system. Installation and integration testing will occur in mid-spring 2001. By summer 2011 the system will be operational and a few courses will be piloted in the new system during summer. All courses will be offered in the new system fall 2011.

There is much to do between now and fall 2011. During this time, the LMS Review Committee will be communicating with you via their website. The committee needs your input to make an informed decision. Between now and September 24th, the committee is asking you to offer any suggestions about learning management system requirements so that they can fully convey your needs in the RFP document. Please consider visiting the LMS Adoption website at http://lmw.umwblogs.org before September 24 and submitting comments there.

In addition to the website you are  encouraged to talk with any members of the LMS Review Committee:

Teresa Coffman
Associate Professor of Education, College of Education
tcoffman@umw.edu
540-286-8094
Stafford Campus, North B247

Bob Gartland
System Administrator, Enterprise Application Infrastructure
rgartlan@umw.edu
540-286-8068
Stafford Campus, South 210E

Christie Glancy
Reference Librarian, Simpson Library
cglancy@umw.edu
540-654-1740
Simpson Library, 102

Steve Greenlaw
Professor of Economics; Director, Teaching Center, College of Arts and Sciences
sgreenla@umw.edu
540-654-1483
1004 College Avenue

Lynn Hamilton
Technology Academy Director, Division of Prof. Dev. & Regional Engagement
lhamilto@umw.edu
540-286-8011
Stafford Campus, South 144

Cheryl Hawkinson-Melkun
Assistant Professor, Communications; Director Stafford Writing Center, College of Business
540-286-8092
Stafford Campus, North B214

Helen Housley
Associate Professor, Theater and Dance, College of Arts and Sciences
hhousley@umw.edu
540-654-1983
duPont Hall, 330

Pam Lowery
Director, User Services
plowery@umw.edu
540-654-1357
George Washington Hall, B0025

Diane Madden
dmadden@umw.edu
Student, M.Ed. Program

Carol Martin
Senior Project Specialist
cmartin@umw.edu
540-654-1216
Centre Court

George Meadows
Associate Professor, College of Education
gmeadows@umw.edu
540-654-1350
Trinkle Hall, 215

Jerry Slezak, Co-Chair LMS Review Committee
Director, Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies
jslezak@umw.edu
540-654-2118
duPont Hall, Room 310

John St.Clair, Co-Chair LMS Review Committee
Director, Distance and Blended Learning
jstclair@umw.edu
540-286-8116
Stafford Campus, North B256

Justin Webb
Executive Director, Enterprise Application Systems
jwebb@umw.edu
540-654-1907
Stafford Campus, South 210

Xiaofeng Zhao
Assistant Professor, College of Business
xzhao@umw.edu
540-654-1519
Chandler Hall, 310

UMW Seeks to Affiliate with Omicron Delta Kappa

In order to recognize leadership in various forms, UMW is investigating the creation of an Omicron Delta Kappa circle at Mary Washington and would welcome comments and interest from faculty and staff as the process takes shape.  “OΔK® was the first college honor society of a national scope to give recognition and honor for meritorious leadership and service in extracurricular activities and to encourage development of general campus citizenship” (odk.org).  If you are an ODK member, your support could be especially helpful in the developmental stages of the organization.

For more information, please contact Dr. Doug Searcy, vice president for Student Affairs, at dsearcy@umw.edu or  Christina Eggenberger, associate director of Student Activities and Community Services, at ceggenbe@umw.edu.