The UMW team poses with a new homeowner in front of the house they helped build her. (L-R: Veda Salazar, Ian Frazier, Aloysious Kabonge, Chloe Jones, Paris Jones, the new homeowner, Walter Parks, UMW Advisor Lindsey Coates-Crawford, Alton Guinn, Faye McKenzie).

University of Mary Washington students swapped their textbooks and schoolwork for hammers, nails and paintbrushes this spring break, heading to Goose Creek, South Carolina.

The UMW Alternative Service Break (ASB) trip was part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge, which calls on college students nationwide to volunteer over spring break to support the non-profit’s mission to build, rehabilitate and repair homes in local communities and around the world.

Packed with activities aimed at improving substandard housing and aiding impoverished areas, the week-long trip began with work at the Habitat ReStore donation center and ended with handing a set of keys to a new homeowner.

“These students have heart, and we need more of that in the world,” said Lindsey Coates-Crawford ’18, public programs coordinator for UMW’s James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, who served as trip advisor. “Their level of commitment and love for the cause was inspiring. When work was suspended one day due to severe weather, they were genuinely disappointed they couldn’t continue. I know this week will stick with us forever.” Read more.

The University of Mary Washington’s Khatib Program in Religion and Dialogue will continue its mission of fostering interfaith conversations with a spring lecture series. The evening talks on March 17 and April 9 will bring two distinguished scholars to campus, Avinoam Patt and Jordan Denari Duffner, both accomplished authors and educators in the area of religious studies.

“In 2019, Dr. Reza Khatib and the late Georgianna Khatib endowed the Khatib Program in Religion and Dialogue here at Mary Washington,” said Mary Beth Mathews, director of UMW’s Khatib Program and professor of religious studies. “A response to rising religious violence, the Khatib Program offers an annual academic course for Mary Washington students. It also funds lectures, events and contributions to the UMW community to shine a light on the ways we can better understand each other in an increasingly diverse and changing religious climate.”

The dialogue kicks off Monday, March 17, at 7 p.m. in the Cedric Rucker University Center Chandler Ballroom with the topic, The Golden Land? Antisemitism and American Jewish History, 1654 – Present. During this talk, Patt, professor of Holocaust studies at New York University who holds a joint Ph.D. in modern European history and Hebrew and Judaic studies, will explore the history of antisemitism in America and how Jewish communities have navigated discrimination and prejudice from the colonial period until today.

The series continues on Wednesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. in Combs 237 with the topic, Islamophobia: What We All Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination. In this presentation, Duffner, a leading scholar of Muslim-Christian relations with a Ph.D. in theological and religious studies, will speak about the nature of Islamophobia and its impact on Muslim communities and individuals. She’ll also touch on the current geopolitical climate, including the recent surge in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian region, offering practical steps for interfaith solidarity and advocacy.

Mary Washington’s Khatib Program is dedicated to countering religious intolerance by promoting scholarly engagement with religious traditions. Inspired by the personal experiences of Reza Khatib and his late wife, Georgianna, it reinforces their commitment to fostering interreligious dialogue.

“The Khatib Program is pleased to bring to Mary Washington such distinguished speakers for our lecture series,” Mathews said. “It’s important to understand religious hatred and why we should work against it.”

For more information on UMW’s Khatib Program or the spring lecture series, visit the Khatib Program in Religion and Dialogue webpage or contact Professor of Religious Studies Mary Beth Mathews at mmathews@umw.edu.

Katrina Zaki (’26) was grateful to help individuals with health and medical concerns in the Panamanian community.

University of Mary Washington senior Katrina Zaki spent some of the first days of the year in Central America, thousands of miles from home, helping people she’d never met.

Zaki, a biomedical sciences major and vice president of UMW’s chapter of Global Medical Brigades (GMB), was part of a group of Mary Washington students who kicked off 2025 in collaboration with the international nonprofit to bring essential health care services, sustainable medical solutions and education to remote and underserved communities.

Traveling to Panama during a week of winter break in early January, Zaki and fellow Eagles immersed themselves in the Panamanian community, working alongside local medical staff to provide free health and dental care.

Senior Bonnie Butler, UMW’s GMB president, who did not join this particular brigade but whose leadership and prior experiences on similar trips were instrumental in organizing this year’s efforts, said, “It’s a privilege to be able to travel to Panama and provide care to these communities. The Panamanian people are some of the most kind and caring people I have met and experiencing their culture is a joy.”

This mobile clinic – marking the eighth international GMB trip led by UMW students – offered triage, diagnosis, treatment and health education to scores of patients who otherwise lack regular access to medical services. Students play active roles, from taking vitals and shadowing physicians to assisting in the pharmacy and educating community members on preventative care. The experience can be transformative for student volunteers, many of whom are pursuing careers in medicine or dentistry. Read more.

Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth has been named a 2025 Fulbright Faculty Specialist to teach and share his professional expertise overseas. Farnsworth, who also directs the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at UMW, will travel to Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus to serve this Fulbright assignment in summer 2025 to lecture on U.S. politics and assist in the development of political science courses.

The Fulbright Program, a U.S. flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange, offers accomplished students and scholars in more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to mutual understanding. Talented scholars, educators and professionals from all backgrounds utilize Fulbright opportunities to innovate and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.

This is Farnsworth’s fourth professional Fulbright award. He previously served as a Distinguished Scholar in Humanities and Social Sciences at University of Warsaw, Poland (2024), as a Fulbright Faculty Specialist at Methodist College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2019), and as a Canada-U.S. Research Chair in Public Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2006-2007).