Virtual appointments are available for our Participants with TIAA (ORPHE or 403(b) participants). We have scheduled virtual appointments for April 15 and June 9. Register for one of the sessions at www.TIAA.org/schedulenow. Please see Learn How to Save With Your VRS Defined Contribution Retirement Plan for details.
UMW update on outdoor crowd size gatherings
The following message is from the Dean of Students:
As students at UMW continue to diligently practice our risk-mitigation guidelines and as the Governor of Virginia begins to increase allowable crowd capacities, we have decided to expand from 10 to 25 the number of people who can safely gather in an outdoor setting. Of course, masking and social distancing still will apply. Also, indoor gathering capacity remains at 10.
We are calling this MMDC 10/25. Our hope is that, as the weather improves, this will lead to more fun activities outside with friends. We also are looking at some organized entertainment, such as outdoor movies. We’ve all been cooped up too long!
Even so, it is imperative to remember that this pandemic is still rampant. Although the number of vaccinated individuals is on the rise, it remains critical to continue wearing a mask, maintaining a six-foot physical distance, and limiting indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people.
Our seniors who are on track to graduate are counting on the entire community being ultra-vigilant in the weeks ahead so that there will be the opportunity for in-person commencement events in May. To do this, we must avoid any spikes in COVID cases. Please commit to MMDC 10/25.
Thank you, and enjoy the balance of this semester.
Dean Rucker
A message regarding the violence in Atlanta
A message from the Office of the President.
Dear UMW Community,
I am saddened by, and we as a community mourn, the mass murder of eight people – six of whom were Asian-American women – in Atlanta last Tuesday. These horrific killings have increased the fears and concerns of our Asian communities. Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDA) and Asian individuals have endured persistent acts of discrimination in American society for decades, but these communities have increasingly become direct targets of racism and xenophobia this past year.
The murder of these six women is a terrible reminder of this long history of anti-Asian violence in our society, as well as the tragic scapegoating and other racial and ethnic violence that has escalated, particularly during the pandemic.
We stand with our APIDA and Asian students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and we stand against the hate, discrimination, and intolerance these murders and other recent acts of violence against these communities represent.
Sincerely,
Troy Paino
COVID Vaccination Interest — Sign up now!
A message from the COVID Co-Coordinators.
All UMW Faculty and Staff,
Thank you for your patience. We have great news. Our local health district (RAHD) is getting ready to move into phase 1c and so has just asked us for a list of all UMW employees who are willing to get the COVID Vaccine, something we strongly encourage. Please fill out the linked form even if you have already registered at vaccinate.virginia.gov, but not if you have already received one or two doses of the COVID vaccine. Note that this access to the vaccine is because of your employment at UMW and so RAHD will offer a vaccine even if you live in another health district.
Please fill the brief form out ASAP so that we can go ahead and share this information with the Rappahannock Area Health District.
Jeff and Tim
Double Drive restrictions next two weeks
UMW Landscape & Grounds has scheduled the annual trimming of the Double Drive hollies for two weeks, beginning Monday, March 15, and continuing until March 26.
Because of this, parking along Double Drive will be limited; please plan accordingly. This work entails large equipment and the blocking of all parking along the left (median) side of the inbound lane of Double Drive as well as the left (median) side on the outbound lane. Parking along the right side of the inbound lane will also be progressively restricted, but there will be signs, cones, and barricades; parking will open up each day as the work progresses.
Please contact Holly Chichester, Landscape and Grounds Manager, at hchiches@umw.edu or at extension #2088 with any questions or concerns.
What Happens When an Employee Tests Positive for COVID?
The university typically becomes aware of a COVID-positive employee either from positive results of a voluntary on-campus test or a self-report from the employee. We realize it can be unnerving to receive a COVID diagnosis and employee outreach is conducted promptly and with concern for the employee’s overall wellbeing. The notification of an employee with COVID puts in motion the process described below.
- Counsel: The employee is informed that they must not come to campus for a specific period of time, typically 10-14 days depending on various factors, and they are put in touch with Human Resources to discuss available resources and leave options.
- Contact Tracing: In addition to the contact tracing conducted by the Virginia Department of Health, UMW conducts its own internal contact tracing as described below. A close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period within two days before symptoms appeared or two days before a positive test. With the MMDC protocols in place, an employee should have few, if any, close contacts at work. Physical barriers in the workspace, such as plexiglass are also a mitigating factor when determining close contact.
o The employee is contacted by one of three designated UMW employees, all of whom have received training in the contact tracing process and ensure appropriate confidentiality is maintained throughout the process.
o Individuals who the employee identifies as an on-campus close contact are notified and must quarantine for 14 days. These employees are informed that they’ve been identified as a close contact, but are not given the name of the employee who tested positive.
- Communication: The UMW community is kept informed of aggregated positive cases via the COVID-19 Dashboard. The University has a responsibility to protect its employees’ privacy. It does not inform other members of the university community of specific positive cases unless contact tracing efforts indicate that they are a close contact, which should rarely happen if employees are following MMDC protocols.
- Cleaning: The cleaning supplies used by Facilities, and those provided to each department, have been approved for use against the coronavirus. The Building Attendants follow a regular daily cleaning schedule, and the protocols currently in place for individual cleaning should continue to be followed. It is no longer a recommended practice to close office buildings for specialized, third party cleaning when an employee tests positive.
- Compliance: Health and safety are a community effort. Employees who are not following MMDC protocols should be gently reminded about the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings, and eating with others. If a gentle reminder does not elicit an appropriate response, employees should inform their supervisor or submit their concern through the Report a COVID Concern link on the UMW COVID-19 website.
Beth Williams
Executive Director for Human Resources
University of Mary Washington
540 654-1294
bwilli22@umw.edu
Announcement about Interim Provost Search
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Timothy O’Donnell accepted the offer to serve as UMW’s Interim Provost beginning July 1, 2021. Tim, Professor of Communication, has served as UMW’s Associate Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Success since 2014. Before that he served as the University Reaffirmation of Accreditation Director (2010-2013), Director of Debate (1999-2013), and Interim Director of the Speaking Intensive Program (2001-2002). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and B.A. and M.A. from Wake Forest University.
After Dr. Nina Mikhalevsky announced her intention to retire at the end of this academic year, I consulted with the University Faculty Council, academic department chairs, members of the Academic Affairs Council, University Staff Council (formerly the Staff Advisory Council), and Cabinet to seek feedback on identifying the next provost. I appreciate the wide-ranging input of these leaders as they offered their perspectives on the optimal course of action during the extraordinary demands of a global pandemic and decennial re-accreditation process. One consistent point that emerged was the need to select a principled leader who knows and values UMW deeply and is already immersed in managing the University’s response to COVID-19, as well as guiding it through a seamless SACSCOC re-accreditation process over the next two years.
It became clear that Dr. O’Donnell is the ideal internal candidate to serve as UMW’s Interim Chief Academic Officer. He has an impressive record of administrative success that demonstrates his commitment to diversity, inclusion, student success, faculty advocacy, staff support, and cross divisional cooperation and collaboration. He has served as the university’s co-COVID-19 director alongside Dr. Jeff McClurken, and he helped lead UMW’s last SACSCOC re-accreditation process. I am grateful that he is willing to help lead UMW through this critical time.
I would like to thank the dedicated search committee that helped conduct this internal search:
Angela Pitts, Chair and Professor of Classics
Justin Wilkes, Director, Student Transition Program
Robert Rycroft, Professor of Economics
Jennifer Barry, Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Courtney Clayton, Associate Professor & Associate Dean, College of Education
Andrew Dolby, Professor of Biology & Chair of the University Faculty Council
Charles Tate, Director, Transfer Advising
Kimberley Gower, Assistant Professor of Business Management
Marcel Rotter, Associate Professor of German & Chair of Modern Languages & Literatures
The committee not only did an excellent job of offering advice, feedback, and guidance, they provided the valuable service of seeking input from the broader UMW community. They provided recommendations to enhance collegiality, trust, and communications across the three-college system, academic and non-academic divisions, and leadership structures. Dr. O’Donnell and I look forward to addressing and engaging the entire UMW community on these opportunities for improvement in the months to come.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. O’Donnell and thanking him for his willingness to take on this arduous, essential role.
Sincerely,
Troy
Seeking concept papers for Quality Enhancement Plan
Hello everyone,
I am writing in my new role as Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Compliance Certification Coordinator to remind you of the upcoming deadline for the submission of concept papers for consideration as our new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
The QEP during our last reaccreditation focused on the development of first-year academic programming within the first-year seminar. New SACSCOC guidelines stipulate that our next QEP must be unique to our specific institutional needs and be based in our institutional planning and evaluation processes. What that means to us is that our QEP should have its foundation in UMW’s strategic vision and plan. These documents (UMW Strategic Vision and UMW Strategic Plan 2020) can be found on the President’s website if you need a refresher on the priorities and goals we are working toward as a University.
As you are preparing your concept paper, be sure that you (a) describe the topic or issue of student learning and/or student success to be addressed in the QEP; (b) list the plan’s goals; and (c) explain how this issue derives from our institutional planning and evaluation processes.
Submit your two-page concept paper as a PDF to Tim O’Donnell (todonnel@umw.edu), SACSCOC liaison, by March 31, 2021.
I’m looking forward to seeing all of your ideas for the QEP and working with you through this SACSCOC reaffirmation process.
Sincerely,
Nicole Crowder
A message for Student Employee Supervisors about graduating seniors
A message for Student Employee Supervisors:
The Office of Student Activities and Engagement has opened up the graduation cord nomination process for this year’s graduating seniors. As an update from past years, thanks to sponsorship from the Inter-Club Association/Finance Committee and the area of Student Involvement, we are able to provide seniors their involvement cords for free as a gift. This likely won’t be possible in future years, but we thought it would be a nice gesture this year.
Graduating seniors who have worked on campus for at least one year are eligible to receive an orange Involvement cord and/or a green Leadership cord (if they have been in a manager/leadership position as a student employee). In order for them to be eligible to pick up a cord from SAE, we ask that you fill out this form with the names of any graduating seniors in your department. Additional information about graduation cords can be found here.
Click here to complete the form.
Later in March, eligible students will receive an email notifying them to come pick up their cord(s) from SAE. If possible, please complete this form by Wednesday, March 17.
Questions can be directed to ssutphin@umw.edu.
Virginia Retirement System Virtual Education Sessions
Registration is now open for upcoming virtual education sessions provided by the Virginia Retirement System. See attachments for more details and instructions for registration.
VRS DC Seminar Schedule – June – August 2021
VRS Hybrid Seminar Schedule June -August 2021
Registration is required for all sessions and individual consultations. It’s easy to register online: visit www.varetire.org, click on the Defined Contribution Plans tab, select your plan’s website, then go to the Education page and click the View group seminars link or call VRS-DC-PLAN1 (877-327-5261), option 2.
Visit your plan’s website to view the schedule of Upcoming Webinars on the Education page.
Agenda for all sessions: 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. 457 and Cash Match Features and Highlights (Non-Hybrid Plans Only) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 457, Cash Match and Hybrid Defined Contribution Plan Investments 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 457 and Cash Match Distribution Options (Non-Hybrid Plans Only) 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Individual Consultations.