Reunion Weekend 2026 will celebrate Friday, May 29 through Sunday, May 31, especially class years ending in 1 and 6… but as always, ALL alumni, family, and friends are invited and encouraged to join in this memorable weekend.

Visit old stomping grounds on a campus tour… get back into the classroom for an Alumni College class taught by a UMW professor… join President Troy Paino on the lawn at Brompton… reconnect with classmates at a favorite downtown haunt… and join signature events like the Reunion Picnic on Ball Circle, the Virginia Wine, Beer & Cider Tasting, and the All-Class Party. Learn more about the weekend full of events, activities and memories.

The period to enroll in or make changes to your health insurance plan/benefits and enroll in 2026 flexible spending accounts (FSA) and/or Legal Resources is May 15 – May 29. Please see your email from Executive Director for Human Resources Beth Williams on Friday, May 15 for important information and reminders.

The deadline is Friday, May 29, 2026 to enroll or make changes. Cardinal ESS is available until 11:59 pm please hit the submit button! If you have any questions, please contact Denise Frye, Benefits Manager, at dfrye2@umw.edu or Janet Hudgins, Benefits Analyst, at jhudgins@umw.edu. Paper enrollment forms must be received in HR, GW 209, on or before COB May 29 to be effective July 1.

The University of Mary Washington men’s and women’s tennis teams held firm in their national rankings in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s May 13 rankings, while Eagles were featured in national singles and doubles rankings as well.

The men held firm at 15th in the nation, while the women stayed at #27. In singles on the men’s side, Asher Willenborg ranks 22nd in singles, and joined Trevor Rein ranked 14th nationally in doubles. Addison Felts and Natalie Kim rank 11th in doubles for the women. In addition, Felts was named the 2026 ITA Division III Women’s Atlantic South Player to Watch by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Willenborg, Rein, Felts, and Kim will compete in the NCAA Championships for singles and doubles in Chattanooga, Tennessee this weekend, May 23 – 26.

The HVAC in GW Hall was turned off to facilitate the chiller replacement in the building. There is no building-wide AC in GW Hall during the two-week project, which is set to conclude by Friday, May 29.

Office spaces will become warm or hot as the outdoor temperatures rise, and we recommend that building occupants make other arrangements for meetings or time in the office. Employees in GW Hall should work with their supervisors to determine the best options, which include working remotely or scheduling time in other spaces on campus.

Offices remain accessible if you need to get items or materials. Please note any building signage or areas marked off temporarily. Please call or email in advance to schedule any appointments with offices in GW Hall through May 29. If you have student employees, programs or visitors to GW Hall during this time, please share the information.

In addition, please mark your calendars for the next GW Hall project now scheduled to begin immediately after Orientation on June 27. As we replace the roof on the building, offices will once again need to relocate temporarily as building access will be restricted June 28 through July 6. This roof project at GW Hall will result in temporary building closures through mid-August, and we’ll communicate more details as the schedule is finalized.

The annual steam shutoff for maintenance will continue through May 26. During this time period, hot water will not be available in buildings serviced by steam on the Fredericksburg Campus.

These buildings include:

• Arrington Hall
• Bushnell Hall
• Combs Hall
• Goolrick Hall
• Jefferson Hall
• Madison/Ball/Custis Halls
• Melchers/Pollard/duPont Halls
• Randolph/Mason Halls
• Seacobeck Hall
• Virginia Hall
• Westmoreland Hall
• Willard Hall

In addition, space conditions may vary, as temperature could fluctuate in work spaces. Please be aware of this work and plan accordingly. If you have student employees, programs or visitors in the office or on campus during this time, please share the information. The buildings remain open during the annual steam outage.

During this same time, the University Tennis Center will have HVAC replacements that will impact AC in the building. Please plan for temperature fluctuations in that space as the units are updated.

If you experience any major issues related to the steam outage beyond the hot water outage, please submit a work order online. Facilities will ensure that necessary equipment continues to operate properly in the absence of steam during this time.

For questions on Facilities Operations projects, contact Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Capital Outlay Brian Gorham at bgorham@umw.edu.

As the Class of 2026 prepares to soar from the University of Mary Washington, we turn the spotlight on graduating seniors. These Eagles have spent their college years finding what matters most, rising to challenges and lighting the way for others. Before they take flight, meet some of UMW’s seniors whose stories reflect the spirit of the UMW campus community.

From Uncovering the Past to a Future in Filmmaking
Blake Bauer, Historic Preservation

Museum ‘Magic’ Fuels a Career in Curation
Makayla Bowman, Anthropology and Historic Preservation

Charting a Career Path in Content Creation
Matthew Clinton, Communication and Digtial Studies

On the Field and Beyond, he Built a Playbook for Success
Jay Hooker, Accounting

It All Adds Up for Star International Student
Aloysious Kebange, Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Helping Others Feel Welcome on Campus
Ashley Lam, Biomedical Sciences

Growing Into the ‘Best Version’ of Herself
Olivia-Lena De Veaux, Spanish and International Affairs

First-Generation Student: ‘UMW Matched My Vibe’
Mariana Leara, Environmental Science

College of Education Grad Aims to Meet Students Where They Are
Mollie Moomaw, Elementary Education

Study Abroad Makes Student’s Experience Sparkle
Carly Radgowski, French and Conservation Biology

Planting Seeds of Leadership and Conservation
Amira Said, Environmental Science

Aspiring Physician Tackles Breast Cancer Research
Mallory Thompson, Biomedical Sciences

 

Commencement is coming up this weekend, Saturday, May 9, and we look forward to welcoming graduates and their families for the ceremony. The schedule for commencement festivities is available online, including information for seniors on the Senior Toast and Grad Ball.

Commencement rehearsal happens Friday, May 8, from 1-3 p.m., and faculty and staff are invited to preview the processional around 1:45 to 2 p.m. along Campus Walk and cheer on the grads during rehearsal.

Commencement will be held Saturday, May 9, beginning at 9 a.m. If you are participating in the event, check your schedule and email for specific times and locations and make sure you allow plenty of time to park for the 8 a.m. line-up for graduates.

Please note the following parking changes:

• Jefferson Square parking will be closed to through traffic for rehearsal on Friday and for Commencement on Saturday.
• All spaces on in-and out-bound Double Drive will be reserved for Commencement speakers and staff on Saturday. There will also be reserved spaces throughout various lots.
• The GW Parking Lot is reserved for accessible parking – vehicles with DMV-issued accessible placards or license plates.

All lots are otherwise open for visitors and guests.

In addition, the City of Fredericksburg and particularly our neighbors in the College Heights and College Terrace neighborhoods welcome families for this annual celebration. If you choose to park in the adjacent neighborhoods, which lift the general parking regulations and timeframes, please do not block fire hydrants, fire lanes or driveways. Those areas will be enforced.

For a calendar view of lot reservations visit the Parking Lot Reservations Calendar webpage. Please contact Parking Management with any parking related questions: parking@umw.edu, 540-654-1129.

UMW Campus Community,

Thank you to everyone across the UMW community who provided thoughtful feedback on the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) draft shared earlier this semester. We received comments from individuals and shared governance groups, including SGA, UFC, and USC, and used that input to meaningfully strengthen the plan. The next draft is now ready for campus community input.

We reworked the high-level narrative and enhanced the action items across all four priority areas. In particular, we added new action items focused on energy infrastructure/sustainability, as well as digital and physical accessibility, which are areas that emerged clearly and consistently in the feedback. We also made a more intentional effort to highlight the many things that UMW is already doing well and initiatives that are already underway, so that this important work is captured and carried forward as part of the plan. It is particularly helpful to see how many of these actions are already reflected in existing budget plans, alongside those that would require new investment.

To deepen the work, we expanded the group of authors, bringing in additional faculty and staff leaders to contribute their expertise. This resulted in a rich set of ideas, along with a spreadsheet of the required resources to implement them. Each of the 24 action items is now accompanied by a SMART-goal-based implementation plan and a draft budget.

These two documents represent two different informational approaches to consider the whole and parts of the Strategic Action Plan:

• Revised Narrative Strategic Action Plan with links to the new Action Item plans
• Summary Strategic Action Plan Spreadsheet including budgetary implications of each Action Item, and recognition of Action Item plan authors

We recommend starting with the Narrative Strategic Action Plan to get a sense of the whole, diving further into those Action Item plans that most interest you, while using the Summary Spreadsheet as a handy overarching reference and reminder of projected costs.

Now, we ask for a second round of your feedback, as we must streamline the approach from the volume of ideas and associated costs. Please review the documents and complete the feedback form by May 15 to share your feedback. For access to the documents and forms — please refer to your April 24 email for the links.

We especially ask you to consider which of the unfunded initiatives should be a priority. Please consider what items are most important for broadening UMW’s appeal, advancing the University, and improving student success, from recruitment and retention through graduation and life after Mary Wash. We recognize that we cannot do everything at once, so we must narrow these options. We appreciate the wealth of ideas generated through this work, and even those pieces of action items that don’t make it into the final plan will be part of a bank of good ideas going forward.

We also appreciate your continued engagement and your help as we work together to align our resources with the priorities that will best position the University of Mary Washington for the future.

On behalf of the steering committee,
Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy Jeff McClurken & Provost Tim O’Donnell, co-chairs

 

The University of Mary Washington was recently recognized with the  Philanthropy Excellence Award during the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) Awards and Recognition Luncheon.

UMW earned the distinction for the highest agency amount donated in the 500–1500 employee category during the 2025 campaign, reflecting strong participation and generosity across the University community. The recognition highlights fundraising efforts led by the Division of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, along with contributions from faculty and staff across campus.

During the campaign, UMW raised $89,145.39 through direct giving efforts, with an additional $1,720 contributed through the CVC website. The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign is the annual workplace giving initiative for state employees, supporting charitable organizations throughout Virginia and beyond. Additional campaign results and agency summaries are available on the CVC website.

Thank you to everyone in the Mary Washington community who contributed to the campaign and helped make this recognition possible.