February 10, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Exciting UMW Website Enhancements Continue

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Graphic for new website design including laptop, phone and tablet viewsThe UMW website has undergone significant transformation during the Spring Semester. The Digital Communications team in University Communications has relaunched over 900 pages since January 1st, showcasing a refreshed design, improved accessibility, and enhanced user experience. Sites updated this semester include Academics, Information Technology, Student Accounts, the CRUC, Dodd Auditorium and CIE. Commencement was also a major focus, as the website plays a crucial role in the success of that day.

Throughout this semester, the team has conducted extensive work in support of Admissions and Financial Aid, particularly in promoting visits, attracting prospective students to apply, and assisting families with navigating FAFSA-related issues.

The phased rollout of the new website design will continue during the summer. Digital Communications will provide advance notice to each office or department before initiating updates to their respective websites.

If you have questions about your site, please contact webmaster@umw.edu.

Thornton Street Parking Lot Reserved Thursday, May 16

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The following message is from the Office of Administration and Finance:

On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the Thornton Street lot will be reserved from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. for the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science.  Guests of the event will also be permitted to use the Pizza Hut lot and Alvey Deck.

As a reminder:

  • Accessible parking spaces are available in all open lots to any vehicles with DMV-issued accessible placards or license plates.
  • The UMW Police Department provides escorts when needed and may be reached at ext. 1025. Please visit the Safety Escort webpage for more information.

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.

Hybrid Retirement Plan Presentation for Participants ONLY, May 20

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The quarterly Hybrid Plan Features and Benefits virtual presentation will be held on Monday, May 20.

Your Retirement 101: Virtual Meetings for Your Hybrid Retirement Plan

We invite you to attend a virtual meeting to review the Hybrid Retirement Plan including features, benefits and investment options. Defined Contribution Plans Retirement Specialists from MissionSquare Retirement, the record keeper for the VRS Defined Contribution Plans, and Hybrid Retirement Plan Counselors from VRS, will conduct the program. Defined Contribution Plans Retirement Specialists will be available for virtual one-on-one appointments.

Date: May 20th, 2024
Presenter: Ashley Lucas | alucas@missionsq.org

Join Us to Learn More About Your Retirement Options

Hybrid Retirement Plan: Features and Benefits
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
What is the hybrid plan? What’s the difference between the defined benefit and defined contribution components? Join us as we review all components of the Hybrid Retirement Plan; we’ll discuss the different types of contributions, distributions and managing the plans. Register.

Select How Your Savings Are Invested

VRS Defined Contribution Plans Investment Options
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Do you find investing confusing? Learn about asset classes, diversification and the investment paths available to you. This session relates to the Defined Contribution Component of the Hybrid Retirement Plan and all other VRS Defined Contribution Plans. Register.

Individual Appointments
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Need assistance? Sign-up for a 30-minute virtual one-on-one with a Defined Contribution Plans Retirement Specialist. Hybrid Retirement Plan members as well as participants in other VRS Defined Contribution Plans are welcome to reserve an individual appointment. Register.

Defined Contribution Plans Retirement Specialists cannot provide financial, tax or investment advice.

Retirement Celebration for Donna Harter, May 21

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Greetings,

It’s a momentous occasion as we bid farewell to Donna Harter from UMW’s Advancement Office. We invite you to join in celebrating her retirement on May 21, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. at the Kalnen Inn. To prepare for the send-off, Catherine Seller is collecting stories, photos, and messages to compile in a memory book. If you have something to contribute, please email cseller@umw.edu or drop them off with Phyllis Jones in the Jepson Alumni Executive Center no later than May 6.

Donna started as the Director of Development Communications part-time in September 2000. Her exceptional leadership led to a promotion to Director of Advancement Campaign Initiatives in 2003. As our office functions evolved, Donna’s analytical and research skills became invaluable, and in 2020, we entrusted her with the role of Director of Prospect Management and Research. Through the years, Donna connected with numerous donors and students to write articles showcasing their successes and contributions to Mary Washington.

Among her many accomplishments:

  • Donna directed the development and wrote the text for UMW’s first Giving website.
  • Coordinated celebrations and publications for the conclusion of the $5.6 million Jepson Alumni Executive Center campaign.
  • Wrote Mary Washington First Campaign communications, developed solicitation plans, and led and stewarded a volunteer Campaign Cabinet.
  • Pioneered the successful Founders Day Challenge in 2015, which raised $107,000 in unrestricted funds to celebrate UMW’s 107th anniversary.
  • Spearheaded the development of new processes for database prospect management and research.

Invitation to Reunion Weekend, May 30 – June 2

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Each year, the Office of Alumni Engagement hosts Reunion Weekend on the Mary Washington campus. Over 600 alumni and guests are expected to visit between May 30 and June 2 to participate in dozens of intellectual, cultural, and social activities. While all alumni are welcome, classes ending in 4 and 9 from 1949 to 2014 are specially invited to campus this year to celebrate their milestone reunions.

We would like to extend an invitation for faculty and staff to participate that weekend in order to connect with former students. The Reunion Weekend schedule and registration link is listed online at http://alumni.umw.edu/reunionweekend. If you are interested in seeing who is currently signed up to attend, visit the registration page and click “Attendee List.” Click the column header labeled “Preferred Class Year” to sort the list by class year.

Advance registration closes on May 27. We hope to see you for Reunion!

Coffee Talk Addresses Stress Management, May 14

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May Coffee Talk

THE DETAILS:

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. | IN PERSON

LOCATION: *718 Venue

718 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

PARKING: Parking is available at Riverfront Park, George Street Lot, and Sophia Street Parking Deck. Street parking is also available along Caroline Street.

Register for the May Coffee Talk

 

Stress Management & Mindfulness

Join us at May’s Coffee Talk as we discuss Stress Management & Mindfulness.

In this session, we will have an informal chat about the things that stress us out, along with tips and tools to decrease stress. This session will end in a guided meditation.

May’s Coffee Talk will be led by Ms. Deb Andrus-Lokrantz, Coordinator of Professional Learning – Restorative Practices & Conflict Resolution, Stafford County Public Schools.

Meet the Speaker

Deb Andrus-Lokrantz, MA, has worked and volunteered on community committees and other initiatives in Planning District 16 over the last 25 years. She believes that service to others is one of the strengths of any community. She is currently the Coordinator of Restorative Practices and Conflict Resolution for Stafford County Schools, working to build a strong and equitable culture, strengthen relationships within the school community, and facilitates discussions working toward accountability and healing when harm has been done.

For the past 11 years, she has facilitated different groups for Empowerhouse, the local domestic violence agency, encouraging growth and change in order to move on with life in a healthier and more positive way. Her last position, as Program Director for Office on Youth, she helped implement Restorative Justice by training and consulting in three local school districts – Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George, along with supporting court-involved and at-promise youth and their families. Previously, she spent 15 years with the Family Educator Program at Spotsylvania Department of Social Services working to either reunite families when their children had been removed into the foster care system or to strengthen families so that they could stay together.

She holds a BS degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and a MA degree in Organizational Leadership and a Master Certificate in Restorative Justice in Education from Eastern Mennonite University, and has had further Restorative Justice training with the International Institute for Restorative Practices, the Alliance for Unitive Justice and the Richmond Peace Center. She is certified in jyoti meditation and MBSR (mindful-based stress reduction).

For more information and to register, please visit us online

 

Open Enrollment Health Care, FSA, Legal Resources, Through May 15

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Dear Colleagues,

Open Enrollment 2024 begins today! The period to enroll in or make changes to your health benefits is May 1 – May 15.  Please see below for important information and reminders.

HEALTH & FSA

The VA Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) mailed a Spotlight on Your Benefits publication to eligible employees’ home address of record on or around April 8. The Spotlight newsletter contains Health Insurance and Flexible Spending Open Enrollment information including premiums and plan changes.  Please note plan changes on page 2. DHRM also sent an all-employee email (see below) on April 23, it included an electronic Spotlight publication and additional open enrollment information.  The open enrollment page is located at  https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits/open-enrollment-2024-25

YOU MAY TAKE ACTION TO:

• Enroll in or change your health plan.
• Elect or remove optional buy-ups for COVA Care, COVA HDHP and COVA HealthAware.
• Waive coverage.
• Add or remove family members

During Open Enrollment (May 1 to May 15) make your request via Cardinal ESS (please ensure you click submit for submission of your request) or complete a paper enrollment form and drop it off (in a sealed envelope) to Office of Human Resources, Fairfax House (2nd Floor of GW is closed).

NO ACTION IS REQUIRED IF YOU:

• Have no health plan-related changes, (current plan will continue)
• Are not enrolling in an FSA (requires annual enrollment each year), or
• Do not plan to participate in Premium Rewards.

PREMIUM REWARDS

Current premium rewards end June 30, 2024. Employees must complete and submit a health assessment during Open Enrollment using their current health plan member website or mobile app to receive a Premium Reward for July 1, 2024. Additional information on Premium Rewards is available in the Spotlight and on the OE page: https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits/health-benefits/health-benefits-premium-rewards-information

LEGAL RESOURCES

Protect you and your family for $18 a month for covered legal services:
( https://www.legalresources.com/about-us/ ) or see attached for brochure and enrollment form

  • General Advice and Consultation.
  • Wills and Estate Planning.
  • Preparation and review of routine Legal Documents.
  • Family and Elder Law.
  • Traffic Violations.
  • Real Estate.
  • Criminal and Civil Matters.
  • Consumer Related and Credit Protection.
  • Identity Theft.

If you have any questions please contact Denise Frye, Benefits Administrator, at dfrye2@umw.edu or Janet Hudgins, Benefits Analyst, at jhudgins@umw.edu.  Paper enrollment forms must be received in HR on or before May 15 to be effective July 1.

Update on Monroe Hall Closure, Spring Senior Photos and Fall Planning

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The following update is from the Office of the Provost and Office of Administration and Finance:

UMW Campus Community,

It’s been just over two months since we announced the closure of Monroe Hall for a roof reconstruction project. We appreciate everyone’s quick work to move offices and classes, adjust schedules earlier this semester, and allow the time and space to assess the building and develop the scope of work for the project. More information is available on the Campus Construction website, and we’ll continue to update you on progress with the project.

We are now planning the roof reconstruction project for this summer and anticipate that it will extend into the fall 2024 semester, requiring Monroe Hall to remain closed for part or all of the upcoming semester. We are once again working with the Registrar’s Office and department chairs to schedule alternative class spaces. If you have fall 2024 classes that are listed in Monroe Hall, the location of the class will be updated by the end of the spring 2024 semester. Updates will be available via the student information system when complete.

With the extended closure, opportunities have been scheduled this week for faculty and staff to retrieve any additional items from Monroe Hall. The building is closed for construction and will be locked throughout the project. Access is only available through Facilities Operations.

As the project progresses this spring, we’ve installed a tarp to protect the attic area, beginning in the northeast corner of the building, which has been prioritized as the area most in need of repairs due to recent rain. As the roof reconstruction begins, a fence will be added around the building to include a portion of the parking spaces in the Monroe Hall North Lot for materials. The fence installation is scheduled for Friday, April 26, so please plan and take any senior photos or spring photos now if you would like to feature Monroe Hall as part of it.

Construction will start in the next few weeks and continue through the summer.

We appreciate your continued patience and flexibility during this project. Thank you for supporting our efforts to repair and maintain this iconic academic building that has been part of our campus since the very first classes.