As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, we are reminded that Dr. Martin Luther King’s sacrifice was an example to all. Despite the tense opposition he and other activists faced, his vision of bending the arc of justice in the right direction for historically marginalized groups was unbreakable. Even though the work is unfinished, his nonviolent approach to organizing and activism continues to be the blueprint for generations to achieve their goals and objectives. Join the James Farmer Multicultural Center as we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wednesday, January 24th at 7PM in Chandler Ballroom at the Cedric Rucker University Center where the University of Mary Washington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Speaker Tylik M. McMillan will be speaking. Read more. 

The following message is from UMW Dining:

Welcome, new and returning students, faculty and staff!

Our entire University Dining team has been preparing for your arrival, and we have some great new options and refreshed concepts that we know you will enjoy!

Please take a few minutes to read the attached welcome letter before you come to campus. This information will help you navigate the changes and also help you take advantage of the many exciting dining options being offered this spring. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail us at dining@umw.edu or give us a call at 540-654-2169. We’ll be happy to assist you!

Meal Plans Activate at 5pm on Sunday, January 14th.
Dinner will be served at the Top of the CRUC from 5pm to 7pm. All students will need to present their EagleOne cards in order to pay for dinner with a meal swipe, flex or EagleOne funds. No other dining locations will be open on the 14th.

Holiday Dining Schedule for Monday, January 15th.
UMW is closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so our dining locations are following the holiday schedule, as follows:

• Panera: Open 9 am to 8 pm
• Eagle’s Nest Market: Open 2 pm to 8 pm
• All other retail dining shoppes will be closed on January 15th.
• Top of the CRUC:
  • Continental Plus Breakfast: 7:30 am to 10 am
  • Brunch: 10 am to 2 pm
  • Dinner: 5 pm to 7 pm
• Note: The Top of the CRUC will be closed from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Tuesday, January 16th
All dining locations resume regular operating hours. Please check the Dining Near Me page on our website for the operating hours for each location.

Need Help? Just Ask! Everyone on our team will be glad to assist you, and we’ll be wearing red “Just Ask” buttons to help you identify us during the first week of school. Our Dining Concierge is also available on the 2nd floor of the CRUC by Panera between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm weekdays, or by calling 540-654-2169 at any time! If you have questions or concerns, please talk to us! Contact University Dining General Manager Kyle Kouri or email dining@umw.edu.

The following message is from New Student Programs and Administration and Finance:

UMW Colleagues,

We’re excited to welcome new students to campus this Friday, Jan. 12, for Orientation and the start of the spring semester. Activities will take place in the Cedric Rucker University Center throughout the day, with parking reserved in the George Washington and Jefferson Square lots from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 12, 2024. While guest vehicles will remain in George Washington and Jefferson Square until the conclusion of Orientation, spaces that remain open after 10:00 a.m. may be used by UMW faculty and staff.

The full schedule is attached for your reference.

We appreciate everyone who plays a role in welcoming our newest Eagles. Please save-the-dates for the summer sessions:

Transfer Sessions

• June 5
• June 24
• July 12 (virtual)

First-Year Sessions (please note there are 6 First Year sessions this year instead of 5)

• June 6-7
• June 11-12
• June 13-14
• June 17-18
• June 20-21
• June 25-26

Combined Sessions (for First-Year and Transfer students)

• January 12 (spring entry students only)
• August 20

NEST Early Arrival Program – August 17-21

New Student Welcome – August 21-25

If you have any questions, contact Lillian Lester at llester@umw.edu.

A Conversation with Jin Wong ’97

Jin Wong ’97 is a Major League Baseball (MLB) executive with decades of experience working in MLB administration, most recently with the Kansas City Royals. Soon, he will join the Chicago White Sox as Vice President and Assistant General Manager.

Jin is returning to campus for a series of events with students and UMW Athletics, so we’ve arranged an opportunity for him to share his experiences with alumni, parents, and friends. Join us in Monroe Hall Room 116 on Thursday, January 18 from 7-7:45 p.m. Following the program, we will enjoy a light dessert reception.

There is no cost to attend this event, but registration is requested, as space is limited.

Register now.

duPont Gallery 

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the solo exhibition Origins: Taylor Anton White. 

Internationally acclaimed artist and UMW alumnus Taylor Anton White (BA 2017) creates bold, absurdist abstractions rooted in spontaneity, action, and play. For the Richmond-based artist’s first exhibition on campus since graduating, Origins: Taylor Anton White includes explosively drawn and painted pieces that pull from techniques and concepts honed during his time at Mary Washington. White’s exuberant brushstrokes and stark black oil stick drawings of cartoon figures vibrate against formally constructed surfaces, tapping into both the noise and compulsion of contemporary life. 

Origins: Taylor Anton White is part of the annual Origin series, celebrating UMW Studio Art Alumni. 

Hours & Admission: 

The exhibition will be on view from February 1 to March 24, 2025 in duPont Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on February 1 from 5-7pm. Admission is always free and tours are available. 

An in-gallery artist’s talk will be held on February 22, 2024 at 5pm in duPont Gallery. 

Ridderhof Martin Gallery 

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the group exhibition Elemental. 

Elemental features six artists who investigate the natural elements through various aspects of material, process, form, and content. Brought together through creative and personal connections, these makers showcase a broad array of ceramic expression while also calling attention to humankind’s connection to the natural world. 

Although each artist shares conceptual starting points, they approach material and idea through different lenses, further illustrating the complexity and salience of the theme. Andrew Coombs’ vessels reference water through form and function while using fluid glazes and inspiration from ancient Iranian plant imagery for their surfaces. Shanna Fliegel probes notions of the Anthropocene to create richly layered images on clay forms that are simultaneously ancient and futuristic. Jeff Forster’s sculptural remnants evoke geologic time through the interplay of ceramic materials with fire and human forces. Jon McMillan abstracts elements from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, recombining them to create ambiguous sculptures with multiple connotations. Brooke Noble’s porcelain pillows blend references to flora and fauna to investigate everything from environmental concerns to societal cross currents. Kristina Stafford brings together earth and sky, with exposed terra cotta juxtaposing references to plant life, cloud forms and the built environment. Using a diversity of approaches, these artists explore the multi-faceted relationship between humans and nature through a variety of ideas, methods and modes of expression. 

Elemental is a concurrent exhibition during Coalescence, the 58th annual conference of the National Council of the Education for the Ceramic Arts, March 20-23, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. 

Hours & Admission: 

Elemental will be on view from February 1 to March 24, 2025 in Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on February 1 from 5-7pm. Admission is always free and tours are available. Gallery hours will be extended during the NCECA annual conference, March 20-23, 2024. 

A gallery talk with the artists will be held on March 19, 2024 at 5pm in Ridderhof Martin Gallery. 

Contact Us: 

If you have any questions, please call (540) 654-1013 or email gallery@umw.edu. Visit us online at www.umwgalleries.org or in person at 1301 College Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. 

Follow Us:
Facebook – umwgalleries
Instagram – UMW_Galleries

The following message is from Facilities Operations and IT:

Campus Community,

As UMW re-opens for the spring semester on Jan. 8, we want to update you on completed and ongoing maintenance projects.

Lee Hall

Lee Hall has resumed normal operations following the isolated water damage in December. Please note the new hours for the Student Services Center in Lee Hall.

Beginning Jan. 8, Student Services Center front window hours will be 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Appointments can still be made between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with Offices in the Student Services Center (Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Cashiers, Academic Services, and Registrar), but front window walk-in hours will be 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.  Contact information for the Student Services Center is below.

• Academic Services – (540) 654-1010 or advise@umw.edu
• Financial Aid Office – (540) 654-2468 or finaid@umw.edu
• Office of the Registrar – (540) 654-1063 or registrar@umw.edu
• Student Accounts – (540) 654-1250 or umwbills@umw.edu
• Cashier’s Office – (540) 654-1247 or cashiers@umw.edu

GW Hall and Dodd Auditorium

Over winter break, GW Hall was assessed for prior water damage, resulting in maintenance and repairs to several offices. Offices on the second and third floors of George Washington (GW) Hall are working remotely or in temporary locations as repairs are made.

These offices include:

• Budget, Financial Analysis & Risk Management: 540-654-1018
• Dean of Arts & Sciences: 540-654-1052
• Events: 540-654-1087
• Events AV: 540-654-1199
• Human Resources: 540-654-1214
• Legal Counsel: 540-654-1713
• Institutional Analysis & Effectiveness & Institutional Research:
  540-654-1282
• Internal Audit: 540-654-1671
• Student Affairs: 540-654-1062

If you need to reach an office on the second or third floor of GW Hall, please call or email first.

Offices on the first floor of GW Hall, Dodd Auditorium, and the accessible restrooms in the basement are open as the campus re-opens.

Eagle Landing/Village Parking Deck

The parking deck at Eagle Landing and Eagle Village is open again, following work to reseal the upper levels and update the access system. UMW students with Eagle Landing parking permits will access the parking deck with their EagleOne card. The RFIDs will no longer work and must be returned to the Eagle Landing Front Desk. There is no change in how employees who work in Eagle Village (the mixed-use building) will continue to access the garage and building as a result of the project.

UMW Police Now Located in Eagle Village

UMW Police & Public Safety Offices have moved to Eagle Village. The main office and customer services are now located at 1127 Emancipation Highway in the retail space next to the main entrance for executive offices. Additional offices are located on the second floor. All other contact information for UMW Police and Public Safety remains the same, including the on-campus emergency number 540-654-4444 and non-emergency number 540-654-1025. UMW’s police station, now located at 1127 Emancipation Highway, will continue to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Additional Projects

Winter maintenance projects in the Cedric Rucker University Center and the UMW Apartments, as well as the planned IT network maintenance projects, are completed.

The following message is from the Office of the Provost:

Campus Colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Stephen Leon Lipscomb, who served as chair of the Department of Mathematics for nearly two decades until his retirement in 2003 and amassed 40 years of professional service at Mary Washington and additional research and educational positions. A celebrated mathematician and eminent scholar, he joined Mary Washington in 1983, with prior positions at the Naval Surface Weapons Center from 1967 to 1983 as well as a high school teacher and coach from 1965 to 1966.

As detailed in his obituary, Steve contributed a myriad of articles to professional journals and translated several books related to the American Mathematical Society and a number of United States Navy reports. He has published several mathematical books to include “Fractals and Universal Spaces in Dimension Theory”, “Incipit, Art Meets Mathematics in the Fourth Dimension” and “A Life of Mathematics.” He invented and named Lipscomb’s Topological Space and pioneered several mathematical concepts including the first thrust integral programs for the Navy. Among his accomplishments are leadership of the tiger team in the Tomahawk Missile System prior to the operational evaluation in 1983, several patents for web structures and methods, and the discovery of a novel geometry, the 4web, that is used to create high-strength, lightweight web structures, such as medical spinal cages.Steve died on Dec. 30 at the at the age of 79 due to complications of Alzheimer’s. The family will receive friends from 5-7pm on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at Covenant Funeral Service, 10830 Patriot Highway Fredericksburg, VA. Friends will also be received at the Talbott Funeral Home 56 N. Brandenburg Street Belington, WV on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, from 10-11am. Please see the full event details in the online obituary. Condolences can be made to the family at www.talbottfuneralhome.com.

Timothy M. O’Donnell
Provost

Longtime UMW employee Rhonda Mischelle Stills passed away on Dec. 31, 2023. A service will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. and a funeral service from 11 a.m. to noon, at First Mount Zion Baptist Church, 16622 Dumfries Road, Dumfries, Virginia.