The UMW Center for Economic Development is accepting applications for its student entrepreneur education program StartupUMW for the Fall 2023 semester. Through this semester-long program students are provided the opportunity to learn from and network with experienced, successful entrepreneurs and professionals to gain a better understanding of how to start and run a business. Please share this opportunity with students that may benefit from this program and/or need to complete their experiential learning or internship experience requirement. You can find more information and the link to the application on the StartupUMW website.

Campus Community,

Effective July 1, 2023, use of TikTok, WeChat, and other products from ByteDance Ltd. or Tencent Holdings Ltd. will not be permitted on UMW networks or on university-issued devices.

A new Virginia law prohibits access to and use of apps or websites from the above entities on state-issued devices or on state-maintained networks. The Virginia General Assembly passed this law earlier in 2023, and the bill was signed by the governor in April. The restriction takes effect on July 1, 2023.

That means that access to these apps will be restricted on UMW networks, both wired and wireless, including eduroam, UMW-Secure, UMW, and UMW Guest. You will not be able to access these apps from these networks and will receive a “cannot connect” message similar to when there’s no internet available. In addition, TikTok, WeChat, etc. may not be used on any university-issued device, regardless of what network is being used at the time. These apps should be deleted from university-issued devices.

UMW-affiliated or sponsored TikTok accounts, such as those administered by colleges, departments, student organizations, or employees as representations of their roles at UMW, may not be used in any manner after July 1, 2023. Social media managers are advised not to delete accounts, but simply to stop using them and remove them from devices – this will protect the accounts from being spoofed in the future. If your department or organization has follow-up questions about your account, please email social@umw.edu.

The new law does not restrict personal use of TikTok, WeChat, or any ByteDance or Tencent product on personally owned devices when connected to networks that are not maintained by state agencies, including UMW. Users may still use TikTok for non-university use on personal phones or computers when connected through a personal cellular data plan, a home Wi-Fi network, or another privately managed network.

More information and answers to frequently asked questions about these state-mandated app and website restrictions may be found at https://technology.umw.edu/connecting/tiktok-wechat-and-other-applications/. Violations of these new restrictions will follow protocols of our Network and Computer Use Policy.

The following message is from the Office of Financial Aid:

Campus Colleagues,

If you have a child attending UMW or an incoming student to UMW, did you know that they may be eligible for the Arabelle Laws Arrington ‘41 Scholarship? This scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for UMW students who are the children of full-time faculty and staff who have been employed with UMW for at least 5 years in a teaching, administrative, or classified position.

Arabelle Arrington served as a member of the Board of Visitors from 1975-1983, was a member of the Alumni Association, and served as president of the Foundation Board of Directors. Mrs. Arrington left a generous fund from her estate, which along with donations from alumni, parents, faculty, and staff of the University, now funds this opportunity.

To be initially eligible for the benefit, the student must meet the University`s admissions requirements, must be accepted as a degree-seeking student, be a dependent student, be enrolled full-time (12 credit hours or more) and maintain good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better). The award is renewable and can vary in amount each year based on the students’ financial need and eligibility for other financial aid awards. The award could cover up to the total cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees, however, room, board, books, and other college expenses or additional fees are not covered by this scholarship. This scholarship does not apply to the enrollment of faculty or spouses of staff members, non-degree seeking students, part-time students (less than 12 credit hours), or summer session enrollment.

This scholarship opportunity is administered by the Office of Financial Aid and is awarded annually. Please have your UMW student contact the Financial Aid office for more details and to self-identify as a continuing student candidate or a new student coming in for the fall semester by emailing finaid@umw.edu or by telephone at 540-654-2468. Information is due by July 1.

The following message is from UMW Finance:

Fiscal year-end is approaching! That means fiscal year-end processing and system downtime. Please mark your calendars.

• Banner will be down from 3 p.m. Friday, June 30, until about noon Saturday, July 1. This downtime will impact the Banner production environment, including SSB functionality and Report Central.
• Cashnet and Nelnet/EaglePAY will go offline Thursday, June 29, at 5 p.m.
• JAMS processes used to exchange data with Banner will go offline Thursday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m.

All systems are expected to be back up and online by noon Saturday, July 1. For additional information on deadlines, refer to the End of Year Calendar.

Finance will make every effort to have the systems restored as quickly as possible. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and patience.

Please contact tess@umw.edu with any questions.

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

During the month of June, UMW will welcome incoming students and their families to campus for Orientation.

Orientation is a vital experience designed to help students and their families feel welcomed, involved and connected to the University. Your support in this mission is greatly appreciated, and we would love to have additional volunteers to welcome our new students and families. Sign up here to volunteer for any orientation dates.

Parking lots will be reserved for Orientation as follows:

• June 12 & 26: George Washington lot. While guest vehicles will remain in George Washington until the conclusion of Orientation, spaces that remain open after 10 a.m. may be used by UMW faculty and staff.
• June 13, 15, 20, 22 & 27: George Washington, Marshall, Double Drive and Randolph lots
• June 14, 16, 21, 23 & 28: Marshall, Double Drive, Randolph, Thornton and Pizza Hut lots. While guest vehicles will remain in George Washington until the conclusion of Orientation, spaces that remain open on these dates may be used by UMW faculty and staff.

Parking for faculty and staff will remain available in all other designated and unreserved faculty and staff lots.

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.

Hello UMW Colleagues,

It is time to reevaluate existing telework agreements and submit renewed or updated agreements for the 2024 fiscal year. Per state guidelines, telework agreements must be reevaluated annually. Beginning this year, all telework agreements will be valid July 1^st  through June 30^th of the following year.

Please review your telework agreements with your supervisor and submit renewed or updated forms with the appropriate signatures. Anyone expecting to telework at all, regularly or intermittently, must have an agreement on file. Classified employees must fill out the Classified form. A/P Faculty and Wage employees may use the Non-Classified form.

Instructions for submitting renewed/updated telework agreements:

·         Complete the appropriate form (you may edit/revise your existing agreement, or begin a new one – blank forms are attached);

·         Obtain the appropriate signatures: classified employees just need the employee’s signature, non-classified employees will need employee, supervisor and Cabinet/VP signatures (as indicated on the form).  Classified agreements that increase the number of telework days will be sent to Richmond for approval as indicated on the DHRM form.

·         Email the completed forms to Deborah Burton at dburton@umw.edu and make sure to copy your supervisor and area Cabinet member/VP.  If your telework schedule has changed, please indicate this in the email.

Helpful telework information and resources may be found on the UMW Telework webpage, including guidance for managing telework/hybrid teams and resources for employees.

All existing agreements are set to expire June 30^th, 2023, so please be sure to get these updated and submitted as soon as possible.

PLEASE SEE YOUR EMAIL FOR TWO ATTACHMENTS:
-DHRM Classified Telework Agreement
-UMW Non-Classified Telework Agreement

Best,

Deborah Burton
Compensation & HRIS Analyst
Office of Human Resources
(540) 654-1215
dburton@umw.edu

The next University of Mary Washington Women’s Leadership Colloquium Coffee Talk event will be held Tuesday, June 13, from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Jepson Alumni Executive Center’s Kalnen Inn Living Room, 1119 Hanover St, Fredericksburg. Street parking is available on Hanover Street.

June’s Coffee Talk will cover the topic of “Courage and Taking Risks.”

There is no doubt that successful leaders have demonstrated the courage to take risks. This session will focus on lessons we can learn from having the courage to take risks. We’ll discuss some of the best risk taking practices, as well as examples of some heroic risk takers. Taking risks does not mean we will succeed every time. Yet, having the courage to take risks opens many doors, ultimately leading to personal and professional growth.

Register for the June Coffee Talk or visit us online.

The following information is from Digital Learning Support: 

As communicated previously, UMW Blogs is being retired as a web publishing platform. If you do not use UMW Blogs you can disregard this message, but if you have a UMW Blogs account please note the important information below.

On July 1, 2023, the ability to log in to UMW Blogs will end. 

While we are retiring UMW Blogs as a web publishing system, we are not deleting the content that has been created there since 2007. As part of this work, every blog will move to a “static state.” This means that all existing UMW Blogs web pages will continue to be available, but no new pages can be created, and no existing pages can be edited.

• If you have a current website in UMW Blogs that you want to modify or edit in the future, you must migrate to our new platform, Sites@UMW, by July 1, 2023.
• If you have a current website on UMW Blogs that you want to delete, please follow these instructions to delete it before July 1, 2023: https://umwblogs.org/guides/deleting-a-umw-blogs-site/

For assistance with migration, deletion, or if you have any questions, please contact us at dls@umw.edu.

Thanks,

Jerry Slezak, Director – Digital Learning Support  
Cartland Berge, Director – Digital Knowledge Center  
Shannon Hauser, Associate Director – Digital Knowledge Center

In March, the University of Mary Washington received the Employer of the Year award from the Virginia Division on Career Development and Transition for its participation in Start on Success (SOS), a school-to-work program launched by the National Organization on Disability.

SOS uses early opportunity, close individual support and collaboration to prepare at-risk students for competitive employment and independent living. Participants continue on to postsecondary employment or education at a rate of 75 to 85% – three times higher than the overall rate for students with disabilities.

Starting with the 2021-22 academic year, UMW established a partnership with James Monroe High School (JM) for a paid internship program for high school seniors who receive services through an IEP and are on a path to complete a standard or advanced diploma, with paid internship experiences.

Selected students enroll in a credit-bearing Career and Technical Education course and then participate in a paid internship at a local business with an assigned mentor to assist with problem-solving, accommodations and applying workplace readiness skills. Students are carefully selected into the program in the spring of their junior year and receive classroom instruction to prepare them for field experiences in the fall of their senior year. Participants spend three hours a day, five days a week, at their placement, over the course of 16 weeks. They are accompanied on campus by the program coordinator who checks in regularly with each student.

During the 2022-23 school year, the UMW departments of Dining, Student Health and Facilities hosted seven students on the Mary Washington campus. UMW Dining hosted two students in 2023, providing them with a series of experiences related to marketing, customer service and hospitality.

“The University of Mary Washington staff have gone above and beyond with their mentorship role on the job site through encouragement and guidance,” said JM Special Education Job Coach Angela Poteet. “Your efforts did not end on the job site as you have supported students by attending their athletic events, stayed in touch after graduation and encouraged students to seek post-secondary education.”

Since its 1994 inception, the SOS program has been implemented in over a dozen cities around the U.S. and has served more than 4,000 students. Virginia piloted it in 2014 and has since successfully implemented this model in urban, rural and suburban communities. The JM Start on Success program is funded through the VCU Center on Transition Innovations.

Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees accepted the Employer of the Year award for UMW on April 4 at a Fredericksburg City School Board meeting.