A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Thousands gathered at the University of Mary Washington on Saturday, April 12 for the 24th annual Multicultural Fair. The event, one of the biggest at UMW, featured more than 30 diverse performances, numerous vendors, ethnic food and children’s activities.
For information about upcoming multicultural events at UMW, visit http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/.
Prior to the lecture, graduating students from the College of Education will present their research projects from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Abbott’s speech will be followed by recognition of the College of Education graduates at 1:20 p.m. The lecture and presentations are free and open to the public.
The recipient of UMW’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2004, Abbott began her career in Fairfax County Public Schools as a language teacher, foreign language coordinator and director of high school instruction. She currently leads ACTFL’s national public awareness campaign, “Lead with Languages!” which will launch in 2014.
Abbott has held many roles in national organizations, including president of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, chair of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and President of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia. Her work helped develop student standards, beginning teacher standards and performance assessments in foreign languages.
Abbott received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in Latin from Mary Washington and a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Georgetown University.
For a full list of student presentations, visit http://www.umw.edu/news/files/2014/04/ResearchPresSchedule14.pdf.
The Climate, Environment and Readiness (CLEAR) plan is the product of a comprehensive strategy session attended by more than 70 area residents representing various segments of the community that UMW held in November. The suggestions and ideas of those group members have been refined in recent months to create a work plan that offers ways for everyone – from the individual homeowner to the large institution – to contribute to the overall health of the region’s environment.
CLEAR’s mission is to promote resilience within the George Washington Region. That means making sure this region’s basic infrastructure – its wetlands and forests, open spaces and agricultural lands, roads, water and electric utilities, communications networks, emergency services, healthcare institutions, government and commerce can regain functionality after a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, drought or sustained resource shortage.
Research shared within the CLEAR plan demonstrates that this region – like the world at large – can expect more frequent and intense climate perturbations and severe weather events going forward as a product of global climate change. A fundamental premise of the CLEAR plan is that the region’s natural systems are a critical asset to its environmental and economic health and quality of life. CLEAR seeks to offer strategies for protecting those natural systems.
The groups that helped assemble the plan’s recommendations have already started work on some of its key goals. However, it will take a much broader community effort to accomplish multiple goals set forth in the report. CLEAR seeks to engage members of the community through the Fredericksburg Regional CLEAR page on Facebook and online at http://cas.umw.edu/dean/clear/.
“The release of the plan is only a beginning,” said Richard Finkelstein, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UMW and head of the CLEAR effort. “Our goal is to engage members of the community in forming a collective understanding of the risks we are facing and how best to prepare our residents and institutions to withstand those risks.”
CLEAR intends to launch a series of outreach events aimed at engaging all sectors of the public and educating them about our region’s progress and needs. These will include presentations to local elected boards, social and traditional media campaigns and a series of fun and engaging events that will help educate local residents of all ages and backgrounds about what they can do to promote the resilience of the George Washington Region.
On Wednesday, April 30, environmental consulting firm and CLEAR partner Marstel-Day LLC will bring Jeff Danter, a senior vice president at the Trust for Public Land to UMW’s Jepson Alumni Executive Center from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. Danter’s presentation, “A Priority-Setting Process for Land and Other Natural Resource Conservation,” ties in with many of the goals outlined in the CLEAR plan. Those interested in attending the event may contact Michelle Alford at MAlford@Marstel-Day.com to register.
CLEAR is made possible by financial contributions from Marstel-Day LLC, the National Academy of Environmental Design, Atlantic Builders, the Virginia Environmental Endowment and the PNC Foundation.
Buster-Williams, who will begin work at UMW on May 25, will oversee all matters related to enrollment and recruitment for the university. As associate provost, she will be responsible for the Office of Admissions, the Office of the University Registrar, and the Office of Financial Aid. She will also chair UMW’s Enrollment Management and Retention Committee, which includes representation from faculty and staff serving in offices across campus. Buster-Williams will take the helm from Carol Descak, who has served as associate provost for admissions and financial aid since June 2012.
“Kimberley has had broad experience, both addressing significant enrollment challenges associated with the changing landscape of higher education and utilizing new systems and technologies similar to and, in some cases, the same as those we have begun to utilize at Mary Washington,” said Provost Jonathan Levin.
Prior to her current position at Northern Illinois University, Buster-Williams served as director of admissions. In her seven years as director of admissions at the University of Michigan at Flint she oversaw enrollment growth of nearly 33 percent and an increase in high-achieving students. She also has served in the admissions departments at Old Dominion University and Johnson and Wales University, both in Norfolk.
A native of Richmond, Va., Buster-Williams earned a bachelor’s in English, a master’s degree in educational administration and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership, all from Old Dominion. She also holds professional certificates from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
The students, along with Associate Professor of Economics Shawn Humphrey were participants in the annual Two Dollar Challenge, an experiential learning exercise aimed at raising awareness and funds for poverty-related causes.
We followed Walz, who plans to join the Peace Corps after graduation, throughout the week:
“It’s always interesting to see the campus community’s reaction to our camp when it goes up on the first day. I remember walking by the camp my freshman year with my head down, hoping to avoid being dragged into conversation with people outside of the tent. While there are certainly some people who treat us the same way I did, there does seem to be genuine interest among some students.”
“It is always nice when people come by, look at the tent wide eyed, and ask why we would ever want to do something like sleep outside or live meagerly when we could so easily do so otherwise. Their questions are often genuine and the start of a good conversation where we can talk about poverty. These interactions always confirm my belief in TDC as a change making activity at UMW.”
The students lived in a self-made structure on Ball Circle and spent only $2 each day on food and other expenses. In the process, they hoped to raise more than $5,000 for La Ceiba, a microfinance institution, while shedding light on poverty issues.
“For me, the mental fatigue that comes with living on such a small level of nourishment is much worse than the physical issues. Even trying to go to class and focus or doing homework outside is 10 times more difficult this week than it is on any other week. The lack of food makes focusing that much harder, and that combined with being outside as much as possible makes getting things done nearly impossible but I have to keep trying. It just puts the situation of the poor into perspective because my troubles with class cannot even compare to trying to hold down a job, search for a job, or taking care of a family.”The Two Dollar Challenge, founded by Humphrey, is in its eighth year at UMW. The challenge has spread across the country, and this year has taken up roots internationally. Junior Jeff Paddock is participating in the challenge for one month while studying abroad in Peru. He is sharing his experience in a blog.
The challenge is part of the larger TDC organization, which also includes the Month of Microfinance movement and the Poverty Action Conference.
“I would like to think that even the memory of our tent camp will be enough to spark conversation for a few days after we have packed up and moved back into the normal college life. That’s the objective of TDC, to provoke conversation and to give all members of the UMW community a chance to open up and think about their relationship with their fellow community members, whether they be rich or poor. And who knows, maybe we inspired someone to participate next year who had been on the fence this year!”For more information about the Two Dollar Challenge or to participate in next year’s challenge, contact Humphrey at shumphre@umw.edu.
The program is designed for registered nurses who have graduated with an accredited associate’s degree or diploma nursing program and have a registered nurse (RN) license. The program, available both full-time and part-time, will combine online and face-to-face classroom learning. UMW plans to maintain the tradition of small class sizes to allow students to have a one-on-one relationship with faculty.
In addition to higher level nursing courses, the BSN completion program includes coursework which allow nurses to make connections between their everyday clinical nursing situations and the liberal arts disciplines, including advanced writing techniques, sociology courses on global health and medicine, and medical ethics.
“Continuing one’s education to the bachelor level encourages the registered nurse to see a more global picture of healthcare,” said Dr. Pamela McCullough, director of the program. “The nurse is looking at populations instead of individuals and is learning how to think using different models. It’s exposure to different ways of thinking.”
For more information about admissions criteria or the program’s curriculum, visit http://cas.umw.edu/bsn-program/. For admission questions, contact Sarah Lindberg at slindber@umw.edu. For questions related to the curriculum, contact Pamela McCullough at pmccullo@umw.edu.
This is not the first travel abroad experience for Martey, who spent eight weeks at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan as a recipient of the 2013 Ambassador Summer Scholarship from the Taiwan-U.S. Sister Relations Alliance (TUSA).
“While I was in Taiwan, my post-graduation plans changed from going straight to grad school to focusing on becoming fluent,” Martey said. “I don’t want to be that fresh-faced student who reads books about China, has some language classes, and thinks she is qualified to talk about China in a graduate school or a professional setting. That’s not credible.”
Martey, who describes herself as Ghanaian American, hopes to teach English in Taiwan and eventually seek her master’s and doctoral degrees.
“Martey’s is precisely the type of prestigious academic achievement of which the UMW community should be proud,” said Jack Kramer, chair and distinguished professor of political science and international affairs. “It says a lot about the quality of our students and the education they receive here.”
Missy Cummings, director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab and associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University, will deliver the keynote address at noon. She is a leading authority on drone technologies and human-machine collaboration and is one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots.
Featuring more than 40 local secondary schools, UMW, Germanna Community College and the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, the event will include STEM-related booths and technology demonstrations throughout the day.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit http://members.fredericksburgchamber.org/events/details/3rd-annual-stem-summit-3205.Two enterprising entrepreneurs will speak at the 2014 commencement ceremonies for the University of Mary Washington on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10.
Kenneth Lopez, the founder and CEO of A2L Consulting, will give the graduate address on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the William M. Anderson Center. Rebecca R. Rubin, founder, president and CEO of the environmental consulting firm Marstel-Day, LLC, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle.
Kenneth Lopez
Ken Lopez
Lopez, a 1992 graduate of Mary Washington and a member of the UMW Board of Visitors, is the founder and CEO of the Alexandria-based A2L Consulting, a leading provider of jury consulting, litigation graphics and courtroom support to all of the nation’s largest law firms. He founded the company in 1995 after receiving a law degree from the Widener University School of Law.
A2L Consulting was recently voted Best Demonstrative Evidence Firm in D.C. by the readers of LegalTimes and, on a national level, a Best Demonstrative Evidence Firm by the National Law Journal. He was recently quoted in The Wall Street Journal.
Lopez serves on the advisory board of UMW’s College of Business and on the Dean’s National Advisory Council at Widener. He was UMW’s Junior Executive-in-Residence in 2008 and is a frequent guest speaker for classes and student organizations.
Rebecca Rubin
Rebecca Rubin
Rubin founded Marstel-Day in 2002 as an expression of her commitment to the conservation of natural resources, especially habitat and open space, energy and water. Her company serves various public and private clients, including the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. Marstel-Day is one of several Fredericksburg-area organizations collaborating with UMW to develop a Climate, Environment Action Readiness (CLEAR) Plan.
In 2013, the White House named Rubin a Champion of Change for Community Resilience, and Virginia Business Magazine listed her in 2011 among the “Top 25 People to Watch.” Marstel-Day has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 500/5000 and Zweigwhite’s HOTFirm list for the past five consecutive years.
A former director of the U.S. Army’s Environmental Policy Institute, Rubin received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and a master’s degree in international security from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.