A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
UMW President Troy Paino speaks on WFVA’s Town Talk
President Paino appeared on News Talk 1230 WFVA’s Town Talk to talk about the value of a liberal arts education, the benefits of a smaller student body and class sizes, and the challenges of AI. Listen to the episode.
College of Business Senior Lecturer Kimberly Kinsley
College of Business Senior Lecturer Kimberly Kinsley spoke to the With Good Reason public radio show for an episode titled “Corporate Greenwashing.” She discussed how Volkswagen cheated on emissions tests from 2009-2015 to convince customers to buy 11 million VW cars they thought burned clean diesel. Kinsley said “Dieselgate” was the largest ever case of corporate greenwashing. Listen to the episode.
Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth was quoted in a WVTF article titled “Some Democratic candidates may not receive as much donor support as others this election cycle.”
In the article, Farnsworth said “Donors have to figure out where their money can be best spent, and that means very viable candidates may not be as appealing to a donor as somebody else is. It’s a painful reality of politics that donors engage in triage, figuring out campaigns that are most effective users of donations versus those that may be good users but not at the top of the list.” Read the article from WVTF.
Paucity of details on immigration arrests highlights Youngkin’s pattern of misstatements
“I think there’s an increasing temptation, particularly for Republican officeholders, to make claims first and provide the evidence later … if ever,” Stephen Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington political science professor, told me. “In the era of Donald Trump, strict adherence to the facts can be an inconvenience.” See articles in Virginia Mercury and WV News.
Will the State Department’s loss of seasoned diplomats diminish America’s global sway?
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, echoes Williams’ perspective. “President Trump has long had his doubts about the federal bureaucracy, where there are rules and procedures that limit what Trump wants to do,” he told TRT World. See article in TRT Global.
Spanberger outraises Earle-Sears 2-to-1 in Virginia governor’s race
Political scientist Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said the new fundraising and polling numbers paint a clear picture of where each party is focusing its energy — and where the GOP may be shifting its bets. See articles in Virginia Mercury, Yahoo, and WTOP.
Endorsements Are the New Front in Partisan Local Politics
“We’ve come a long way from the tradition of nonpartisan local contests,” said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “As everything has gotten more partisan in American and Virginia politics, they’ve gotten more partisan in local elections.” See article in FXBG Advance.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies Jennifer Barry
Associate Professor of Religious Studies Jennifer Barry has signed a contract for her fourth book, titled Terrifying Women of the Ancient World.
Barry’s new work will be published with Basic Books and is a public-facing history that provides a re-narration of the Roman Empire through the stories of the formidable women who helped shape it.
Featured speakers and panelists at the Chamber’s AI in the Workplace workshop, including UMW’s Anand Rao
Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao was a recently a panelist at the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Congress’s workshop titled “AI in the Workplace,” which explored both the promise and practical applications of this evolving technology. Key topics included skills workers should develop to stay relevant, how small businesses can get started with AI and how they can empower their workforce to use it. Read more.
Gari Melchers Home and Studio Assistant Director/Curator Susan Martis
Gari Melchers Home and Studio Assistant Director/Curator Susan Martis recently managed the loan of a large number of Gari Melchers’ paintings for an exhibition at a Dutch museum. Martis attended the exhibit opening in the Netherlands, courtesy of the host museum. The exhibit is titled “Longing for Egmond: From inspiration to artists’ village.”
Gari Melchers settled in Egmond in the 19th century and his paintings, focusing on the village and its inhabitants, achieved worldwide success. His work, along with other renowned artists, is now on display at the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar in the Netherlands until November 2, 2025. Read more.
College of Business Lecturer John Burrow
Before retiring this year, College of Business Senior Lecturer John Burrow left a lasting legacy — through his leadership, mentorship and genuine care for our community. His impact lives on in the lives of the students, colleagues and alumni he supported. Burrow appears this week on the PS: I Love U(MW) social media series. See the episode!
See all the PS: I Love U(MW) episodes on @marywash Instagram.
Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar
Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar commented on Virginia’s unemployment rate for WRIC and WJHL in an article titled “Virginia’s unemployment rate is up, economist says more information needed as to why.”
In the piece, Dhar said “Is it a permanent move or a temporary? That is something we have to keep an eye for. Compared to the national average, we are still doing fine, but compared to Virginia’s standards, yes, we are moving away from the average.” Read more in WRIC and WJHL.
Rao Speaking About AI Pluralism on the TechUnhinged podcast.
Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao was featured on the TechUnhinged podcast in an episode exploring the future of artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing from his background in communication, debate and education, Rao discussed “AI Pluralism” – a concept advocating for diverse, dialogic AI systems over singular, dominant models. The episode also highlights UMW’s contributions to this emerging field, including Rao’s forthcoming book and the Center for AI and Liberal Arts. Listen to the podcast here.
Other recent media mentions for Rao include:
Prof. Paul D. Fallon presented and helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dictionary Society of North America
Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon presented his sabbatical project at the 50th anniversary meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America (DSNA) biennial meeting held at Buffalo State University, May 29-31, 2025. His talk, “An Analytic Etymological Dictionary of Central Cushitic” discussed work from his Spring 2025 sabbatical project with professional lexicographers and linguists, highlighting the special features of his analysis of the origins of four languages and related dialects spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia.