June 30, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Al-Tikriti Joins Panel Discussion on Migration

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In his capacity as Vice President of MSF / Doctors Without Borders USA, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History Nabil Al-Tikriti joined a three-person panel to discuss global migration issues and MSF’s involvement in rescuing refugee populations in Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 10. Stephen Figge of MSF USA Communications led the panel discussion, and the other panelist was Mark Leirer, an American nurse who was recently on one of the three MSF rescue ships.  The discussion was preceded by a donor event, and the screening of a documentary film on European migration. The entire event took place at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and was part of the concluding run of MSF USA’s “Forced From Home” Exhibit, which was staged in New York, Queens, Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia between September and November.

Previously, Al-Tikriti took his entire “History of Genocides” Freshman Seminar class to the exhibit when it was staged in Washington. For further information on the exhibit, which next should tour the West Coast in 2017, see: http:\forcedfromhome.com.

Brewer Plays Role at Folger Theatre

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Cate Brewer, lecturer in Theatre & Dance, played the role of Mrs. Jennings in the two-week extension for Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility at Folger Theatre.  The production was directed by Eric Tucker and received critical acclaim in both its original iteration with Bedlam Theatre Company in NYC and at Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Bales Publishes on Chicago Cubs

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The Chicago Cubs winning the World Series this year coincides with a number of reference librarian Jack Bales’s writings on the baseball team.  His article, “The Show Girl and the Shortstop: The Strange Saga of Violet Popovich and Her Shooting of Cub Billy Jurges,” has just been published in the fall 2016 issue of the peer-reviewed Baseball Research Journal.  He spoke about Popovich and the shooting in Tempe, Arizona, at the March Spring Training Conference of NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture and published an article about her in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star last month.  He also wrote a Cubs book review for the peer-reviewed NINE.  Bales participated in a panel discussion on author Willie Morris at the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson during the summer, and he was recently asked to write a brief commentary on a new scholarly edition of two works by author Horatio Alger, Jr. (Bales has published widely on both authors.)

Gray Presents at National Conference

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Gray answering questions after the presentationEdward Gray, systems integration and support specialist in UMW’s IT Support Services, presented “Measuring Success: An Introduction to Metrics” at the annual Service Management FUSION conference on Wednesday, November 2, 2016. The presentation provided more than 100 attendees with foundational knowledge on the topic of metrics, including their definition, selection and use. There was also good discussion on the topic between Gray and those attending the session. Gray was selected for one of about 80 available presentation slots, out of a pool of more than 400 presentation submissions.

Gray presentingGray has been at UMW for more than 16 years, serving in various IT roles.  He earned a master of science degree in Management Information Systems from UMW in 2010. He was a participant in the inaugural cohort of Leadership UMW and  also has earned several technical and management best practice certifications. Find more information about Gray on his website, http://www.edwardgray.com.

The annual Service Management FUSION conference is co-produced by HDI and itSMF USA. Each year about 2,000 visionaries, leaders, vendors and practitioners attend the event, coming from all around the globe. The conference includes networking events, five keynotes, more than 80 breakout sessions and an expo hall showcasing solution and service management providers.

Gray presentingitSMF USA is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the advancement of service management good practices by professional and academic practitioners, researchers and leaders. HDI is a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the services support industry. Gray is a member of both organizations and currently serves as community manager for itSMF USA’s Higher Education Community of Interest. If you have questions, feel free to contact Gray at egray@umw.edu.

Baker Presents at VBIA Summit

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Brian Baker, Executive Director for Economic Development, presented on “Lessons Learned in Business Incubation” at the Virginia Business Incubation Association Summit, Beyond the Silicon Dominion, The Future of Virginia Entrepreneurship. Themes from the presentation included Virtual Enterprise, Global Decoupling, and the Importance of the Maker Movement on the Future of Innovation.

Farnsworth Lectures in Norway on U.S. Presidential Election

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Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently delivered a lecture titled “Digital Media, Public Opinion and the U.S. Presidential Race,” at BI University in Oslo, Norway. While in Norway, Dr. Farnsworth also delivered a lecture titled “Three Challenges and Three Opportunities for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton” for the Norwegian Washington Seminar Program in Oslo.

McMillan Has Solo Exhibition in NYC

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Assistant Professor of Ceramics Jon McMillan has been invited to show eight new sculptures at Hunter College in New York City. His solo exhibition at the Hunter Project Space, titled “Converge,” runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 18, with a closing reception on the 18th from 6-8 p.m.