Prof. Nabil Al-Tikriti (History) offered a lecture entitled “All My Children: Succession Politics Under Bayezid II” at the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) in Istanbul on 30 May 2011.  This talk was given in conjunction with the NEH/ARIT grant which Prof. Al-Tikriti held this spring.

Cate Brewer, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, has been selected to attend the Teacher Development Workshop at The Actors Center in NYC in June.

UMW’s Small Business Development Center will offer consulting and training sessions in King George County. The 90-minute consultations address finance, accounting, marketing and demographic analysis.

Offered in partnership with the King George Department of Economic Development, the sessions are free to the public. Appointments must be scheduled in advance and are conducted at the King George Office of Economic Development at 10459 Courthouse Drive.

The venture also includes King George County as a partner in the UMW SBDC regional Business Constellation Program, whose mission is to make business services more accessible by offering services at multiple offices throughout the region.

The UMW SBDC provides assistance to the small business community in 17 Virginia counties and cities through management training, research and consulting.

In 2010, the center received full reaccreditation by the Association of Small Business Development Centers, the national accrediting body for SBDCs under contract with the U.S. Small Business Administration. In addition, Brian J. Baker, executive director of the SBDC, was awarded the Virginia Small Business Development Centers State Star Award in recognition of his contributions to the state program and his commitment to small business.

For more information, contact the SBDC office at (540) 286-8060.

UMW has been selected as host of the 2011 Governor’s Foreign Language Academy in German by the Virginia Department of Education.

This summer, 45 Virginia high school students who have excelled in language study will reside on UMW’s Fredericksburg campus from June 25-July 17. The program provides students with a three-week foreign language immersion intensive environment.

Marcel Rotter, associate professor of German, said the university’s dedication to foreign language studies makes Mary Washington a fitting site of the program. Rotter, who developed the grant proposal for the German academy, will be the program coordinator.

“UMW has a strong commitment to liberal arts education, including foreign language education,” said Rotter. “We have a language requirement that provides all graduates at least an intermediate knowledge of one foreign language. The recent restructuring of the Office of International Academic Services is additional evidence.”

During the academy, use of the English language is forbidden. Participants agree to strictly speak German for the duration of the program.

Adjunct instructor Mark Scharf’s play Empires Fall has been produced by the Run of the Mill Theatre, Baltimore, Md. A monologue from his play, The Whispers of Saints will appear in the 2011 Volume 3, Young Women’s Monologues from Contemporary Plays, both published by Meriwether Publishing, Ltd., and his plays Keeping Faith, Lizards Brains and Get Stuffed, published by Original Works Publishing, are now available on Kindle on Amazon.com. Mark will appear on two Playwriting Workshop panels at the University of Baltimore at the UB Student Center for the Performing Arts on June 25th, 2011: The Craft of Playwriting and Marketing Your Plays. Also, The Baltimore City Historical Society has added copies of Mark’s plays Blue Mermaid, The Whispers of Saints, Scorpions, The Mean Reds and Last Night at the Owl Bar to their archives.

China’s Business Process Evolution; Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2011, Pages B-8 and B-9

 Mukesh Srivastava, associate dean of the College of Business is quoted extensively in a special supplement to the Wall Street Journal that discusses enterprise resource planning in China. The interview stems from his report, “Chinese Cultural Implications for ERP Implementation,” in the Journal of Technology Management and Innovation. The interview is available at: http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/enterprisetech-china

Allyson is in the fourth class of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Fredericksburg program, and she will graduate this afternoon during a ceremony at the University of Mary Washington’s Stafford campus. The Chamber is now accepting applications for the fifth class this fall. People who are interested can attend a May 19 informational meeting for more information.

Congratulations Allyson!

The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7.

Teresa A. Kennedy, professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, was presented the Grellet C. Simpson Award, the institution’s most prestigious annual award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. The recipient is routinely a senior member of the faculty.

Krystyn Moon, associate professor of American Studies, received the UMW Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Member Award, which is presented annually to an exceptional member of the faculty who has served the institution for at least two years but no more than five years.

Charles M. Murphy, assistant professor of political science, received the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award. The winner is selected by the graduating class as the faculty member “whom they will most likely remember as the one who had the greatest impact on their lives.”

Laurie B. Abeel, associate professor of education, was presented with the Graduate Faculty Award, which recognizes an exceptional full-time faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in graduate teaching and professional leadership in a graduate program. The person selected must have served in a full-time position at the university for at least two years.