February 16, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Richardson Column in The Free Lance-Star

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UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s latest column in The Free Lance-Star is entitled, “Taking Too Long on Searches.”

RECRUITMENT is challenging in the best of times. But during a pandemic, it seems like searching for new employees has gotten ridiculous.

I’ve hired a lot people in my higher education career. Before we begin searches, we sit down and map out the recruitment plan. We include everything from who will be involved in the hiring process to where we will advertise for the position to the timetable we expect to follow. Evidently, planning all of this is not what many organizations do or if they do plan, they don’t stick to the plan. Read more.

Romero Convenes International Conference on Social Justice in Classics

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Joseph Romero (CPRD) convened a conference for Classicists across the globe to address the past, present, and future of the discipline.

Romero Convenes Conference on Classics and Social Justice

On March 20, 2021, Joseph Romero (CPRD) collaborated with Hannah Čulík-Baird (Boston University) to present a second online conference in an ongoing series entitled, Res Difficiles, which attracted over 300 registrants from across the globe to engage in difficult conversations about the past, present, and future of the discipline. Our keynote speaker was the esteemed classicist, Dr. Patrice Rankine (Professor of Classics, Dean of Arts and Sciences, University of Richmond). The papers are now posted on the conference website: resdifficiles.com. Romero and Čulík-Baird have been invited to guest edit a selection of papers from the ongoing series for the online Classics journal, Ancient History Bulletin in this and the coming year. A third installment of the popular series is planned for 2022.

Machande to Serve as Interim Dean for the College of Business

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College of Business Interim Dean Ken Machande

College of Business Interim Dean Ken Machande

The following message is from President Paino.

In December, Dr. Lynne Richardson announced that she would be retiring as the Dean of the College of Business in July of this year. After consulting with and receiving input from a number of constituencies, including the faculty and staff in the College of Business, I am very pleased to announce that Professor Ken Machande has agreed to serve as the Interim Dean of the College of Business and lead the College as we consider the plans and timing for an external search for a Dean and prepare for the next review cycle of AACSB.

Professor Machande has been a member of the faculty for nearly 20 years, has served as the Associate Dean in the College of Business since 2012, and also served as the Interim Dean of the College of Business in 2018-2019. Ken brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and professional accomplishments to this role, and he will ensure both a smooth transition as well as further ongoing efforts to move the College of Business forward. Please join me in welcoming Ken to this role and thanking him for his willingness to further serve the University at this time.

Smith, Student’s Work with Local Brewery Highlighted in The Free Lance-Star

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Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith '12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith’s work with junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki was recently highlighted in an article in The Free Lance-Star about how the pair are helping Mary Washington alum Ray Parrish ’91, co-owner of Maltese Brewing Company in Fredericksburg, who aspires to earn a Guinness World Record for spicest beer. Smith and Ebenki are determining the heat content of Maltese’s Signal One 2.0, a pineapple IPA infused with 500 Carolina Reaper chilies, the world’s hottest pepper. Read more.

James Farmer Multicultural Center’s Efforts to Establish Historical Marker at Freedom Rides Site Highlighted in FLS

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Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Dr. James L. Farmer Jr. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A recent article in The Free Lance-Star highlighted the James Farmer Multicultural Center’s work with City Councilman Chuck Frye to establish an official historical marker at the site of the former Fredericksburg bus station where the Freedom Riders stopped in 1961, in their quest to desegregate interstate travel, orchestrated by civil rights icon and late Mary Washington history professor James L. Farmer Jr.

“It’s a great milestone that the city has met and it’s a huge deal that we have taken time to settle down and tell the story of Fredericksburg,” Frye said. “To me, it shows how history books don’t tell the story of African–American history. And here in 2021 we’re researching information and coming up with actual history.” Read more. 

“A Climate of Change” Featured in The Free Lance-Star

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A Climate of Change flyer“A Climate of Change,” hosted by UMW and Marstel-Day, a local environmental consulting firm, was featured in The Free Lance-Star. This three-part series of public discussions with local leaders, held on Tuesdays in April on Zoom, aims to amp up critical dialogue about climate change and issues like environmental justice, clean energy and conservation. Following each discussion, UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger and Marstel-Day President and CEO Rebecca Rubin will moderate a public question-and-answer session. Read more.

Farnsworth Comments in the News

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Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently commented on the following news stories:

‘Election integrity’ becomes key buzzword in VA GOP race (The Washington Post; Star Tribune; Las Vegas Sun; CBS19 News)

Local Va. House of Delegates races draw a crowd (Prince William Times)

Biden Convenes First Cabinet Meeting (CTV News Channel)

Virginia Republican convention candidates set for May 8 (WINA)

Supporters Say McClellan is ‘Voice That Virginia Needs to Hear’ (RVA)

Johnny Carson and Political Humor (C-SPAN)

McClellan Vies for VA Governor Seat After 15 Years in Legislature (Virginia Patch)

The Never-ending Gun Debate (CTV News Channel)

McClellan vies for governor seat after 15 years in legislature (NBC12; Fauquier-Times)

Still barred from major platforms, Trump weighs launching new social network (KIMA CBS 29; NBC 15; abc6onyourside.com)

Richardson Column in The Free Lance-Star

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UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s latest column in The Free Lance-Star is titled “Gender Inequity or COVID Craziness?”

MABEL was promoted several months ago after the previous person in the job, Jack, was asked to leave. Mabel wasn’t sure she wanted the position permanently, so asked if she could do it for a year. Towards the end of that year, she and her boss would have a discussion about her future. That time is approaching, and Mabel reached out to me to discuss some concerns.

When Mabel was asked to do the job, she learned that Jack’s salary had been $125,000. Yet Mabel was offered $85,000 to do the same job—a $23,000 pay increase for her. She was told that the lower salary was due to a COVID-19-related decline in revenue. The organization just could not afford to pay Mabel what it had paid Jack.

She asked me if I thought the lower salary was gender-related. I had no clue, as I don’t know her boss. I also don’t know how hard her organization has been hit financially by COVID. It is plausible that her supervisor is being truthful with her. It’s also possible they thought the organization could pay her less because she’s a woman.

She loves the work and wants to continue in the position, and has gotten strong hints from her supervisor that he wants her to continue. So what should she do? Read more. 

Smith, Student Tape WJLA Segment on Alum-Owned Brewery’s Guinness Quest

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Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith '12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 instructs junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki in a Jepson Science Center lab. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12 and junior biochemistry major Valerie Ebenki were featured in a segment on WJLA/ABC-7 about the pair assisting 1991 alum Ray Parrish’s quest to brew the world’s spiciest beer. With Smith and Ebenki’s scientific expertise, Parrish, who co-owns Maltese Brewing Company in Fredericksburg, is attempting to secure a Guinness World Record for Signal One. 2.0, a pineapple IPA infused with 500 Carolina Reaper chilies, the world’s hottest pepper. Read more.