Welcome to your UMW campus tour with senior guide Marc Gehlsen.

11:30 a.m., Lee Hall: Home of Admissions, Student Services, Financial Aid and More

You push open the door to Lee Hall, step out onto the sun-soaked stone terrace. Blinded, you squeeze your eyes shut, replay the admissions message inside your head. You refocus, look out onto the Fredericksburg campus. In a flash, you see your future unfold.

11:32 a.m., Ball Circle: The center of Mary Wash student life and traditions

You hurry down the steps to join your tour group. That’s when Marc Gehlsen whisks onto the scene.

He struts like a drum major across a faux stage. Anything to get your attention. “A big word on campus is ‘tradition,’ ” he says, pointing to the spherical lawn, site of uniquely Mary Washington customs like Club Carnival and Devil-Goat Day. He reveals he’s a devil, spars with a mom in the crowd who says she’s a goat.

A Washington Guide, Gehlsen has led UMW tours for years, zany one-liners, colorful commentary and all. He delivers in English, of course, but he also speaks Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and Arabic. His love of language will take him into the courtroom as a forensic linguist, but for now he’s using his words to wow campus visitors – like you.

11:37 a.m., Randolph-Mason Hall: One of Mary Washington’s 18 residence halls

You stroll along Campus Walk toward Randolph-Mason Hall, dodging a squirrel on the way. Inside, Gehlsen starts in – student IDs, laundry, bathrooms. Private or shared, he jokes, they both accommodate the urge to “sing Disney ballads in the shower.”

He had his share of sharing growing up, the youngest of five on a Nokesville, Virginia, Christmas-tree farm. He gleaned what he could from his siblings, who all studied language before him, and from the migrant workers his father, a masonry carpenter, invited to dinner.

By the time Gehlsen took Spanish in middle school, he could curl and roll r’s like nobody’s business, and he zoomed to the top of his class. Other languages followed, including Hawaiian, because “who doesn’t want to say ‘aloha’ whenever they get the chance?”

In college, Gehlsen knew he would major in Spanish. A campus tour led him to choose Mary Washington. It was fall, and the scenery and sense of community – everyone seemed to smile and say “hi” – cast a spell, he said, like a wand that finds the right wizard. Hands all aflutter, he demonstrates the Harry Potter effect for your tour.

11:45 a.m., Palmieri Plaza: A signature UMW meeting area, complete with fountain

You move on with the group, trailing Gehlsen up the hill to Palmieri Plaza. “You have to swim in the fountain at least once before you graduate,” he says. “If you’d like to try it before the end of the tour, you’re welcome to.”

11:47 a.m., Monroe Hall: One of UMW’s many academic buildings, housing history, geography and political science

Lost in the bubbly blue water, you realize the crew has moved on without you. You catch up, climb the steps to Monroe Hall. File into a classroom. Slide into a desk. Gehlsen’s up front, explaining UMW’s Honor Code, Office of Disability Resources and opportunity to create unique courses of study. He dishes on his own second major, a linguistics program he crafted himself.

“His brain has a knack for language,” said Betsy Lewis, professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. “Some students worry they’ll make a mistake. They freeze up. Marc’s personality is so outgoing he can just jump right in and not worry about any of that.”

A Phi Sigma Iota language honor society member, he studied abroad on a trip Lewis led to trace Don Quixote’s footsteps through Spain and plans to pursue a master’s degree in linguistics on the West Coast. At UMW, Gehlsen has handled social media for the Honor Council, coordinated programming for Green Housing, and started an honors thesis that keeps him holed up in the Hurley Convergence Center. Your group heads there next.

11:56 a.m., Hurley Convergence Center: Four stories of state-of-the-art tech capabilities

You walk on, passing Simpson Library and Blackstone Coffee, which a fully caffeinated Gehlsen calls “the most important building on campus.” You visit the Goolrick Hall gym, see the Anderson and University centers, before returning to Lee, where you browse through the bookstore for the perfect memento.

But you know you’ll be back.

It’s a quick glimpse of campus, but for Gehlsen – who caught the tour-guide bug as a freshman, brewing coffee and propping open the door of his Randolph Hall room, which was part of the rounds – it speaks volumes.

“I’ve loved every single second of it,” he said. “I get to spread the word of the UMW awesomeness.”

Intrigued by Gehlsen’s tour of the UMW campus? Want to see more? Take our guided, interactive virtual tour!

Sinister fairies, evil Jedis and monsters crept onto Campus Walk on Halloween morning, all with one thing in common. No one could resist the chubby, honey-loving bear offering candy and hugs.

One day a year Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker ’81 sheds his signature bow tie and seersucker pants to become the iconic Winnie the Pooh. It’s not just a costume for Rucker. He sees it as part of his job – spreading friendship, community and care – for the past 15 years.

“Pooh and Dean Rucker are just two very happy, jolly people,” said senior Mikey Barnes. “Walking down Campus Walk and seeing this prominent figure dressed up as Winnie the Pooh … I look forward to it every year.”

In 1977, when Rucker was a Mary Wash freshman, “Halloweens” was a giant affair, with revelers from schools near and far making their way onto campus. They came as M&Ms, policemen and the complete cast of Star Wars, Rucker remembered. And with the release of the feature film Animal House the following year, “I cannot tell you the amount of togas people wore,” he said.

After earning a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Virginia, Rucker returned to his alma mater to serve as associate dean of student activities. He’d been promoted to dean of student life by the time he saw Andrew Painter ’02 crashing the Fredericksburg Christmas parade, bounding down Caroline Street as Tigger.

The Disney-esque costume planted a seed for Rucker, who tracked down a matching Pooh suit. Its fuzzy exterior and built-in mittens are a great fit for fall. The cut-out up top shows Rucker’s face and big smile.

Painter was surprised to learn recently that he’d inspired the long-running tradition, but he wasn’t shocked to hear that Rucker’s still at it. “Cedric cares genuinely for Mary Washington. He cares genuinely for the students,” Painter said. “He loves to bring happiness to everyone.”

The ensemble accommodates the serious side of Rucker’s job, too. He can jump in and out of it to advocate for students, meet with administrators and teach his Monday night sociology class.

In costume, he strolls Campus Walk, spending time at Lee Hall and the University Center, where students stream by between classes. Fresh off of midterms, they stop for selfies with Pooh, candy, hugs and one other thing – words of wisdom.

“Pooh reinforces the values we have as a community,” Rucker said, “respect, student engagement, empowering students to support one another.”

The warmth goes both ways.

Last year, when his mother passed away two days before Halloween, Rucker pushed through his grief to make his annual appearance as Pooh. He announced it on Facebook, and students showed up in throngs.

“The outpouring was incredible,” he said. “I love these people.”

Calling all high school juniors and seniors, and all college transfer students! Come explore the University of Mary Washington during an Open House on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Kicking off with an academic and student showcase, the open house will include student panels, special interest sessions and campus tours. Explore campus with a student tour guide and see our classrooms, fitness center and residence halls. The Open House will take place at the Anderson Center on UMW’s Fredericksburg campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A tentative agenda for the day is available at http://bit.ly/2daDn8J.

Online registration will close Friday, Oct. 28, but on-site registrations are warmly welcomed. If you are registering on-site, please arrive by 8:45 a.m. Attendees will receive an email prior to the event with final details.

Directions to the Anderson Center and UMW Parking Garage, located along Alvey Drive, can be found at http://www.umw.edu/visitors.

To register for the Open House, visit http://bit.ly/2eDdcYj. For more information, contact UMW’s Office of Admissions at 800-468-5614.

A crowd of blue and gray – colors woven into Fredericksburg’s history – gathered on UMW’s Battleground Athletic Complex under the bright October sky. In the background, the blast of a canon echoed across campus.

More than 150 years ago, the sights and sounds could have been from a Civil War battle. This weekend though, it was the cheers and spirit wear of passionate Mary Washington fans.

More than 300 alumni came back to UMW for Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 22, joining the student body in cheering on Eagles Athletics at more than six games throughout the day. Earlier in the week, UMW students celebrated with a bonfire and cookout, traditions that mirror the schools’ earliest homecoming traditions.

‘’Having our alumni back is one of the best things about Homecoming,” said senior Alex Clegg, Student Government Association president. “I think our alumni miss UMW, and UMW definitely misses our alumni.”

Mary Washington’s first homecoming was hosted in 1972, designed as a parody of the “big weekends” that female students traditionally attended at other universities. With the theme “bring the boys home,” the event was an invitation for girls’ dates to come to Fredericksburg. Featuring a parade from the Monroe gates through Campus Drive and onto Hanover Street, festivities included a band, flag football game between Devils and Goats, picnic dinner and bonfire.

Decades later, UMW welcomes hundreds of alumni back to the “Burg” each year. Alumni arrived on Friday, Oct. 21 to launch the weekend with a Digital Identity Summit that featured panels of students, alumni and employers discussing the relationship between digital presence and professional development.

“Impressive to see [UMW] students so engaged in thinking about and exploring their digital identity,” tweeted Sean O’Brien ’09, former SGA president. “This… panel shows how important digital identity is for careers.”

On Saturday, alumni and students flocked to the fourth annual tailgate event outside of the soccer field to cheer on the UMW Eagles during rugby and soccer matches. At noon, the university dedicated its new state-of-the-art track and field complex with the blast of a replica Civil War cannon marking the start of a ceremonial lap.

Sandra Sanchez ’14 summed up the day on Twitter: “[It] feels good to be #BackintheBurg.”

Just before dawn in the nation’s capital this summer—before tourists flooded the streets—UMW alumna Grace May placed her order in the Dunkin’ Donuts, located inside the James Madison Memorial Building of the Library of Congress.

“I was the very first customer every day,” said May, who was in the city for her Library of Congress internship. “They even memorized my order, a blueberry donut and tea.”

This past summer, May was one of 38 students – out of 800 who applied – to be accepted into the 2016 Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program at the Library of Congress. It’s an appointment she owes, in part, to the hands-on experience she’s collected while working with UMW’s Digital Archiving Lab. As part of the library’s Humanities and Social Sciences division, May spent 10 weeks creating templates that resulted in a presentation on display in the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations collection.

“I was given projects such as taking old content and creating new templates for items housed in the Library of Congress,” said May, who would commute into the city each day. “I also worked to make the website for The Main Reading Room more accessible.”

With a focus on the digital, May would spend hours online making library materials more accessible to users. She also had the chance to tour the Library of Congress, getting to see incredible artifacts like President Lincoln’s inaugural Bible.

“It was the same Bible that Obama and Lincoln placed their hands on,” said May, describing what turned out to be one of her favorite experiences during the internship.

At the end of the summer, the junior fellows put on a presentation within their divisions. May’s presentation focused on the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations collection. She created a template for this collection that made it easier to view and research the items within it. While presenting, May showcased the current template along with her modifications.

Before her summer internship, May had spent one year working with UMW’s Digital Archiving Lab, helping to convert Simpson Library’s rare and unique archival materials to digital formats.

“Grace has been a crucial element in helping us get our digital collections online,” said Carolyn Parsons, head of UMW’s Special Collections and Archives. “She’s digitized various Mary Washington publications, added metadata and helped us get our campus blueprint online.”

May graduated this past spring with a bachelor’s degree in history but is still working on her post-baccalaureate degree in computer science at Mary Washington. With only three classes left, she will officially finish her undergraduate studies this December.

“It’s one thing to learn about it in school,” said May, reflecting on how her experience at UMW positioned her for success at the Library of Congress. “But to actually apply it and make sure that you’re doing it to the best of your abilities – that’s the real goal.”

Geology students stand knee-deep in the water, calling out measurements as waves pass by. On shore, their classmates scribble numbers into notepads as the humid breeze blows the choppy waters of the Potomac River onto the sandy beach beneath their feet.

UMW alumna Pamela Grothe used to be one of those students, but today she’s snapping pictures and working with the group in a different role.

A 2006 graduate, Grothe returned to UMW this past August to fill the position of her previous professor and long-time mentor Neil Tibert, who died unexpectedly last year. Having come full circle from geology student to professor, it’s now her turn to instill a love of the subject into students that Tibert once gave her.

“I feel privileged that I can stand here in his footsteps,” said Grothe, who did research in the Dominican Republic with Tibert as an undergraduate. “I can only hope to teach as well as he did and inspire students as they continue along in their academic and professional careers as he did for me.”

After graduation, Grothe stayed in touch with Tibert, getting advice on graduate school and her doctorate program, which she is currently finishing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her next career goal: to find a college-level teaching position with a tight-knit geology department just like the one at UMW.

“I always knew I wanted to teach in some capacity,” said Grothe, who came to UMW as an education major before switching to geology. Then last spring, in the wake of Tibert’s death, she got a bittersweet offer to return to UMW as a visiting professor.

A class full of mostly geology majors, you can sense the enthusiasm of the students as they sketch the sand dunes and measure the distance between ripples in the water. The field trip, one of several for the course, will help the class understand modern environments by comparing and contrasting the Rappahannock River and the Potomac River.

“I feel like a detective,” said junior and geology major Andrew Bolton, describing the study of rocks. “It’s like a picture and you can look at it and find out what the world was like so long ago.”

Crouched down in the water, surrounded by students, Grothe seems right at home. As an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for teaching – and for her alma mater – it’s clear she has found her calling.

“I came to UMW as an undergraduate looking for close relationships with my professors,” said Grothe, smiling. “And now the best part of this job is getting to work so closely with the students.”

Pressing ‘record’ on his video camera, Nico Noel De Ocampo pushes off the pavement and propels his longboard forward. Gliding down Campus Walk, his lens captures students walking by the benches and foliage lining the historic brick pathway.

Along with fellow UMW graduate Mason Carlton, De Ocampo is on assignment to document the sense of community at the university they called “home” for four years.

Two months, eight interviews and 25 hours of footage later, the business majors-turned-business partners produced UMW’s first official video for incoming students. The newly minted alumni found the assignment the perfect launching pad for a career—as co-owners of the videography company known as Fishtank Media.

Looking back, fate seemed to intervene when Carlton and De Ocampo were partnered in Assistant Professor Kashef Majid’s marketing course. Assigned to create a marketing video for UMW’s graduate programs, the business majors didn’t realize the project would eventually spark a business.

“Professor Majid gave us a project that helped us find something that we love,” said Carlton. The course turned their hobby into a passion. Afterward, Carlton interned with UMW’s University Relations team, creating branded videos for the Great Minds campaign; De Ocampo worked with UMW Athletics, creating a “You Can Play” video that broke social engagement records for the department.

Then they got a phone call that would give them a chance to hone their business savvy and videography skills in a big way.

Student Affairs Vice President Juliette Landphair contacted the duo about the possibility of creating a video for new students. “I was walking out of the classroom where I had just learned about negotiation and into an office where I could apply those skills first-hand,” said De Ocampo.

The videographers rolled up their sleeves and got to work – interviewing students, alumni and staff to capture the stories that defined the UMW experience they were just wrapping up.

“These aren’t just the faces of UMW marketing, it’s all real,” said De Ocampo, explaining how he personally knew each of the people interviewed in the video. “I played rugby with Connor, I go to the gym with Christian and I see Haley at the library.”

The compelling and emotionally charged video that resulted was viewed by hundreds of freshmen and transfer students as they arrived on campus in August.

“Relationships have been a core part of the Mary Washington experience,” said Landphair. “And Mason and Nico were really able to capture the power of those relationships having just been through the UMW experience themselves.”

It was a moment that sealed the UMW experience for the new alumni.

“UMW prepared us to venture out and do something we’re passionate about,” said Carlton. “We feel lucky and blessed to have found something we love to do.”

“Welcome Home” video produced for UMW by Fishtank Media 2016.

 

UMW sophomore Mackenzie Hard’s iPhone slices into her sleep.

4:30 a.m.: “Good morning, crazy kid!”

She stirs at the first pre-programmed message, settles back in under the extra-long quilt her grandmother made for her 6-foot-2 frame.

4:45 a.m.: “If you don’t get up now, you won’t see the sun rise!”

She opens an eye, feels her FOMO kick in. But her Eagle Village room is … so … comfy.

5 A.M: “Okay, now you’ll really be late, way to go.”

The tone serves its purpose. She’s up. In a race with the sun. Off to meet crewmates at Alvey parking garage at 5:30, be out on the water by 6.

Growing up in Colonial Williamsburg and on Jamestown Island, Hard was as absorbed in water as she was in history. UMW would revive her passion for both. Now a crew member and English major pursuing a master’s degree in education, she hopes to teach high school, helping steer students toward their own college adventures.

“It was such a tough and busy time of my life,” Hard said of that 12th-grade transition. “I want to be able to tell them, ‘I know what you’re going through. I know it’s hard. You’ll get through it. Let me help you.’ ”

When she wasn’t playing the snare in the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums Corps or learning open-hearth cooking as a young volunteer, she’d spend long summer days on the James River. Then the air would turn crisp, and she’d go with her mother, a teacher, to help prep her second-grade classroom. Hard would play with the old-fashioned projector and sometimes, just sometimes, pretend to be a teacher, herself.

In high school, instructors she touts as “flawless” inspired her further, fueling her love of English. A fan of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, Hard played basketball and edited the yearbook before turning her thoughts to college. The first time she saw “UMW” on a T-shirt, she Googled it. She liked what she saw and scheduled not one but five visits to campus.

“I love our community. I love that we’re small,” she said during an interview at the Hurley Convergence Center. “I love that I have friends who walk in here and I can wave at them while we’re doing this.”

She was just meeting some of those friends when she showed up at that first Club Carnival freshman year, set to play basketball. Instead, she was coaxed into crew, where she found an unexpected camaraderie.

“The rowers tend to develop some pretty close relationships,” said Rich Adams, who coaches the team. “It requires a lot of discipline. The people that are not so tough very quickly decide it’s not the sport for them.”

But Hard has a soft side, as well. She cried last December to miss Williamsburg’s Grand Illumination, watching it live-streamed, instead, while she studied for finals. But her on-campus commitments leave little time to be homesick. She’s a resident assistant and Washington Guide who’s involved with Best Buddies. And, of course, there’s crew.

“The power and muscle and strength of eight girls in a boat?” she said. “It blows me away.”