March 18, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Smithsonian Partnership Lets Students Explore Endangered Species

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Thanks to a new partnership with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, Mary Washington students will soon have the opportunity to study clouded leopards and other endangered species with Smithsonian scientists. Photo by Evan Cantwell/George Mason University.

Thanks to a new partnership with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, Mary Washington students will soon have the opportunity to study clouded leopards and other endangered species with Smithsonian scientists. Photo by Evan Cantwell/George Mason University.

Imagine getting up close and personal with the world’s most endangered species – and then having the chance to save them.

Thanks to a partnership with the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), Mary Washington students will soon have that experience. They’ll spend a semester working directly with these animals and learning from Smithsonian scientists and George Mason University professors at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The agreement comes just as UMW’s biology department introduces a new major in conservation biology. Read more. 

UMW Galleries Announces Fall Exhibitions

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The University of Mary Washington Galleries are pleased to present two exhibitions: Thanks in Advance: Jason Robinson and Embodiment: Figurative Works from UMW’s Permanent Collection in the duPont and Ridderhof Martin Galleries, respectively. Thanks in Advance will run from Sept. 19 through Dec. 8, 2019. Embodiment will run from Sept. 2 through Oct. 6, 2019. The opening receptions will be on Thursday, September 19th from 5-7pm in the Galleries. There will additionally be a live performance during the DuPont reception. The UMW Galleries and all associated events are free and open to the public. The Galleries’ hours are Tuesday through Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 4pm.

About the Exhibitions:

 

Jason Robinson's Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room, video, 2019.

Jason Robinson’s Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room, video, 2019.

Thanks in Advance: Jason Robinson

Jason Robinson makes films, videos, sounds, prints, performances and gifs about family, friends, and the materiality of analog video signals.  His work has screened at festivals and galleries both nationally and internationally including The Virginia Film Festival (Charlottesville, VA), Ethnografilm (Paris, France), The Asheville Art Museum (NC), and the Transmission Art Festival (Athens, Greece). He is an assistant professor of Digital Art at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.

Detail of Untitled by Phyllis Ridderhof Martin.

Detail of Untitled by Phyllis Ridderhof Martin.

Embodiment: Figurative Works from UMW’s Permanent Collection

This exhibition is curated by our former Collections Manager, Charles “Alex” Trivette, who selected some of his favorite works from our permanent collection. The exhibition includes the works of eight artists: Phyllis Ridderhof Martin, Dorothy Van Winckel, Alfred Levitt, Margaret Sutton, Tetsuo Ochikubo, Nicholas Vasilieff, Hans Burkhardt, and Arshille Gorky.

 

Mary Washington Makes ‘U.S. News & World Report’ Best Colleges List

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The University of Mary Washington has been recognized among the best colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, which released its “Best Colleges 2020” list this week.

UMW ranked 16th among regional universities in the South, scoring four top honors within that category. Mary Washington ranked seventh in the “Top Public Schools” and “Best Colleges for Veterans” categories, 16th in “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” and 18th in “Most Innovative Schools.”

“Service learning is a hallmark of the UMW experience,” according to U.S. News. “An education at UMW, with multiple opportunities for student research and service learning, uniquely prepares graduates for interesting careers or for advanced study.” Read more. 

Center for Community Engagement Opens at Mary Washington

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Mary Washington freshmen team up with Tree Fredericksburg to mulch trees as part of the CCE’s Day of Service. Photo by Matthew Binamira Sanders.

Mary Washington first-years team up with Tree Fredericksburg to mulch trees as part of the CCE’s Day of Service. Photo by Matthew Binamira Sanders.

On a late August day, Mary Washington first-years were scattered throughout Fredericksburg, mulching gardens, planting trees and cleaning up along the Rappahannock River. Others cared for animals at the SPCA and worked on projects to help area seniors, sexual assault survivors and deployed service members.

These efforts were made possible by UMW’s new Center for Community Engagement (CCE), which officially launches today. Housed in the University Center, it will build bridges – and strengthen existing ones – between Mary Washington and the greater Fredericksburg area, showcase civic and community engagement opportunities and foster partnerships that enhance student learning and encourage positive social change. The Center fits into a larger national movement to make community engagement a top priority in higher education institutions.
Read more. 

An Invitation to Have Coffee with the President

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UMW President Troy Paino. Photo by Norm Shafer.

UMW President Troy Paino. Photo by Norm Shafer.

From the Office of the President:

Dear UMW Faculty and Staff,

Last year I launched a series of coffee talks with faculty and staff to create a direct line of communication between the President’s Office and people who lead our core educational mission. The conversations were invaluable to me as we worked collectively to shape our strategic vision, establish community values, and share the challenges and opportunities before Mary Washington.

A new series of coffee talks will kick off on Wednesday, September 18, at 9:30 a.m. in Monroe Hall, Room 111. I welcome all faculty and staff to join me for informal, open discussion of the topics of greatest interest to those who attend. Occasionally, the coffees will focus on a particular issue facing us or may include other leaders who represent areas critical to institutional progress. Additional upcoming opportunities include:

  • Mon., Oct. 21                     10:30-11:30 a.m., Hurley Convergence Center, Room 210
  • Wed., Nov. 20                    4-5 p.m., Stafford Campus, South Building, Room 210
  • Thurs., Nov. 21                  2:30-3:30 p.m., Trinkle Hall, Room 207

My goal is to engage in the most transparent and direct lines of communication possible so that all members of UMW are equally informed and engaged in making the University the best place it can be. Whatever the event, I commit to candid conversation and intensive listening.

I hope to see you there. Your insights and involvement are not only welcome but also necessary for strong institutional leadership.

 

Sincerely,

Troy D. Paino
President

Belmont Hosts Loan from National Arts Club

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Study, by Gari Melchers

A striking portrait of a woman of color entitled Study by Gari Melchers will be featured in an upcoming spotlight exhibition scheduled for October 25 through January 5, 2020. The loan is made possible thanks to the generosity of The National Arts Club, New York. The painting appears for the first time at Gari Melchers Home and Studio.

When it came to subjects of his own choosing, Melchers usually rejected conventional standards of beauty in favor of working-class types, but this well-turned-out woman, with her handsome and serene bearing, is an exception. Joanna Catron, who curates the show, says that “although Study was executed in the era of women’s suffrage, it represents a class of American Impressionist painting that perpetuates an old-fashioned view of woman as an object of beauty, or in this case, a ‘study’ in beauty, with no attempt to individualize personality.” The identity and nationality of the black model is unknown, and this is the only known instance in which she sat for the painter.

The mission of The National Arts Club is to foster public interest in the fine arts. It was founded in 1898 by a group of distinguished artists and patrons who conceived the clubhouse as a gathering place to welcome artists of all kinds, as well as art lovers. The National Arts Club took as its residence the historic Samuel Tilden Mansion at Grammercy Park, New York.

In order to build a stellar collection of American art, esteemed artists were invited to submit a representative example of their work in return for a life membership. Melchers was invited to join the NAC in 1917, which he readily accepted with his submission of Study. As the majority of the painter members of the NAC were American Impressionists, Melchers chose an example of singular beauty that could compete with the best.

The exhibition is Included with Museum admission. Contact: Joanna Catron at jcatron@umw.edu or 540 654-1841

College of Education Puts Out Call for Proposals for STREAM Conference Oct. 26

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The College of Education will host our new STREAM Conference on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 9 to 1 p.m. STREAM education takes STEM and expands it to include reading and the arts because we know those are other important ways to teach 21st century skills to our students. We are currently putting out a call for proposals for our conference. We are looking for faculty, teachers, administrators, coaches, librarians…anyone who has innovative and engaging ideas they want to share with other educators in the area that use STREAM education to promote 21st century skills in the classroom. Ideas for sessions include using augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, and the design process to enhance teaching and learning in schools.

There will be 3 different types of sessions for which we need presenters:

  • Open sessions – where participants can come in and gets hands-on experience building activities or learning skills with the help of an expert. This is a time to play and explore with new ideas.
  • Workshop – where participants are walked through an activity and leave with something they can take into their classroom. This is more structured than the open session.
  • Presentations – participants can hear about ideas and strategies that are being used in the classroom and how they can integrate them into theirs.

Please share with educators who you believe would be great potential presenters. We are looking for presenters from all different subjects and grade levels. They can go to https://sites.google.com/view/coestreamconference/home for more information and to fill out the call-for-presenters form. We will be taking proposals until September 20, 2019. Presenters will be notified by September 27, 2019 if their proposal was accepted for this year’s conference.

Please contact Kristina Peck, Director of Clinical Experiences, at (540) 654-1351 or kpeck@umw.edu if you have any questions.

 

Barnes & Noble Bookstore Grand Opening

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Barnes & Noble and University of Mary Washington invite you to celebrate the grand opening of the campus bookstore! On October 3, 2019, from 12-2 PM, join us in a variety of activities and chances to win prizes, and welcome bookstore manager Cameisha Chin. There will be:

  • A scavenger hunt
  • Prize drawings every half hour
  • Learning stations for textbook ordering through Faculty Enlight

Ms. Chin can be reached at cchin2@umw.edu.

Belmont Hosts Talk on Debt to the Musical Past

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio hosts Musical Borrowings: Tribute or Plagiarism? a talk on the intriguing history of parodies, tributes, and highway robbery in music, presented by UMW Professor of Musicology Brooks Kuykendall, on Sunday, October 27 in the Pavilion at Belmont, 2 p.m. Admission is free of charge.

“Music is always about other music—perhaps sometimes too much so,” Kuykendall states, citing Handel, whose reputation is blighted because of his “indebtedness” to other composers. Kuykendall echoes T. S. Eliot in the contention that “good composers borrow; great composers steal,” adding that sometimes an allusion to other music is integral to a new artistic statement; sometimes it’s just funny.  Kuykendall will share imagery and audio examples in his exploration of “borrowings” from Handel to Pharrell, via Puccini and Peter Sellers.

Brooks Kuykendall is professor and chair of the UMW music department. He received his Ph.D. in Musicology from Cornell University, and his research has concentrated on British music in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in particular Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Walton, and Gilbert & Sullivan. He blogs on musical textual issues at www.settlingscoresblog.net.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Virginia, a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open daily with an admission charge.

Center for Community Engagement Formal Launch Sept. 9

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The Center for Community Engagement will have a formal launch on September 9. The featured event is a talk by Dr. Andrew Seligsohn, president of Campus Compact, which supports higher education institutions across the nation as they work to increase collaborative relationships with their communities and support their students to commit to lives of active citizenship. Dr. Seligsohn’s talk will be held in the UC’s Chandler Ballroom at 4 p.m., followed by a reception and open house in the Center for Community Engagement suite (Suite 320, University Center). For more information about the launch or CCE, please visit https://academics.umw.edu/communityengagement/.