December 30, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Gallagher Receives Topher Bill Service Award

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Jackie Gallagher, associate professor of geography, is this year's Topher Bill Service Award recipient.

Jackie Gallagher, associate professor of geography, is this year’s Topher Bill Service Award recipient.

Jackie Gallagher, associate professor of geography at the University of Mary Washington, has been recognized with the J. Christopher (Topher) Bill Outstanding Faculty Service Award for her contributions to UMW and her involvement and leadership in the greater community. The award was presented at the University’s opening faculty meeting on Monday, August 19.

Announcing the award, Parrish Waters, chair of the Sabbaticals, Fellowships and Faculty Awards Committee and assistant professor of biology, said Gallagher has shown a remarkable dedication to UMW students and faculty as well as the Fredericksburg community.

“[Dr. Gallagher] has worked for years to establish meaningful relationships with local K-12 schools that introduce students and educators to the tools and curriculum of her discipline and foster intellectual excitement for this material. Her engagement in community service extends beyond the classroom, as she applies her scientific knowledge of water, weather and climate to improve and enhance local natural resources.” Read more. 

UMW Welcomes Class of 2023

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Move-In Day 2019. Photo by Suzanne Rossi.

Move-In Day 2019. Photo by Suzanne Rossi.

For eagles, building a nest is a bonding activity. The same could be said for the 900-plus first-year students who on Wednesday made the University of Mary Washington their home.

Move-In Day 2019.

Residence halls opened their doors to the Class of 2023, who arrived with parents, siblings, pets and armloads of bedding and clothes, as well as furniture, mini-fridges, laptops and shower caddies. They immediately began making connections with fellow students, and  President Troy Paino and wife Kelly, who – along with UMW staff – were on hand to help with the hauling. The freshmen strategically placed personal mementos and Mary Washington gear around their rooms, to remind them of the people who gave them their wings and those who’ll help them take flight.

 

The incoming students have a lot in common, especially their brains. Their average GPA is 3.63 and average SAT score is 1179. Nearly a quarter are the first in their families to attend college, and 102 have enrolled in UMW’s Honors Program. But there are differences, too.

 

Read more. 

Campus Recreation, Dining Team Up with Katora for Fitness Center Event

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Cardio exercise boosts your heart rate, burns fat and calories, and helps fight fatigue. So does coffee. Research has shown that enjoying a cup of joe before your workout can pack an even bigger punch.

That’s why Cardio & Katora is coming to the fitness center on Friday, Aug. 23, from noon to 2 p.m. Sponsored by Campus Recreation, Katora Café and Dining Services, the event gives the UMW community the opportunity to take the fitness center’s new fleet of state-of-the-art cardio machines for a spin – or a sprint – while sampling Katora’s healthy drinks and snacks. The popular Fredericksburg coffeehouse will soon open a new location across from the Hurley Convergence Center in the space previously occupied by Blackstone Coffee.

Read more. 

Get Healthy! Get Your UMW Weight Watchers Discount

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Lose weight and save money! Sign up for Weight Watchers at wellness.weightwatchers.com, enter Commonwealth of Virginia Employer ID: 63569 and follow the instructions. Employees enrolled in a state health plan are eligible for the WW discounted pricing.

Attend a WW Workshop at the University of Mary Washington every Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hurley Convergence Center, Room 111, or contact Julie Coates at jcoates@umw.edu.

AUGUST 2019 WhyWW_FLYER University of Mary Washington – Fredericksburg .._

Mary Washington Earns Spot Among Princeton Review’s ‘Best Colleges’

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The University of Mary Washington has once again been named among the nation’s best by The Princeton Review’s annual publication, The Best 385 Colleges. The 2020 edition of the leading college guide, which debuted today, profiles only about 13 percent of the nation’s 3,000 four-year colleges.

In it, students gave UMW high marks in both campus life and academics, praising Mary Washington for providing the “strategies and tools necessary to think critically and succeed in the workforce” and “professors [who] go the extra mile to help students.” They also bragged about the research opportunities, dedication to community service, school spirit and quality of life they found on campus.

Read more. 

Center for Community Engagement Fall Update

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Greetings from the Center for Community Engagement – Happy August!

As summer 2019 winds down, and our thoughts turn to the next academic year, we want to let you know about some upcoming events and opportunities – here at the CCE, and in the community around us.

Fred Chats! Want to learn more about our area, in an informal setting with engaging hosts? Come join us for our inaugural “Fred Chat.” The first one will feature leaders from the George Washington Regional Commission, talking with us about what it means to live in a region and some of the important features of our region. Bring a lunch and join us on Tuesday August 13th at noon, in the Colonnade Room in the UC.  We hope to host a chat every month – and would welcome your suggestions on topics & speakers. Join us for the first of our Fred Chats!

Launch: We are hosting a formal launch of the Center on September 9 and would love for you to join us. Our featured event is a talk by Dr. Andrew Seligsohn, the President of Campus Compact. Campus Compact supports higher education institutions across the nation as we work to increase collaborative relationships with our communities, and support our students to commit to lives of active citizenship. His talk with be at 4pm in the Chandler Ballroom in the UC, followed by a reception and an open house in the CCE Suite (Suite 320, University Center).

Volunteer Opportunities: Looking for opportunities for yourself or others to engage in the community? We have begun posting opportunities online, through the “MyUMW portal” at the top left of the UMW homepage. Visit our Opportunity Board on the Center for Community Engagement MyUMW page: https://umw.presence.io/organization/center-for-community-engagement (NOTE, you may need to open this link in a Chrome browser). Or visit the COAR website to learn about COAR programs: https://sandcommeng.wpengine.com/community-outreach-and-resources-coar/

Voter Registration: Want to check your voter registration status or register to vote? Want students to come to your class to talk about civic engagement and voter registration? Send an email to sdewees@umw.edu and she can help you find the resources you need.

Time off for Service: Of particular interest to staff – Did you know that UMW gives all full-time employees up to 16 hours of paid leave to participate in volunteer activities? We have a little info, and a link to the policy here on our website.

Of particular interest to faculty: Please keep an eye out for a community engagement-focused community of practice running this fall – Community Engaged Teaching for Beginners – the call will come from Caitie Finlayson and the Teaching Center. Not a beginner? Want to share ideas and experiences? Holler back, and let’s set up some problem solving/solution celebrating brown bags this year!

Also upcoming: COAR’s Into the Streets community volunteering event on Saturday September 28th; and the roll out of a new campus civic engagement initiative, UMW Votes, throughout the fall.

Do you have any questions, issues or comments? We would love to hear from you. Please contact Leslie Martin at lmartin@umw.edu or Sarah Dewees at sdewees@umw.edu.

President’s Council on Wellness

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Welcome to another academic year! The President’s Council on Wellness (PCOW) is excited to share weekly installments in EagleEye! Each week find highlighted events and news related to Wellness at UMW to help you stay happy and healthy. We would like to introduce you to the Wellness Wheel and the six dimensions of wellness at UMW. Throughout the year, we will be highlighting each dimension on wellness and examples of activities that fall under each dimension along with campus events that relate to wellness.

We are currently recruiting faculty, staff, and students to serve on PCOW. If you are interested in becoming a member, please complete the form below.

https://forms.gle/LkidFz653Ljjq4Vv7

Like our Facebook page “UMW Wellness” and follow our Instagram (@umw_wellness) to stay up-to-date.

UMW Grant to Help Students Recover From Substance Addiction

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The University of Mary Washington has received a $50,000 grant for a unique program that helps students in various stages of recovery from alcohol and substance abuse and addiction.

The “Expanding Collegiate Recovery in Virginia” grant, awarded this summer by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), will fund growth for UMW’s Eagles in Recovery program. Though a number of colleges claim substance-free housing, the program puts UMW among only a handful in Virginia – and relatively few across the country – to offer support services for students recovering from substance addiction.

Read more. 

Announcing Giving Day 2020

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Announcing Giving Day 2020

Save the date: Mary Washington’s 4th Annual Giving Day will be held Thursday, March 19, 2020. Mary Wash Giving Day, also known as #MaryWashDay, is a 24-hour online event in which alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of UMW come together to make gifts to areas across the University. It’s an opportunity for you to raise funds to support departmental priorities.

Sign-up for #MaryWashDay 2020 is now open!

If your department or campus organization would like to participate in Mary Wash Giving Day 2020, please fill out this short form by September 3.  We will hold an initial mandatory meeting for all participating groups on Thursday, September 26. In an attempt to accommodate differing schedules, we will offer this meeting at two different times: 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., both in the Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium.

During this kickoff meeting, we will go over all of the new guidelines for Giving Day 2020 and distribute the Giving Day 2020 informational packet. In an effort to streamline, this packet will contain all of the guidelines, due dates, and information needed to make Giving Day 2020 a success. After this initial meeting, other optional workshops will be held throughout the year to help participants prepare for the big day.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Shelby Orlando:  sorlando@umw.edu x1361, or Beth Hunsinger: ehunsing@umw.edu x2068.

We are excited to work with everyone who will be participating in #MaryWashDay 2020!