May 21, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Belmont Hosts Talk on Debt to the Musical Past

by

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

by

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/.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio Awarded $15,000 by Stafford Tourism

by

Gari Melchers Home and Studio will host Art After Hours on Thursday, September 26 from 6-8 p.m. GMHS received $10,000 from Stafford Tourism for the program, as well as another $5,000 for its group marketing program.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio will host Art After Hours on Thursday, September 26 from 6-8 p.m. GMHS received $10,000 from Stafford Tourism for the program, as well as another $5,000 for its group marketing program.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio has been awarded $15,000 in tourism sponsorships by Stafford County. The sponsorships were made available as part of Stafford County’s tourism policy and program.

Established in December 2018, the program invites profit and nonprofit organizations to design programs or events that encourage visitors to Stafford. GMHS’s group marketing program received $5,000 in tourism sponsorships, while its Art After Hours Expanded events received $10,000.

Taking place on September 26 from 6-8 p.m., the next Art After Hours features live music by a local band on the lawn. Guests can take a stroll through the gardens and grounds, tour the art galleries and enjoy local food trucks, beer and wine. The event is free, but registration is required. For more information, please visit  https://www.garimelchers.org/news/calendar-of-events/.

Tickets on Sale for UMW Theatre’s The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]

by

UMW Theatre presents The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]
By Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield
September 19-29, Pay-What-You-Can Preview September 18 

A company of actors storms the stage and takes on the Bard of Avon—37 plays and 154 sonnets—in a 97-minute madcap romp through the entire canon (but not the one you studied in English class). Fasten your seatbelts and hang on for dear life as you take one of the wildest and goofiest rides in the theatre. The Bard may be rolling in his grave, but you’ll be rolling in the aisles for The Complete Works of Shakespeare, abridged, revised.

“If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!”
—The Today Show

“Wildly funny. Masterful!” —The Los Angeles Times

Tickets will be made available online, over the phone and in person at the Klein Theatre Box Office starting September 5, 2019. The Klein Theatre Box Office is open Monday – Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

28th District Senate Debate Tonight at UMW’s Stafford Campus

by

The University of Mary Washington will host four debates in the coming weeks between candidates running this November for Fredericksburg-area seats in the Senate of Virginia and the Commonwealth’s House of Delegates.

The first, the 28th District Senate Debate, will take place this evening, Thursday, Sept. 5, inside University Hall at UMW’s Stafford Campus, 121 University Boulevard.

Two area House race debates will follow. The 28th District House Debate on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and the 88th District House Debate on Friday, Sept. 20, will take place on UMW’s Fredericksburg campus in Lee Hall, Room 411. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the 17th District Senate Debate will be held in Monroe Hall, Room 346, also on the Fredericksburg Campus.

All four debates will begin at 7 p.m.

Incumbent Sen. Richard Stuart, a Republican, will square off against Democrat Qasim Rashid, as they contend for the Virginia Senate seat in District 28, which covers parts of Spotsylvania, Stafford, Prince William, Westmoreland and King George counties.

Stuart, a lawyer who grew up in Virginia’s Northern Neck, is a military veteran who worked as Westmoreland County Commonwealth’s Attorney. He chairs the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, vice-chairs the Courts of Justice Committee, and serves on the Finance, Commerce and Labor and Rules committees. Rashid, a human rights lawyer and the author of multiple books, has worked to promote interfaith dialogue. He is vying to become the first Muslim American elected to the Virginia State Senate.

Read more in last week’s release. 

Mary Talks: The Chinese Dream and the New Silk Road

by

Join us (on campus or online!) for the first Mary Talk of the 2019-20 academic year.

Dr. Elizabeth Larus, professor of political science and international affairs and a 2019 Fulbright recipient, will present “The Chinese Dream and the New Silk Road.”

The Chinese Dream is Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s goal of national rejuvenation with the aim of restoring China to its historical place as a great power. To help meet this goal, China is building a New Silk Road to expand its commercial and political influence and to have a more prominent status and role in global affairs. Some analysts see the project as an effort to remake the global balance of power, and as the costs of the proposed project have skyrocketed, opposition has grown in some participant countries.

 

Wednesday, September 11
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Digital Auditorium,
Hurley Convergence Center
On Campus

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The lecture will end at approximately 8 p.m., allowing time for a Q&A session with Professor Larus. Please join us for light refreshments at the conclusion of the program. This event is free, but registration is requested so we will know to expect you. If you haven’t already, register today!

You can attend this Talk either in person or online! To attend on campus, click “Register to Attend in Person” below. If you instead would like to view the Talk online (either live or at a later time), click “Register to View Online,” and you will receive a link to view the online video.

Register to attend in person. 

Register to view online. 

We look forward to seeing you either on campus or online!

President’s Council on Wellness: Accomplishments, Goals and Plans for the Year

by

A huge thanks to the members of The President’s Council on Wellness who accomplished a great deal last year!  

Here are the highlights of the accomplishments:

Marketing

Programming

Policies

Facilities

  • Secured budget for extended early morning and evening hours at the fitness center
  • Improved safety and security of Goolrick Hall through staffing, locking and alarming doors.
  • Communicated with facilities to address mold issues
  • Increased appointment hours at Talley Center and Health Center to include 12-1pm

Faculty/Staff Projects

  • Collaborated with Human Resources to incorporate wellness into Supervisor Training
  • Created a new session at new Employee Orientation focusing on employee wellness.

2019-2020 goals include:

  • Enhancing Preventative and Coping Resources for Mental Wellbeing
  • Engaging and Educating the UMW community
  • Creating a culture where wellness is understood and encouraged

If you or your colleagues are interested in learning more or serving on the President’s Council on Wellness, please email wellness@umw.edu or attend our open meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at 8:30am in the UC Colonnade Room.

Upcoming Safe Zone Programs

by

Hello colleagues—

Safe Zone is excited to announce several upcoming programs, including our Fall Book Club. The UMW Safe Zone program offers programs that are designed to educate members of the University community about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) issues to increase the safety and inclusion of all campus citizens. All of our programs are free and open to the ENTIRE UMW community.

  • We will be offering a Basic Safe Zone workshop on Thursday, September 12th from 2:00pm-4:30pm. This training focuses on terminology, issues related to privilege, increasing awareness and sensitivity, and how to support the LGBTQ+ population on campus. This is an opportunity for any faculty or staff member to become a Safe Zone ally. Space is limited and registration is required. Please email Laura Wilson at lwilson5@umw.edu to register for this training or if you have questions. All participants get cool Safe Zone swag!
  • We will be offering an Advanced Safe Zone workshop on Wednesday, September 18th from 3:30pm-6:00pm. The advanced training is for faculty and staff who have already completed the basic training and covers more advanced topics, including bystander intervention. Space is limited and registration is required. Please email Laura Wilson at lwilson5@umw.edu to register for this training or if you have questions. All participants get cool Safe Zone swag!
  • We will be offering our Fall Book Club as a two-part program on Wednesday, October 2 from 5:00pm-6:15pm and Wednesday, October 9 from 5:00pm-6:15pm. We will be reading “Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter?” by Heath Fogg Davis. The first 13 people to register get a free book! Plus, all participants get cool Safe Zone swag. Space is limited and registration is required. Please email Laura Wilson at lwilson5@umw.edu to register for the book club or if you have questions.
  • Come celebrate National Coming Out Day on Wednesday, October 9th from 11am-2pm on the UC Patio (rain location UC Kiosk A)! We will be giving out Safe Zone tech tattoos for your keyboards, pronoun buttons, and helpful resources.
  • We will be celebrating International Pronouns Day on Wednesday, October 16th. We will be handing out pronoun buttons at Coming Out Day and we ask everyone to wear a pronoun button on International Pronouns Day!

If you would like more information about Safe Zone, to see the list of campus allies or access LGBTQ+ inclusion resources, please visit the website at bit.ly/UMWsafezone.

Thank You to the Co-Facilitators of the Common Read 2019!

by

Book cover of Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

The Common Read Committee would like to extend a big thank you to this year’s Common Read discussion facilitators! The Common Read couldn’t have happened without your time, effort, and willingness to engage over 900 incoming Eagles! Sixty-four freshman seminar sections discussed Tara Westover’s Educated: A Memoir, facilitated by approximately 140 upper-class students, faculty, staff, and members of the UMW community. As the first academic experience, first-year students had a voice in the discussion of themes in the book, including family, class, gender expression, and education (of course!). We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this a successful campus-wide discussion!

UMW to Host Four District Debates Starting Next Week

by

The University of Mary Washington will host four debates in the coming weeks between candidates running this November for Fredericksburg-area seats in the Senate of Virginia and the Commonwealth’s House of Delegates.

The first, the 28th District Senate Debate, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 5, inside University Hall at UMW’s Stafford Campus, 121 University Boulevard.

Two area House race debates will follow. The 28th District House Debate on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and the 88th District House Debate on Friday, Sept. 20, will take place on UMW’s Fredericksburg campus in Lee Hall, Room 411. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the 17th District Senate Debate will be held in Monroe Hall, Room 346, also on the Fredericksburg Campus.

All four debates will begin at 7 p.m.

Read more.