Safe Zone, UMW’s LGBTQ+ education and advocacy program, is excited to announce that we will be offering a book club in early November! We will be reading Audre Lorde’s “Sister Outsider” and meeting two separate times to discuss the book. This program is open to all faculty and staff. Registration is required and space is limited. To register, please email Laura Wilson, lwilson5@umw.edu. The books will be provided for free to all participants who register. The sessions will be on Thursday, Nov. 1 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 8 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Last year’s book club was a lot of fun and led to some very interesting conversations about inclusion in our campus community. It’s also a great opportunity to meet and interact with people from across campus. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Laura Wilson, lwilson5@umw.edu.
Leslie Martin Named Faculty Director of the Center for Community Engagement
Dr. Leslie Martin has accepted the position of faculty Director of the Center for Community Engagement. Leslie is Associate Professor of Sociology and currently serves as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, having joined the UMW faculty in 2007. She received a Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University (2003) and has an M.A. (1994) in urban studies from Temple University, and a B.A. (1989) in history from The College of William and Mary. Leslie has a long history of activism around public health and social equality issues and a compelling record of community-based research. She has served on the Fredericksburg Continuum of Care, a regional coalition of homeless service organizations, and on the George Washington Regional Commission’s Affordable Housing Task Force.
At the end of this month, Dr. Sarah Dewees will be joining UMW as the Associate Director in the Center for Community Engagement. Sarah joins us after a number of years working in the nonprofit sector, most recently at First Nations Development Institute located here in Fredericksburg. Previously, she worked in the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University and the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. Sarah received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Kentucky (1998), and has an M.A. in sociology from Ohio University (1992), and a B.A. in government from Oberlin College (1990).
In the coming weeks, Leslie and Sarah will be collaborating with the faculty working group on Community Engagement, providing support and guidance to COAR (UMW’s long standing student-run service board); and they will begin planning the mission and strategic vision for the Center which will officially “launch” in the spring.
Four Important Loans Coming to Belmont
Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgi
Four paintings by Gari Melchers, including three never before seen publicaly at Belmont, will be featured in the upcoming spotlight exhibition Over the Garden Gate: Gari Melchers’ Falmouth, scheduled for October 5 through December 2, 2018.
Thanks to generous loans from private collectors and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia, the loaned paintings—Gossips, Pear Tree in Blossom, Pot Hunters, and Rainbow—will be combined with a select group of images drawn from the collection at Gari Melchers Home and Studio and which reproduce local settings and villagers long familiar to natives of Falmouth, Virginia.
Joanna Catron, who curates the show, says that “while Melchers saw Virginia as an escape from the demands of his New York studio, the picturesque environs of his home and nearby Falmouth were too seductive to allow for much rest.” The result was dozens of evocative images that chronicle a simpler time and place.
The exhibition is Included with Museum admission. Contact: Joanna Catron at or 540 654-1841.
Gari Melchers Home and Studio
Paris-trained American painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) is celebrated today at his 18th-century estate called Belmont, now the Gari Melchers Home and Studio, a nationally-recognized site featuring his fully furnished house, gardens and studio. Discover his legacy of portraits, landscapes and scenes of everyday life, the largest collection of his works anywhere. An expatriate for the first half of his career, Melchers eventually returned to America as WWI built up in Europe, dividing his time between a commercial studio in New York City and his country retreat in Falmouth, VA.
Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia
Guided Tours are available everyday with the exception of certain holidays from April through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November through March 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission: $10 Visit www.garimelchers.org.
UMW Theatre Opens 2018-19 Season with The Amish Project
A generation ago, Broadway responded to rocketing ticket prices with a “rush line,” helping bring New York theatre back into the mainstream. This week, UMW Theatre joined the best in the business when it kicked off its 2018-19 season with a pay-what-you-can preview performance of The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Patrons could quite literally pay whatever they could afford for the special production, which began at 7:30 p.m. in Klein Theatre, located inside the University of Mary Washington’s duPont Hall. Regularly priced tickets are $20; students, senior citizens, alumni and the military usually pay $16.
“We want to be certain that our work is accessible to the widest audience possible and we hope this initiative removes any economic barrier to attending live theatre in Fredericksburg,” said Gregg Stull, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance and director of The Amish Project. “Professional theatres throughout the country have included pay-what-you-can performances in their seasons for more than 25 years. We want to share our work with as many people as we can and we hope this will open our doors to people who might not otherwise attend a performance in Klein Theatre.”
To that end, each of UMW Theatre’s 2018-19 productions will include an opening, pay-what-you-can performance.
Regular performances of The Amish Project will be held Sept. 20-22 and Sept. 26-29 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 23, 29 and 30 at 2 p.m. in Klein Theatre. AfterWords, a post-show talkback with the cast, will take place after the matinee performance on Sept. 23.
The Amish Project, which features a cast of UMW theatre students from around the country, is a fictional depiction of factual events: a tragic shooting that took place in a one-room schoolhouse in an Old Order Amish community. In October of 2006, a gunman entered the West Nickel Mines schoolhouse in a village in Bart Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and opened fire before turning the gun on himself. Through the stories of these imagined characters, Jessica Dickey explores unconditional forgiveness and reconciliation within the Amish community in the wake of this tragedy.
From cast member and stage manager to costume construction and lighting design, UMW students have taken front seat roles in the theatre production, directed by Stull. Scenic design is by assistant professor Michael Benson, and costume design is by associate professor Kevin McCluskey. Lighting and sound design are by guest designers Catherine Girardi and Jon K. Reynolds, respectively.
The Amish Project was originally written and performed by Jessica Dickey as a one-woman, multiple character show, which premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2008. After being workshopped, the play opened Off-Broadway in 2009, and has since been adapted for an ensemble.
For more information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at 540-654-1111 or visit www.FredTix.com.
Banned Books Read Out Sept. 26-27
In honor of this year’s Banned Books Week (September 23-29), a Read Out will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and Thursday, Sept. 27, on Campus Walk, in front of Lee Hall, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Faculty, administrators, and students will read from selected banned books. The event, which is sponsored by the Department of English, Linguistics and Communication, Simpson Library, and the University Bookstore, is free and open to the public. Rain location is the University Center. A special exhibition of banned books will be on display in the lobby area of Simpson Library throughout the week.
Registrar’s Office to Present at 2018 MABUG Conference
The Registrar’s Office is set to be well represented at this year’s Mid-Atlantic Banner Users Group (MABUG) Conference, which takes place October 14-16 right here in Fredericksburg at the Fredericksburg Expo Center. Brian Ogle, Associate Registrar for Student Systems, will present on UMW’s revamped academic standing policy as well as on our current commencement participation policies. Evie Sherlock, Associate Registrar for Administration and Enrollment, and Kevin Caffrey, Senior Associate Registrar, will be presenting how UMW utilizes the waitlist feature in Banner 9, and Caffrey and University Registrar, Rita Dunston, will co-present a session on how the Registrar’s Office has successfully utilized social media to expand their role on campus and effectively disseminate information. For more information on MABUG 2018 including registering for the conference, go to http://www.mabug.org.
Athletic Department Announces 23rd Hall of Fame Induction Class
The University of Mary Washington Athletic Department is proud to announce the 23rd Athletic Hall of Fame Induction class. Inductees include former NCAA record holder and All-American Caitlin Erickson Moore ’08, All-America women’s basketball record breaker Liz Hickey ’08, standout baseball star Joe Kruper ’92, men’s basketball record holder Mike Lee ’07, and long-time successful coach of women’s soccer and men’s lacrosse Kurt Glaeser.
Erickson graduated as the NCAA Division III season record holder for points per game in a season, and still ranks in the top five all-time in Division III in points and assists in a season. Upon graduation, she held school records for career points (303), season points (143), season assists (81), and points (14) and assists (10) in a game. She led the nation in assists per game and points per game in her senior season en route to All-America honors. She continues to represent UMW in a positive light as the highly successful head coach of the program in which she thrived.
Hickey is the only athlete in any sport in school history to have her number retired, as she graduated as the only three-time All-American in women’s basketball history. She ended her career as the NCAA Division III career leader in blocked shots, with 509, and helped the Eagles to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2007 Division III Final Four, as well as a pair of Sweet 16s. A two-time CAC Player of the Year and two-time regional player of the year, Hickey scored 1,370 points in her career, and was subsequently named to the Capital Athletic Conference Silver Anniversary Team, honoring the top 25 players in conference history.
Kruper was at the forefront of Mary Washington developing into a national power in the early 1990s, and still ranks as the program’s all-time leader in career triples. He is one of only 10 Mary Washington players to be named as a first team all-conference selection three times, and was a two-time all-region selection. He batted .430 as a freshman en route to conference player of the year honors, and struck out just one time the entire season. He posted a career batting average of .384, with an on-base percentage of .490 and a slugging average of .563. His defensive prowess included a .975 career fielding average, as he committed just 13 errors in four years in 520 chances.
Lee was the top player as Mary Washington emerged as a regional power in the mid 2000s, finishing his career with 1,564 points, the second-most in program history. He remains the school’s record holder in three-point baskets in a game (11), three-pointers in a career (323), as well as three-point attempts in a game, season, and career. He was awarded the CAC Rookie of the Year in 2004, and also gained first team All-CAC honors in a career that saw the Eagles win 68 games, the most in any four-year span in program history to that point.
Glaeser was a longtime successful coach for the women’s soccer and men’s lacrosse programs at Mary Washington, leading both to NCAA Tournament appearances. In soccer, he coached the Eagles to 12 conference titles and 12 NCAA Championship appearances, including the final four in 1992 and the elite eight in 1997 and 1998. His 244 victories rank as among the most in Division III history, and his 71.0 win percentage is among the best ever in Division III. Glaeser also led the men’s lacrosse program to the NCAA Tournament in 2014, ranking as high as 12th in the nation. His combined 428 career wins in 27 years leave a lasting legacy in both programs’ histories.
The induction will take place on Friday, February 8, 2019, at the UMW University Center. Tickets for the event will be available online soon.
Award–Winning Environmental Documentary Presented at Belmont
For the second year, Gari Melchers Home and Studio will present a free community screening of an environmental film. This year’s featured presentation is the award-winning documentary Inhabit, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Pavilion.
The 92-minute film explores the many environmental and agricultural issues facing us today and examines solutions that are being applied using the ecological design process called “permaculture.”
Permaculture uses the principles found in ecosystems to help shift our impact from destructive to regenerative. Focusing mostly on the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the US, Inhabit provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices across rural, suburban and urban landscapes.
“Inhabit takes us on a tour of best practice permaculture: regenerative farms, suburban gardens, organic orchards, food forests, appropriate technology, inner city regeneration in the poorest of communities, commercial mushroom production, flood mitigation. . . It is a feast of practical information and a flowering of hitherto untold possibilities, showing us that we have the skills and knowledge to restore the earth and that it’s not only possible, it is already happening.” -Permaculture Magazine
Free admission. Contact: Joanna Catron at jcatron@umw.edu or 540-654-1841.
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.
The Museum Shop is the official home of the Stafford County Visitor Center, where visitors can find information about Stafford County attractions, restaurants, hotels and other amenities.
For directions and hours of operation, call or visit the museum website at www.GariMelchers.org.
UMW Welcomes New Director of Financial Aid
Tim Saulnier joined UMW on Aug. 27 as the new director of financial aid. Tim comes from the University of Lynchburg, where he spent several years in the same role.
There, Tim worked to provide student-centered services and to actively build collaborative relationships across campus. He was instrumental in enhancing departmental operations while maintaining best practices in the area of financial aid.
Prior to Lynchburg, he spent six years in financial aid at UNC Charlotte. He is currently working on his dissertation focused on second-year retention.
New Campus Dining Features Include Sushi, Paper Straws
Campus Dining has several new features for Fall 2018. Hissho Sushi opened at the Eagle’s Nest this week to rave reviews. They make sushi fresh each day, package it and put it in the Market for guests to “grab & go”. Their menu features over two dozen items, from California Rolls to Seaweed Salads and Crunchy Shrimp Rolls. Sushi is available Monday-Thursday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Fridays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Underground underwent a transformation this summer and is now the Underground Cafe. UMW students took on the role of managing the eatery and came up with a new menu and new serving hours. The new menu includes chicken nuggets with a variety of sauce options, jalapeno poppers, deli sandwiches, entree salads and soups. The Underground Cafe is now open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., so members of the faculty and staff can stop in for lunch. It is also open on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. and is closed on Saturdays.
Sustainability is a high priority with Campus Dining, so they are offering a special “Choose To Reuse” mug promotion. When you bring this mug to Li’l Joe’s, Qdoba, Vocelli, or the Nest Market you’ll get fifty cents off the price of a fountain beverage, regular 12 oz. coffee or hot tea. The mugs are available for purchase from cashiers at the Top of the UC. They are regularly priced at $5, but are available now through September 6 for just $2 and include a coupon for a free 12 oz. Starbucks regular coffee at Li’l Joe’s, which is located on the second floor of the University Center. Li’l Joe’s also has a new menu that includes the full line of Starbucks coffees and fresh-baked bagels with spreads and schmears.
One other sustainability initiative includes the removal of plastic straws from self-serve areas. They are being replaced with paper straws wherever possible. Plastic straws will still be available upon request or when purchasing thick beverages, like Jamba Juice smoothies.
For additional information about any Campus Dining options contact Rose Benedict at 540-654-2165 or rbenedic@umw.edu.