Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is hosting a yard sale at the Museum Shop on Saturday, July 18 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Join Freshmen in Summer Reading
This summer all incoming first year students are reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot as part of the University’s first year experience program.
On Aug. 21 from 9-11 a.m., as part of new student arrival activities, first year students, upperclass peers and members of the faculty, staff, and alumni will join together in small group discussions to explore some of the book’s many lessons and insights. If you are interested in participation in these discussions, email Tim O’Donnell.
Copies of the book are available from the Academic and Career Services window in Lee Hall for members of the UMW community wishing to read the book along with our incoming first year class over the next few weeks.
Fiske College Guide Names UMW Among Nation’s Best
For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Mary Washington has been named as a “best buy” in the prestigious Fiske Guide to Colleges. UMW is the only institution in Virginia and the District of Columbia to be awarded this distinction.
Mary Washington is among 44 public and private institutions designated as a “best buy,” delivering outstanding academics and the most reasonable prices. The selective guidebook features more than 300 colleges and universities. The listing was based on questionnaires sent to administrators and a cross-section of students.
UMW rates among 20 public and 24 private schools singled out as “best buys” in the 2016 edition of the guide.
“Mary Washington could easily be mistaken for one of Virginia’s elite private colleges. It offers just as much history and tradition—for a much lower price. . . On the selectivity chart, UMW ranks behind only UVA and William and Mary among Virginia public universities,” according to the Fiske Guide, which has been compiled annually under the direction of Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of the New York Times. “Mary Washington has gained a reputation as one of the premium public liberal arts colleges in the country and continues to attract bright students from around the globe.”
The Fiske Guide is available in bookstores and as an iPad app on iTunes and a web app on CollegeCountdown.com. For more information, visit http://www.collegecountdown.com/.
Staff Advisory Council Mixer Today at 4:30 p.m.
All Faculty and Staff,
You are invited to come and network, kibitz or otherwise hobnob with other faculty and staff at Home Team Grill in Eagle Village. Your Staff Advisory Council is hosting this mixer as we end our orientation swing and hope you will come by and visit! This mixer will be from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. with happy hour pricing until 6 p.m. on drinks and some appetizers. C’mon out and relax and enjoy the atmosphere that is Home Team Grill. It will be a great day to be an EAGLE!
UMW Student Wins Young Composer Award
University of Mary Washington sophomore Austin O’Rourke won the 2015 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gold Young Composer Award for his composition Hazel Colored Nebula.
“This is the most prestigious award a young composer can win,” said Mark Snyder, assistant professor of music.
O’Rourke, along with Morton Gould award winners from across the country, was recently recognized at an event in New York City by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
The award is given to honor late Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and former ASCAP Foundation President Morton Gould’s lifelong commitment to encouraging young creators. Gould, an eminent and versatile American composer, was a child prodigy whose first composition was published by G. Schirmer Inc., when he was only six years of age, according to a press release about the award.
O’Rourke wrote the composition in an electronic music course at UMW taught by Snyder.
“Our class produced a piece of art that won this award,” said Snyder, exuding pride. “The evolution of the work can be traced over three drafts on UMWblogs…the critiques offered on the blog are not just by music students, but by a political science major and a geography major too.”
ASCAP, which is made up of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music, is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members, according to ASCAP’s website.
UMW Celebrates Harper Lee’s New Book
The University of Mary Washington Bookstore will celebrate the national release date for Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee’s much-anticipated new novel, with a book talk and reception on Tuesday, July 14.
Professor of English Gary Richards, an expert on Southern literature and Harper Lee’s works, will speak briefly and answer questions about the author and her works. Light refreshments will be served. The event will take place in the UMW Bookstore in Lee Hall from 1-3 p.m.
Taking place 20 years after events in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper’s new novel will allow readers to reconnect with Scout and Atticus, among other favorite characters.
“Readers are eager to see how Harper Lee has imagined her famous characters later in their lives,” said Richards, who teaches To Kill A Mockingbird in his summer course titled “Writing About the South.” “At the broader level, though, readers will be judging whether this new text–feared by some to be a rough or early draft–can match the power of To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Attendees will receive a discounted price of $19.85 on the first edition of the book in addition to 15% off most regularly priced UMW clothing and insignia during the event. Copies of Go Set a Watchman can be ordered through the UMW Bookstore and picked up at the event. The retail price of $27.99 will apply to the book after July 14.
Reserved parking will be available in the Monroe Hall lot, off Sunken Road, and in Jefferson Square, off College Avenue, near the main College Avenue entrance to the University. Visitor parking also is available on the right hand side of Double Drive, the main campus entryway, and on Level 4 of the Parking Deck.
The UMW Bookstore is owned and operated by the University of Mary Washington. All of the profits support UMW students and programs.
For more information, call the UMW Bookstore at 540-654-1631.
Farewell and Thank You from Betty Bradshaw
I would like to thank everyone for the cards, visits, phone calls, gifts and kind words, I have received from so many of you over the past two months, as I transition to another chapter in my journey. I’m overwhelmed with the expressions of love displayed. It has been a pleasure working at MWC/UMW for the past 36 years. I have made many friends here and I will miss the day to day contact, but I plan to keep in touch. May God Bless each one of you. bb
New Campaign Gifts
University Advancement announces Mary Washington First Campaign gifts and pledges:
- An alumna from the Class of 1965 pledged $25,000 to endow a new study abroad scholarship.
- A former UMW staff member and her husband have committed $60,000 in their estate to fund an endowment for specialized training and professional development.
- A member of the Class of 1970 gave $10,000 to the Fund for Mary Washington in honor of her 45th class reunion.
- An alumni couple from the Class of 1950 pledged $25,000 to support Arts for the Community and the Fund for Mary Washington.
The $50-million Mary Washington First Campaign began July 1, 2011, and went public April 26, 2014. As of June 15, 2015, Mary Washington alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and businesses have committed more than $40 million in gifts and pledges. The Campaign is scheduled to conclude June 30, 2016. Visit http://umw.edu/marywashingtonfirst or call 540/654-1024 for more information.
Hyatt Place Receives TripAdvisor Award
Hyatt Place Fredericksburg at Mary Washington was recently awarded a 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for being recognized as a top performing hotel. Check out the full release on PRWeb.
Free Learner Space Summer Camp, July 21-22
A student learns about circuitry by using tools in UMW’s LearnerSpace
The College of Education is hosting a free LearnerSpace Summer Camp for children of UMW faculty and staff on July 21 and 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will learn about the maker’s space, 3D printing, robotics and rockets. The camp is open to children ages 9 to 13 and takes place on the Stafford campus in the north building, room 112. Registration is required for each day at http://bit.ly/1Bn5D0Z. Contact Linda Falden at lfalden@umw.edu with questions.