May 25, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Back to School Day Kicks Off UMW Athletics Promotions, Sept. 5

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The University of Mary Washington Athletic Department’s promotional calendar will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 5, for Fredericksburg Area’s “Back to School” Day. For both the 10 a.m. field hockey game against DePauw University as well as the 1 p.m. men’s soccer game against Eastern Mennonite University, the first 100 school-aged children in attendance will receive a FREE lunchbox, courtesy of UMW Athletics. Admission is free of charge.

State Fair Bus Comes to UMW, Aug. 25

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Ginny the State Fair BusDon’t miss Ginny the State Fair Bus as she makes a stop at the Fredericksburg campus on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The bus will be parked on Campus Walk near Lee Hall between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. T-shirts and tickets to the State Fair will be given to the first 50 people in line. The State Fair of Virginia will be held from Friday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 4 at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell. For more information about the State Fair, go to http://www.statefairva.org.

University Center Dining Coming Soon

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Campus Dining is excited to announce that we will soon debut 11 distinct culinary platforms as part of our buffet dining concept on the fourth floor of the University Center.  A preview lunch will be served between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Aug. 20 in the fourth floor buffets.  Regular operating hours will commence on Monday, Aug. 24, which are available here.

We  experienced a number of very significant delays in gaining access to our beautiful new facility.  Complications resulting from those delays require that we postpone the opening of the Faculty and Staff Dining Room at Seacobeck for about two weeks.  In the meantime, we hope everyone will enjoy dining with us at the University Center.  The buffets will now include a Simple Servings station where you can get complete meals that are allergen free.  Two retail favorites -Joe Stacks and features from the WOW Cafe & Wingery – have also been added to our all-you-can-eat buffets!   Vegan guests can enjoy black bean cakes, sesame tofu and other tasty options prepared for you at our the vegan grill on the Sustenance salad bar, too.  All of these options and more are available to faculty and staff for only $6, the new meal rate for the 2015-2016 school year.  For additional information contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu or visit our web site at UMWDining.com.

UMW Hosts Foreign Qualification Directors & Advisors

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The University of Mary Washington was selected by the National Student Clearinghouse to host a group of representatives from South Africa and Mexico. On Thursday, Aug. 6, a group of representatives consisting of Directors and Foreign Qualification Advisors visited the campus to learn about the daily operations of the Registrar’s Office and how UMW collaborates with the National Student Clearinghouse. Beginning fall 2015, Rita Dunston, Registrar, will serve on a Customer Advisory Group that will create and enhance the Clearinghouse’s Student Tracker service to assist institutions in shaping its enrollment management strategies.

Presidential Search Committee Update

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The Presidential Search Advisory Committee held an open meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon to continue discussions about the search process. Senior Vice President Martin Baker from Baker and Associates was present for the conversations.

The meeting included a discussion on the search process and the type of model that UMW should use for its presidential search. After considerable discussion, the committee reached a consensus to recommend a hybrid model to the Board of Visitors for final endorsement. A hybrid model ensures the strongest possible pool of qualified candidates and protects candidates’ confidentiality, while also engaging additional university stakeholders in a controlled environment. Baker and Associates previously outlined the types of models and the advantages and disadvantages of each in its initial memo to the committee.

The committee also discussed the draft schedules for the remainder of its meetings and for the campus forums that will take place with Baker and Associates representatives on Aug. 25-27, 2015.  These forums will allow stakeholders—faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community leaders—to express their views on the presidential search.  Open forums will be complemented by an online form that will solicit input. A schedule and the online form will be available soon.

Confidentiality continues to be an integral component of the committee’s strategy for the presidential search, in order to ensure the strongest possible candidate pool. Members of the committee will sign confidentiality agreements.  At the same time, the committee is committed to transparency in its process and to providing maximum opportunities for stakeholder input to inform the search. Informational updates will continue regularly through the Presidential Search Advisory Committee website (http://president.umw.edu/search/) and announcements to the University community.

Staff Advisory Council Updates

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This weekend, August 7-9, is Virginia tax-free back to school weekend.  Please take advantage of this and pick up a few extra items to be placed in our collection boxes for the back-to-school drive.

Nominations are still being accepted for the Larry Atkins “We Couldn’t Do It Without You” award. Follow this link to get to the nomination form.

Please contact any S.A.C. member with questions.

Club Carnival, Aug. 26

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All campus departments are invited to participate in the fall 2015 Club Carnival Fair! The event will be on Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 5-7 p.m. on Ball Circle. Set up for department tables will begin at 3:30 p.m., but all tables must be set by 5 p.m. for the start of the event. If you wish to host a table at Club Carnival, please login to myUMW and register at the following form: https://orgsync.com/49951/forms/152142

Please send any questions to mpetter@umw.edu