A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
We all get stuck in a tangle of links, but you can help us clear out the cobwebs on the UMW site by spending a few minutes showing us where and why people get lost. Our navigation study only takes a few minutes, and will really help us make the UMW website better.
Go to http://goo.gl/1xAwCI and follow the instructions. Easy!
This study is the first of many navigation tests we’ll launch in the coming months. Stay tuned for outcomes of this and future web efforts.
In about five weeks, UMW will celebrate the 107th anniversary of its founding. To mark the occasion, the University has kicked off a Founders Day Challenge. The goal is to raise $107,000 for the Fund for Mary Washington by March 14.
UMW has held numerous celebrations on March 14 to mark milestone anniversaries in recognition of the signing of the legislation establishing an institution of higher education in Fredericksburg.
This year’s Founders Day Challenge puts the emphasis on the importance of private gifts from alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, staff, and businesses in order to preserve UMW’s tradition of excellence. One of seven priorities in the Mary Washington First Campaign, the Fund for Mary Washington is vital in filling the gaps between UMW’s operating budget from the Commonwealth of Virginia and actual needs for students and academic programs.
Learn more about Founders Day history, the Fund for Mary Washington, and the many ways you can offer your support to the Founders Day Challenge at http://giving.umw.edu/challenge.
From Torre Meringolo, Vice President for Advancement and University Relations:
In keeping with higher education best practices, the UMW Visual Identity Standards Committee has conducted extensive research and has unanimously approved a campus-wide email signature standard. It is now a part of the University’s Brand Standards & Visual Identity Toolkit (www.umw.edu/documents/document/umw-brand-standards).
Page 30 of the toolkit outlines the details: UMW Email Standards
As one of the most frequently used forms of communication, email messages are an official reflection of the University. Because of the wide variety of formats used by faculty and staff, UMW has adopted a standardized signature format to help reinforce the University’s brand identity, as well as convey important contact information. We have also taken into account federal accessibility regulations.
My signature below reflects the new standard. You will see there are some options, such as adding physical addresses and social media links, if you need them.
Thanks, and let me know if you have questions about the committee’s decision.
Torre Meringolo
Vice President for Advancement and University Relations
Let’s celebrate our love of UMW with 14% off any one regularly priced UMW clothing or insignia item on Feb. 13 and 14!
The James Monroe Museum is proud to be sponsoring its third annual lectures taking place in February and March in honor of Black and Women’s History Months.
On Thursday, Feb. 12, Loudoun County historians Lori Kimball and Wynne Saffer will present “The Enslaved Community of James Monroe.” The lecture will discuss their ongoing research into identifying and tracing the genealogy of the enslaved population at Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland. This lecture is co-sponsored by the James Farmer Multicultural Center.
On Thursday, March 12, Erica Dunbar, Associate Professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware, will present “Never Caught: The President’s Runaway Slave Woman,” which looks at the life of Ona Judge Staines, former slave to George and Martha Washington.
Both free talks will begin at 7 p.m. in the Faculty/Staff Dining Room in Seacobeck Hall and will be followed by receptions.
Congratulations to Cheryl Dunn, Director of Financial Systems, who has been selected as an Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of February.
Here is what one of your co-workers said about Cheryl:
“I would like to nominate Cheryl Dunn as Excellent Eagle Employee. Cheryl is such a committed and dedicated member of the UMW Finance team. She spent numerous hours of her time during our winter/holiday break making sure MyTime was ready to go-live for wage employees on Jan. 12. Cheryl has worked through numerous areas of concern with Kronos and the rest of the MyTime team. Cheryl has maintained a positive attitude and continues to work to move the project forward. Cheryl’s attitude, professionalism, and hard work make her an Excellent Eagle Employee.”
To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email (pverbeck@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the Subject Line. In your email, be sure to tell me the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).
Campus Dining is looking for singers, dancers and musicians for “Celebrate Seacobeck” dining events coming up later in February, March and April.
These events will feature the food and music of the 1980s, 1990s and the millennium. We’re even looking for yodelers for our Chefs’ Fare on Feb. 25. This fun culinary competition will pit chefs from four other universities against our chefs in an Olympics themed contest. We are presenting Swiss cuisine, so a yodeler would be fun!
Performers do not need to be employees of UMW and everyone will be our guests for dinner on the evening of their performance. For additional information, come to the casting call this Sunday, Feb. 8 from 3-5 p.m. in the Faculty & Staff Dining Room at Seacobeck, or contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu or 540-654-2169.
Three University of Mary Washington senior political science and international affairs majors will be presenting scholarly research reports at a national research conference in Washington on Feb. 14. The Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Political Science Research Conference is sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, the 600-chapter national political science honor society.
Katherine Johnson is a senior at the University of Mary Washington where she is studying political science and sociology. Her paper is entitled: “Venturing into a Minefield: Employer Practices in a Post Burwell v. Hobby Lobby State.”
Johnson hopes to enter law school in the fall with a focus on constitutional and civil rights law. She is from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and she graduated from Girls Preparatory School.
Paige McKinsey is a senior at the University of Mary Washington where she is a double major in Women and Gender Studies and International Affairs. Her paper is entitled, “Finding Meaning in Difference; Girls’ education initiatives in Kenya from the UN and NGOs.”
McKinsey is the current President of the feminist club at UMW where she has worked with students, faculty, and administration to raise awareness and bring about change on campus. In June, McKinsey will leave for Togo where she will serve as a Community Health and Malaria Prevention volunteer with the Peace Corps. She is from Effort, Pennsylvania and she graduated from Pleasant Valley High School.
Benjamin Hermerding is a senior at the University of Mary Washington where he is studying political science. His paper is entitled, “The Effect of Subjective Class on Political Beliefs in Virginia.”
Ben is an Alvey Scholar at UMW and is a research assistant with the UMW Center for Leadership and Media Studies. He is from Brainerd, Minnesota, and graduated from Brainerd Senior High School.
Pi Sigma Alpha has more than 600 chapters in the U.S. Over the past 20 years, Mary Washington’s political science and international affairs students have won nine national writing awards from the honor society, more than any other college or university in the nation.
The Office of Financial Aid at the University of Mary Washington will host two ‘Free FAFSA Completion Workshops for 2015-16’ for students and their parents.
The workshops are “hands on” to assist students in the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Financial aid professionals from the university will be on site to answer questions. These workshops will be held at the University in Trinkle Hall, basement lab, on Saturday, Feb. 14at 10 a.m., and in Combs Hall, Room 349, on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. Space is limited in the computer lab so it is requested that the student and only ONE parent attend.
Parents and students must register for these events through the University of Mary Washington financial aid website at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/financialaid/2015/01/22/fafsa-completion-workshops-for-2015-2016-students-and-families.
The University of Mary Washington has been ranked among the nation’s best value colleges by Princeton Review.
UMW is listed in The Princeton Review’s Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In – 2015 Edition, which went on sale Tuesday, Feb. 3. The university has been recognized as a Best Southeastern College and one of Princeton Review’s Best 379 Colleges. The Princeton Review is a New York City-based education services company that annually publishes guidebooks ranking colleges, business and law schools.
Colleges That Pay You Back is an expansion of Princeton Review’s former Best Value Colleges and selects schools based on a unique “Return-on-Education” rating that measures 40 weighted data points covering the areas of academics, affordability and career prospects. The rating was based on data collected in 2013-14 from more than 650 college administrator and student surveys and responses conducted by PayScale.com through April 2014 of alumni of the same schools.
“We salute and highly recommend all of our Colleges That Pay You Back schools,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president, publisher and lead author of the book. “They stand out for their excellent academics, impressive career preparation services, and affordability to students with need – via comparatively low sticker prices, generous financial aid, or both. Plus their students graduate with great career prospects.”
In addition, UMW has been ranked third in the state and 140th nationally by the Social Mobility Index as a school providing pathways for social and economic mobility. The index ranks schools based on their “policy towards increasing access to higher education” with consideration for tuition and economic background of the student body, graduation rate, early career salary and endowment.
For a full listing of Princeton’s Colleges that Pay Back, visit www.princetonreview.com/colleges-pay-you-back.