The University of Mary Washington has received $200,000 in Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) grants to enhance internship and work-based learning opportunities.

“There’s no substitute for a quality internship as part of the undergraduate experience,” said UMW Provost Timothy O’Donnell. “We are so pleased to have increased support to make this a reality for more UMW students.”

A combination of a pair of $100,000 grants – the Student Internship Support Grant and the Internship Data Collection Grant – the funds bolster an effort already in progress to expand work-based learning at Mary Washington. Read more.

UMW THEATRE TO END 2023-24 SEASON WITH TWELFTH NIGHT

UMW Theatre will close its 2023-24 season with William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.  Performances will be April 11-13 & 18-20 at 7:30 p.m., and 14 & 21 at 2:00 p.m. in Klein Theatre, duPont Hall at the University of Mary Washington. Guests may also attend the Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance on April 10 at 7:30 p.m. The box office opens at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. AfterWords, a post-show talkback with the cast, will take place after the matinee performance on April 14. Tickets are $28 for standard admission and $23 for students, senior citizens, and military. Groups of ten or more can receive a discount as well.

William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy focusing on twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck and find themselves in the strange new land of Illyria. Stranded and alone, Viola must disguise herself as a man to survive and decides to find work with the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. Under the guise of manhood and against her better judgement, Viola finds herself falling in love with the duke. Orsino quickly appoints Viola as his right hand “man,” sending her to court another woman again and again in his stead, the grieving Countess Olivia. The situation grows more complex as a long triangle forms between Viola, Orsino, and Olivia, leading Viola to make a choice between her duty and her heart. As the story progresses, another parallel plot unfolds in Olivia’s court involving a quartet of pranksters seeking revenge on one haughty stewardess. All of this comes to a head when the characters are forced to confront each other and their true identities. At its core, Twelfth Night is a story about love, loss, and how we find our identities.

Twelfth Night, also known as Twelfth Night, or What You Will is believed to have been commissioned around 1601 as part of the Twelfth Night celebrations by Queen Elizabeth I held at Whitehall Palace. The play’s title is believed to be a reference to the Feast of Epiphany, a festival held on January 6th, the twelfth night of the Christmas Celebration. In the 1600’s, the festival was a festival in which everything was turned upside down. For example, men would dress as women and women men. This theme is shown in Shakespeare’s writing. The earliest recorded public performance of Twelfth Night took place on February 2^nd, 1602, at Middle Temple Hall in London, England. The play was published in Shakespeare’s First Folio in 1623. The show has gained popularity over the centuries, with some more memorable productions including The Globe’s 2002 and 2012 production, the 2017 production at the Royal National Theatre, and the 2017-2018 run at the Royal National Theatre. The story has continued to prove popular, being adapted into movies like She’s the Man, starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum.

William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is directed by Marc Williams, assistant professor of theatre. Scenic design is by assistant professor Michael Benson and costume design is by associate professor Kevin McCluskey. Lighting design is by guest designer Max Doolittle and student Rylie Vann. Sound design is by student Madeline Berger. For further information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit www.FredTix.com.

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A trio of UMW faculty members has received VIVA Open Grants for adopting, adapting and creating open and affordable course materials from the Virtual Library of Virginia that can be made available to students at little or no cost. These grants work to save students money on expensive textbooks and help professors enhance the knowledge and learning experiences they’re able to offer through their courses.

College of Business Assistant Professor Samira Fallah, Professor of Computer Science Stephen Davies and Associate Professor of Communication Adria Goldman received 2023 awards that together represent more than $72,000 in student cost avoidance throughout a five-year period. Read more.

We will hold our seventh Mary Wash Day, previously known as Mary Wash Giving Day, April 4. This 24-hour celebration brings the UMW community of alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students and community members together to support areas across campus. We’ve set ambitious goals this year: 2,500 gifts, including 1,000 alumni donors and 250 first-time donors. Throughout the day there will be chances to unlock over $300,000 in sponsored challenges and matches, including a faculty and staff participation challenge to benefit the Gwen Hale Resource Center (see details below).

There are  many ways to help celebrate #MaryWashDay:

• Sign up to be a Mary Wash Day ambassador to help spread the word and inspire others to give. Make a gift with your unique ambassador referral link and get two other gifts and we’ll send you a UMW bento box!
• Access the Mary Wash Day toolkit to download social images and exclusive Zoom backgrounds.
• Wear your Mary Wash gear on April 4.
• Stop by the CRUC patio from 7:30-9 a.m. April 4. Pick an Eagle and win a prize! The first 50 faculty/staff will also receive a free grab-and-go breakfast.
• Visit the MWD Headquarters from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. April 4 on the patio of the CRUC to take part in the fun with students.
• Increase your impact: If 200 faculty and staff members make a gift of $5 or more to any area of the University on April 4, you will unlock a $1,000 gift to the Gwen Hale Resource Center from faculty and staff members Anand Rao, Kashef Majid, Sarah Dewees, and Miriam Liss.

Questions about Mary Wash Day? Contact Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14 at sorlando@umw.edu or 540-654-1361.

Rachel Greszler ’03 and Dr. Christopher Newman

The Virginia Governor’s Office announced on Friday the appointment of two new members of the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors. Christopher Newman, executive vice president, system chief operating officer and chief medical officer for Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC), and Rachel Greszler ’03, senior research fellow for workforce and public finance in the Roe Institute of The Heritage Foundation will join the board this spring.

Dr. Newman has served as the executive vice president, system chief operating officer and chief medical officer for Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, Virginia since 2019. He is responsible for managing the delivery of safe, high-quality healthcare in the fully integrated, regional not-for-profit medical system that provides emergency, inpatient and outpatient care through more than 40 facilities in the greater Fredericksburg region. The primary campus is a neighbor to University of Mary Washington’s Fredericksburg campus and a vital regional partner. Read more.

UMW senior Jordan Carpenter spins her magic on the court.

When Jordan Carpenter started her collegiate basketball career at the University of Mary Washington in 2020, she focused on the next point, the next game, the next step. And her parents were there each step of the way, coming from their home in Richmond, Virginia, to attend each game and cheer her on.  

Now a senior approaching graduation in May, she heard their familiar voices in the stands of the Anderson Center arena counting down the points needed to 1,000 in a memorable game on January 27, 2024.   Read more.

From left to right: UMW senior Brooke Prevedel, UMW Professor of Geography Steve Hanna and Fredericksburg Area Museum’s Gaila Sims

University of Mary Washington senior Brooke Prevedel and Professor of Geography Steve Hanna spent more than 100 hours making the map at the center of a new Fredericksburg Area Museum exhibit.

“I spent most of my time hunched over my drawing tablet looking at it in extra blown-up proportions,” said Prevedel, a historic preservation and classical archaeology double major who’s earning a certificate in GIS.

High-tech tools like her tablet, and computer programs and apps, helped the pair create the map, which shows the 1824 journey of the Marquis de Lafayette through America’s 24 states. But meticulous attention to detail – like the mountain ranges Prevedel cranked out by hand for a fountainpen feel – tell a story they hope will take visitors back to the 19th century. Read more.

Ayla Zook (fourth from left, sitting) works with her teammates at UMW’s Dahlgren Campus during the third annual High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren. The team, from King George County High School, took top prize, claiming $3,500 for STEM learning at their school. Photo by Dave Ellis.

Brainstorming, creativity and teamwork are some of the tactics that led a group of King George County high-schoolers to the top. “We overcame it together,” student Ayla Zook said of the last-minute coding issues that threatened to deter the team’s win at this month’s High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren.

More than 100 students from public and private schools, from Stafford to the Northern Neck, turned out for the third annual robotics-style competition at the University of Mary Washington’s Dahlgren Campus on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2. The winning team from King George walked away with a cash prize of $3,500, a giant trophy and bragging rights … at least until next year’s event.

Westmoreland High School took second place, winning $2,500, and Fredericksburg Christian School came in third, claiming $1,500. The teams battled it out in lightning rounds, completing an “ENRG” mission that required them to engage by assembling robots to navigate challenging terrain on a quest to recover critical hardware while gathering intel and maintaining mission awareness. In addition to cash, winners took home robotics kits for their schools. Read more.

The seventh annual Mary Wash Day will be held April 4 with the theme of #TogetherUMW. The 24-hour celebration of philanthropy and engagement supports UMW students and faculty, as well as academic, arts, athletics, leadership, service, career and cultural programs.

UMW graduates Matt and Sarah Balenger Good ’19 land on the exact same word to describe their experience at the University of Mary Washington, where they met, fell in love and earned degrees in political science and psychology, respectively.

“It was more impactful than I could have ever imagined,” said Sarah, who was on UMW’s Honor Council all four years, becoming its president as a senior, and currently works in autism services. Matt, who followed the same track in the Student Government Association and is now employed in public safety, agrees. “I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without Mary Washington.”

On Mary Wash Day, the couple is sponsoring a challenge to inspire graduates from the last decade to make their first-ever gift to their alma mater on Thursday, April 4, a day celebrating all contributions to the University. “We want to ensure that students today have the experiences we had and that young alumni get involved at Mary Washington,” Sarah said.

Eagles everywhere are encouraged to show off their Mary Wash pride during the 24-hour celebration of philanthropy and engagement, now in its seventh year, enjoying fun and festivities while making a difference in the lives of students for generations to come.

With a theme of #TogetherUMW, the event unites the entire Mary Washington community in support of students and faculty, as well as academic, arts, athletics, leadership, service, career and cultural programs. Donors will have the chance to give to more than 80 different areas across the University. Read more.