Learn about James Monroe’s involvement in the American Revolution in this video created by Scott Harris, director of the James Monroe Museum:
Freedom Rider to Share Story and Documentary at UMW, Feb. 3
More than 50 years ago, a 19-year-old college student named Joan Trumpauer Mulholland bought a flight to Mississippi and joined the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. It was 1961, the year that dozens of sit-ins occurred in diners and drugstores and the same year that the Freedom Rides challenged segregated interstate bus travel in the Deep South. Mulholland, a white teenager raised in the South, was arrested and sent to prison for two months for her involvement in the protests.
Joan Mulholland, shown during a trip to UMW in 2011, will be a part of UMW’s Black History Month celebration on Feb. 3.
Mulholland will share her story at the University of Mary Washington on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. as part of the Black History Month celebration. The evening will begin with a showing of the new documentary, “An Ordinary Hero,” which chronicles her unlikely journey. After the documentary, Mulholland and the film’s director will lead a discussion and answer questions.
Mulholland was among the former Freedom Riders who joined UMW as it commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in 2011 with a three-month celebration. The centerpiece of the celebration was a 1960s-era bus and exhibit of historical photos on Ball Circle.
UMW’s Black History Month celebration also will feature the following events:
- Saturday, Feb. 1 – Black History Month Kickoff Celebration: Gospelfest
- 3 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
- Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Great Lives Lecture: Martin Luther King Jr.
- 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium
- Thursday, Feb. 6 – Civil War to Civil Rights: Trail to Freedom Teacher Resources Toolkit
- 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
- Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Black History Month Keynote Speaker: Angela Rye, principal at IMPACT Strategies and the youngest woman to serve as executive director and general counsel of the Congressional Black Caucus
- 7 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411
- Wednesday, Feb. 26 – An Evening of Jazz: A Tribute to America’s Great Black Artists
- 7:30 p.m., Lee Hall, the Underground
All events are free and open to the public. For more information and a detailed list of events, visit http://students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/black-history-month-celebration/.
UMW’s Speaking Center Achieves National Certification
The University of Mary Washington’s Speaking Center recently received certification from the National Association of Communication Centers, making UMW one of only eight certified communication centers in the country.
The certification is based on a review of the training program of the center’s tutors and consultants. At UMW, Speaking Center consultants are undergraduates who receive training to provide peer tutoring and consultations to fellow students.
“The center’s training program was revamped this past fall and now provides broad support and communication training for new consultants,” said Anand Rao, associate professor of communication and director of the Speaking Center. “The center does more than just work on public speaking assignments – the center’s consultants run workshops and classroom presentations on a variety of communication topics, and work with individuals and groups of students on presentations, class discussions and interviews.”
UMW’s Speaking Center was established nearly 20 years ago and has been housed in Combs Hall since 2002. The center will move to the new Information and Technology Convergence Center this summer. Last year, the center served more than 1,600 students through individual consultations, class visits and student workshops.
For more information about the center, visit http://academics.umw.edu/speaking/speaking-center/ or contact Rao at (540) 654-1546.
Financial Literacy Series: Getting the Most from your Employee Benefits, Feb. 5
Join Debrah Farnell ’12, founder of DKM Planners, Inc., for the third installment of her Financial Literacy series at UMW. This seminar will focus on how to get the most from your employee benefits. Gather tips on how to squeeze the most out of your company’s benefit package. Farnell’s clear and approachable style will help you navigate financial topics that are relevant to everyone. This event is free and open to the public.
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
Where: Combs Hall, Room 139
Time(s):
3 – 4 p.m. – UMW Faculty, Staff and General Public
5 – 6 p.m. – UMW Students
Space limited. Please RSVP to Andrea Cordray at acordray@umw.edu or 540-654-1242.
This Week for YOUR Professional Development
More to help you reflect, grow and reenergize!! Very insightful and quick reads from Harvard Business Review. Subscribe for free daily tips!
Be better at strategic thinking:
http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/strengthen-your-strategic-thinking-muscles/
It’s never too late to be what you really want to be:
http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/12/how-to-reinvent-yourself-after-50/
I know it’s hard to hear, but…:
http://hbr.org/2014/01/find-the-coaching-in-criticism/ar/1
Do you know whether your employees are happy?
http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/go-ahead-ask-your-employees-if-theyre-happy/
We all have them…
http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/three-tips-for-overcoming-your-blind-spots/
Note: HR will be sending the new schedule for Professional Development month activities that were cancelled due to the inclement weather.
iCenter with Sameer Shalaby: Resumes Jan. 27
It’s not easy to build a company! Sameer Shalaby, founder of Cogency Software and Paladyne Systems, is a retired entrepreneur who wants to help UMW students take their business ideas from inception to a real business.
Shalaby will join students in the Simpson Library ThinkLab each Monday from 3 -5 p.m., starting Jan. 27, for the iCenter. It will offer mentors, speakers, networking events, quarterly seminars, business plan reviews, and more.
The iCenter encourages ideas, innovation and incubation – and provides aspiring entrepreneurs with a place to share ideas and gather helpful feedback.
Each weekly session is free and open to all UMW students.
Lecture by Michael Signer of Virginia Tech, Feb. 3
Dr. Michael Signer, Visiting Full Professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, will deliver a free public lecture on Monday, Feb. 3 in Lee Hall, Room 411 at 4 p.m. The title of the lecture is “The Search for Statesmen: The Quest for Leadership in James Madison’s Democracy.” Dr. Signer’s biography is below.
Michael Signer is Lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics at the
University of Virginia and Visiting Full Professor at the School of Public and
International Affairs at Virginia Tech. The author of Demagogue: The Fight
to Save Democracy from its Worst Enemies (Palgrave Macmillan 2009), he is
currently at work on Becoming Madison: The Making of an American Statesman
(PublicAffairs 2015). He has written for Democracy: A Journal of Ideas,
Dissent, Democracy & Society, The Daily Beast, The Richmond Times-Dispatch,
The New Republic, and the Washington Post and has appeared on MSNBC,
Fox News, the BBC, and NPR. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the
University of California at Berkeley, where he was a National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellow, a J.D. from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. in
politics, magna cum laude, from Princeton University. He is the managing
principal of Madison Law & Strategy Group, PLLC and chairs the firm’s
Charlottesville office. He served as one of two counselors to Governor Mark
Warner in Richmond and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2009. He is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Center for National Policy and is a Senior Fellow with the
Truman National Security Project. He lives in Charlottesville.
New Post Office Supervisor
Congratulations to Lisa Marden who is the new supervisor at the UMW Post Office! Lisa has been a dedicated staff member at the Post Office for two years and we are so excited to have her as our new team lead. If you have any questions or concerns about the UMW Post Office please feel free to contact Lisa at 654-2073 or lmarden@umw.edu.
A New Year, A Refreshed Brand
After years of being the best kept secret in higher education, UMW followed the lead of peer institutions, launching its brand in the fall of 2011. Developed in collaboration with consultants who surveyed more than 2,700 stakeholders, the brand distilled Mary Washington’s key attributes into a brand positioning statement, brand promise, and brand personality traits. Starting with a blank slate, every word was vetted by Leadership Council, and the University of Mary Washington became the place where great minds get to work.
Two years later, we decided to take stock. Does every word of our brand still ring true? While we have evidence that the brand is resonating with external audiences, do members of the campus community embrace it? Would new members of Leadership Council endorse it?
Last fall, we provided numerous opportunities for faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to help us answer those questions. Once we drilled down, the overwhelming consensus was: “Hey, this really IS who we are.” Even so, after listening to many voices, Leadership Council decided to tweak certain parts of the platform. The key changes were insertion of these words/phrases: inclusive, passion, and socially conscious. For further details on the process and the outcome, please contact Associate Vice President for University Relations Anna Billingsley.
Brand Platform Refresh
Fall 2013
Positioning Statement
The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective, public liberal arts and sciences university, which provides an inclusive, supportive community that values honor, leadership, and service. We attract high-performing students with talent, passion, and intellectual curiosity who thrive in an intensely personal, participatory, and rigorous academic atmosphere. Our small, highly interactive classes motivate students to prepare for, participate in, and embrace new knowledge so that they get the most out of their educational investment. Innovative and accessible master teachers inspire students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, and engage meaningfully. Beyond the classroom, students participate in a rich array of research, internship, leadership, service, and recreational opportunities, developing real-world skills and making the college experience fun and exciting. Our civically, socially, and intellectually engaged community inspires individuals to define and act upon their values. Our graduates are socially conscious, articulate, critical thinkers who have the confidence to explore challenges as opportunities and adapt and thrive in a complex, fast-changing world.
Brand Promise
Rigorous academics in an inclusive, supportive community of high integrity
Brand Drivers
- Small, highly interactive classes
- Innovative and accessible master teachers
- Rich array of research, internship, leadership, service, and recreational opportunities
- Civically, socially, and intellectually engaged community
Brand Personality Traits
- Intellectual
- Innovative
- Passionate
- Genuine
News from Campus Dining
Faculty and Staff Dining on Monday, Jan. 20
On Monday, Jan. 20 the Faculty and Staff Dining Room will be closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All other campus dining services will operate according to their regular schedules.
Mindful Dining Features at Seacobeck
Campus Dining is supporting our campus wellness initiatives by featuring mindful menus for lunch every Thursday in the Faculty and Staff Dining Room at Seacobeck. Mindful recipes offer satisfying portions with fewer calories, less sodium, and enticing flavors by using more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lots of spices and herbs.
Mindful dishes are also served throughout the week in all the dining rooms at Seacobeck. They are easily identified by the green heart mindful symbols located just above the recipe name on the menu identifiers. Check out our website www.mindful.sodexo.com, or contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu for more information on our mindful offerings.