The Academy of Technology and Innovation at the University of Mary Washington (ATI-UMW) opened its doors to its first cohort of high-schoolers last month, but last week’s dedication ceremony made it official.

“What you all will do is provide the leadership of tomorrow, and the commonwealth is so much better because of it,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told students and their families who gathered, along with legislators, community officials, school board members and more, at the new regional lab school on UMW’s Stafford Campus. “You all are taking on a moment of acceleration in your lives, and that is what gets us so excited, not because of what we’re doing today but what we anticipate you all will do tomorrow … I can’t wait to see where you all will lead Virginia.” Read more.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has awarded a $1.3 million grant to the University of Mary Washington to establish a Call Me MISTER Program (CMM) – the first of its kind in the Fredericksburg region. The four-year grant will provide scholarships, mentorships, professional training, community engagement and additional funding for first-year and transfer students, encouraging K-12 students from underserved communities to become teachers in those communities. It also will provide a pathway for community college students to continue their education to become educators.

“We are deeply grateful to SCHEV for funding the development of a CMM program at Mary Washington. A CMM program aligned with our strong K-12 partnerships will position us well to address any teacher shortage and increase the number of Pell-eligible students on our campus,” said Pete Kelly, dean of the College of Education (COE) at Mary Washington. Read more.

After 25 years teaching political science at the University of Mary Washington, Steve Farnsworth knows how to juggle emails and phone calls from reporters on deadline who want to tap into his mind. This spring semester – in the midst of a presidential race he’s been quoted as calling “unprecedented” – he added another layer, sharing his sought-after expertise on the other side of the globe.

In Poland on a prestigious Fulbright Award to teach a course called “U.S. Presidential Communication” at the University of Warsaw (UW), he worked both inside and outside the classroom to unravel misconceptions about politics in the United States. Now fresh off his third – and, as a “distinguished scholar” this time around, his most illustrious – Fulbright experience, he’ll share with UMW the knowledge and perspectives he gained overseas. Read more.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D), the two leading declared candidates for governor next year, are tied at 39 percent support each, according to a new statewide survey from the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

The remaining respondents in the survey of 1,000 adult Virginians said they were undecided, did not plan to vote or would back another candidate. The poll was conducted by Research America Inc. Sept. 3-9.

Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), another possible candidate for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, would be equally competitive in a general election, according to the poll. In a possible match-up between Spanberger and Miyares, 40 percent of survey respondents backed Spanberger and 39 percent backed Miyares, well within the survey’s margin of error. Read more.

Now that school is in session this fall, Saturday Open Houses on Sept. 21, Oct. 19 and Nov. 9 are the perfect opportunity to get to know the University of Mary Washington. With an early Open House event date in September, UMW can be a family’s first visit on their college search, the first choice for students, and for many, the first to let students know they are in.

UMW Open Houses are free for students and families to attend and recommended for high school juniors and seniors as well as transfer students. High school seniors who have applied early to UMW can also sign up for an expedited application review and on-the-spot admission decision during any of the Open House dates. Read more.

For Elena Lizarraga of Springfield, Virginia, it was a volunteer stint working the polls in 2016. For Ai Vy Le, a college senior from Harrisonburg, it was walking five miles with her grandmother to cast her first vote.

The question the students were answering – What was your first civic engagement experience? – was part of an icebreaker activity at the seventh annual nonpartisan Virginia Student Voting Summit, held last week at the University of Mary Washington. It’s one of several experiences that led UMW to earn the All In Campus Democracy Challenge’s “Highly Established Action Plan Seal” for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan for the 2024 election cycle.

The daylong summit promotes civic dialogue and energizes voters, meeting students where they are in the voting process and sharing the information they need to make sure their voices are heard at the polls. Nearly 100 students, administrators and community friends from schools across the commonwealth gathered in the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom to advance youth voting. Together, they worked to push public participation by comparing notes and exchanging ideas.

“It brings different perspectives,” said Devin Van Dyke. The Campus Vote Project democracy fellow recently transferred to Radford University from Southwest Virginia Community College and drove six hours from his home in Tazewell to be part of an afternoon panel. “Students from different colleges are coming together to share how they make their initiatives work on their campuses.” Read more.

In a way, Abigail Gellene-Beaudoin’s Mary Washington path began to take shape back in middle school. That’s when her friend was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.

“Walking through her journey with her … led me to decide I wanted to pursue a career in a helping profession,” said Gellene-Beaudoin, a licensed clinical social worker and practicing psychotherapist. A 2013 UMW alumna, she also was this year’s Department of Psychological Science Graduate-in-Residence.

In that role, she presented a free public lecture titled “Talking about the Tough Stuff: Helping caregivers find the words to explain a loved one’s terminal illness or end-stage disease to children.” The talk took place on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m., in the Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium. While she was on campus, Gellene-Beaudoin also discussed her experience in the field of clinical social work in classes including developmental psychology, psychopathology and clinical psychology. And she had lunch with students interested in pursuing careers in related fields. Read more.

When University of Mary Washington senior Anders Barretta was a child, he was fascinated by the maps his father kept around the house.

“He told me that his favorite geography professor, Marshall Bowen, taught some of the most influential classes he took in college,” Barretta said. His father, John Barretta ’90, said students would sit on the floor of Monroe Hall just to hear the late professor speak. “Dr. Bowen inspired my dad’s 30-year career as a geospatial intelligence officer.”

That made it even more special when the younger Barretta, who is double majoring in geography and political science and earning a geographic information systems (GIS) certificate, learned he would be the first-ever recipient of the Marshall E. Bowen Scholarship at UMW. Barretta has traveled to professional conferences, engaged in timely research and competed twice in Virginia’s World Geography Bowl, helping UMW’s team beat the buzzer to become the 2022 champions – all of which helped him earn the prestigious geography award.

“Anders truly embodies my husband’s interest in geography, and his curiosity about the places around him is incredibly refreshing,” said Professor of Geography Dawn Bowen, who serves as Barretta’s advisor. She invited him last year to participate in a small group discussion for other students. “He embraced the idea of learning something new and engaging with others.” Read more.

The 2024-2025 UMW Theatre season begins with Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose, adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel. Performances will be September 19-21 & September 26-28 at 7:30 p.m., and September 22, 28, & September 29 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 September 18 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 September 22. Tickets are $30 for standard admission and $25 for students, senior citizens, and military. Groups of ten or more can receive a discount as well.

Set in the 1950’s, Twelve Angry Jurors focuses on a jury, tasked with deciding the fate of a young boy in a murder trial in which the boy is being accused of killing his father. The story takes place in the deliberation room, where the group must reach a unanimous vote of “guilty” or “not guilty.” In what seems like a cut-and-dry case to most, one juror is undecided, arguing there is reasonable doubt. With the young boy’s life in their hands, the twelve men and women must come to a fair verdict. Twelve Angry Jurors is a reflection on the American judicial system and society that portrays themes of discrimination, prejudice, stubbornness of beliefs, and justice.

Inspired by his experience as a juror in a New York City courtroom, Reginald Rose originally wrote Twelve Angry Men in 1954 as a one-hour teleplay for CBS Studio One. One year later, the show was adapted into a play and staged in San Francisco. The show was revived and made its Broadway debut on October 28, 2004, at the American Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 328 performances. The show has been adapted to include women, retitled Twelve Angry Women, Twelve Angry Men and Women, or Twelve Angry Jurors.

Twelve Angry Jurors is a multi-award-winning show that has won a Drama Desk Award, a Drama League Award, and three Tony Award nominations. Twelve Angry Jurors is directed by assistant professor Marc Williams. Scenic design is by associate professor Michael Benson and costume design is by associate professor Kevin McCluskey. Lighting and sound design are by Catherine Girardi and student sound designer Matthew Carrol, respectively. For further information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit www.FredTix.com.

The University of Mary Washington continues to be among the top universities in the college guidebooks. UMW is ranked regionally as a “best bang for the buck” choice and listed among the nation’s top 100 liberal arts colleges in Washington Monthly. Mary Washington is also included in The Best 390 Colleges, the latest higher education rankings edition from The Princeton Review.

The Princeton Review rankings come straight from student surveys focused on their college experiences. For UMW, the survey says that students are happy, love Fredericksburg, Virginia, and find majors and activities that matter to them. Biology, psychology, business administration, and communication and digital studies rise to the top of the list of popular pursuits, and UMW Theatre earns a spot in the best 25 theatre programs for the second year in a row. Mary Washington also received a place in the publication’s Best Regional Colleges category, landing among the top 100 schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. Read more.