The annual UMW Multicultural Fair was back in a big way on Saturday, April 13, with perfect weather, after rain and a pandemic dampened prior years. Performers, vendors, information tables, food trucks and children’s activities brought a spectrum of cultural sights, sounds and flavors that stretched across the Fredericksburg Campus from Jefferson Square to the edge of Palmieri Plaza. Read more.

Dozens of University of Mary Washington students are the newest members of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.

Thirty-eight UMW juniors and seniors were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa during a recent ceremony announcing the 2024 cohort of the University’s Kappa of Virginia chapter. They join an impressive roster of members, including 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. Read more.

When senior Sofia Taylor earned a full-ride Alvey Scholarship to attend the University of Mary Washington, she penned the first of many letters and cards she exchanged with her donor, Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59.

“Irene often said that Mary Washington ‘opened worlds’ for her,” said Taylor, a psychology major and neuroscience and music minor. Because of Rodgers’ support, her own college experience comprised a semester abroad, singing with the UMW Choir, leadership roles in the psychology department and researching the minds of the world’s great composers. “She truly did that for me.” Read more.

Major League Soccer (MLS) executive Mark McClure ’96, vice president, technical operations, will be on his college turf when he returns to the University of Mary Washington as the 2024 Commencement speaker. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 11, beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle, rain or shine. Tickets are not needed for the in-person event, and it’s also streamed online, something in which McClure is an expert.

For more than a decade, he has worked to bring sports fans to Major League Soccer via digital strategy and content and now manages a team that helps broadcast matches around the world on MLS’ streaming services on Apple TV. It’s a broad sports career that has focused on fans, players and their stories, something apt for the English major – McClure holds a B.A. in English from Mary Washington – who followed his love of reading and writing through epic college courses, with time for extra courses in classics and art history and teaching himself coding in the computer labs. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington has extended the enrollment deadline for admitted first-year undergraduate students to June 1, 2024, allowing an additional month for students and families to review financial aid. UMW has offered additional flexibility for incoming students to make their decision to enroll due to numerous delays in the filing and reporting process for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the U.S. Department of Education.

“We appreciate the patience of our admitted students and their supporters as we navigate this unprecedented situation,” said Dean of Admissions and Associate Vice President Melissa Yakabouski. “It is our goal to provide the best information to our students regarding need-based assistance so they are confident in choosing UMW for their four years of undergraduate education. We understand that students may need time to review, ask questions and make confirming visits once awarding begins, and we want to provide the opportunity to do all of these things. We encourage any student with financial concerns to connect with their UMW admissions or financial aid counselor to have a personal conversation.” Read more.

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.