UMW recently received a $75,000 gift from Sally P. Blanchet ’42 to endow a scholarship for students within the College of Business. During her years at Mary Washington, Ms. Blanchet worked hard to pay her own tuition and other expenses through on-campus jobs, including a position as secretary to the dean of freshmen. In 1962, she and her husband founded Freehold Cartage, a successful company in Monmouth, N.J. The new scholarship will be named in memory of Ms. Blanchet’s younger sister, Jean Marie Phillis.

This message is from the Division of Advancement and University Relations.

Great news: effective Monday, August 20, faculty and staff will be able to purchase breakfast, lunch or dinner at Seacobeck Hall for the same low price of $5 per meal.  In the past, the lunch meal was the only meal discounted for employees.  While this does mean that the lunch price has increased from $4 to $5, it has been several years since we have had an increase and this remains a terrific deal.  And a $5 dinner is an outstanding benefit!  Enjoy!

– message from Richard Pearce, Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO

(Copyright Patrick Ross Photography, 2012)

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has named UMW’s Dahlgren Campus Center for Education and Research a Virginia Green Conference Center.

Virginia Green is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia’s tourism industry. Virginia Green Conference Centers have been thoughtfully planned and designed to minimize their impacts on the environment. The Dahlgren campus has met the established “core activities” for Green Conference Centers in the areas of recycling, minimization of disposable food service products, solid waste reduction, water conservation, energy conservation and “green” events.

The Stafford campus and the Jepson Alumni Executive Center also are recognized as Virginia Green facilities.
For more information on Virginia Green programs, visit http://www.virginia.org/WhatisVirginiaGreen/.

There’s more than one way to support our troops…

Plan a trip out to the Stafford Campus, and give the gift of life.

Patriot Day Blood Drive – Stafford Campus

Tuesday September 11, 2012  1:00PM-7:00PM

Email Kevin Caffrey to make an appoinment: kcaffrey@umw.edu

When Lauren Kornacki performed CPR in the garage of her parents’ home in Glen Allen, Va., she was focused on one thing: saving her dad’s life. She never imagined that the story would later end up making national headlines.

UMW alumna Lauren Kornacki (right) performed CPR to save her father’s life

Kornacki, a 2012 graduate of the University of Mary Washington, found her father in the garage, pinned under a car and unresponsive. She was able to lift up the car enough to free her father, and performed CPR to save his life. A nurse at VCU Medical Center, where Kornacki’s father is being treated, was so moved by the story that she contacted the local television station.

“It’s my dad,” Kornacki said, noting she doesn’t think she deserves the attention. “I would do anything for him.”

Instead she hopes to turn the new-found media attention from her own inspiring story to the importance of CPR.

“I’m trying to get people to realize CPR is such an important thing to know,” she said.

Now in her sixth year as a lifeguard, Kornacki has taken CPR training at least five times, including once last semester as part of her job as an intramural supervisor in the UMW campus recreation office.

All intramural supervisors are required to have current certifications in first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillators (AED), Director of Campus Recreation Mark Mermelstein, said.

“It’s so important for our programs because situations do happen and you have to know that our staff is prepared to handle them,” he said. “Lauren is a prime example.”

“We take pride in her work for campus recreation, but that means nothing compared to what she just did for her dad,” he said.

Lauren Kornacki ’12 played center for the UMW women’s basketball team for three years

A physics major, Kornacki spent three years as a center for the UMW basketball team.

“Lauren is such a great young woman,” said Deena Appleberry, women’s basketball coach.  “She’s the type of person who thinks on her feet. It doesn’t surprise me at all that she would make the right decision in a minute or less.  She’s so courageous and heroic.”

Kornacki encourages everyone to have a familiarity with CPR, since as in her case situations often arise without warning. In fact, she said her family members intend to take refresher courses as soon as her dad is out of the hospital.

She said her family is grateful for the community’s outpouring of support since the accident.

“My former classmates, roommates and teammates have been checking on us,” she said. “Knowing those people are there for us is unbelievable.”