A combo of choirs will come together for Sunday’s Two Roads Diverged: Fall Choral Concert at the University of Mary Washington. UMW students, faculty and staff will pool their voices and musical talents with Fredericksburg-area community members and local high-schoolers for the performance on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m., in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. Read more.

University of Mary Washington senior Nathaniel Huff attended 19 professional theatre performances in the span of three weeks – more than most patrons see in a year – on the UMW Theatre in London trip last summer.

A theatre major, Huff grew up in a small town with limited access to his chosen field. He said that going abroad exposed him and his classmates to a wide variety of plays and musicals, including several world premieres. “There is no doubt that the productions I witnessed are influencing my work and giving me ideas on how to engage with the creative process,” said Huff, who is currently directing a play he discovered at England’s National Theatre for his senior project. Read more.

For National Authors Day on Nov. 1, the University of Mary Washington is sharing a few of the latest books from faculty authors.

From fields as diverse as English, physics and political science, these professors have penned a new collection of poetry, an exposé about the most brilliant of minds and a text that traces the evolution of late-night political humor.

Read on!

On its final stop before it heads back to Korea, the calligraphy-laced paintings of a celebrated contemporary artist are on display at the University of Mary Washington Galleries in Park Dae Sung: Ink Reimagined. Read more.

Eighty high-schoolers from Prince William County fanned out across the University of Mary Washington’s Seacobeck Hall earlier this month on a field trip for future educators.

The Teachers for Tomorrow participants controlled mini-robots in the makerspace, put their heads together in collaborative classrooms and tapped into the minds of current UMW College of Education (COE) students in the Weatherly Wing.

If the freshly renovated building, now home to COE, made a statement, the experiences of Mary Washington students already on their way to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education spoke volumes, helping encourage the next generation of educators to step into the classroom. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington’s annual Homecoming happens this week, with a calendar full of fan favorites, from student-led events to alumni activities.

The fun and games began with Bingo Oct. 24, hosted by the Campus Programming Board. On Oct. 25, the Big Ash Bonfire and S’mores was hosted on Jefferson Square by Campus Recreation and the Residence Hall Association. The whole campus will celebrate Friday, Oct. 27, with Mary Wash spirit day, an occasion for sporting blues and grays, and all things UMW, including this year’s custom Homecoming T-shirt available for purchase throughout the week. See the full schedule of student events from the Office of Student Activities and Engagement.

Mary Rock – the annual Homecoming concert – will feature Broke Royals and Wylder, also on Friday, from 7 to 9 p.m., on Jefferson Square. All current students and alumni are invited to attend! The Historic Preservation Club’s Ghostwalk tour starts Friday evening, as well. Sign up for the kid-friendly tours beginning at 5 p.m. or go into the fright of the night with tours through 10 p.m. Tours leave every 15 to 20 minutes from the James Monroe Museum, and run again Saturday, Oct. 28, from 5 to 10 p.m. Registration is requested in advance, and tickets can be reserved online.

Also on Saturday, a showcase of UMW athletic events and alumni gatherings will get Mary Wash graduates together #BackInTheBurg. The pregame starts at 10 a.m., with a brunch buffet for alumni and special welcome back gathering for recent grads from the Class of 2018. The Athletics Tailgate also starts at 10 a.m. and extends through the games that day. Cheer on the home team in alumni games in men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s tennis, and baseball, and in NCAA games in women’s soccer, field hockey and men’s soccer. Note that parking in the UMW Athletics Battlegrounds will be reserved for tailgating, with street parking available for free. Traffic along Hanover Street may be heavy during peak game times. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington will host a community forum called “The Middle East Crisis: Extending Compassion and Recognizing Grief in Our Own Community” on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m., in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium. The forum is open to the public and features experts from UMW’s faculty and staff, as well as community leaders, who will discuss their thoughts on dealing with the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel.

Speakers will include Dr. Melissa Palguta, a staff therapist from the University’s Talley Center for Counseling Services; Imam Sherif Shehata from the Masjid Aliya Islamic Center; Rabbi Ronda Young, now retired, longtime member of the greater Fredericksburg Jewish community; and the Rev. Ethan Lowery, campus and young adult missioner at Trinity Episcopal Church.

“This forum aims to go beyond politics or history, and we’re not focused on who’s wrong or who’s right. It’s about community,” said Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Ranjit Singh, who organized the event. “Each panelist will speak about how their tradition or profession deals with reconciling trauma and grief with compassion.” Read more.

Happiness – it’s one thing everyone could use more of in their lives.

Former CBS Morning News anchor and bestselling author Michelle Gielan will bring loads of the feel-good emotion to the 29th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium at the University of Mary Washington next week.

A beacon of empowerment for professional women from diverse backgrounds for nearly three decades, the Colloquium features Gielan’s keynote address on resilient optimism, plus breakout sessions with area experts, networking and more. The event will take place Thursday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at UMW’s Stafford Campus.

Renowned for her groundbreaking research on the relationship between happiness and success, Gielan will kick off the day with her presentation, “Resilient Optimism: Strengthening a Mindset that Fuels Well-Being and Success.” The talk will explore how optimists face challenges, the science of cultivating a positive and optimistic mindset, and practical habits grounded in research for enhancing resilience and happiness. Read more.

Senior Harmony Peura ’24 still can’t believe that she earned the Mary Janes Ahern ’46 Washington Scholarship, giving her a full ride to the University of Mary Washington.

“I’ve woken up every day for the past four years in complete disbelief,” said Peura, a computer science major from Virginia Beach. She expressed her gratitude for receiving the prestigious UMW award for in-state students, which provides full tuition, fees, and room and board for up to four years.

“Mary Washington is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she advised her fellow scholars. “Take this time and cherish it and do as much as you possibly can with it.”

Peura and more than a dozen other exceptional UMW students attended a reception for Washington and Alvey Scholars (a full-ride award for out-of-state residents), held at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center’s Kalnen Inn at the end of September. Eighteen recipients currently benefit from these scholarships, including five first-year students, who were welcomed into the ranks by their fellow scholars, UMW staff and members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD), which established the first five scholarships more than 25 years ago. A total of 65 students have been awarded Washington and Alvey Scholarships since the program’s inception. Read more.

Just a quick heads-up – Virginia College Application Week is happening from October 22 to 28, 2023. If you know any future college students, help us refer them to apply to Mary Washington! During Virginia College Application Week, high school seniors can apply for free to the University of Mary Washington by using code “VCAW” on the Common App.