Category: What’s New @ UMW

Next Week (May 6- May 10) is Virginia Public Service Week!  Join in these special events sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council and take time to show appreciation for a colleague through the VPSW appreciation blog!

EVENTS SPONSORED BY THE S.A.C. ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

Monday, May 6 

CORN HOLE GAMES: Who is the real UMW Corn hole Champaign?

12:00 noon  Ball Circle (Fredericksburg Campus)

12:00 noon  Between North and South Buildings (Stafford Campus)

Tuesday, May 7      

TOUR OF RANDOLOH/MASON (Fredericksburg Campus):  Come see the beautiful renovation of Randolph and Mason Halls.  Tour led by Chris Porter.

12:30 p.m.  Steps of Randolph, near the Chappell Bell Tower

POT LUCK LUNCHEON (Stafford Campus): Bring your favorite pot luck dish and join in the fun at 12:30 p.m.  South Conference Room  

Wednesday, May 8 

FAVORITE BOARD GAME LUNCH: Bring your lunch and your favorite board game –  challenge your co-workers to an hour of fun!

12:00 noon  Marye House (Fredericksburg Campus)

12:00 noon  North Building University Hall (Stafford Campus)

YOGA:  Come revitalize your body, relax your mind, and increase your energy.

12:30 p.m. Great Hall, Room 1 (Fredericksburg Campus)  

Thursday, May 9

BELMONT TOUR: What a beautiful time of year to come visit the breathtaking grounds of Gari Melchers Home and Studio!

12:30 p.m.  Meet at Chappell Bell Tower (Fredericksburg Campus)

12:30 p.m.  Meet in South Lobby (Stafford Campus)

Throughout the Week

Online Appreciation Blog:  Back by popular demand…take advantage of the appreciation blog to let your fellow co-workers know how much you appreciate them during VPSW:  May 6-10.  The blog will go live on the 6^th and can be accessed at the following address:  http://vpsw.umwblogs.org.  You can also drop off your “thank you” at the Fairfax House and a Human Resources staff member will post them.

Daily Prize Drawings:  Two lucky employees will be the daily winners of $25 prizes during VPSW.  A random drawing will take place and then the two winners will be notified by email.

We appreciate your sharing this announcement and flyer with employees in your department who may not have access to email. If you have any questions or need additional information or assistance in order to attend any of the events above please contact Priscilla Sullivan at 654-1376. For any additional questions or information about the blog and prizes please contact Jennifer Cooper in the Office of Human Resources at 654-1046.

For more information or updates, go to http://adminfinance.umw.edu/hr/employee-relations/worklife/whats-new/

Congratulations to our 25 administrative professionals who were able to attend the 11th annual Administrative Professionals’ Seminar with this year’s theme, “Honoring the Office Professionals Who Make Offices Work.”  Some of the topics covered were “Professionalism in the Workplace,” “Fierce Leadership for the Administrative Professional,” “What Leaders Do: Being a leader in all Aspects of your life,” and “Social Media Savvy.”  We are happy our colleagues were able to take advantage of this great learning opportunity.

– Submitted by the Office of Human Resources

Imagine an app where users could access an interactive map of the University of Mary Washington to determine whether any treadmills are available in the Fitness Center, check the menu at Seacobeck Dining Hall, or find events on campus. This enterprising idea already brewing in the heads of senior Seamus Hooban and recent graduate Andy Leonard may soon become a reality.

In a nod to the popular TV show Shark Tank, UMW students recently pitched their business plans to a panel of judges as part of the Eagle Start-up Challenge. The brainchild of the student-run UMW Entrepreneurs Club, the Center for Economic Development’s EagleWorks, and the Small Business Development Center, the challenge encourages start-up businesses among students.

Hooban, an economics major, and Leonard, an English major, received a cash prize of $350, provided by the Rappahannock Economic Development Corp. They plan to create a mobile app, called Campus Connect, where campus information can be aggregated in one centralized place to maximize students’ time.

The first place winners also earned access to a virtual office through the Small Business Development Center’s latest project EagleWorks, paid admission to a BluePrint business class and free consultations with the Small Business Development Center.

Eventually, Leonard and Hooban hope to expand beyond UMW to other colleges and universities. They believe that this app would save colleges and universities money because it would help them determine how to allocate resources.

The second place prize of $150 went to junior Anthony Seippel for his company Ruiner Wear. An artist, Seippel plans to build an artist brand where he creates commissioned designs and other artwork. He has already sold designs, logos, and T-shirts. Other presentations included a micro-brewing company and a legal services portal.

By Melina Downs

Eagle Dining will be hosting its traditional free Midnight Breakfast for students on Monday night (April 29^th) between 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. at Seacobeck Hall.  We are in need of additional volunteers to help serve at this fun and very fast paced event!  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu by Monday morning.

Six computer science students, with Professor of Computer Science Jennifer Polack, presented their Apple iTouch/iPhone research at the Eighteenth Annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Northeastern Conference held April 12 and 13. The student programming team from UMW placed seventh place out of 33 teams at the conference.