Painter Vincent van Gogh, humanitarian Mother Teresa and country music icon Dolly Parton are among the prominent personalities featured in the upcoming William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series.

Painter Vincent van Gogh is among the prominent personalities featured in this year’s William B. Crawley Great Lives lecture series, which returns in person on Jan. 18.

The 19th season of this treasured University of Mary Washington tradition will be held in person – for the first time in nearly two years – in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus. These free lectures will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Jan. 18 through March 10, at 7:30 p.m. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required.

Bestselling biographers and several UMW faculty members have spent countless hours chronicling iconic subjects – artists, adventurers, peacemakers and more. They’ll provide riveting reflection into their lives and loves, strengths and struggles, and successes and failures.

“We are very much looking forward to resuming live, in-person presentations in 2022,” said Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus William B. Crawley, Great Lives founder and director. “Audience members will be able to interact directly with lecturers, who are preeminent scholars in their fields.” Books by most of the speakers will be available for purchase and signing after each lecture. Read more.

Bailey Johnson ’21 has a gift for being where she needs to be to meet her goals.

Bailey Johnson ’21 will move to China next summer to join the Schwarzman Scholars, a prestigious graduate leadership program that will give her the opportunity to pursue a master’s of global affairs in Beijing.

Starting in August 2022, that will be Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. There she’ll join the newest class of Schwarzman Scholars, pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs. Johnson is among 151 scholars in nearly three dozen countries, chosen from more than 3,000 applicants worldwide for the all-expenses-covered graduate leadership program.

Schwarzman Scholars are “high-caliber individuals with open minds and limitless potential who will serve to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world,” according to the group’s website.

Johnson fits the bill. She’s already working as a cancer researcher for the National Institutes of Health, chiefly focused on understanding metastatic traits that allow tumor cells to colonize secondary organs. She also is a fellow at the NIH Academy on Health Disparities, studying gaps in health outcomes and addressing related issues.

Classes for Schwarzman Scholars are taught in English, but Johnson brings the advantage of fluency in Mandarin – a language she started learning as a child in Columbus, Ohio. She refined those skills at Mary Washington, where she double-majored in biology and a self-designed course of Chinese cultural studies. Read more.

The Jepson Science Center invites you to our 2nd Annual Fall Research Symposium on Dec. 3. A poster session will be held from 4-6 p.m. in the Jepson Science Center. Come join us as our students present research culminating from various research intensive courses and independent research.

UMW students Avery Dover (left), a freshman from Wichita, Kansas, and Ainsley Rucker, a junior from Winchester, Virginia, finished first last week in the American Debate Association’s Fall Championship Tournament.

University of Mary Washington students have made it convincingly clear: They know how to debate.

In keeping with a longstanding winning tradition, the UMW Debate Team last week wrapped up back-to-back weekends of competitions with a first-place finish at the American Debate Association’s Fall Championship Tournament, proving they’ve adapted successfully to an online format.

Ainsley Rucker and Avery Dover were undefeated throughout the preliminary rounds and entered the elimination rounds as top seeds. They also each received individual speaking recognitions – Rucker, a junior from Winchester, earned second place, and Dover, a freshman from Wichita, Kansas, was the top speaker. The tournament, held via Zoom, attracted teams from states across the country, including California, Texas, Florida and Massachusetts. The pair debated teams from University of Houston, Missouri State University, University of Minnesota and Samford University.

The tournament’s topic was antitrust reform, and UMW’s team successfully argued both sides of the issue. In the finals, Rucker and Dover effectively advocated for antitrust reforms regarding patents, winning a 3-0 decision over a team from Liberty University. This was their second tournament win and final round against Liberty in November. The duo recently competed in that school’s debate tournament, besting teams from James Madison University in the semifinals, and Liberty in the finals. Read more.

UMW historic preservation students are working this semester with the Patawomeck and Rappahannock tribes on a Native American heritage driving trail in King George County.

John Blankenship’s passion for historic preservation is personal. A member of Virginia’s Patawomeck Indian Tribe, he’s always been interested in learning about his family tree and the roots his ancestors laid along the Potomac River.

“Since I was young, I’ve wanted to ensure that the people and events of the past are remembered,” he said, “and that their stories are told accurately.”

Blankenship is getting that chance in University of Mary Washington Assistant Professor Lauren McMillan’s Preservation in the Community course. During November’s National Native American Heritage Month, UMW juniors and seniors enrolled in this historic preservation seminar are collaborating with the Patawomeck and Rappahannock tribes to create a driving trail that honors their past and present.

McMillan, who has partnered with the tribes on archaeological excavation projects for previous courses, said their work has the potential to put the region on the map as a destination for those who wish to learn more about indigenous history and culture. Read more.

Sarah Repko ’19 poses in front of the Guggenheim Museum on a bridge leading to Deusto, where she’s on a fast track to earning a master’s degree in Spain, thanks to one of UMW’s new 4+1 international pathways.

For Sarah Repko ’19, home is where you never feel alone, no matter who’s around. It’s where you have a sense of peace, comfort and community.

That’s what Repko found at the University of Mary Washington, and that’s what she found nearly 4,000 miles away in Bilbao, Spain. There, she’s earning a master’s degree in international relations and business diplomacy at Universidad de Deusto. And she’s on a fast track for it, thanks to one of several new 4+1 partnerships between UMW and overseas schools. The pathways let students earn master’s degrees in half the time, while soaking up culture outside the U.S.

The rolling Nervión River. Charming, walkable neighborhoods. The food – savory pintxo, rich tortilla española. Repko embraced it all, and shortly after arriving in the Spanish port city for her first study abroad experience, she found herself texting Center for International Education (CIE) Director Jose Sainz.

“During the few weeks I’ve been in Bilbao, I’ve been thinking about either returning or staying an extra semester … ” she wrote in winter 2018. “Would it be possible and what would I have to do?” Read more.