December 25, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Read THE NIGHT WATCHMAN with Mary Washington’s Mother of All Book Clubs

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We are beginning the next round of reading in our online literary group, the Mother of All Book Clubs! This club is open to anyone with a connection to Mary Washington — alumni, parents, donors, faculty, and staff. Join us!

Our next selection is The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich. This book won the Pulitzer Prize this year, is a New York Times bestseller, and is on countless booklists.

From The New York Times:

“Early in this banquet of a novel that invites us back into Louise Erdrich’s ongoing Chippewa chronicles, a character on the reservation boasts, ‘Law can’t take my Indian out of me.’ Unfortunately, the United States government is hoping to do just that through the Termination Bill, an Orwellian plan that promises to ’emancipate’ Indigenous people from their lands and their tribal affiliations…

The novel’s title character, Thomas Wazhashk, is a night watchman for a factory where women of the Turtle Mountain clan work by day, using gemstones as drill bits for Defense Department ordnance and for Bulova watches. Among these working women is Thomas’s niece, Patrice, known against her will as Pixie. Thomas watches over the dark, possibly haunted factory to protect these gems from thieves. The novel follows the fates and struggles and adventures of these two people and the ever-expanding circles of their relations.”

Pick up a copy of the book and start reading–we will begin posting discussion questions on Monday, November 22. You might consider supporting an independent bookstore, or you could try your local library system.

We look forward to reading with you!

All the best,
The Alumni Relations Team

UMW Hosted Debate for 88th District House of Delegates Seat

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UMW hosted a public debate on Oct. 26, between candidates for Virginia’s 88th District House of Delegates seat.

UMW hosted a public debate on Oct. 26, between candidates for Virginia’s 88th District House of Delegates seat.

The University of Mary Washington hosted a public political debate between candidates for Virginia’s 88th District House of Delegates seat on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Democrat Kecia Evans, Republican Phillip Scott and Libertarian Tim Lewis faced off live via Zoom, with public viewing accessible through YouTube. Viewers were able to submit questions beforehand for consideration for inclusion in the debate. Incumbent Mark Cole (R) announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection after nearly two decades in office. The 88th district covers part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, Stafford and Fauquier counties.

“While COVID has forced us to debate online this fall, we can look forward to vigorous discussions about the path forward for Virginia,” said moderator Stephen Farnsworth, UMW professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. Read more.

Memoirist, Disability Rights Activist Kenny Fries Delivers Keynote

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Author and disability rights activist Kenny Fries delivered the keynote address for JFMC’s Disability Awareness Month and Gender & Sexual Minorities & Allies cultural celebration at UMW. Photo credit: Michael R. Dekker.

Author and disability rights activist Kenny Fries delivered the keynote address for JFMC’s Disability Awareness Month and Gender & Sexual Minorities & Allies cultural celebration at UMW. Photo credit: Michael R. Dekker.

Acclaimed writer Kenny Fries had a message to impart last week when he spoke to University of Mary Washington students: “Disability is just a different way of moving through the world.”

Fries, an author and activist whose work focuses on his experiences of being disabled and gay, came to UMW to deliver the keynote address for James Farmer Multicultural Center’s duo of commemorations: Disability Awareness Month and Gender & Sexual Minorities & Allies cultural celebration. The event was held in the University Center’s Chandler Ballroom and livestreamed via Zoom.

A prolific writer, Fries earned a master’s degree in playwriting from Columbia University. He has published the award-winning In the Province of the Gods, The History of My Shoes and The Evolution of Darwin’s Theory and Body, Remember: A Memoir as well as several books of poetry, and he edited the literary anthology Staring Back: The Disability Experience from the Inside Out. Fries is also the recipient of numerous awards, grants and fellowships and is a two-time Fulbright Scholar. Read more.

REAL TALK, Virtual Women’s Colloquium, Nov. 4

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Real Talk, Nov. 4, 8:30-10 a.m.

Real Talk is an action-packed, inspirational, and women-led series. The morning will include 90 minutes of short talks focusing on Resilience, Empowerment, Affirmation, and Leadership.

Resilience is one’s capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It connotes someone who is tough yet flexible. Resilience doesn’t imply that we always handle adversity well, it means that we come back—that we resume our shape and take our place in the world with new experiences and knowledge for the next part of our journey.

Empowerment refers to the process of becoming stronger and more confident. It can also refer to that act of granting power or authority. We often hear of empowerment in terms of career or life choices. Empowerment implies that there is a transfer or assumption of power from one being to another. There are stories of empowerment leading to creation, change, reinvention, and wellbeing.

Affirmation is an action that is grounded in truth and positivity. It connotes strength and requires witnesses. When someone affirms us, they shine a light on our truth in a way that we can see it and others can’t miss it. An affirmation is a chronicle of the process of shining and sharing these truths.

Leadership is an ability, position, or a state of being that influences others to do something that they would not have done absent the leader. It is a force that compels others to act based on physical, emotional, or symbolic cues. Leadership brings together while simultaneously holding the power to disrupt.

The short talks will be structured through a storytelling format where a presenter shows 20 slides for 20 seconds of commentary each. This “talk less, show more,” approach is inspired by PechaKucha.

 

Guest Speaker: Chef Joy Crump

Chef Joy Crump

Chef Joy Crump

Joy Crump, a Pennsylvania native, is known for crafting the seasons’ best locally-sourced ingredients into comfortably refined dishes.

A culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Crump honed her skills alongside Atlanta farm-to-table pioneers. Becoming a local entrepreneur, Crump opened her first restaurant, FOODE in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia with business partner Beth Black.

In 2014, the duo opened their second restaurant, the breakfast-centric Mercantile, also in Fredericksburg.

Crump is actively involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact Programs for Food Policy, Chef Advocacy, and Change. In September of 2018, she appeared in the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook, “Waste Not: How to Get the Most From Your Food.” The goal of the cookbook is to shine a light on the collective efforts of the food community to tackle the food waste epidemic.

She has also served on the Advisory Boards of the Monticello Heritage Harvest Festival and the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Most recently, she joined the Advisory Board of the James Beard Foundation.

Melchers Paintings on Loan for Florida Exhibition

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A selection of 18 paintings from the collection of Gari Melchers Home & Studio are on loan to the Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables, Florida. The paintings are featured in the Lowe’s exhibition An American Master at Home and Abroad: Gari Melchers (1860-1932) on view from November 18, 2021- February 13, 2022. 

Jointly curated with the Lowe Museum of Art, this exhibition surveys more than a half-century of Melchers’ career with key examples of the painting styles he favored, including landscape, genre scenes and portraiture. 

Gari Melchers was exceptionally versatile in his subject matter, being associated with Dutch peasant life, portraiture, the mother and child theme, landscapes, the nude and still life, as well as mural painting. His stylistic approach was equally eclectic, assimilating many of the progressive tendencies circulating around 1900, from academic realism to naturalism, symbolism and impressionism, but always in the service of old-fashioned, time-honored themes. In this way, Melchers amalgamated the old and the new into something uniquely his own. 

www.GariMelchers.org 

JFMC Accepting Programs for 2022 Women’s History Month

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Comic book lines on a red background with white text reading "2022 Women's History Month"The James Farmer Multicultural Center invites members of the University of Mary Washington community to submit proposals for the annual Women’s History Month Program. The theme for this celebration is, “The Power Behind Healing.” Proposals are due by Friday, December 3, 2021. The sponsor(s) will be notified promptly. Approved programs will be included on the Women’s History Month calendar, as well as in print and electronic publications. The 2022 Women’s History Month Program Proposal can be found here:  https://students.umw.edu/multicultural/files/2021/10/WHM-2022-Program-Proposal-Form.docx

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms. JoAnna Raucci (jraucci@umw.edu).

Justina Jones named November’s Excellent Eagle Employee!

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Congratulations to Justina Jones! Justina is USC’s Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of November. Below is what Shelby Orlando had to say about Justina, UMW’s student employment coordinator:

“Justina has been a tremendous asset to the University. It has been a true pleasure working with her on all of our student hiring needs over the past couple of years. She is prompt in her replies, always kind, helpful, and accurate. In my seven years of hiring students at the University, she has been the absolute best to work with, and I truly appreciate her dedication and her willingness to assist student hiring managers. I know her role is monumental, but she doesn’t make it seem overwhelming. Thank you, Justina, for all you do!”

Nominate your co-workers for the Excellent Eagle Employee award! It’s easy! Just complete the Excellent Eagle Employee Nomination Form on our website.