Category: What’s New @ UMW

Construction for the new Convergence Center is underway, with an anticipated completion date of spring 2014. A detour behind Simpson Library, scheduled to open on Monday, August 6, will allow pedestrians to bypass the construction site. The detour configuration will remain in effect for the duration of the project.

For more information, contact Len Shelton, associate director of capital planning and construction, at lshelton@umw.edu, or visit the Convergence Center project website at provost.umw.edu/convergence-center/.

The ceramics kiln behind the fine arts complex of Melchers, Pollard and duPont halls on the Fredericksburg campus started showing its age. The wood had rotted in some places and the paint began chipping away from years of outdoor exposure.

Carole Garmon, professor of art at the University of Mary Washington, saw potential.

She and the 12 students in her installation art class this summer decided to give the kiln a makeover.  They brushed it with recycled paint, repaired the decaying wood and hung plants and flowers from the outside of the structure.

Even the plants were “recycled.”  When Director of Landscape and Grounds Joni Wilson heard about Garmon’s project, she harvested plants from the Dahlgren campus’ vegetative roof and delivered them to the class.

And that’s just for starters.

With the help of her student artists, Garmon plans to turn the art complex into an oasis for students, faculty and staff.

She calls it an exercise in “making art from nothing.”

The class, held during the first eight-week summer session, also transformed the Melchers Hall second-floor terrace into a more colorful space.

The students, including junior studio art major Robert Luther, painted the area in bright shades of pink, blue and green geometric shapes to play off the shadows.

Luther, who recently transferred to UMW from Germanna Community College, enjoyed his first class at Mary Washington so much he decided to stay on after the summer session ended to continue the work, spending six hours a day repainting the furniture and floor of the Melchers Hall terrace.

“This project helps us form a community in our department,” he said. “It reinforces our togetherness.”

While refurbishing the old, the artists are intent on preserving the past.

Artwork from former students–a mural on one of the terrace columns, miniature clay figurines perched on a railing and signatures of previous students–are incorporated in the new design. The garden and the terrace show how collaboration between departments and thinking out side of the box can work.

“We try to create spaces that promote creative thinking,” Garmon said. “This has been a really good lesson in going low-tech and making something cool happen.”

On Wednesday, July 25, Jepson Hall was home to more than 20 posters and presentations on topics ranging from acid mine drainage to zebrafish as part of the 2012 Summer Science Symposium. UMW’s Summer Science Institute, a 10-week undergraduate research program, started in 1999.

At the symposium’s awards ceremony, Yoshi Takeda won first place for his oral presentation “Turtles in the Fredericksburg Canal: Identifying and Estimating Populations Sizes,” under the direction of Professor Werner Wieland. Robert Higgins won second place for his oral presentation “Pegylation of Guanyl Pyrazole to Provide a Guanidinylation Reagent,” under the

direction of Professor Janet Asper.

In the poster category, Robert Clark won first place for his project “Spatial and Isotopic Analysis of Soil Erosion and Sediment Fluxes in Three Rappahannock River Tributaries, Stafford County, Virginia,” under the direction of Professor Ben Kisila. Sarah Marzec won second place in the poster category for her project “Phylogenetic Classification of Nematodes,” under the direction of Professor Theresa Grana.

The symposium program lists abstracts of all 22 presentations and posters.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio is hosting a fall trip to Newport, R.I., from Friday, October 5 through Monday, October 8.  The trip includes visits to several famous Newport mansions with accommodations at the harborside Marriott.  UMW faculty and staff receive museum members’ special price.  Newport in the Fall2

July 2012 Updates and Announcements

• Parking Management News
  • Welcome Will!
  • New Parking Management Team
  • Lot Closures
• Purchasing News
  • SPCC Credit Back-up
  • eVA changes
  • New Exclusive Beverage Campus Contract
  • On-site Campus Work Requires Certificate of Insurance
• EagleOne Downtime

Welcome Will!

UMW welcomes the newest member of our Parking Management family, Will Barnett.  Will joins the Parking team as a Community Service Officer, focusing on safe access to campus and parking enforcement.  We wish him well in his new role at UMW.

________________________________________________________________________

The New Parking Management Team

The Parking Management office has filled positions that were previously vacant which will allow the University to maintain consistent enforcement of parking regulations throughout the year.  If any UMW employee is uncertain as to the rules and where they are allowed to park, please visit the parking management website or contact Robin.

Robin Jones 540-654-1129 or visit the website at: http://adminfinance.umw.edu/parking/

________________________________________________________________________

Lot Closures

Several parking lots will be closed over the next few weeks due to lot paving and repair.

UMW Apartments-  week of Aug. 3

Russell and Marshall lots-  Aug 8 – 15

_________________________________________________________________________

SPCC REMINDER! …

Credits to SPCC transactions must also include supporting documentation within the cardholder file.

_________________________________________________________________________

SPCC NEWS

Beat the Sweep…SPCC Cardholders and Reviewers are now receiving a monthly “Beat the Sweep” email from Melissa Myers, UMW SPCC Program Administrator.  The message advises cardholders and reviewers to code and sign-off of all transactions in advance of the 22^nd of each month in order to comply with program timelines.

Important things to remember:

–        If you will be out of the office and unable to meet the monthly sign-off deadline, notify the Purchasing Office in advance of your departure.

–        Cardholders must code transactions timely; transactions will route to reviewers only after they are coded and signed-off by cardholder.   Reviewers will not see transactions that are unsigned by cardholders.

If you have any questions, please contact the SPCC Program Administrator, Melissa Myers: mmyers@umw.edu or call x1057.

__________________________________________________________________________

eVA CHANGES

The recent upgrade to the eVA system will mask the TIN# on orders formats, whether they are printed, faxed or emailed.  The eVA changes may cause some UMW employees to experience issues with change orders.  If a problem occurs, please contact a member of the Purchasing office for assistance.

___________________________________________________________________________

CONTRACT NEWS

Recently Awarded:

• Exclusive Beverage – Pepsi

__________________________________________________________________________

ON-SITE CAMPUS WORK – CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

Any on-site campus service work by a vendor requires that UMW obtain a certificate of insurance.  Please contact a member of the Purchasing Office for assistance.

__________________________________________________________________________

EAGLEONE DOWNTIME

EagleOne card purchase locations will experience several days of downtime in early August due to system upgrades.

_________________________________________________________________________

Please contact Business Services for information and assistance at x1576.

Erma A. Baker   CPPO, VCO

Assistant Vice President for Business Services and CPO

University of Mary Washington

1301 College Avenue

Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401

ebaker@umw.edu

540-654-2043