Category: What’s New @ UMW

The University of Mary Washington is listed among Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges” for 2012.

The university ranks fifth among Virginia’s best values and 44th out of 100 four-year public institutions nationwide when comparing tuition costs, according to the February 2012 issue of Kiplinger’s. The list is available online at www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges.

The magazine selects the best values from a pool of more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, ranking them on academic quality, including admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios and four- and six-year graduation rates, as well as on cost and financial aid.

For more information, read the full press release.

UMW, and UMW Blogs in particular, is being heralded in Richard Demillo’s new book Abelard to Apple: The Fate of American Colleges and Universities as a space of great educational ferment, to quote from George Leef’s review of the book here. In fact, Leef’s review not only examines more popular open education mainstays like MIT’s Open Courseware, but spends a bit of time discussing the role of networked culture in re-imagining the future of higher education:

Open courseware is not the only way online learning is going to change higher education. DeMillo observes that whereas the traditional college class involves the broadcasting of information from the professor to (doubtfully alert) students, blogs involve rich connection networks where students and instructors interact and share their questions and information.

In that regard, DeMillo points to a little-known school where there is great educational ferment: “At the University of Mary Washington, learning takes place in the digital spaces engineered by Jim Groom and his band of Edupunks. At UMW, learning takes place in blogs.”

And when highlighting the importance of a networked culture for the future of learning at institutions UMW is highlighted as a model. UMW Blogs provides more than open resources and lectures on the internet, it also enables the ability to interact and share ideas and resources that helps bridge the gap between institutions of higher learning and the web.

James Bacon, proprietor of the Bacon’s Rebellion blog that focuses on all things Virginia, not only gave UMW kudos in for its work with UMW Blogs in his post on the DeMillo book, but also points out what remains the most important lesson of UMW Blogs. The open publishing platform is not remarkable because it is single-handedly transforming higher education (such an assertion would be absurd), but rather it is how this platform embodies “the process of experimentation” that is still in its infancy when it comes to the future of higher education. To Mary Washington’s great credit, it has been on the bleeding edge of innovation in this regard for more than seven years.

Image credit:  Ethan Hein’s “Hyperbolic orthogonal dodecahedral honeycomb”

Plans are moving forward for the University of Mary Washington Foundation’s construction of a $14 million-plus select-service hotel in the second phase of the Eagle Village mixed-use development across U.S. 1 from the Fredericksburg campus of the University of Mary Washington. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2012.

The five-story hotel, to be located between Giant Food and the Eagle Village Executive Offices, will feature 93 studio rooms or suites, several meeting and conference rooms for public use, and a 24-hour food and beverage service for guests. The 66,500-square-foot facility also will include an indoor pool and a fitness center. In addition, the building will house approximately 1,600 square feet of retail space, possibly a day spa, according to Jeff Rountree, CEO of the UMW Foundation and President, Eagle Property Holdings, LLC.

Construction will begin when demolition of the shopping center north of Giant is complete. The hotel is expected to open by fall 2013. Currently, the Foundation is negotiating the franchise agreement for the hotel brand, which will be announced once the agreement is finalized in early May.

Congratulations to Jason Harrington, network analyst expert in Network and Communications Services, who has been selected as an Excellent Eagle Employee by the Staff Advisory Council. To thank him for such a wonderful job, Jason will have a reserved parking spot of his choosing from Tuesday, January 3 through Tuesday, January 31.

Here is what one of Jason’s co-workers said about him:

“Jason received his CCNA, or Cisco Certified Network Associate Certification in September 2011.  Typically, only 40 percent of test takers pass the CCNA on the first attempt.  Jason did. He continues to excel in his role here at UMW.  He is currently completing configuration of the router, switches, packet shaper, firewall, DNS/DHCP Appliance and Voice Over IP equipment for the Dahlgren Campus.  Professional services to configure these devices would be a major expense.  Jason’s excellence has saved us money and put us well ahead of schedule.”

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, just send an email to Dre Anthes (aanthes@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the Subject Line.  In your email, be sure to include the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized.  Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

Esfuerzo de Amor is having a holiday sale!  We need to clear out our inventory so that we have a reason to buy more products when we return to Honduras this January.  Our gifts are perfectly priced for the holidays, with six priced under $10!

The following items are available in the UMW Bookstore or online at http://host1.sequoiars.com/ePOS?store=313&form=shared3%2findex.html:

Bobby Pins: $3

Headbands: $5

Earrings (Straight): $6

Earrings (Hoops): $7

Clutches (XS): $7

Clutches (S):  $9

Clutches (M): $11

Clutches (L): $15

Clutches (XL): $26

They make great stocking stuffers and are perfect for gift-exchanges with friends and co-workers, for your babysitter, for your mail carrier…the possibilities are endless!

Each Esfuerzo de Amor product is hand-crafted in the homes of our artisans out of discarded chip bags and soda labels.  When you buy an Esfuerzo de Amor product:

• You generate needed income for our Honduran artisans and their families who live below $2 a day.
• You support our microloan program in Honduras which is funded by the profits from every purchase.
• You support a UMW student-run social enterprise.

Esfurezo de Amor products are gifts that give back. Happy Holidays!

LEARN MORE: http://esfuerzodeamor.org/

LIKE US on FB: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ESFUERZO-de-AMOR/238912846163408

Message from Shawn Humphrey, associate professor of economics