December 26, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Come out to the ballgame with UMW Alumni

by

Fredericksburg-area alumni are invited to join us at the FredNats ballpark for Mary Washington Alumni Night!

We’ll be cheering on our FredNats as they battle the Carolina Mudcats. Wear your Mary Wash gear and come join us!

Register here for a free game ticket. Then meet us at the stadium on gameday to pick up your ticket starting at 6:15pm; look for the blue UMW Alumni tent near the main gate. The ballpark has food and beverage concessions available; Thursday also is “Thirsty Thursday” with $2 beer specials.

Thursday, August 26
7:00-10:00pm (EDT)

FredNats Ballpark
42 Jackie Robinson Way
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401

Please note: Masks are required for unvaccinated attendees, though masks are welcome and encouraged for any guests who feel more comfortable wearing them. The outdoor nature of this event will enable social distancing for those who prefer it.

Pre-registration is required for this event, as tickets are limited. Parking is $5 per vehicle, and the park is cashless.

We look forward to seeing you at the ballpark!

 

REGISTER

UMW Earns Spot in Top-Selling ‘Fiske Guide to Colleges 2022’

by

For the 14th consecutive year, the Fiske Guide to Colleges has named the University of Mary Washington among the country’s best for delivering outstanding academics and reasonable prices.

UMW makes Fiske Guide to Colleges 2022Among top-selling publications that compare colleges, the prestigious Fiske Guide is often considered the gold standard resource. The 2022 edition, the 38th annual issue, features more than 300 of the “best and most interesting” public and private four-year colleges and universities in the nation as well as Canada, Great Britain and Ireland. Listings are based on questionnaires completed by administrators and a cross-section of students.

Along with strong academics, championship athletics and successful graduates, this year’s edition mentions Mary Washington’s beautiful campus, rich history and unique traditions like Eagle Gathering, Devil Goat Day and Junior Ring Week. The publication points to incoming students’ pledge to uphold the honor code, along with other shared experiences like a first-year seminar, common read and living-learning communities.

“Tradition is at the heart of UMW and is one of the many things that instills a sense of community here,” the publication quotes a student as saying. Read more.

Science Symposium Showcases Research That’s Making a Difference

by

Junior Karissa Highlander is one of 25 Mary Washington students participating in UMW’s Summer Science Symposium tomorrow. The event showcases months of student research aimed at finding solutions to real-world problems.

Junior Karissa Highlander is one of 25 Mary Washington students participating in UMW’s Summer Science Symposium tomorrow. The event showcases months of student research aimed at finding solutions to real-world problems.

University of Mary Washington junior Karissa Highlander has spent the summer researching an infectious illness. But not the one scientists have been focused on for the past 18 months.

Instead, Highlander, a biomedical sciences major, has been working on new treatments for tuberculosis. Though rare in the United States, antibiotic resistant strains of the deadly disease are prevalent in developing countries. “This research could provide protection to individuals living in areas with high rates of infection.”

Her study – along with that of 24 other undergraduates – were on display Wednesday at UMW’s Summer Science Symposium. The event, held via Zoom, showcased months of student research aimed at finding solutions to real-world problems. Alongside their professors, they’ve been exploring topics like the cancer-fighting potential of over-the-counter drugs, disease-causing parasites in tropical climates, toxicity of plastics and the impact of pollutants on aquatic ecosystems.

The 10-week Summer Science Institute (SSI) gives students from six disciplines – biology, chemistry, computer science, Earth and environmental sciences, physics and mathematics – a jumpstart on projects they’ll continue throughout their college careers.

“Independent research gives UMW students the opportunity to see the impact their work can make on the scientific community at large,” said Associate Professor of Chemistry Davis Oldham. “The experiments they’re doing today – working with cells, analyzing mixtures, writing code – may one day lead to big discoveries.” Read more.

UMW Trio Heads to Tokyo for Paralympic Games

by

Joey Peppersack '21, UMW Assistant Swim Coach Zach Shattuck and UMW Swim Coach Justin Anderson '10

Joey Peppersack ’21, UMW Assistant Swim Coach Zach Shattuck and UMW Swim Coach Justin Anderson ’10

UMW Assistant Swim Coach Zach Shattuck and Joey Peppersack ’21 are heading to Tokyo soon as members of the U.S. Paralympic Team, along with UMW Swim Coach Justin Anderson ’10 as an assistant coach for Team USA. The Paralympics run from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.

Shattuck and Peppersack have appeared on several regional media outlets:

Mary Washington’s Joey Peppersack, Zach Shattuck preparing for Paralympics (WRIC/ABC-8 in Richmond)

Two local athletes heading to Tokyo after making US Paralympics Swim Team (WJLA/ABC-7 in D.C.)

UMW Grad and Coach to Compete in Tokyo (WVTF Radio IQ) 

Peppersack, Shattuck fulfill quest, will compete at Tokyo Paralympic Games (The Free Lance-Star, Culpeper Star-Exponent)

Shattuck Eyes Gold in Tokyo for US Paralympic Swim Team (The Sports Pulse, Maryland)

UMW Honors Students Earn Early Selection to Med School

by

When Shreya Murali was in high school, she got the chance to observe an open-heart surgery. She watched, mesmerized, as the surgeon cut through the sternum to reveal the patient’s beating heart.

“At that moment, I knew I wanted to be in that room one day,” said prospective physician Murali, now a rising junior at the University of Mary Washington, where she’s already immersed in cutting-edge cancer research.

She’s getting a jumpstart on becoming a doctor, as one of three Mary Washington students recently accepted into The George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Thanks to an agreement between the two institutions, UMW Honors students can earn early selection to the highly competitive four-year program by applying during the spring semester of their sophomore year.

Eleven students have been accepted since the partnership was announced in 2015, with four UMW graduates enrolled as of this fall. In a couple of years, Murali, Abigail Delapenha and Hannah Harris will join them. Read more.

College of Education, City Spin New Type of Story

by

Walking along the Rappahannock Heritage Trail, Stephanie Gardner and her kids, Piper and Pierce, read ‘Alex’s Day on the Rappahannock,’ written and illustrated by students in UMW’s College of Education, as part of Fredericksburg Parks, Recreation and Events department’s new StoryWalk(R) project. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Walking along the Rappahannock Heritage Trail, Stephanie Gardner and her kids, Piper and Pierce, read ‘Alex’s Day on the Rappahannock,’ written and illustrated by students in UMW’s College of Education, as part of Fredericksburg Parks, Recreation and Events department’s new StoryWalk(R) project. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Each time Melissa Wells has taught “Literature and the Arts in Elementary Classrooms,” her students have partnered with local teachers to create children’s books to use in their classes.

That wasn’t an option after the pandemic hit, said Wells, an assistant professor in University of Mary Washington’s College of Education (COE). But her colleague, Leslie Martin, faculty director of UMW’s Center for Community Engagement, had an idea.

She put Wells in touch with Fredericksburg Parks, Recreation and Events department, which recently launched a StoryWalk® project to get kids outdoors and reading. This semester, Wells’ students wrote and designed a 20-page storybook, Alex’s Day on the Rappahannock, about a family discovering wildlife and safety while tubing on the river. Rather than paper, the pages will be printed on panels along the Rappahannock Heritage Trail.

“The arts got many of us through the pandemic,” said Wells, who teaches aspiring educators how to integrate arts and literature into their curriculum. “As human beings, we naturally process our world and experiences through storytelling, which can help teach concepts that lead to deeper learning.” Read more.

Urban Forester Finds Love of Nature at UMW

by

Sarah Hagan, an urban forester in Lynchburg, Virginia, discovered her passion for science while studying biology at UMW.

Sarah Hagan, an urban forester in Lynchburg, Virginia, discovered her passion for science while studying biology at UMW.

The 11,000 to 12,000 trees shading the streets and parks of Lynchburg, Virginia, are a lot to keep up with. But Sarah Hagan, a 2011 University of Mary Washington graduate, has charge of them all, from roots to crowns.

As Lynchburg’s urban forester, Hagan oversees trees individually but also as an interdependent whole – the urban canopy that keeps the city healthy, vibrant and beautiful. It’s an ever-changing responsibility, varying with each season, storm, dry spell and pest. And it’s an especially pertinent position today, during National Forest Week, a celebration of America’s 193-million-acre system. Read more.

Join the discussion: Become a 2021 Common Experience facilitator

by

Dear Colleagues:

The UMW Common Experience is one of the first opportunities for incoming first-year students to interact with members of the greater UMW community. The Common Experience is both academic and social in that incoming students have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with each other, returning students, faculty, staff and community members. The Common Experience 2021 is built around Living on Auto-Pilot, an episode from PBS’s Hacking Your Mind series. This documentary illustrates the many ways our “auto-pilot” mental processes can cause us to respond automatically or with bias, and offers suggestions for engaging our “slow-thinking” system to make more reasoned, less biased decisions. We rely on our auto-pilot systems to make quick decisions, but these systems can be duped by advertisers. And, auto-pilot thinking is influenced by implicit biases, which can lead to biased actions. We’ll use this documentary and implicit bias tests to launch a discussion with students about these critical topics.

First-year students will kick off their academic experiences in FSEM sections along with one or two community members in the Common Experience 2021 discussion. Please join the Common Experience discussion with our incoming students during New Student Arrival. Question prompts, additional information, and training will be provided in advance to help guide discussion. Date and format is still to be determined but we are hopeful for an in-person experience on Friday morning, August 20.

If you would like to volunteer to guide a discussion group as a co-facilitator, please click here to indicate your interest. Questions can be sent to awynn@umw.edu.

Thank you,

April Wynn – Faculty Director of the First Year Experience

The Common Experience 2021 Committee

 

If the hyperlink above does not work, please copy this address into your browser to volunteer: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=E8mlZpm3iEqGBkHQQRdiZ9IPgJO2Z_5Mkib29wrbetNUQ1ZCU1ZLSkQ4UU5TQ1lISE5HUjM4REIyQS4u

UMW emerging leader program looking for faculty/staff/student facilitators

by

From the Office of Student Activities and Engagement (SAE)

Dear Colleagues:

This year, UMW welcomes the first cohort of the new Presidential Emerging Leaders Program (PELP). The PELP program is designed to grow and develop students’ life and professional skills. We are looking for faculty, staff, students, and community members to facilitate discussions about leadership and leadership development. These interactive bi-weekly meetings are scheduled for Tuesday evenings throughout the academic year.

If you are interested in facilitating or suggesting a facilitator, please fill out this form. The PELP committee may not schedule every interested individual to facilitate; still, as the program grows, we will need support in other ways, such as participating in panel discussions and sharing advice with PELP students across the many facets of their experience.

Link to the facilitator interest form: https://umw.presence.io/form/pelp-facilitation-interest-facilitator-suggestion-form.

Young Alumna Wins County-Wide Elementary Teacher Award

by

UMW alumna Amelia Carr recently received the 2021 New Elementary Teacher award from Fairfax County Public Schools. Carr earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2019 and a master’s degree in elementary education from UMW’s College of Education last year.

UMW alumna Amelia Carr recently received the 2021 New Elementary Teacher award from Fairfax County Public Schools. Carr earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2019 and a master’s degree in elementary education from UMW’s College of Education last year.

When Amelia Carr taught her kindergartners to recognize words by sight, she got a little help from her siblings. In a YouTube video, the trio belts out Sister Sledge’s ’70s anthem We Are Family, with Carr demonstrating on a whiteboard how to write the word “we.”

For her ingenuity, passion and knack for making learning fun, the University of Mary Washington alumna was recently named Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2021 Outstanding New Elementary Teacher.

In her classroom at Bucknell Elementary, a Title I school near her hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, Carr puts into practice the lessons she learned at UMW. Navigating a worldwide pandemic and teaching online was challenging, she said, but also a confidence and creativity builder. “I wanted to make my instruction as engaging as possible,” she said of virtual learning, which lasted through late February for most of her students. Read more.