March 13, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Students Wild for Smithsonian Endangered Species Program

by

Sophomore Liliana Ramirez (pictured here) and junior Maddie Lichter are the first two students to participate in a partnership between UMW and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.

Sophomore Liliana Ramirez (pictured here) and junior Maddie Lichter are the first two students to participate in a partnership between UMW and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.

Liliana Ramirez and Madelyn “Maddie” Lichter know that residence hall life can be a bit like living in a zoo. So these University of Mary Washington students felt prepared for all the wildlife sounds and smells they’ve experienced over the last several months.

Both pursuing UMW’s new conservation biology major, Ramirez and Lichter are pioneer participants in a new partnership between Mary Washington and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. The pair has spent the last semester engaged in a new kind of “domestic study abroad experience,” conducting hands-on research on endangered animal and plant species at Front Royal’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on 3,200 acres of forest, grasslands and pasture along the Shenandoah River.

“We hear wolves howling, and whooping cranes going at it. Last night, I heard something that sounded very zebra-like,” said Ramirez, mimicking the noise she heard while falling asleep in the residence hall. The building is one of three on campus, which also includes a dining common area and an academic center with state-of-the-art classrooms and research labs. Read more.

Alumna Pledges Gift Match to Beyond the Classroom Endowment

by

Catherine ‘Cathie’ O’Connor Woteki ’69 and husband Tom will match all contributions dollar for dollar to the College of Arts and Science’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment Fund through the end of July.

Catherine ‘Cathie’ O’Connor Woteki ’69 and husband Tom will match all contributions dollar for dollar to the College of Arts and Science’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment Fund through the end of July.

Long before she led the effort to modernize food safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Catherine O’Connor Woteki ’69 was a student lab assistant in Combs Hall.

“Doing behind-the-scenes prep work and just being able to hang around the lab was so helpful,” she said of her 1968 position in Mary Washington’s biology department. “I became much more comfortable working in a lab environment.”

Woteki, who goes by Cathie, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Mary Washington, where she served as class treasurer and helped pay her way through school with summer jobs. She wants to provide today’s UMW students with opportunities to discover their strengths and passions, just as her early lab experiences helped to inspire her career as an internationally known leader in science policy with a flair for food and nutrition that’s influenced public wellbeing.

Through the end of July, Cathie and husband Tom will match, dollar for dollar, all gifts to UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment for student research and learning. The University’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) aims to raise $1 million for this new fund to support internships, study abroad, independent research and other high-impact learning experiences. Read more.

Because of You

by

Learn about the background, challenges, and aspirations of three incredible UMW students in Because of You. This custom video highlights how the lives of three scholarship recipients – Bailey Johnson ’21, Justin Daniels ’23, and Courtney Burrows B.A. ’17 M.Ed. ’18 – have been impacted by the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends. These inspiring and heartwarming stories affirm the transformative power of philanthropy on UMW students and the Mary Washington community.

http://bit.ly/umwbecause

 

1301 Hen House – a “Ghost Kitchen” – Comes to UMW

by

Get ready to enjoy some great “chickee” dishes from University Dining’s new ghost kitchen – 1301 Hen House! While the campus eateries are closed for the summer, the chefs have tapped into the new “delivery only” dining craze that doesn’t require any physical restaurant space. All the food is ordered online, prepared in the University Center kitchen, and then delivered to guests by Grubhub. Service is offered daily between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The fun and quirky menu includes super loaded “Chicken Feed” curly fries, “Hen House” chicken tenders, “Chicken Coop Greens” salads, and “Barnyard Bites” – sweet or savory donut holes. The culinary team created a special gluten-free breading for the tenders, and the “Hippie Chick” vegetarian mixed greens salad is right on trend with honey-glazed tofu, dried cranberries, a quinoa blend, walnuts, and a Madras curry apricot vinaigrette.

The full menu can be viewed on Facebook @1301 Hen House. Orders may be placed using the regular marketplace Grubhub app. Just search for 1301 Hen House. The campus Grubhub app only serves campus restaurants and is currently closed for the summer. It will become active again when University Dining restaurants reopen on August 21st.

For additional information contact Rose Benedict at 540-654-2169 or rbenedic@UMW.edu.

MENU

Student Research Fuels Professor’s ‘Costs of War’ Report

by

A ‘Costs of War’ report authored by Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson speaks to the importance of America’s allies in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A ‘Costs of War’ report authored by Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson speaks to the importance of America’s allies in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, draws near, troops are finally leaving the dusty deserts and treacherous mountains of Afghanistan. The departure marks the end of America’s longest war and highlights a full-circle moment for UMW Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson.

“I was always really taken by, to be completely blunt, the brutality of war and its effects on people’s lives,” said Davidson, whose study, The Costs of War to United States Allies Since 9/11, is making waves, landing lately in the likes of Forbes, The Guardian and Daily Mail. “This report … brings me back to that original impulse.”

The 12-page document delves into the human and monetary toll the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have taken on America’s allies, who apart from their ties to the U.S., may not have had cause to be in the Middle East during the past two decades at all. The research took Davidson – and recent Mary Washington graduate Rachel McVicker ’21 – down a rabbit hole of government databases, embassy archives, parliamentary requests and personal connections.

“This process definitely taught me a lot about how to get deep into foreign country documents,” said McVicker, who majored in international affairs, with a minor in security and conflict studies – Davidson’s specialty. Read more. 

Donors Made Lasting Impact on #MaryWashDay

by

The results of 2021 Mary Wash Giving Day are in – the UMW community donated 3,453 gifts, totaling nearly $600K.

The results of 2021 Mary Wash Giving Day are in – the UMW community donated 3,453 gifts, totaling nearly $600K.

On Mary Wash Giving Day, the volume of donations over 24 hours was equivalent to the quantity typically received by the University over several months. Now that all online, mailed and phoned-in contributions made on April 13 have been tallied, the day’s official results are in: 3,453 gifts—exceeding the day’s goal of 3,000—totaling $598,326.

Ardent support from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends of the University was especially heartening this year, following the cancellation of Giving Day in 2020. The Mary Washington community paid it forward in countless ways, sponsoring challenges and matches, spreading the word as Giving Day Ambassadors and posting photos of their pets decked out in Mary Washington bandannas. Read more.

UMW Graduates Class of 2021

by

Class of 2021 graduate Makayla Ferrell was among the 1,181 UMW graduates who participated in Commencement last week after completing their final year of college in a global pandemic. Photo by Melissa Waller Photography.

Class of 2021 graduate Makayla Ferrell was among the 1,181 UMW graduates who participated in Commencement last week after completing their final year of college in a global pandemic. Photo by Melissa Waller Photography.

The University of Mary Washington conferred degrees upon a total of 1,181 students during its 110th commencement last week. For the first time, UMW held six different ceremonies for Class of 2021 undergraduate and graduate students on Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9. In addition, the University had three ceremonies for the Class of 2020, which were held on Thursday and Friday, May 6 and 7.

The University awarded 13 Master of Geospatial Analysis degrees, 20 Master of Business Administration degrees, 75 Master of Education degrees, 38 Master of Science in Elementary Education degrees, 446 Bachelor of Arts degrees, 502 Bachelor of Science degrees, 39 Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees and 48 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

All degrees will be officially conferred on May 17, 2021. We regret any errors that may inadvertently appear in this listing. Read more. 

Read THE WITCH ELM with Mary Washington’s Mother Of All Book Clubs

by

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 Witch Elm, by Tana French. This book was a New York Times notable book and was named a Best Book of 2018 by a slate of publications and literary organizations.

Paraphrased from Amazon: Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life. After surprising two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead, Toby struggles to recover from his injuries and takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home. When a skull is found in the trunk of a tree in the garden, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past might not be what it seemed. A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become–and what we’re capable of–when we no longer know who we are.

Pick up a copy of the book and start reading–we will begin posting discussion questions on Monday, June 14. You might have a small-business bookseller you like to support, or you might want to try your local library system. But if you need the book shipped, below are some links to larger online providers.

We look forward to reading with you!

All the best,
The Alumni Relations Team

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Target

 

Looking ahead to future selections in order to get on library waitlists? Here are the next few books we plan to read (keep in mind that changes are possible):

The Shakespeare Requirement, by Julie Schumacher

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

The Code Breaker, by Walter Isaacson

UMW Pivots for COVID-Era Commencements

by

The University of Mary Washington will hold nine separate in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 over the course of four days, May 6 to 9. Photo by Norm Shafer.

The University of Mary Washington will hold nine separate in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 over the course of four days, May 6 to 9. Photo by Norm Shafer.

Hannah Checkeye ’21 will cross the University of Mary Washington Commencement stage this weekend with more than she could have imagined when she came to campus four years ago.

She chose UMW because it gave her a pathway to pursue two passions: lacrosse and med school. Successful in both, she’s among a handful of students accepted into an early selection program at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She’s just one example of UMW graduating seniors who are “Portraits of Perseverance,” having excelled in academics and extracurricular activities through a worldwide pandemic and turbulent times.

And COVID only enhanced her college experience.

With pandemic precautions in place, Checkeye is one of 1,100 graduates who will turn their tassels – ready to take on a world that’s already handed them test after test – during UMW’s in-person 2020 and 2021 Commencement festivities. The event will look different this year, with nine separate ceremonies over the course of four days, May 6 to 9. But, Checkeye said, “I’m still super excited to get to graduate in person!”

Visit the UMW Commencement Page for details and upcoming livestreams.