December 29, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

UMW Students Earn Voter Participation Award

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Center for Community Engagement Associate Director Sarah Dewees, A.J. Robinson, Stephanie Turcios and Amber Brown show off UMW’s Platinum Seal award at the 2019 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Center for Community Engagement Associate Director Sarah Dewees, A.J. Robinson, Stephanie Turcios and Amber Brown show off UMW’s Platinum Seal award at the 2019 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

On the heels of last week’s statewide elections, UMW received the 2019 ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Platinum Seal for schools with a student voter participation rate above 50 percent. Center for Community Engagement Associate Director Sarah Dewees accepted the award Tuesday with students at a ceremony held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

“I’m proud of our students but not surprised,” said President Troy Paino. “This national recognition reflects just one aspect of the longstanding commitment of Mary Washington’s faculty, staff and students to civic engagement.”

Since its 2016 launch, the challenge, a national initiative, has recognized and supported institutions of higher education in their efforts to achieve full student voter participation, promote an informed electorate and make civic engagement a core value on their campuses. To date, over 6.2 million students and more than 560 colleges and universities have taken the challenge. Read more. 

Leadership Colloquium Challenges Women: ‘Be Your Own Hero’

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Cosmo Fujiyama, who owns a consulting firm in education design, was the keynote speaker at the 26th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @ UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Cosmo Fujiyama, who owns a consulting firm in education design, was the keynote speaker at the 26th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @ UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

At 25, Cosmo Fujiyama was at a crossroads, stalled between an internship and grad school. She’d had a long day at a professional conference, and she was feeling tired and drained. The last place she wanted to go was to a group dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

“It turned out to be an incredible opportunity,” Fujiyama told a roomful of women at UMW’s Stafford Campus, thanks to five words from the young man she sat down beside: “What’s bringing you joy lately?”

The question was pivotal for Fujiyama, now 34, who runs a Brooklyn-based consulting firm dedicated to bringing joy and emotional intelligence to the places people work and learn. She repeated the words on Thursday in her keynote address at the 26th annual Women’s Leadership Colloquium @ UMW.

Designed to foster the connectivity of professional women and inspire them toward a lifetime of leadership, the colloquium attracts managers, administrators, educators, business owners and representatives from the public and private sectors each year. Last Thursday’s event – brimming with breakout workshops; networking opportunities; and a colloquium-first, one-on-one career coaching sessions – revolved around the theme “Be Your Own Hero.” Read more.

UMW’s Great Lives Lecture Series Announces 17th Season

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Professor Emeritus William Crawley, founder and director of Great Lives, announces the 17th season of the biographical lecture series to a packed reception at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Professor Emeritus William Crawley, founder and director of Great Lives, announces the 17th season of the biographical lecture series to a packed reception at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Hollywood actress-turned-inventor Hedy Lamarr and children’s author Theodor Geisel – better known as Dr. Seuss – are among the prominent individuals to be featured in this year’s William B. Crawley Great Lives lecture series.

Now in its 17th year, the stellar season was revealed to a packed reception Wednesday evening at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center. Lectures will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, from Jan. 21 to April 14, at the University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus. They are free and open to the public without admission tickets.

Bestselling biographers – many of whom are distinguished historians and award-winning journalists – have spent countless hours chronicling the fascinating lives of their iconic subjects. At UMW, they’ll showcase these celebrated historical figures – notorious, in some cases – and provide illuminating insight into their lives and loves, successes and failures, strengths and struggles.

“I always say this, but this season is probably the most impressive lineup ever,” said Professor Emeritus William Crawley, Great Lives founder and director, who added he is confident that audiences will find multiple topics of interest. Read more. 

PCOW: Savor the Moment Challenge

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The President’s Council on Wellness has a social media challenge for the month of November: “Savor the Moment.” Take some time and stop and appreciate each moment in your life. Snap a photo of one of those moments, whether you are enjoying a walk outside with the falling leaves, a cup of hot chocolate/coffee, or having a good time with friends and family. Post your photo on Instagram or Facebook and tag @UMW_Wellness with #UMWSavorthemoment. Everyone who posts a photo will be entered into a raffle and we will draw one prize winner each week to win a gratitude journal during the month of November!

“Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Actors Split Role in UMW Musical ‘Fun Home’

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In UMW Theatre’s production of Tony Award-winning musical ‘Fun Home,’ three actors – Madison Neilson, Olivia Whicheloe and Lydia Hundley – portray graphic novelist Alison Bechdel at various stages of her life. Photo by Geoff Greene.

In UMW Theatre’s production of Tony Award-winning musical ‘Fun Home,’ three actors – Madison Neilson, Olivia Whicheloe and Lydia Hundley – portray graphic novelist Alison Bechdel at various stages of her life. Photo by Geoff Greene.

A pivotal scene in UMW Theatre’s current musical features the protagonist recalling a drive she took with her late father. Struggling to find the words, they sing a heartbreaking duet about their failure to have an open and honest conversation.

“I’ve lived that exact moment, looking out the car window because I didn’t know what to say to my dad,” said senior Lydia Hundley, who plays the college-aged Alison Bechdel, who later became a successful graphic novelist, in Fun Home. Hundley credits Bechdel’s critically acclaimed memoir and the musical it inspired for teaching her how to communicate with her own parents.

She’s one of three actors who will portray Bechdel at various stages of her life. Junior Madison Neilson plays her at age 10, and senior Olivia Whicheloe portrays her as an adult. The show, which continues UMW’s 2019-20 theatre season, runs Nov. 14 to 16 and Nov. 21 to 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. in duPont Hall’s Klein Theatre. Tickets cost $25 for general admission, and $20 for students, senior citizens, alumni and military. Read more. 

Mary Washington Casts Vote for Participation on Election Day

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Forty-five students registered to vote during UMW’s celebration of National Voter Registration Day. Photo by Matthew Sanders.

Forty-five students registered to vote during UMW’s celebration of National Voter Registration Day. Photo by Matthew Sanders.

When voters from across Virginia voice their opinions at the polls tomorrow, UMW students will be among them. That’s thanks in part to rides being offered all day to students who wish to cast ballots.

“Civic engagement isn’t just an idea at Mary Washington,” said Sarah Dewees, Associate Director of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), which will provide rides, along with UMW Votes, Citizens for Democracy and other campus groups. “It’s a way of life.”

With a voting rate higher than the national average – and lots of planning and energy – UMW students have worked all year to keep it that way, from prepping voters for trips to the polls to establishing a “2020 Day on Democracy,” allowing classes to be cancelled on Election Day next year.

“When individuals miss their opportunity to vote, they miss their chance to have their voices heard,” said UMW Voting Ambassador Kayli Ottomanelli, a junior who cited issues that matter to undergrads, like tuition rates and student loan debt. “When younger generations don’t turn out to vote, we’re allowing older generations to decide on these significant matters for us.” Read more. 

Actors Split Role in UMW Musical ‘Fun Home’

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In UMW Theatre’s production of Tony Award-winning musical ‘Fun Home,’ three actors – Madison Neilson, Olivia Whicheloe and Lydia Hundley – portray graphic novelist Alison Bechdel at various stages of her life. Photo by Geoff Greene.

In UMW Theatre’s production of Tony Award-winning musical ‘Fun Home,’ three actors – Madison Neilson, Olivia Whicheloe and Lydia Hundley – portray graphic novelist Alison Bechdel at various stages of her life. Photo by Geoff Greene.

A pivotal scene in UMW Theatre’s upcoming musical features the protagonist recalling a drive she took with her late father. Struggling to find the words, they sing a heartbreaking duet about their failure to have an open and honest conversation.

“I’ve lived that exact moment, looking out the car window because I didn’t know what to say to my dad,” said senior Lydia Hundley, who plays the college-aged Alison Bechdel, who later became a successful graphic novelist, in Fun Home. Hundley credits Bechdel’s critically acclaimed memoir and the musical it inspired for teaching her how to communicate with her own parents.

She’s one of three actors who will portray Bechdel at various stages of her life. Junior Madison Neilson plays her at age 10, and senior Olivia Whicheloe portrays her as an adult. The show, which continues UMW’s 2019-20 theatre season, kicks off tonight with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview Performance in Klein Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The box office opens at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Read more. 

Student Philanthropy Week – Coffee for a Cause

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We invite all UMW community members to join us on November 13 to celebrate Student Philanthropy Week! Students, staff and community members will have an opportunity to try a special latte at Katora. Stop by Katora Cafe UMW or Katora Coffee downtown to purchase an Eagle latte or a Blue and Grey latte with a chocolate chip cookie. Half of the proceeds will go to the Fund for Mary Washington!

Mary Talks: ‘Frank Sinatra and the Development of the Concept Album’

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Join us on campus for our next Mary Talk of the 2019-20 academic year.

James Brooks Kuykendall, professor and chair of the music department at UMW, will present “Frank Sinatra and the Development of the Concept Album.”

Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) was one of the greatest American performing artists—leaving a legacy both as a singer and as an Oscar-winning film star. Less appreciated, perhaps, was his pioneering artistic vision. At the advent of the long-playing record, Sinatra recognized its potential not merely as a medium for a series of songs all on one disc, but for a sustained artistic statement. In his 1950s series of Capitol Records albums (including In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Songs for Swingin’ Lovers, Close to You, Come Fly with Me, and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely), Sinatra explored how to create musical coherence in large-scale structures. In so doing, he shaped the work of successive musicians across all genres.

Wednesday, November 13
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Digital Auditorium,
Hurley Convergence Center
On Campus

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The lecture will end at approximately 8 p.m., allowing time for a Q&A session with Professor Kuykendall. Please join us for light refreshments at the conclusion of the program. This event is free, but registration is requested so we will know to expect you. If you haven’t already, register today!

You can attend this Talk either in person or online! To attend on campus, click “Register to Attend in Person” below. If you instead would like to view the Talk online (either live or at a later time), click “Register to View Online,” and you will receive a link to view the online video.

We look forward to seeing you either on campus or online!

Register to attend in person. 

Register to view online. 

 

Recently Discovered Gari Melchers Painting Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer

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"Winter" by Gari Melchers.

“Winter” by Gari Melchers.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the recently discovered Gari Melchers’ painting, Winter, that was stolen by the Nazis in 1933. The work bears a striking resemblance to a Melchers’ painting, entitled Skaters, that is in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ (PAFA) permanent collection.

Winter was among 1,200 works the Nazis looted from the collection owned by the descendants of Jewish publisher Rudolf Mosse, who were persecuted and forced to flee from Germany. It was later auctioned off in New York City to Bartlett Arkell, the founder of the Beech-Nut Packing Co., who in turn, donated it to his museum in upstate New York. On the other hand, Skaters, was purchased by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1901, and has remained there ever since.

Joanna Catron, GMHS’s assistant director and curator, wasn’t surprised that the two paintings look so similar.

“[Melchers] was known to copy or crib from himself multiple times — anything to pay the rent,” Catron told the Inquirer, adding that GMHS owns a pastel version of the oil painting at PAFA. “I think this was an instance of, ‘Well, this is so successful, I think I’ll try it in pastel.'” Read more.