A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Adulting is HARD, and one of the hardest parts is learning money management. That’s why the College of Business is introducing a new program called Money Matters to teach students (and faculty and staff!) some of the basics! Topics include budgeting, saving, loans, insurance, taxes, and more. These sessions are free to attend and led by UMW faculty and alumni.
UMW President Troy Paino and Rappahannock Community College President Shannon Kennedy signed a transfer partnership agreement this week at UMW’s Dahlgren Campus. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.
“I’m in the right place” is a phrase Miles McCrimmon would like to hear from as many students as possible. Those were five key words in a text message McCrimmon, dean of dual enrollment and community outreach at Rappahannock Community College, received recently from his son Pablo.
For Pablo, expressing to his dad excitement about his major, that place is University of Mary Washington.
McCrimmon shared that text exchange on Tuesday at a Rappahannock Community College (RCC)/UMW Transfer Partnership Agreement event. The signing ceremony, which took place at Mary Washington’s Dahlgren campus, provides a seamless path for RCC students to enroll at UMW. In addition to describing his personal interest in such an agreement, McCrimmon stated the partnership is a sign of the “mutual respect” between the two schools.
He said he views it as an important way to produce more graduates, especially in the fields of health care, education and the social sciences.
UMW President Troy Paino echoed those sentiments by saying the agreement is “a testament to how these two institutions have developed a trusting relationship.” Educating all students is essential, he added, and the goal should be to remove barriers to access.
After their brief remarks, Paino joined RCC President Shannon Kennedy in officially signing off on the transfer agreement. Read more.
The ribbon is cut during the Willard Hall dedication. The group includes BOV members and student representatives, along with Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Housing Dave Fleming and BOV Rector Heather Mullins Crislip ’95 (far left), UMW President Troy Paino (front) and senior Maggie McCotter (with scissors). Photo by Matthew Brooks.
UMW senior Maggie McCotter loves the sunlight that streams into her third-floor Willard Hall room. She likes the rustic gleam of the refurbished hardwood floors under her feet, her view of the bubbling fountain, the building’s proximity to the post office and Vocelli Pizza.
“I take pride in being one of the first to live here” after an extensive renovation, she told students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends gathered in the structure’s main living area for a dedication on Friday.
A Willard Hall resident assistant, McCotter joined 156 first-year students who moved in at the start of the spring semester in January, but last week’s event, part of a daylong Board of Visitors meeting, makes it official. Generations have made their home at Mary Washington’s oldest residence hall, built in 1911. But McCotter and her charges are among the first to enjoy a new type of turn-of-the-century splendor, where modern touches – a media room, “teaching” kitchen and transformable spaces – mingle with prized pieces from the past.
Architects worked tirelessly to preserve the elegance of the building, which originally housed dining, offices and classrooms, plus a post office, infirmary and gift shop, according to History of Mary Washington College by Edward Alvey Jr. The $19.3 million renovation salvaged brick walls, maple hardwood floors, ornate iron banisters, molding and trim, and original skylight shafts, along with parts of the building’s open floorplan. Read more.
Teenage boys can be a handful, no matter which country or culture they come from.
Amal Hajjami (front row, far right), who graduated from UMW in 2019, is among the dozen Mary Washington alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps. The University was just named a Peace Corps Top Producer.
Amal Hajjami learned that fact within her first few weeks of Peace Corps training in Morocco, when the 2019 alumna encountered a young man who refused to participate or follow the rules – when he even bothered to show up – but she wouldn’t give up on him.
“During training, we’re taught that we shouldn’t push these individuals away,” she said, “but instead, give them leadership responsibilities.” Soon the teen was stepping up and helping out. “He showed me that once you start encouraging people, the outcome will change.”
Hajjami is among a dozen Mary Washington graduates serving worldwide in the Peace Corps, to which the University of Mary Washington has once again been named a top contributor. UMW jumped to number seven – up from 15th last year – among small schools on the 2020 Top Volunteer-Producing Schools list, released this morning.
Securing this prestigious ranking is a longstanding tradition for the University, which has earned a spot on the list since 2005. For 12 consecutive years, UMW has been included among the top 25 colleges and universities with fewer than 5,000 students. A total of 270 alumni have joined the Peace Corps since its 1961 inception.
“Mary Washington’s culture of service keeps fueling students’ interest in continuing their commitment to populations served by the Peace Corps,” said José A. Sainz, director of UMW’s Center for International Education (CIE). “It pushes their boundaries and offers many opportunities for them to become better global citizens.” Read more.
The 17th season of the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series continues on Thursday, Feb. 27, with abolitionist, orator and author Frederick Douglass, with David W. Blight, author of The New York Times bestseller Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. This series is open to the public free of charge and no admission tickets are required. Programs begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall. Each lecture concludes with an audience Q&A session with the speaker and a book-signing. The Synergy Periodontics and Implants Lecture.
As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was taught to read by his slave-owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence, he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.
Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican Party or the cause of black civil and political rights.
In this “cinematic and deeply engaging” (The New York Times Book Review) biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historians have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’ newspapers. “Absorbing and even moving…a brilliant book that speaks to our own time as well as Douglass’” (The Wall Street Journal), Blight’s biography tells the fascinating story of Douglass’ two marriages and his complex extended family. “David Blight has written the definitive biography of Frederick Douglass…a powerful portrait of one of the most important American voices of the nineteenth century” (The Boston Globe).
The Great Lives series will continue on Tuesday, March 10 with Female Internet Inventors, featuring Claire L. Evans, author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. Visit https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/ for more information.
UMW’s Procurement Services Department is hosting the Annual Supplier Expo on March 3, 2020 at 10 a.m.!
Featuring 50+ vendors – showcasing all sorts of goods and services!
Find Micro & Contracted vendors to fill your department needs!
Sample products and find services galore!
Free Event!
Sodexo snacks, Pepsi, vending companies, & more!
This is a work event! Bring your boss or coworkers!
Door Prizes every 30 minutes!
Looking for a way to recognize exceptional student leadership on campus? Every year, the Office of Student Activities and Engagement (SAE) hosts the Eagle Awards gathering in partnership with the Center for Community Engagement.
The UMW Eagle Awards program highlights students, student organizations, staff, and faculty who have provided leadership on campus through involvement in activities and organizations. The Eagle Awards are an opportunity for the University community to recognize those who have made extraordinary contributions to the campus and greater community. There are over 15 awards for students, organizations, and programs.
Any member of the student body, faculty, or staff can nominate deserving students or organizations. Nominations are due by March 11, and the Eagle Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 6:00 PM in Chandler Ballroom. Winners will be announced at the ceremony. The event will offer light hors d’oeurves and is free and open to all students, faculty, staff, friends, and family.
U.S. Army Woodwind Quintet
Gari Melchers Home and Studio and the University of Mary Washington Music Department present a Chamber Music Festival on March 14 and 15 in the intimate setting of the Pavilion at Belmont.
The musicians will perform a richly varied program against the backdrop of Belmont, a late eighteenth-century estate picturesquely situated above the Rappahannock River in Falmouth, Virginia.
“Gari Melchers, the famed American who lived and painted here, enjoyed a friendship with the French composer Camille Saint-Saens, and I know he readily would endorse the making of music at his old haunts,” says Assistant Director and Curator Joanna Catron.
The Festival opens on Saturday evening, March 14 at 7 p.m. with a performance of New American Classics for Wind Quintet performed by the U.S. Army Woodwind Quintet under the direction of MSG Robert Aughtry. The performance will include works by Valerie Coleman, Arne Running, Charles Rochester Young, Lalao Schifrin, and Reena Esmail.
The Sunday, March 15 offering begins at 2 p.m. with an eclectic chamber program featuring works by Hayden, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and others, performed by the UMW Flute Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble and Woodwind Trio, comprised of faculty, students and guest musicians under the direction of Professors of Music Doug Gately and Bruce Middle.
Admission is free, but seating is limited. Pavilion, Gari Melchers Home and Studio.
Contact: Joanna D. Catron at jcatron@umw.edu or 540-654-1841
UMW to host auditions for FredNats performers.
The Fredericksburg Nationals want the best of the best to perform at the new Minor League Baseball park when it opens for its first home game against the Frederick Keys in April. A FredNats sponsor, the University of Mary Washington is stepping up to the plate, hosting auditions this month and next for emcee and public address (PA) announcers, team mascots and National Anthem performers.
Emcee and PA try-outs will take place Saturday, Feb. 29, and National Anthem and mascot auditions will be held on Saturday, March 21. Both will take place in UMW’s Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Emcee auditions will include a script-read of game introductions and in-game entertainment segments. PA auditions will include script-reads of roster lineups and in-game sponsor advertisements. The FredNats also need dozens of performers of the National Anthem, sung prior to each of 70 home games. Hopefuls will sing the anthem in full, in a cappella-style, without musical accompaniment. Read more.