April 25, 2024

UMW Student Veterans Lead Service to Honor 9/11 Victims

The University of Mary Washington marked the 12th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11 and honored those who died with a commemorative flag raising ceremony and moment of silence. The event was organized and led by the members of UMW’s Association of Student Veterans. Members of UMW's ROTC participated in a flag-raising ceremony on September 11, 2013. The event began at 8:30 a.m. with the gathering of UMW students, faculty and staff and for a flag-raising ceremony on Jefferson Square. UMW’s ROTC students raised and lowered the flag, while UMW adjunct faculty instructor Jim Ford played taps . The ceremony was followed by a moment of silence on Ball Circle. “9/11 showed we are vulnerable, not just overseas but here at home,” said Golda Eldridge, director of leadership at UMW’s Center for Honor, Leadership and Service and faculty adviser to the Association of Student Veterans. “We hope everyone will take the opportunity to pause, remember the lost and rededicate ourselves to protecting our ways of life.” Faculty, staff and students gathered for a moment of silence on Ball Circle. Student representatives from the UMW College Republicans and the UMW chapter of Young Americans for Freedom were also in attendance, setting up American flags around Ball Circle. “We’re trying to keep the memory of what happened on that day alive for everybody,” said Max Reinhardt, chairman of the College Republicans. David Helgran, president of the Association of Student Veterans, hopes the association will hold more events on campus in the future. “While memorials and ceremonies don’t reverse the damage done on September 11, they do join us together and allow us as Americans to re-affirm our allegiance to our country and each other,” said Helgran. “This will always remain important because our faith in each other and our camaraderie as a nation is one of the traits that make us so incredibly strong.” UMW’s Association of Student Veterans is dedicated to promoting recognition, appreciation and support for students who are military service members or veterans as well as their families and supporters.

UMW Celebrates Honor System Through Week of Events

Join the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service for a week-long Honor Celebration from September 2 to 6. The honor system, a deeply held tradition at UMW, is integral to campus life for students, faculty and staff.

During Honor Convocation, students pledge to uphold the UMW Honor Code. Faculty, dressed in academic regalia, attend the ceremony.

During Honor Convocation, students pledge to uphold the UMW Honor Code. Faculty, dressed in academic regalia, attend the ceremony.

The celebration will kick off on Tuesday, September 3 with a keynote presentation by Jeff Rouse, three-time Olympic champion swimmer and president of the Rappahannock Economic Development Corporation (REDCO). Rouse will answer questions from the audience about fair play in sports and life at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium. The Q&A session is free and open to the public. Ed Jurith, U.S. Representative to the World Anti-Doping Agency, originally scheduled to present the lecture, was unable to attend because of illness.

Rouse, a native of Fredericksburg, is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Rouse won a gold medal as part of the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay team and a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke. In 1996, he picked up two more gold medals for the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay and the men’s 100-meter backstroke. He is a 1992 graduate of Stanford University.

The week will continue on Wednesday, September 4 with a free barbeque and concert on Ball Circle at 4 p.m. The concert

Jeff Rouse

Jeff Rouse

will feature music by Neil Tibert, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, and Keith Mellinger, associate professor and chair of mathematics.

The Honor Celebration also will include activities for students throughout the week, including conversations on honor and community in each residence hall and in-class discussions about academic integrity.

The honor system at UMW was founded upon the personal integrity of each individual member of the university community. It requires that all members of the community conduct themselves honorably at all times and in all dealings with others. This shared commitment to high ethical standards creates an atmosphere of trust and respect vital to the unique sense of community which characterizes the institution.

For more information, contact David Rettinger, executive director of the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service, at (540) 654-1364.

UMW Celebrates Honor System Through Week of Events

The University will hold a week-long Honor Celebration next week on the Fredericksburg campus.

The celebration will kick off on Tuesday, September 3 with a keynote presentation by Jeff Rouse, three-time Olympic champion swimmer and president of the Rappahannock Economic Development Corporation (REDCO). Rouse will answer questions from the audience about fair play in sports and life at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium. The Q&A session is free and open to the public. Ed Jurith, U.S. Representative to the World Anti-Doping Agency, originally scheduled to present the lecture, was unable to attend because of illness.

Rouse, a native of Fredericksburg, is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Rouse won a gold medal as part of the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay team and a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke. In 1996, he picked up two more gold medals for the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay and the men’s 100-meter backstroke. He is a 1992 graduate of Stanford University.Honor convocation faculty

The week will continue on Wednesday, September 4 with a free barbeque and concert on Ball Circle at 4 p.m. The concert will feature music by Neil Tibert, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, and Keith Mellinger, associate professor and chair of mathematics.
The Honor Celebration also will include activities for students throughout the week, including conversations on honor and community in each residence hall and in-class discussions about academic integrity.

The honor system at UMW was founded upon the personal integrity of each individual member of the university community. It requires that all members of the community conduct themselves honorably at all times and in all dealings with others. This shared commitment to high ethical standards creates an atmosphere of trust and respect vital to the unique sense of community which characterizes the institution.

For more information, contact David Rettinger, executive director of the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service, at (540) 654-1364.

UMW Receives National Recognition for Service

Two dozen University of Mary Washington students spent their Spring Break serving others. The students, who spent a week in Albany, Ga., and Melbourne, Fla., built houses with Habitat for Humanity through a program known as Alternative Spring Break. The annual program is one of many service opportunities that have given UMW a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the fourth consecutive year. UMW is one of 690 U.S. colleges and universities recognized for engaging students, faculty and staff in substantial, relevant and meaningful service to communities. The honor roll, announced March 4 at the American Council on Education’s 95th Annual Meeting, is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education. During this year’s Alternative Spring Break trips, the 24 students, along with Director of Service Christina Eggenberger and Accounts Receivable Manager Paul Griggs, built houses in the local communities. “It’s so rewarding each year to experience something new and gain a new perspective on life,” said one of the students on the group’s Tumbler page. “I’m proud of everyone who has dedicated their breaks to a great cause. I feel blessed to be a part of it every year.” To follow along with UMW’s Alternative Spring Break trips, visit http://wearehardcoar.tumblr.com/.

Overseas Adventures

Bethany Farrell '11 is one of 21 UMW alumni currently serving in the Peace Corps.

David Rettinger Named Executive Director of Center for Honor, Leadership and Service

The University of Mary Washington has named David A. Rettinger as executive director of the newly formed Center for Honor, Leadership and Service. Rettinger, a member of UMW’s psychology faculty since 2006, will remain in his role as associate professor.

As executive director, Rettinger will promote collaboration between faculty and student services, develop new programs and coursework and facilitate communication on campus about honor, service and leadership. He also will conduct research on academic integrity and serve as the content expert on honor.

The center aims to enhance and deepen student learning through best practices, educational competency and skill sets for leadership and service grounded in the core value of honor. Starting with the fall semester, the center will involve students in the areas of honor, leadership and service through leadership training and development, an annual leadership conference, honor training, service learning opportunities and immersion experiences, as well as special programs and events throughout the year.

“Honor, leadership and service are at the heart of UMW’s ethos and the center was created with the goal of placing these three virtues at the heart of the Mary Washington experience,” Rettinger said. “Our goal is to provide students with opportunities both within and beyond the curriculum to develop as leaders in pursuit of an honorable life in service to communities great and small.”

Rettinger has been the faculty advisor to the UMW Honor Council since 2008. An expert on moral decision making and academic integrity, his research on student cheating and academic honor issues has been widely published in academic journals, including most recently in Ethics & Behavior and Research in Higher Education.

In February, Rettinger presented “Impulsivity and Emotion: Leveraging Individual Differences to Reduce Cheating” at an international higher education conference in Germany. Also at the conference, Rettinger gave a presentation on UMW’s honor system and honor code.

Rettinger received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

For more information about the Center, visit http://students.umw.edu/chls/.

A Bigger Impact

The night before graduation, Laura Allan got a life-changing phone call. Allan, a 2012 UMW graduate, had been accepted to the competitive DC Teaching Fellows program. Less than one month later, she arrived in Washington, D.C., to start an intensive eight-week training session. DC Teaching Fellows, a partnership between District of Columbia Public Schools and [...]

Christina Eggenberger Chosen for Leadership Program

Christina Eggenberger, director of service in the Center for Honor, Leadership and Service, has been chosen for the sixth class of the Leadership Fredericksburg program. Eggenberger is one of 30 participants in the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s nine-month leadership program. This year’s class will begin September 21.

The program, started in 2008, teaches participants about the businesses, issues, government, history, resources and challenges that impact the economic and community dynamics of the Fredericksburg region.

For more information about the program, visit http://www.fredericksburgchamber.org/leadership/index.htm.