December 6, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Rucker is Recruited as Interim Dean of Students at UVA

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C. Rucker

Cedric Rucker

In the heat of the Central Virginia summer, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan delivered a proposal. The University’s dean of students and vice president for student affairs had departed and Ryan was considering a pair of candidates to step in temporarily.

The first was Dr. Christopher Holstege, a father of six and longtime medical faculty member who was once a guest on Ryan’s podcast because he holds four job titles at the University. One of them is executive director of Student Health and Wellness, and he is a longtime member of the Student Affairs leadership team.

The second was Cedric Bernard Rucker, who earned an advanced degree from UVA before moving to the University of Mary Washington. He had already delayed retirement – and a deployment with the Peace Corps – to return to Charlottesville to fill a gap in the Office of African-American Affairs. Read more.

University Center Naming Celebration Honors Rucker

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Upon the retirement of Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker next week, the University Center will officially bear the name "Cedric Rucker University Center."

Upon the retirement of Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker next week, the University Center will officially bear the name “Cedric Rucker University Center.”

Mary Washington’s University Center is four stories and 100,000 square feet, but a new name is about to make it even bigger.

“Today we are celebrating two giants,” Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair said Sunday at UMW. “One of the giants is behind me, the University Center. The second giant, of course, is Cedric Bernard Rucker.”

The structure’s new moniker becomes official when Rucker retires later this month as associate vice president and dean of student life. That means the central campus building dedicated to student success will bear the name of the man who’s devoted his life to that goal.

It’s a story decades-long in the making. Arriving on Double Drive as an undergrad in 1977, just as institutions of higher education began accepting more students of color, Rucker was the first African-American male graduate to live in a residence hall. He quickly became an integral part of campus culture, immersing himself in clubs, activities and organizations.

“All these doors opened, and Mary Washington just felt like mine,” said Rucker. Read more.

Rucker Wins Spotlight During UC Naming Celebration

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Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker

Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker

Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker caught some media attention centered around the naming celebration to recognize the University Center’s new name – the Cedric Rucker University Center – upon Rucker’s retirement next week. During his decades-long career, Rucker’s big personality, strong standards and compassionate demeanor have led him to leave a bit of a legacy on campus. Read more:

Trailblazing Dean to Be Honored at the University of Mary Washington (NBC 4)
Walking around the campus of the University of Mary Washington with Cedric Rucker is like walking around with a celebrity.

University of Mary Washington renames campus hub to honor trailblazing dean (The Free Lance-Star)
University of Mary Washington renames campus hub to honor trailblazing dean (Culpeper Star-Exponent)
Watch Now: UMW University Center renamed in honor of ’81 grad (Roanoke Times)
A 1981 University of Mary Washington graduate who never ventured far from his alma mater was honored Sunday morning during a ceremony in which the school’s bustling University Center was renamed in his honor.

From humble beginnings in Richmond to a stellar career–and a university building named in his honor (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
The grand, four-story hub of student activity at the University of Mary Washington has a new name: the Cedric Rucker University Center.

 

 

UMW update on outdoor crowd size gatherings

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The following message is from the Dean of Students:

As students at UMW continue to diligently practice our risk-mitigation guidelines and as the Governor of Virginia begins to increase allowable crowd capacities, we have decided to expand from 10 to 25 the number of people who can safely gather in an outdoor setting. Of course, masking and social distancing still will apply. Also, indoor gathering capacity remains at 10.

We are calling this MMDC 10/25. Our hope is that, as the weather improves, this will lead to more fun activities outside with friends. We also are looking at some organized entertainment, such as outdoor movies. We’ve all been cooped up too long!

Even so, it is imperative to remember that this pandemic is still rampant. Although the number of vaccinated individuals is on the rise, it remains critical to continue wearing a mask, maintaining a six-foot physical distance, and limiting indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people.

Our seniors who are on track to graduate are counting on the entire community being ultra-vigilant in the weeks ahead so that there will be the opportunity for in-person commencement events in May. To do this, we must avoid any spikes in COVID cases. Please commit to MMDC 10/25.

Thank you, and enjoy the balance of this semester.

Dean Rucker

Livestream Session Addressed Return-to-Campus Culture

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Faculty and staff attended a live Q&A webinar via Zoom yesterday, as the state entered Phase 3 of the governor’s “Forward Virginia” reopening plan. Called “Commitment to Community,” the session focused on how the University will help students prepare for and commit to behavioral and social expectations and requirements when they return to campus next month.

UMW Chief of Staff Jeff McClurken moderated the livestream event, which featured panelists Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker, Assistant Dean for Residence Life and Housing David Fleming, and University Physician and Director of the Student Health Center Nancy Wang.

“We know how much our students want to come back to campus,” Landphair said. “They want to resume their holistic Mary Washington experience as much as possible.”

Landphair explained that establishing a culture of compliance – an environment that encourages adherence to sound public health principles and a purposeful intent to prevent the spread of disease – is a “gating requirement,” or prerequisite to re-opening. In that vein, UMW’s Return to Campus Plan will be submitted to SCHEV for approval and shared with campus on Monday, July 6.

The plan, panelists said, focuses on moving forward the core mission of Mary Washington and builds on existing codes of conduct, as well as the University’s statement of community values, known as ASPIRE.

“We don’t want to see a situation where individuals feel stigmatized in any way,” said Rucker, who has spent the past several weeks speaking with incoming students. “That’s why ASPIRE is also important. We want to celebrate everyone but also make sure that everyone is committed to ensuring that the academic process moves forward as smoothly as possible.”

Students, faculty and staff will be asked to complete training modules focused on “MMDC” – monitoring, masking, distancing and cleaning – and all individuals must pledge to uphold the guidelines.

Among their many questions, employees who tuned in to the hourlong session asked how faculty and staff will be expected to enforce behavioral guidelines, how claimed health exemptions to regulations will be handled and how the University is collaborating with city officials.

The Return to Campus Plan will address many of yesterday’s topics of concern, such as quarantine and isolation, testing and tracing, and communication of positive cases, McClurken said. If questions still exist after reading the document, he encouraged employees to restate them at next week’s livestream Q&A event on Wednesday, July 8, at 3 p.m., via Zoom or YouTube.

Watch yesterday’s Q&A below.

 

 

Governor Appoints UMW’s Rucker to Transportation Board

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Cedric Rucker, associate vice president and dean of Student Life

Cedric Rucker, associate vice president and dean of Student Life

University of Mary Washington Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker will soon weigh in on some of Virginia’s most important transportation issues. Gov. Ralph Northam announced the appointment last week of Rucker, a 1981 Mary Washington graduate and longtime University employee, to the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

“I am so honored by the appointment, and look forward to serving the citizens of the region and the Commonwealth,” Rucker said.

Read more.

UMW’s ASPIRE Values Promoted at AAC&U Conference

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Vice President for Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker at AAC&U Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference in Pittsburgh.

Vice President for Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker at AAC&U Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference in Pittsburgh.

Vice President for Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker presented a poster session on UMW’s ASPIRE community values, The Value of Community Values, at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference in Pittsburgh on Friday, March 29.

 

UMW Dean of Student Life Named ‘Living Legacy’

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University of Mary Washington Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker was awarded the Richmond Public Schools (RPS) Living Legacy distinction Friday, April 29. He was recognized as an inspirational leader who exemplifies an extraordinary life.

C. Rucker

Cedric Rucker

Rucker was honored along with a handful of other alumni of Richmond Public Schools (RPS), including former NFL linebacker Willie Lanier and retired Virginia Senator Henry L. Marsh. All the recipients were described as “giants” in their fields.

“RPS prepared us to work hard, and to imagine a world anew,” said Rucker, reflecting on his journey within the Richmond Public School system, and specifically his alma mater, John Marshall High School.

He cited his parents and his grandparents as inspirational foundations, and he pointed to UMW alumni in the audience as “innovative leaders” whom he leaves as his legacy.

“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” he added, “and we have a responsibility to uplift the next generation.”

Known for his infectious laugh and brightly-colored bow tie collection, Rucker ’81 has spent more than three decades at Mary Washington. He started out as the school’s first residential African-American male student.  After earning his masters at U.Va., and filling a brief stint there as assistant dean of admissions, he returned to UMW. He is a highly visible and beloved administrator, as well as teacher of sociology classes.

The annual Living Legacy program, now in its fifth year, is presented by the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that partners with the school district to improve student learning and achievement in preparation for success in college, career and community.

For more information about the award, visit http://rpseducationfoundation.org/.

Thanksgiving Dinner Servers Needed

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Campus Dining is hosting our first Thanksgiving Dinner in the new University Center between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19.  We expect upwards of 1,500 guests and could really use some help serving!  Plus, students enjoy seeing their professors and administrators “behind the line”!  We are seeking about six volunteers per one hour shift.  Shifts begin at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.  Anyone interested in helping out is asked to contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.  Your help is really appreciated!