A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter
Marcel Rotter recently presented papers at two conferences, one on the future of German-American Studies at the annual meeting of the German Studies Association in Houston, Texas, the other on the influence of metropolitan traffic on the poster design of 1920s Berlin at the Institute for Polish Culture of the University of Warsaw, Poland.
University of Mary Washington professors bestowed prestigious awards on three of their colleagues at the Fall 2022 Faculty Address earlier this month. Professors of English, German and physics were praised for their commitment to their fields, the art of teaching and the importance of service.
Maya Mathur
Associate Professor of English Maya Mathur
Professor of English Maya Mathur received the Grellet C. Simpson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The honor recognizes full-time faculty members, who – like Simpson, UMW’s fourth president – place an emphasis on quality teaching and the liberal arts.
Since earning the rank of associate professor six years ago, Mathur has created six courses, including sought-after first-year seminars Shakespeare and Popular Culture and From Cinderella to Harry Potter: Fairy Tales and Fantasy Literature. Tailored to the interests of 21st-century students, Mathur’s courses blend canon with modern topics, prompting exploration of class, race, gender and power within texts.
“The enthusiasm and engagement my students bring to class both enhance my understanding of literary texts and help me develop new ways to analyze it,” said Mathur, whose meticulously constructed Canvas pages and use of engaging applications like Padlet and Flipgrid stand out.
She shares innovative ideas and has worked with the Center for Teaching to co-sponsor workshops, including one focused on race in the classroom. “Many faculty and students are eager to address race,” said a nominator. “Professor Mathur is leading the way in guiding us to do so.”
Marcel Rotter
Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter
Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter received the J. Christopher “Topher” Bill Outstanding Faculty Service Award for those who have taught at UMW at least seven years and held significant service roles in their departments, colleges and community. The award was established in 2003 in honor of longtime UMW psychology professor Topher Bill.
Rotter, who chairs the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, works to promote and improve German language instruction at Mary Washington and in Virginia, organizing continuing education events for teachers and cultural immersion experiences for students. “His work cultivates key relationships and promotes UMW as a cultural hub and an institution with a global mindset,” said a nominator.
In 18 years at Mary Washington, Rotter also has served as chair of the University Faculty Council, leading a revision of the general education curriculum, and as treasurer for the Faculty Senate of Virginia, all while keeping students top of mind.
“Many of our students have never left Virginia, let alone the U.S.” said Rotter, who also is VP for the Society of German American Studies. “My colleagues from around the world and I are here to show them what’s out there.”
Varun Makhija
Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija
Assistant Professor of Physics Varun Makhija won the Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Award, for those who’ve taught full time at Mary Washington for two to five years.
At the end of his first semester at Mary Washington in fall 2019, Makhija found himself the sole physics professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. And so, in three years, he taught 21 of the 24 physics offerings in the course catalog; supervised 19 students in individual studies, internships and Summer Science Institute research; and reinvigorated UMW’s chapter of the Society for Physics Students, which won awards in 2020 and 2021.
Makhija is “the glue,” said nominators, “that has, through sheer enthusiasm and love for teaching and physics,” held the program together.
At Mary Washington, he has worked to connect the campus physics community with scholars in the field and published six papers in leading journals, often with undergraduate co-authors.
“The primary motivation for me has been our students,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from them, and I’ve tried my best to provide an environment in which they can do things they’re passionate about, and then go to the places they want to go after UMW.”
Thanks to Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Kyle Schultz, who provided a transcript of his awards presentation, and to the members of last year’s Committee for Sabbaticals, Fellowships and Faculty Awards.
National Council of Faculty Senates
Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter, who serves as parliamentarian of UMW’s University Faculty Council, joined 21 other governance leaders in Houston to discuss national shared governance issues at the meeting of the National Council of Faculty Senates.
Rotter joined leaders from the Faculty Senates of Ferris State University, Illinois State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Sam Houston State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Stockton University, SUNY Faculty Senate, SUNY Oswego, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of the District of Columbia, University of Houston, University of North Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, and Virginia Tech.
The meeting was held at the University of Houston. This was the first face-to-face meeting of the National Council of Faculty Senates in three years.
Marcel Rotter, associate professor of German, recently received the Ronald Horwege Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession from the Virginia chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.
“Anyone paying attention for the last decade knows how much time and energy Marcel has put into making the AATG in Virginia a vibrant entity,” said ougoing AATG-VA president Brett Martz at the organization’s Oct. 5 business meeting in Williamsburg.
“The award’s namesake, Ron Horwege, served the state by organizing immersion weekends, and therefore it seems perfectly fitting that the winner of this award is the person directly responsible for keeping this valued tradition alive,” Martz continued. “[Marcel] also served as the president of the Virginia AATG from 2012-2016, and Brett is grateful that he patiently continues to answer his questions about the job. During his tenure as president, Marcel moved the infrastructure and responsibilities for the National German exam to the University of Mary Washington, where it still functions today.
“He is also a regular presence at national conferences, such as ACTFL, and local conferences, such as FLAVA. In short, he is very supportive colleague and continues to do yeoman’s work for the state’s chapter of the AATG. Marcel deserves the award and a hearty congratulations.”
Rotter received the award during the annual meeting of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, of which AATG is a member.
Becky Brown, harp; Austin O’Rourke, drums; Mark Snyder, guitar & vocals; John White, bass
Assistant Professor of Music Mark Snyder performed 15 of his original songs with his band Nature Boy Explorer in Schwetzingen Germany, on June 11 and 12 as part of the delegation representing Fredericksburg and UMW in Fredericksburg’s German Sister City.
Senior music major Austin O’Rourke played drums and also sang and played guitar on his own song Almost but Not, which he wrote in his Technology for Musicians course in Spring 2016.
2015 music and computer science graduate Becky Brown played harp and performed two of her original songs — Formaldehyde, which was written in her MIDI Composition course, and Underwater, which was written in her Audio Recording course. John White ’13, UMW music major and German minor, played bass.
The performance on June 11 was on the main stage for the annual Spargelfest, which this year was combined with celebrating Schwetzingen’s 1250th year. The performance on June 12 was at Musikschule Bezirk Schwetzingen, which is the local music school.
Dr. Snyder and the students also participated in many of the activities that were planned for the delegation such as lunch and dinners, lectures by Schwetzingen’s archivist, city planner and mayor. The group visited the fire station and participated in the inauguration of the Square of Friendship. The delegation from Fredericksburg consisted of Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Cathy Herndon, Jurgen Brat, UMW professor emeritus of German Sammy Merrill, Betty Merrill, UMW Women’s Rugby coach Bill Lucas and UMW Associate Professor of German Marcel Rotter.
In addition to performing in Schwetzingen, the group spent time in Cologne, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim and Hanover, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Malmö and Scania, Sweden.
Hamburg
Fire truck ride with Professor Rotter
With all of the sister city mayors! mayors
Heidelberg
Mannheim
Cologne
Hannover
Copenhagen
Ales Stenar (Swedish stone henge)
Overlooking the East Sea in Scania
Malmö Castle
Fredericksburg Delegation at the dedication of Platz der Freundschaft
Austin Performing his song at Musikschule Bezirk Schwetzingen e.V.
Performing at Musikschule Bezirk Schwetzingen e.V.
Fredericksburg delegation at the fire station.
Campus Weeks, coordinated by UMW’s German Program in cooperation with the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., will continue through Thursday, Nov. 6. All events, with the exception of the German Gala on Nov. 6, are free and open to the public.
The program will open with the building and painting of a wall in memory of the assembly of the Berlin Wall by the German Democratic Republic in 1961. Construction will begin on Monday, Oct. 13 on Campus Walk in front of Ball Circle and concludes on Thursday, Oct. 16 with a ceremony at 4 p.m.
Other program events include:
Marcel Rotter, associate professor of modern foreign languages, will receive a grant by the Goethe Institut Munich to participate in the training workshop “Blended learning for teaching and in teacher training” in August 2012.
