November 21, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Thaden and Orlando Preview Mary Wash Day, Reunion Weekend on ‘Town Talk’

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Mark Thaden and Shelby Orlando

Mark Thaden and Shelby Orlando

Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Mark Thaden and Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando preview Mary Wash Day on April 4 and Reunion Weekend May 30-June 2 on WFVA Radio’s ‘Town Talk.’ “Our goals are 2,500 gifts, including 1,000 alumni donors and 250 first-time donors,” said Shelby Orlando. “The goal really is to celebrate milestone reunions, so we start at the 10th and go all the way out to the 65th reunion and beyond. The goal is to create an immersive experience where they get to relive their college days, experience campus, connect with faculty and connect with their former classmates,” said Mark Thaden. Listen to the episode. 

New Alumni of Distinction Gallery Honors Mary Washington Grads

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A New York Times bestselling author. An Emmy-nominated television host. A past poet laureate. Two previous U.S. ambassadors. The former CEO of Rolls Royce North America. An award-winning chef and restauranteur. And the newly minted assistant general manager of the Chicago White Sox. Those are just a few of the individuals recognized in the University […]

Faculty Needed for Alumni College During Reunion Weekend

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Plans for Reunion Weekend 2023 are well underway. Classes ending in 3 and 8 will be celebrating their reunions on campus June 1-4, 2023. An integral part of the weekend are Alumni College lectures by UMW faculty. Lectures are an hour long and span all topics and disciplines. The alumni engagement office invites all faculty who are interested in presenting during Reunion Weekend to contact Mark Thaden at mark.thaden@umw.edu or ext. 2160 by December 14 to discuss further. Thank you in advance!

Thaden, Devlin Interviewed in The Free Lance-Star on LGBTQ Oral History Project

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Executive Director of Alumni Relations Mark Thaden

Executive Director of Alumni Relations Mark Thaden

Executive Director of Alumni Relations Mark Thaden ’02 and Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin were interviewed in The Free Lance-Star about Mary Washington’s LGBTQ Alumni Oral History Project. UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives just launched the oral history collection, made up of recorded interviews and transcripts by students in Devlin’s oral history seminar in 2019.

When Mark Thaden first arrived at the University of Mary Washington in the late 1990s, the campus LGBTQ group met quietly, behind closed doors, in an upstairs room of the campus center.

“It was a social group, but it was very much about support,” said Thaden, a 2002 graduate of UMW who is now the university’s executive director of alumni relations.

Thaden said he was not out when he came to UMW from rural Maryland and a small, Catholic high school. At the club carnival early his freshman year, he was excited to see that there was an LGBTQ campus group, but he was too nervous at first to approach members.

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Luckily, a friend signed him up to receive the group’s emails and the meetings became formative in his journey toward self-acceptance.

“That’s where I started feeling more comfortable, being with people who were comfortable with themselves,” Thaden said. “That’s where I started feeling like it was OK.”

Thaden’s memories and those of two dozen other LGBTQ alumni were recorded and transcribed in 2019 by students in Associate Professor Erin Devlin’s Oral History seminar. Read more.

LGBTQ Oral History Project Highlights Alumni Pride

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Recruited to play field hockey at the University of Mary Washington, Chrissy Bowdren ’11, then a freshman, left practice to get her picture taken for her EagleOne card. Sweating in her uniform, she saw a familiar face in line. She teased her new teammate, Nicole, for being freshly showered and made up, but it was […]

Feeling Alone? Phone a Mary Washington Friend

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A Mary Washington student using a hall telephone in 1965.

A Mary Washington student using a hall telephone in 1965

The Alumni Relations Team has reached out to alumni who may be feeling isolated due to social distancing with the following letter.

Mary Washington Alumni,

It seems that each day we are waking up to a world of uncertainty as the impact of the novel coronavirus (or COVID-19) spreads across the globe. Millions of people are being encouraged to distance themselves from others, creating a prolonged period of isolation.

Humans are social beings, and isolation can be extremely difficult with potential health implications. As UMW President Troy D. Paino recently said, “Mary Washington stands for so much—education, empowerment, integrity, caring, and compassion. But most of all, people. At Mary Washington, it’s always about people.”

In an effort to support our alumni, students, and community, the Alumni Relations team is excited to launch the “Phone a Mary Washington Friend” program. During program hours, anyone feeling isolated from the world and craving some human interaction may call to speak with a caring and friendly member of the UMW team.

Phone A Mary Washington Friend
10am-8pm (Eastern)
Monday through Saturday
(540) 654-1173

Tell us about your favorite professors or places on campus, the friends you met, and the career path you took. Or, share your ideas of what we can do in the future. While right now it might feel like it, no one in our community is alone. Someone who is happy to connect is just a phone call away.

Together, we will get through this challenging time and emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like further information. We appreciate your support as we navigate this unprecedented situation.

 

Sincerely,

The Alumni Relations Team

Feeling Alone? Phone a Mary Washington Friend

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A Mary Washington student using a hall telephone in 1965.

A Mary Washington student using a hall telephone in 1965

The Alumni Relations Team has reached out to alumni who may be feeling isolated due to social distancing with the following letter.

Mary Washington Alumni,

It seems that each day we are waking up to a world of uncertainty as the impact of the novel coronavirus (or COVID-19) spreads across the globe. Millions of people are being encouraged to distance themselves from others, creating a prolonged period of isolation.

Humans are social beings, and isolation can be extremely difficult with potential health implications. As UMW President Troy D. Paino recently said, “Mary Washington stands for so much—education, empowerment, integrity, caring, and compassion. But most of all, people. At Mary Washington, it’s always about people.”

In an effort to support our alumni, students, and community, the Alumni Relations team is excited to launch the “Phone a Mary Washington Friend” program. During program hours, anyone feeling isolated from the world and craving some human interaction may call to speak with a caring and friendly member of the UMW team.

Phone A Mary Washington Friend
10am-8pm (Eastern)
Monday through Saturday
(540) 654-1173

Tell us about your favorite professors or places on campus, the friends you met, and the career path you took. Or, share your ideas of what we can do in the future. While right now it might feel like it, no one in our community is alone. Someone who is happy to connect is just a phone call away.

Together, we will get through this challenging time and emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like further information. We appreciate your support as we navigate this unprecedented situation.

 

Sincerely,

The Alumni Relations Team

Alumni Relations Hosts Volunteer Leadership Summit, Jan. 31-Feb. 2

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The UMW Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to host their second biannual Volunteer Leadership Summit January 31 – February 2.  Nearly 90 alumni leaders from across the country are expected on campus to network, share ideas, and learn leadership strategies and best practices. Summit highlights include a presentation by Shin Fujiyama ’07, Founder and Executive Director, Students Helping Honduras, and a keynote address by Capt. Nizhonlii Robinson, of the United States Naval Academy, entitled “Leadership is a Relationship.” The summit will conclude with a “Spirited Social” at A. Smith Bowman Distillery. Representatives from the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Young Alumni Council, UMW Foundation Board of Directors, College of Business Executive Advisory Board, College of Arts & Sciences Advisory Board, College of Education Advisory Board, Regional Network Leaders, Affinity Group Leaders, Honors Program Advisory Board, Student Alumni Ambassadors, and others will be in attendance. A few spaces remain for faculty and staff to attend. Email Mark Thaden – mthad2zw@umw.edu if you would like to attend.

Mary Washington Hosts Reunion Weekend 2019

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The University of Mary Washington will host hundreds of alumni during Reunion Weekend, today through Sunday, June 2. The three-day affair invites Eagles – who graduated over the span of seven decades – back to the nest for a weekend filled with learning opportunities, art exhibits, class photos, food, fun and, most importantly, the chance […]

Reunion Weekend Presenters Wanted

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Save the Date! Alumni from the classes ending in 2 and 7 will be celebrating their reunions June 2-4, 2017.  As in previous years, Alumni Relations will be coordinating Alumni College during Reunion Weekend – a series of one-hour lectures from faculty on a variety of topics. Alumni College lectures are a highlight for reunion attendees.  We invite all faculty to participate in the Alumni College program. Please contact Mark Thaden at mark.thaden@umw.edu no later  than Nov.r 1 to express interest in participating in the program.  Thank you in advance for your consideration.