TO: All Alumni FROM: Derek M. Bottcher ’96 Have you visited campus lately? Shared a story with a co-worker, relative, or neighbor about your Mary Washington days? Attended an alumni event? If not, I challenge you to reconnect with our alma mater. Come out for the Eagles at the Anderson Center, the long-awaited arena where thousands can cheer on UMW’s winning athletes. Head down Campus Walk and stop by the renovated Monroe Hall where old-school murals coexist with the latest in learning technologies. Or, grab a whole-grain sandwich at the ever memorable Underground’s “Naturally Woodstock,” a partnership with the founders of the famous 1969 concert. Live far from Fredericksburg? Get connected at new UMW Networks starting across the country. Members are already helping to recruit the class of 2015. All of us share President Hurley’s vision − to make UMW the best public liberal arts and sciences institution in the country. Our alumni family is more than 30,000 strong and … [Read more...]
Grad Attends to Dance
Sara Crawford Nash ’01 has been named program manager for the National Dance Project (NDP) at the New England Foundation for the Arts. The NDP, begun in 1996, has been a primary patron for the contemporary dance field, supporting the production and touring of new dance works. Nash, who studied theater and dance at Mary Washington, has managed the USArtists International grant program at the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. She was senior producer in programming at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City; at Tanec Praha, an international contemporary dance festival in Prague; and at the British Council in London. The NDP, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, is the only national program supporting individual dance artists and companies. … [Read more...]
Mississippi Must Miss Dean of Business
Though Lynne D. Richardson moved to Virginia this summer, Mississippi won’t soon forget her. In September, Mississippi Business Journal named the new dean of the UMW College of Business among the 50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi for 2011. Before joining UMW, she served as a professor of marketing and dean of the College of Business at Mississippi State University. … [Read more...]
Legal Aid Honors BOV Vice Rector
Maryland Legal Aid celebrated its 100th anniversary in September; it also celebrated one of UMW’s own. The Hon. Pamela White ’74 was among the Top 25 Human Rights and Justice Champions recognized for outstanding achievement. White was specifically honored for providing numerous hours of pro bono counsel for Legal Aid, a private, non-profit law firm that provides free legal service, and for her dedication as an active member of the Equal Justice Council, the fundraising branch of Legal Aid. White, vice rector of the UMW Board of Visitors, has served as president of both the Maryland State Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association. She serves as judge on the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City. … [Read more...]
Poet Gets Coveted Fellowship, Returns to UMW
In only seven years since her graduation from Mary Washington, Allison Seay ’02 has made a name for herself and her poetry. In September, the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine awarded Seay the coveted 2011 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship, one of the largest awards offered to aspiring poets in the United States. More than 1,000 poets nationwide vied for the $15,000 scholarship, but only five were chosen. Their work was featured in Poetry magazine’s November issue and on www.poetryfoundation.org. Seay, who received a master of fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will return to Mary Washington in January as the inaugural UMW Arrington Poet-In-Residence. She will give a reading, and she will teach the advanced poetry workshop and the creative writing seminar in poetry. … [Read more...]
Prosecutor Champions Victims of Domestic Violence
As a misdemeanor prosecutor, Joe Clark ’06 takes on crimes that might be considered minor. But as Arizona’s first domestic violence resource prosecutor, he’s aiming to tackle a problem that is major. Clark helped establish the Navajo County Domestic Violence Court, which targets first-time offenders and aims to break the crime’s repetitive cycle. The Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council has named him Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year. With less than two years as a prosecutor under his belt, he also played a key role in establishing the county’s first domestic violence fatality review team, as well as protocols for handling child abuse and sexual assault incidents. In his current role, he serves as a resource for prosecutorial and law enforcement agencies statewide. … [Read more...]
Poli Sci Turns Out Winners
The Pi Sigma Alpha national political science honor society recognized Annie Morris ’11 as a winner in its national writing competition. Her winning Persuasion and the Bully Pulpit: Expanded Evidence on Strategies of Presidential Leadership presented the results of Morris’ undergraduate research on the influence of televised speeches. She showed that, contrary to popular belief, such speeches have the power to influence the votes of a small percentage of members of Congress. The ninth winner from UMW since 1997, the political science and sociology major developed the idea for the paper when she was taking the American Presidency class with UMW Assistant Professor of Political Science Chad Murphy. “I am honored, but more than that,” she said, the award “is a testament to the kind of professors and students the University attracts. Not many schools have departments that support their students as much as UMW.” … [Read more...]
Native Meadows Make News
Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont gets attention not only for the art that hangs inside, but also for the natural beauty of the estate outside. In August, public television’s Virginia Home Grown featured the work of Beate Jensen ’99, who supervises the preservation of landscape, grounds, and buildings on the 28-acre historic property in Falmouth, Va. Since graduating, Jensen has used her University of Mary Washington historic preservation degree to help fulfill Corinne Melchers’ wish that Belmont become a memorial to her husband, artist Gari Melchers, and a park where the public enjoys nature. The grounds are open to the public without charge during business hours. In 2000, Jensen made a bold move − she converted three acres of traditional, closely trimmed fescue and bluegrass lawn to towering native grasses. Today, Belmont boasts acres of fully established low-maintenance native meadow. Last summer, Virginia Home Grown host Amy Barton Williams headed up I-95 from … [Read more...]
AP Environmental Science
By Carol Matthews and N. Kathryn Weatherhead ’77 Nora Kathryn Wire Weatherhead ’77 and Carol Matthews created and wrote AP Environmental Science, the teacher and student manuals for which were awarded the 2010 TEXTY − the National Textbook Excellence Award. Only seven texts in any subject area were given the national award in 2010, and Advanced Environmental Science was the only one that was recognized for the physical sciences. The student version of the textbook includes 32 labs and activities designed not only to help users prepare for the AP exam, but also to teach students to be environmentally conscious citizens. The instructor’s version includes a pacing guide, daily lesson plans, major state standard alignments, editable PowerPoint presentations, and assessments. Both authors are experienced classroom teachers. Weatherhead is an AP environmental science exam grader, table leader, and workshop lecturer. The TEXTY award is given by the nonprofit Text and Academic Authors … [Read more...]
Career Magellan: How to Begin Your Career Journey
By Melissa S. Fireman and Susanne M. Maurer ’99 Passions, talents, and values are not usually words associated with a career in today’s job market, but Melissa S. Fireman and Susanne M. Maurer ’99 intend to change that with their book Career Magellan: How to Begin Your Career Journey. This career/life assessment guide is full of ideas to help match interests and passions with possible careers. Designed for just about every level of worker, ranging from someone just entering the workforce to one near retirement, the book features actual case examples and includes two pages of resources. It explores how to take stock of what matters most; how to define passions, talents, and values; and how to turn those into the first steps of career exploration. Fireman and Maurer are the founders of Washington Career Services, a career management firm specializing in organizational and career consulting for individuals, academia, and industry. − Published by Washington Career Services, July 2011 … [Read more...]