Give It Your Best Shot!

No one seems to know whose foamy face graced last edition’s Get the Picture, which featured an image of a student participating in 1989 Devil-Goat Day shenanigans. But we hope classes of the early ’60s will help us identify these spirit-filled freshmen who were pictured in the 1964 Battlefield. The yearbook caption reads, “Freshmen arm themselves with pots, pans, and pins to rid themselves of beanies.” We know that before 1971, first-years were required to wear beanies − red for devils and green for goats − or suffer a consequence, usually a chore assigned by the upperclassman who caught them bareheaded. So, in addition to names, please tell us more about what it took to shed the beanies at the end of freshman year. Just who are these students and why are they wielding pots and pans? If you know, please send an email with Get the Picture in the subject line to ntrenis@umw.edu. Or, write us at UMW Magazine − Get the Picture  1301 College Ave., Fredericksburg, VA … [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...]

And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life

By Charles J. Shields, UMW Great Lives assistant director In the summer of 2006, Charles J. Shields contacted Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and offered to be the famous author’s biographer. Vonnegut’s first response was, in so many words, “no.” Shields persisted, and finally got an “OK” from the writer of such works as Cat’s Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions. Shields interviewed Vonnegut, who died the following April at age 84. The result of those interviews and subsequent meticulous research is And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, the definitive biography of Vonnegut based on his own words and those of his contemporaries, friends, and family members in addition to personal letters. Through the biography, Shields exposes the effects on Vonnegut of his mother’s suicide, his internment during WWII as a POW in Dresden, his many years as a literary failure, his adoption of three children who were orphaned by his sister and brother-in-law, his alcoholism, and his own … [Read more...]

America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq

By Jason W. Davidson, UMW associate professor of political science and international affairs America’s Allies and War by Jason W. Davidson, a multiple-case-study analysis of transatlantic burden-sharing, provides a unique explanation of why Britain, France, and Italy provide or refuse military support for U.S.-led armed forces. Using 60 original interviews with top policymakers and analysts, Davidson explores allies’ decisions during conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. From the cases explored, Davidson finds that “neoclassical realist factors” such as alliance value, threat, prestige, and electoral politics better explain allies’ actions than “constructivist factors,” identified here as identity and norms. The book briefly covers Vietnam, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf War, and Somalia. Davidson, the author of Origins of Revisionist and Status-quo States and numerous scholarly articles that have appeared in journals such as Contemporary Security Policy, Nonproliferation Review, … [Read more...]

Sallie Braxton

 A stack of business cards, one for each title she’s held at UMW, paints a picture of the kaleidoscopic career of Sallie Washington Braxton ’77. But her 33-year journey on the corporate ladder has been more horizontal than vertical. “I so enjoyed working at Mary Washington that I think the realization that [my job changes] were lateral moves wasn’t really at the forefront of my mind,” said the associate dean for advising services for the College of Business. “I just saw different openings and different areas of opportunity, and I knew what I enjoyed doing.” When Braxton came to work at her alma mater as assistant dean of admissions and financial aid in 1978, she discovered a particular passion for advising. Since then, she has worked as a director and a dean, with graduates and undergraduates, in Fredericksburg and in Stafford. Through all the changes, though, one thing has stayed the same: her focus on fostering students’ success. “Maybe I sacrificed my goals for theirs,” she … [Read more...]

Fulbright Scholar Studies Children of Chernobyl

Studying on Fulbright Scholarships is gaining popularity at UMW. Of the eight Mary Washington students who have received the grants, six have earned them in the past four years. This is due in part to the efforts of UMW Fulbright Campus Adviser Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history and American studies, and the Fulbright Campus Evaluation Committee, which includes Al-Tikriti; Rosemary Jesionowski, assistant professor of art and art history; and Jessica Locke, assistant professor of modern foreign languages. The Fulbright Program, started in 1946, is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. When Michele Alexander ’11 was a teenager, a child from near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant lived with her family for the summer. The next year another came, and the next another. The world’s worst nuclear power accident happened at Chernobyl in 1986 spewing radioactive contaminants over Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and beyond. … [Read more...]

Five Inducted Into Athletic Hall of Fame

The University of Mary Washington Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed five members at its 16th annual induction in October. The class includes longtime men’s soccer and men’s tennis coach Roy Gordon, six-time track and field All-American Yurissa Mitchell ’00, three-time tennis All-American Lea Schon ’01, two-sport All-American Stefanie Teter ’96, and baseball All-American Jin Wong ’97. Gordon, who recently retired after 34 years with the University, was one of the most successful NCAA soccer coaches, winning 432 games. UMW’s first coach in men’s soccer and tennis, he was an eight-time CAC Coach of the Year in soccer and a five-time NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year. In addition to leading UMW to nine NCAA Division III tournaments, he led the men’s tennis team to five CAC championships and its first NCAA tournament in 1997. Mitchell gained six All-America honors, earning status for both indoor and outdoor track and field in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. She still holds … [Read more...]

UMW Athletics Cheer Special Olympians

UMW athletes got behind competitors in the Special Olympics Fun Run on Campus Walk in October. Not only did the UMW students boost the spirits of the athletes, they made new friends and helped send more than $5,000 to Special Olympics Virginia. Photos by Clint Often. More than 350 UMW student-athletes lined the course and cheered for runners in the Run with the Law 5K and Special Olympics Fun Run Oct. 22. The UMW athletic department and the Fredericksburg City Police co-hosted the event, which raised more than $5,000 for Special Olympics Virginia. Compliments, ovations, and smiles made the runners feel “extra special,” said Carrie Dyer, Special Olympics Virginia director of development. Several Mary Washington students accompanied some of the 75 Special Olympians throughout the race. “I was truly blown away by the support of the UMW athletes,” Dyer said. After a 5K run, President Richard V. Hurley welcomed everyone to campus. The final event was the Fun Run, which began at … [Read more...]

Weather Whammy Welcomes UMW Freshmen

As if the first week of college can’t be hair-raising enough for freshmen, Mother Nature slung some serious surprises at hundreds of new students who converged on the University of Mary Washington in August. A magnitude-5.8 earthquake; a dangerous, havoc-wreaking thunderstorm; and a category-3 hurricane came not so neatly wrapped inside a span of just five days. On Tuesday, Aug. 23, the quake, with an epicenter just southwest of Fredericksburg, caused campus buildings to be evacuated and the University to close early. On Thursday, Aug. 25, just one day after freshmen moved in, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a state of emergency under threats of a severe thunderstorm that shut down power on the Fredericksburg campus, merited a University-wide student alert, and postponed the Honor Convocation scheduled for that evening. Two days later, Hurricane Irene swept in from the Atlantic, releasing a fury that delivered more than 4 inches of rain and 40-mph winds; the very first day of … [Read more...]