Ernie Ackermann
In September, UMW recognized Professor of Computer Science Ernie Ackermann with the 2011 J. Christopher “Topher” Bill Outstanding Faculty Service Award, which recognizes dedication to the University and service to the Fredericksburg community. The University seized it’s last opportunity to bestow the honor on Ackermann; he plans to retire this summer.
Ackermann has led Mary Washington’s effort to stay on top of technology since he arrived on campus in 1980, signing on as the school’s first director of academic computing and leading its online presence. But his contributions reach well beyond campus, and his list of volunteer activities is so long it would be hard to name them all.
“I enjoy using whatever talents I can to help the community,” Ackermann told University of Mary Washington Magazine last summer.
He is on the board of directors of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg and the Stafford Board of Zoning Appeals. He has served as technical consultant for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library and the Fredericksburg Area Chamber of Commerce, managed websites for various groups, and volunteered his services to a spectrum of professional organizations, including a five-year stint as president of the Mary Washington Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Ackermann has held an array of roles at UMW, including his posts as chair of the University Faculty Council and the Faculty Advisory Committee to the Teaching Center, as well as multiple academic departments.
An endowment that funds the service award was established in honor of the extraordinary contributions of the late Professor of Psychology Topher Bill, who taught at Mary Washington from 1972 to 2001.