On Campus

Kudos, UMW!

UMW has again raked in national accolades for its undergraduate and graduate programs. U.S. News & World Report listed UMW among the top five public universities in the South. Washington Monthly magazine included UMW as one of only two Virginia schools in its top 25 colleges, based on contributions to the public good. And Forbes, Money Magazine, and The Princeton Review all rate UMW among the best universities in their college guidebooks. … [Read more...]

BOV Member Is All Business

Gov. Terry McAuliffe has appointed Carlos Del Toro of Stafford, Virginia, to the UMW Board of Visitors. Del Toro fills the unexpired term of Tabitha Geary Tate ’92, who resigned. The term expires in 2017. Del Toro is founder, CEO, and president of SBG Technology Solutions Inc., a Washington-based technology services consulting firm. In 2010, the Small Business Administration named him small-business person of the year for the Washington region. A former naval officer and White House fellow, Del Toro is a native of Havana, Cuba, and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He holds advanced degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School, the Naval War College, and George Washington University. He is past president of the capital chapter board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and is on the board of Rappahannock Goodwill Industries. … [Read more...]

Erchull Honored With APA Award

The American Psychological Association has recognized Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, as an emerging leader. The APA’s Committee on Women in Psychology honored Erchull with its Psychology Leadership Award for her scholarship, undergraduate mentoring, and service to the psychology profession, and for her promise of an influential career. Erchull was named an association fellow in 2013 and has presented research on gender issues and feminism at numerous conventions. Her research includes objectification and sexualization of women; feminism and feminist identity; psychological aspects of reproductive health; and attitudes about menstruation. … [Read more...]

“The Bullet” Fired

This post was updated Dec. 19, 2014, to reflect that The Blue & Gray Press has 12 pages. The print edition of this story incorrectly stated that the paper has 10 pages. For 92 years, The Bullet newspaper was a prominent voice of Mary Washington student news and opinion. That ended Sept. 4, when The Blue & Gray Press debuted on campus newsstands. Word of the name change came in an Aug. 18 press release from the paper’s student editorial board, which made the decision to revise the name and the publication’s format. The press release reads: “After analyzing the origins of the paper and the development of the publication over the years, the board agreed that the antiquated name does not properly represent the paper today. The editorial board felt that the paper’s name, which alludes to ammunition for an artillery weapon, propagated violence and did not honor our school’s history in a sensitive manner. The board intends to remain faithful to the history our university … [Read more...]

Leading Toward Diversity

Cara Wimberley ’15 received this year’s Citizenship Award for Diversity Leadership, given to a University of Mary Washington senior with high academic standards, leadership qualities, and a personal commitment to diversity and inclusion on campus. Wimberley is a psychology major and is minoring in linguistics and Middle Eastern studies. She has been an officer of the campus group PRISM – People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities – and has participated in the Cross-Cultural BBQ, Arab Culture Night, Day of Silence, and the Multicultural Fair. She is a peer mentor with the Center for International Education. Wimberley, of Blacksburg, Virginia, spent a semester at a university in Amman, Jordan, studying Arabic and learning about Middle Eastern culture and history. “Cara’s UMW and study-abroad experiences have taught her that being a leader means learning about diverse identities and cultures,” said Marion Sanford, UMW’s director of multicultural affairs. … [Read more...]

Senior Earns Scholarship From Jay-Z

Rapper Jay-Z is helping theater and political science major Ebony Dixon ’15 pay for college. His Shawn Carter Scholar program aims to help students facing economic challenges stay in school by helping with tuition or other academic expenses. Dixon, from Alexandria, Virginia, is among 176 recipients for the 2014-15 academic year. Like many chosen to receive the rapper’s scholarships, Dixon is a first-generation college student. Her father died in 2012, and her mother is working on her own college degree while helping Dixon and her college-age brother through school. The Shawn Carter scholarship considers grade-point average and an essay and requires a community service commitment of recipients. But it also considers a student’s perseverance in overcoming obstacles. In Dixon’s case, it means less student-loan debt and, possibly, more freedom in choosing a career after college. She’s interested in acting professionally but also is considering law school. She’s on the executive … [Read more...]

Dancing for Scholars

Theresa Young Crawley ’77, dancing here with Michael Scott of Strictly Ballroom Dance Studio, won best in show for her performance at UMW’s Dancing With the Fredericksburg Stars in October. The evening featured 10 leaders from the Fredericksburg community performing ballroom dances with professional dancers. A panel of judges provided comments and presented the top awards. Proceeds from the benefit competition endow a UMW Performing Arts in the Community Scholarship. Crawley, a dentist, serves on UMW’s Board of Visitors and Foundation Board. … [Read more...]

UMW and Germanna Partner for Nursing Degrees

Eligible nursing students at Germanna Community College can more easily come to the University of Mary Washington to complete bachelor’s degrees, thanks to agreements signed this fall. UMW’s bachelor of science in nursing is a degree-completion program. The first cohort enrolled this fall. Funded in part by a grant from Mary Washington Healthcare, it allows registered nurses with associate degrees or nursing diplomas to complete their four-year degrees at the university. The degree-completion option is open to any registered nurse, not just those from Germanna. But the new partnership cements a nursing degree-completion connection between the two institutions. Under agreements signed by President Richard V. Hurley and the community college’s president, David A. Sam, nursing students have several options. They can attend Germanna first, earn associate degrees, and then transfer to Mary Washington. They can live on campus at UMW while taking classes at both institutions. Or they … [Read more...]

Mindfulness Week

A nationally recognized nutritionist visited campus in September as the keynote speaker for the University of Mary Washington’s second annual Mindfulness Week. Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication for Harvard University’s Department of Nutrition, spoke about mindful eating. Other events during the week included workshops on mindfulness and meditation and lectures on mindfulness and the liberal arts. Research has shown that mindfulness − the ability to quiet the mind, focus attention on the present, and calmly dismiss distractions − has positive effects on health. … [Read more...]

New to UMW

More than 1,000 new students arrived on campus in August, joining the University of Mary Washington from 27 states and seven foreign countries. The newcomers include about 870 freshmen and 300 transfer students. More than 20 percent identify themselves as racial or ethnic minorities. About two-thirds are women.   … [Read more...]