Faculty, Administrators Rise to the Top

NASPA, the leading association for the student affairs profession, honored Dean of Student Life
Cedric Rucker ’81 with its Region III Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award during a ceremony in June. Rucker, who also is UMW’s associate vice president of student affairs, has worked to build strong organizations for underrepresented students. The award recognizes Rucker’s commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion, and signifies that fellow student affairs professionals value his contributions.

Professor of Education Marie Sheckels was named the recipient of the 2017 Waple Faculty Professional Achievement Award last April. Sheckels has held several leadership positions during her 35 years at UMW, in which time she rose from lecturer to professor. Established in honor of Shirley Van Epps Waple ’52,

the award recognizes faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to their scholarly or creative area.

The Association for Psychological Science (APS) named Laura C. Wilson, assistant professor of psychology, one of 96 Rising Stars from around the world. Wilson’s work focuses on post-trauma functioning, particularly in survivors of sexual violence, mass trauma, and gun violence. She is editor of The Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings, the first in-depth academic examination of mass shootings from a psychological perspective.

Martin A. Wilder Jr., recently retired chief of staff for UMW, received the John A. “Jack” Blackburn Award for Ethics in College Admissions from the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling. Beginning in 1979, Wilder held positions in admissions, enrollment, and communications before serving as chief of staff to university presidents Richard V. Hurley and Troy D. Paino.