On Campus

The William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series returns in January for its 16th season. All lectures are free, open to the public, and begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall. For information, call 540-654-1065 or visit umw.edu/greatlives. Jan. 15 Rodgers and Hammerstein, Todd S. Purdum, author of Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution Jan. 22 Bruce Lee, Matthew Polly, author of Bruce Lee: A Life Jan. 29 Mikhail Gorbachev, William Taubman, author of Gorbachev: His Life and Times Feb. 5 Benedict Arnold, Joyce Lee Malcolm, author of The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life Feb. 7 Jane Goodall, Dale Peterson, author of Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man Feb. 14 Billie Holiday, Tracy Fessenden, author of Religion Around Billie Holiday Feb. 19 Gari Melchers, Joanna Catron ’79, curator of Gari Melchers Home and Studio Feb. 21 Dale Carnegie, Steven Watts, author of Self-Help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success … [Read more...]

In June, Gov. Ralph Northam appointed three new members to the UMW Board of Visitors and reappointed R. Edward “Edd” Houck to the board. All will serve four-year terms expiring in 2022. Martha G. Abbott ’72 of Alexandria, Virginia, is executive director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. An educator for more than 30 years, she previously taught and coordinated language programs at all levels in Fairfax County schools. In 2016, Abbott was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Security Education Board, an initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. Allida M. Black of Arlington, Virginia, is a scholar and human rights advocate who is managing director of the Allenswood Group LLC, an organization empowering individuals and strengthening democracy through civic engagement, grassroots activism, and education. She is a research professor of history and … [Read more...]

UMW has announced ASPIRE, its new statement of community values, endorsed by the university following widespread community feedback. ASPIRE’s letters stand for the common values of the UMW community: - Accountability - Scholarship - Personal and institutional integrity - Inclusive excellence - Respect and civility - Engagement The statement reflects the university’s commitment to “transform our academic community into a place where all will learn, thrive, and grow,” according to Vice President for Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson, who also is UMW’s chief diversity officer. … [Read more...]

The University of Mary Washington graduated 1,161 students in commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12. Marci Catlett, deputy superintendent for Fredericksburg schools, gave the graduate address Friday evening. Alumni businessmen Robert Davis ’12 and Abbas Haider ’12 addressed undergraduates on Saturday. Kendall M. Parker ’18 of Fredericksburg received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, presented to the student with the highest grade-point average in the four-year undergraduate program. Parker finished with a 3.99 GPA. An exceptional player on the UMW basketball team, she set a school record for the number of three-pointers made in a single game. A veteran administrator and three longtime faculty members were awarded emeritus status: Martin A. Wilder Jr., chief of staff emeritus, served the university since 1979 and was chief of staff for presidents Richard V. Hurley and Troy D. Paino. In 2016, he was presented the Washington Medallion, which recognizes … [Read more...]

Thanks to a 2018-2019 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant, Associate Professor of History and American Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti is spending 10 months in Azerbaijan, researching centuries-old manuscripts and archives. Al-Tikriti’s work focuses on 15th- and 16th-century intellectual history and Sufi movements in Azerbaijan. Al-Tikriti also teaches in two Azerbaijani universities. This is Al-Tikriti’s first time as a Fulbright Scholar, the designation for American faculty whom the Fulbright program sends abroad for up to a year to study, lecture, and conduct research. As a student, Al-Tikriti twice received a different type of Fulbright award for study in Istanbul, Turkey. At UMW, Al-Tikriti has helped to advise those applying for student Fulbright awards, and many of his mentees have received grants. Mary Washington ranks as one of the top producers of student Fulbright awards. Two UMW professors were awarded Fulbright Scholar grants in 2015-2016: Melanie Szulczewski, associate … [Read more...]

Paul Messplay, currently director of budget, will become vice president for administration and finance and will serve as UMW’s chief financial officer beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Messplay has worked in budgeting at Mary Washington for 11 years. He previously held positions at Virginia Commonwealth University, Tennessee’s Higher Education Commission, and Virginia’s Department of Planning and Budget. “I am delighted to have someone with his finance background who understands university budgets, in particular, at this time when we are looking closely at reorienting our budget to make it possible for UMW to invest in our strategic priorities,” President Troy D. Paino wrote to the university community in announcing the changes. Lynne Richardson, currently vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer, will return to her role as dean of the College of Business (CoB), Jan. 1, 2019. Paino noted that since Richardson joined the CoB seven years ago, she has prepared … [Read more...]

Students in Professor Carole Garmon’s environmental art class conceived and installed several projects to delight visitors to Fredericksburg’s nonprofit Downtown Greens community garden. The students added a wild rose trellis, a tiny free library, a garden moon gate, and a sound wall where children may make plenty of joyful noise.   … [Read more...]

The UMW Police Department has become only the fifth campus police agency in the commonwealth to achieve accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC), the accrediting agency in Virginia. The milestone is also a first in the history of UMW Police. Of 340 police agencies in the commonwealth – campus departments or otherwise – only 100 have attained VLEPSC accreditation. Chief Michael Hall set accreditation as a priority for the agency when he took the helm four years ago. The voluntary process enhances the quality of service and credibility of law enforcement agencies.   … [Read more...]