Even as a Hollywood headliner who hit the big screen this year, comedian Jay Montepare ’00 likes to brag about something he pulled off as a child. “Sometimes I would get my big brother laughing so hard he would literally pee the bed,” said Montepare, who shared sleeping quarters with his sibling early on. “And that would make me happy – which was weird because then we would have to sleep in a pee bed. But it was worth it to me just to know that I could do that.” The brothers’ late-night joke-fests led to an L.A. career for Montepare that’s getting hotter every day. Known for his spontaneity and for pulling audience members into his acts, he said he’s happiest on the stage, which he’s shared with the likes of Drew Carey, Sarah Silverman, and Joe Rogan. But, Montepare said, making a living making folks laugh isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. “I got into comedy thinking I’d be around people all the time,” he said. “It can be lonely. You travel all over the country. You do … [Read more...]
Foreign Service Calls
As graduation day approached, Aissata Traore ’13 “frantically” applied for so many summer internships that she’d nearly forgotten about the application she’d sent to the U.S. State Department. “One day, I’m in my dorm room taking a nap, and I get a phone call that’s clearly not from America,” she recalled. “They said, ‘We want you to interview for a job in Rwanda.’ ” Traore, who graduated magna cum laude with degrees in international relations and women’s and gender studies, figures it took about four months for her to earn the necessary security clearance to take the internship in the Central African country of Rwanda. She had to explain every stamp in her passport, not an easy task for a world traveler who was born in Moscow while her mother served in the U.S. Navy. She also had to account for every telephone call she’d placed to a foreign country. Since both her parents were born in the West African country of Mali and she still has many family members there, it was a … [Read more...]
Teamwork Pays
Women’s basketball captain Samantha “Sam” Partonen ’14 has wins on the court and in the classroom, but her real joy is being a part of the UMW Eagles women’s basketball squad. “Our team is the most positive, hard-working team I know, and that’s the only reason I am able to experience any kind of individual success,” said Partonen, an honor student. Coach Deena Applebury said the senior guard gives as much as she gets. Partonen earned first- and second-team status on the All-Capital Athletic Conference women’s basketball team, and she joined her Eagles teammates among the Elite 8 in the 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III women’s basketball tournament. Partonen led the Eagles with 102 assists and averaged 12 points per game last season. She led the season in points per game with an average of 11.3, helping her team end with an 18-8 record. A native of Burke, Va., and valedictorian of her Robinson High School class, Partonen studies English and plans to … [Read more...]
UMW Honors 2014 Hall of Famers
The University of Mary Washington inducted three alumni, one former coach, and an entire team into its athletic hall of fame in February. The honors went to the 1993 field hockey team, which advanced to the national championship game; All-America high jumper Bobby Bergin ’03; All-America tennis star Conor Smith ’03; basketball standout Dan Dupras ’03; and former head baseball coach Tom Sheridan. The 1993 field hockey team finished 22-2 and advanced to the NCAA Division III national championship game. The team rattled off 51 goals in 24 games and limited opponents to just seven goals all season - still one of the best defensive seasons in Division III history. Aside from UMW’s two NCAA championship women’s tennis teams, the 1993 field hockey team was, at press time, the lone Mary Washington athletic program to advance to a team national championship game. Bergin competed in eight NCAA track and field championships in his four-year career, gaining All-America honors four … [Read more...]
Classroom Named in Farmer’s Honor
We still have “mountains to climb and rivers to cross” in the struggle for civil rights, Georgia Sen. Nan Grogan Orrock ’65 told a crowd gathered in Monroe Hall in November. Her speech, the centerpiece of the James L. Farmer Lecture Hall dedication, highlighted the power of “ordinary people” like the late James Farmer to forward the journey toward justice for all. Farmer, who founded the Congress of Racial Equality, taught history at Mary Washington for more than a decade. One of America’s top civil rights leaders, he shared his experiences with thousands of UMW students, his resonant voice filling Monroe 104, the auditorium that now bears his name. “It is indeed right and appropriate that we recognize James Farmer in this room in which he touched so many students,” said Jeffrey W. McClurken ’94, professor and chair of history and American studies, who was one of those students. Farmer organized the 1961 Freedom Rides that led to desegregated interstate travel. He had a … [Read more...]
Historian Tops in Technology
Jeffrey W. McClurken ’94, UMW professor and chair of history and American studies, was one of 12 professors named among Virginia’s 2014 Outstanding Faculty. The awards are the state’s highest honor for faculty at its public and private colleges and universities. Chosen by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and Dominion Resources, they recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service. “I love seeing what students can do if you push them out of their comfort zone. … I love my job.” – Jeffrey W. McClurken ’94 McClurken, a leading advocate for integrating technology into teaching, is this year’s “teaching with technology” recipient. He brings such tools as WordPress, Omeka, Facebook, Twitter, and wikis to the classroom. “I love seeing what students can do if you push them out of their comfort zone while also providing them with support and opportunities to approach, both creatively and rigorously, the study of history,” he … [Read more...]
Recycling Rules!
UMW joined more than 450 colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada for RecycleMania 2014. The annual eight-week competition encourages students to reduce waste and keep recyclables out of landfills. In its 14th year, RecycleMania runs in February and March - right alongside the NCAA basketball tournament. UMW is in the “per capita classic” category, in which schools compete to see which can collect the largest weight of recyclables on a per-person basis. At UMW Magazine press time, Mary Washington had led Virginia each week, reporting 27 pounds of waste recycled per person in week four and nearly 140,000 pounds overall. Last year UMW took first place in Virginia and 12th overall, processing more than 200,000 pounds − 37.544 per person − of recyclables. Overall, last year’s Recyclemania recovered 91 million pounds of recyclables and prevented the release of more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. RecycleManiacs - volunteers - visit residence halls to … [Read more...]
Speaking Center Among Nation’s Best
The UMW Speaking Center is one of only eight certified communication centers in the U.S. It received certification from the National Association of Communication Centers in January, joining such institutions as the universities of Pennsylvania, North Carolina at Greensboro, and Southern Mississippi. The UMW Speaking Center helps students develop and polish oral communication skills, supporting objectives of a liberal arts education and of the UMW Speaking Intensive Program. Consultants are undergraduates trained to provide peer tutoring and consultations. The national certification is based on a review of how tutors and consultants are trained. “The center’s training program was revamped this past fall and now provides broad support and communication training for new consultants,” said Anand Rao, associate professor of communication and director of the Speaking Center. The center does more than just work on public speaking assignments – the center’s consultants run workshops and … [Read more...]
CEO Talks Business
The founder of a firm sought after by Fortune 500 companies brought his financial wisdom to campus in February. Matt Ernst ’94, who established the business and IT consulting firm Amentra, was this year’s Executive-in-Residence. Now chairman of Walnut Grove Holdings, a Richmond-based investment corporation focused on early-stage technology companies, Ernst shared lessons in leadership and risk-taking. Six years after earning a business administration degree at Mary Washington, Ernst founded Amentra - now part of the worldwide open-source technology provider Red Hat - which used a unique mentoring model to help businesses upgrade operating systems and train staff. Amentra made the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list, and as its CEO, Ernst was named the 2007 EY Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2008, Amentra had more than 140 employees and offices in four major U.S. cities when Ernst sold it to Red Hat. The entrepreneur led presentations and discussions for students, staff, … [Read more...]
Amphitheater to Be Restored
The University of Mary Washington amphitheater, a much-loved feature of the Fredericksburg campus, is preparing for its second act, thanks in large part to a $1 million challenge gift from Robert S. and Alice Andrews Jepson ’64. “I can’t wait to get back to see all the things that have happened since I was there and to take time to walk through the amphitheater,” Alice Jepson said. “When President Hurley told us that students still love the amphitheater, we decided our money would be well invested in helping to restore this area of campus that holds so many special memories for alumni and students alike.” Built of inexpensive materials in 1913 and more sturdily rebuilt in the 1920s, the amphitheater – in a grove of trees near Sunken Road – has been home to many Mary Washington traditions. The amphitheater hosted commencement ceremonies from the 1930s until 1958, Devil-Goat Day through the 1970s, May Day celebrations, and numerous concerts and theater productions. When the weather … [Read more...]