Centennial Class
Communicating to applicants the unique double distinction of the 2004 freshman class, the Office of Admissions capitalized on a fortuitous convergence of significant events in the history of Mary Washington. A tremendous amount of excitement grew among students competing to fill that class. Not only would they be the first freshmen to enter the new university, but they also would represent the institution’s “Centennial Class” slated to graduate in 2008. Consequently, the University of Mary Washington enrolled an exceptionally strong freshman class filled with bright, energetic students eager to become part of Virginia’s next great university.
Once university status became official on July 1, 2004, and the new and distinctive logo was adopted by the Board of Visitors, all admissions recruitment materials were redesigned to reflect the new University of Mary Washington graphic identity. Detailed work with designers, copywriters and photographers as well as University faculty, students and alumni resulted in a unique set of top-quality publications, all tied to the themes of “Tradition, Prestige, Vision” that so appropriately reflect the core characteristics of the University of Mary Washington.
Tailored to the unique needs of each audience, the new admissions publications have been extremely well received by prospective students of the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences campus in Fredericksburg and the College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford. For the fall of 2005, the University received record numbers of applications for both the traditional and the adult bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Testimony to the University’s ability to recruit, admit, retain and graduate qualified students lies in its rankings in selective guides. In the 2005 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” U.S. News & World Report listed Mary Washington as second among Southern public, master’s degree-granting institutions in the “Best Universities” category. Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges listed Mary Washington in the “highly competitive” category; the only other Virginia public schools appearing in this group were the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary. In addition, Mary Washington was included in the 2005 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges, which lists 300 of the nation’s best institutions and included UMW as one of the country’s 43 “Best Buys.”