UMW’s Production of “The Tempest” Runs Through April 21

UMW's production of "The Tempest" runs through April 21. Photo courtesy of Geoff Greene.

The University of Mary Washington’s Department of Theatre & Dance is continuing its 2012-2013 season with a production of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Performances will be held April 11-13 and April18-20 at 8 p.m., and April 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. in duPont Hall’s Klein Theatre. … [Read more...]

UMW Debate Team Started National Tournament Ranked in Top Five

Colin McElhinny (left) and Patrick McCleary are ranked fifth going into the National Debate Tournament.

The University of Mary Washington Debate Team duo of juniors Colin McElhinny and Patrick McCleary ranked fifth in the country going into the 2013 National Debate Tournament. … [Read more...]

CEO Doug Dolton ’78 Shares Business Philosophy

Doug Dolton '78 (left) is UMW's Executive-in-Residence for 2012-2013.

Doug Dolton ’78 shared his perspectives on leadership, business and the economy with hundreds of regional leaders on Thursday, March 21, as part of the University of Mary Washington’s annual Executive-in-Residence program. … [Read more...]

UMW English Professor Awarded National Fellowship

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Ben LaBreche, assistant professor of English at the University of Mary Washington, has been awarded a Solmsen Fellowship for 2013-2014. The fellowship will support a year of research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research in the Humanities. … [Read more...]

UMW Students Turn Out to Help Community

A UMW student helps clean up a hiking trail in Fredericksburg.

Hundreds of University of Mary Washington students spent a recent Saturday in local neighborhoods as part of the university’s Good Neighbor Day. The more than 250 students, representing numerous campus groups and sports teams, completed 20 projects in the neighborhoods surrounding UMW, totaling more than 1,000 hours of community service. The students, joined by President Richard V. Hurley and faculty and staff members, helped with yard work and landscaping projects, organized garages and sheds and cleaned trash from local trails. An effort of UMW’s Student Government Association, Good Neighbor Day gave students an opportunity to interact with their Fredericksburg neighbors. “A lot of students said it was very cool to participate in something so large,” said Jeremy Thompson, president of SGA. “They were hoping they can make a positive impact in the community.” Kagan McSpadden, director of community outreach for SGA, was ecstatic over the success of the effort. … [Read more...]

UMW Alumnus Shares His Experience as U.S. Ambassador

Clifford Hart '80 is Special Envoy to the Six-Party Talks.

At 24 years old – just four years after donning a cap and gown at the University of Mary Washington – Clifford Hart ‘80 moved halfway around the world. He left his home state of Virginia, where he had attended Mary Washington, then the University of Virginia for graduate school, to take a post in China with the Foreign Service. “It was a treat from beginning to end,” Hart said of his first assignment. “It was a fascinating time to be there.” Hart, now Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks for the denuclearization of North Korea, spoke with students about his decades-long career in the Foreign Service during a recent trip to his alma mater. “The Foreign Service is a deeply stimulating intellectual exercise,” he said. “You are constantly learning.” As an envoy, Ambassador Hart coordinates U.S. efforts on the Six-Party Talks and leads day-to-day engagement with Six-Party partners. “It has been an occasion for me to learn a lot about a really … [Read more...]

Drew University Dean Named as UMW Provost

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Jonathan Levin has been named to the position of provost of the University of Mary Washington. Levin has spent more than 20 years in higher education, including nearly a decade as an administrator. Currently, he serves as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Drew University in Madison, N.J. Levin will serve as the chief academic officer at UMW and will be responsible for oversight of all academic programs, academic planning and budgets and faculty matters. Working with the deans and the faculty, the provost provides leadership of major university initiatives in teaching, research and creative activities and has responsibility for all university educational and academic policies. He also will oversee enrollment management. Levin will begin work on June 25, 2013. “I am extremely pleased that Dr. Levin has agreed to come to UMW,” said President Richard V. Hurley. “His background and experience will be a tremendous asset as we move the institution forward.” Levin has … [Read more...]

Educator and Author to Deliver 2013 Commencement Addresses, May 10-11

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The University of Mary Washington has announced its graduate and undergraduate speakers for the 2013 commencement ceremonies to be held on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. Dr. William “Bill” Cleveland Bosher Jr., public policy expert and former Virginia superintendent of education, will be the guest speaker for the graduate address on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the William M. Anderson Center. Steve Pemberton, business executive, motivational speaker and noted author, will deliver the undergraduate commencement address on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle. Bill Bosher Bosher has been a teacher, principal, state director, local superintendent of two districts with more than 35,000 students and the superintendent of public instruction for the commonwealth of Virginia. He currently serves as distinguished professor of public policy and education at Virginia Commonwealth University and executive director of the Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute, a legislative … [Read more...]

UMW Receives National Recognition for Service

UMW students are volunteering in Georgia and Florida as part of Alternative Spring Break trips.

Two dozen University of Mary Washington students spent their Spring Break serving others. The students, who spent a week in Albany, Ga., and Melbourne, Fla., built houses with Habitat for Humanity through a program known as Alternative Spring Break. … [Read more...]

Gari Melchers Home and Studio Creates “Little Free Library”

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Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont is the site of a new public book exchange, part of the Little Free Library movement. The international movement encourages literacy and community-building through free book exchanges, known as Little Free Libraries. Visitors may pick up and drop off books at any location, completely free of charge. When Susan Taylor-Schran, Museum Shop and Marketing Manager at Belmont, heard about the movement, she knew it would be a fit for the historic landmark, given the Melchers’ lifelong love of books. Local woodworker Ken Smith built the wooden structure, located near the entrance of Belmont, and incorporated design elements from Belmont’s studio. “The idea of placing a Little Free Library at Belmont is in keeping with the charitable works of Gari and Corinne Melchers, whose concern for the citizens of Falmouth and surrounding areas is still remembered by many of our elderly citizens,” said Taylor-Schran. For more information about the … [Read more...]