TWO GIFTS TOTALING $6 MILLION GIVEN TO UMW IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT
Fredericksburg, Va. – The University of Mary Washington announced today that it has received two large gifts from alumni totaling $6 million in honor of President William M. Anderson, Jr., who will retire this June after 23 years at the helm of the university.
The announcement came during a gala on campus Saturday evening attended by major donors to the institution during Dr. Anderson’s tenure as president.
“These generous gestures by two of our alumni will ensure that Mary Washington’s legacy of excellence continues for many years,” said President Anderson. “The university is grateful to them for their dedication to Mary Washington.”
Arabelle Laws Arrington of Warrenton, Va., a member of the class of 1941, has given the university $5 million, the largest single gift ever received by the university. Sara Page Cosby Mayo of Boston, Mass., a member of the class of 1964, and her husband Richard, have donated $1 million.
Arrington’s gift will be applied to a broad range of endowments for faculty and students. A significant part of the funds will be used to endow the university’s Summer Science Institute, which offers UMW science majors the opportunity to participate in a summer-long, intensive science study with university faculty members.
“When I came to the Fredericksburg State Teacher’s College in 1937 at age 15, I thought it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen,” Arrington said. “After I graduated, I never lost my interest in the institution, and I’ve always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to do something nice for the school. Dr. Anderson has contributed enormously to Mary Washington over the years, so I found it fitting to present this gift to the institution to honor my dear friend.”
Arrington is a former member of the university’s Board of Visitors and Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as immediate past president of the university’s Foundation Board of Directors. She created the “Arrington Challenge,” through which support has been provided for faculty recruitment, retention and benefits, as well as sustaining the Arrington Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance to children of UMW faculty and staff. Last year, an on-campus student residence facility was named “Arrington Hall” to honor her years of service to the university.
The university’s first fully funded and endowed academic chair will be made possible by the Mayo’s gift. The “William M. Anderson, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Biological Sciences” will be awarded to one of the institution’s leading faculty members in the area of biological sciences. Selection of the recipient will be made by the president of the institution.
“My husband and I were so impressed after meeting Dr. and Mrs. Anderson and we have developed a wonderful friendship with them,” said Sara Page Crosby Mayo. “We’ve seen what Dr. Anderson has done for this school. Now that he is retiring, we thought it would be nice to honor him in this way.”
Richard Mayo is a founding partner of one of the nation’s largest investment management funds, GMO (Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo & Co.), with holdings totaling more than $102 billion. He recently served as one of the university’s Executives-in-Residence. He is a member of the UMW Foundation Board and investment committee. Sara Page Cosby Mayo was a member of the Jepson Alumni Executive Center finishing committee, and the couple donated the center’s Mayo Courtyard.
Each of these gifts was made to honor Mary Washington’s president, who will officially retire on June 30. When Dr. Anderson was named President of Mary Washington in 1983, he became the youngest president at any of the state’s senior colleges and universities. Today, he is the longest serving president of any public institution in Virginia. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Anderson has made significant improvements to the institution.
Among his major achievements is the creation of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford County, which prompted the institution’s attainment of university status in 2004. Other significant accomplishments include increased enrollment and selectivity; increased faculty development; a state-of-the-art campus communication network; expansion of the intercollegiate athletic program; and the creation of the Community Outreach and Resources program to promote student volunteerism.
During President Anderson’s tenure, more than $120 million of capital improvements have been made to the university’s two campuses, including the addition of a new library, $14 million science center, student center, alumni center, art gallery, an enclosed campus walk, four new residence halls, an apartment complex, as well as the development of the Stafford campus.
In recent years, new cultural offerings for the university and the surrounding community have been added. These include programs such as the Fredericksburg Forum, the Great Lives lecture series and the UMW-Community Symphony Orchestra’s Celebrity Series. In addition, Dr. Anderson has overseen the growth of the institution’s endowment from $1.3 million to $24.5 million.
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News release prepared by: Teresa Mannix