Eric Bonds (ebonds)

Professor of Sociology

Monroe Hall Room 224
ebonds@umw.edu
540-654-1505

Academic Degrees

B.S., University of Wyoming; M.A., Minnesota State University at Mankato; Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder

Eric Bonds, Professor of Sociology, has a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He studies climate change and environmental inequality in Virginia, most recently focusing on data center development and the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence. He has published numerous peer-reviewed academic articles and two editions of a social issues textbook, along with regular contributions to "The Fredericksburg Advance" and other news sites. Professor Bonds teaches classes in social issues, environmental sociology, environmental justice and social theory.

Eric Bonds in the News

Bonds Featured in Cardinal News on ICE Detention Data

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was featured in a Cardinal News article titled "New Tool Offers Transparency on Local Jails' Cooperation With ICE and Creates New Opportunities for Public Engagement." The article highlights the Deportation Data Project, which provides information about local and regional jails' cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Read more…

Bonds and UMW Students Author Commentary on Data Center Water Use

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds, along with UMW students Braderick Hatch and Fiona Steffens, authored a commentary published by Virginia Mercury and Rappahannock News titled “Four Va. counties will pump almost 20 million gallons of water a day to Amazon. Cause for concern?” The article examines agreements between four Virginia localities Read more…

Humanities Symposium Taps Into Art, Environment, Preservation and More

byThe green-tinted bottle may have held mustard in the Civil War era, but its eight flattish sides gave University of Mary Washington junior Kai Bryant a brand new idea.“I wanted to prove it could be fully customizable,” Bryant said of a summer project creating archival storage boxes with UMW senior Read more…

Bonds and UMW Students Publish Guest Column for Richmond Times Dispatch

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds and two UMW students — Aaliyah Anderson and Tabitha Van Doren — published a guest column in the Richmond Times Dispatch titled, "One Virginia Jail Thought it Could Fix its Budget by Detaining Immigrants. It was Wrong." The column is the outcome of a semester-long Read more…

Bonds Highlighted by Fredericksburg Free Press for VCOG Award

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was selected to receive the 2026 Laurence E. Richardson Citizen Award by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government (VCOG) in recognition of his work to promote greater transparency in data center development and efforts to use the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Bonds was featured by Read more…

Campus Directory

Professor of Sociology

Academic Degrees

Eric Bonds in the News

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