{"id":110308,"date":"2026-05-09T13:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110308"},"modified":"2026-05-09T13:39:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:39:15","slug":"awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-09T13:39:12-04:00\">May 9, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p>by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Amy Jessee<\/div><\/div><p>Just before the newest Mary Washington graduates cross the stage to receive their degrees, they take a moment to recognize the faculty who have had the greatest degree of impact on their years at the University. During the 2026 Commencement Ceremony, three distinguished faculty members were honored for their leadership, commitment to teaching and connections with students.<\/p><p><strong>Faculty Leadership Award<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"110312\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/2026umwgrads046\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"6.3\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"ILCE-7M4\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1609474370\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"127\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.001\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Associate Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Assessment and Accreditation Jennifer Walker. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A man and a woman dressed in graduation garb smile for the  camera, while the woman holds a box\" class=\"wp-image-110312\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:300px;height:300px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads046-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Associate Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Assessment and Accreditation Jennifer Walker. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>Associate Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Assessment and Accreditation Jennifer Walker was awarded the Faculty Leadership Award from the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors.<\/p><p>As one nominator noted, &ldquo;Even a cursory glance at her lengthy list of accomplishments leaves no doubt whatsoever that she is an absolute powerhouse in all three areas of teaching, research and service.&rdquo;<\/p><p>A respected scholar, college educator and K-12 teacher herself, Walker has already established a lasting impact on Mary Washington&rsquo;s curricular programing through the creation of an interdisciplinary disability studies minor and co-leadership of the Life After Mary Washington quality enhancement plan. She serves on several committees and has served on the University Faculty Council for multiple terms. She also is the principal investigator for a $1.3 million Call Me MiSTER program grant.<\/p><p>Walker is a 1996 graduate of then-Mary Washington College, with an M.Ed. and Ph.D. from George Mason University, who returned to her undergraduate alma mater in 2014 to teach. She served as the special education program director, working at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Elected associate dean in 2024, she now holds numerous roles, including aligning coursework with teacher credentialing expectations established by groups such as the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).<\/p><p>The Faculty Leadership Award was established in 2021 through an endowment created by the Board of Visitors. It recognizes a faculty member who supports the institution&rsquo;s strategic vision by leading a major institutional initiative or program, who has consistently and over time provided outstanding leadership, or who has provided engaged or effective leadership during a particular institutional transition or issue.<\/p><p><strong>Anderson Distinguished Professor Award<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"110313\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/william-a-anderson-distinguished-professorship-award-winner\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"5.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"ILCE-7M4\",\"caption\":\"William A. Anderson Distinguished Professorship award winner\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1609473622\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"178\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"William A. Anderson Distinguished Professorship award winner\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Two men dressed in graduation garb smile for the camera, while one holds a box\" class=\"wp-image-110313\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:300px;height:300px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads048-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna exemplifies those characteristics as a community-engaged teacher-scholar, with a strong record of achievement in the areas of teaching, professional work and service.<\/p><p>The Anderson Professorship recognizes a tenured full professor who is known for a commitment to the teacher-scholar model with a passion for teaching and who demonstrates exceptional teaching, professional work and service. The five-year appointment is made by the Board of Visitors. The award honors former UMW President William M. Anderson Jr., who served as Mary Washington&rsquo;s sixth president, and is endowed by a generous gift from Richard and Sara Page Mayo &rsquo;64. Anderson Professors are faculty who excite and inspire students to excel.<\/p><p>Hanna joined the faculty at Mary Washington in 1997 and has spent nearly three decades creating and implementing classes that enhance students&rsquo; abilities to visualize, explain and build lives within a complex interconnected world. Students take their experiences beyond the classroom.<\/p><p>He has served as department chair, led the revision of UMW&rsquo;s General Education Program, and he advocates for scholarship funding for students. He received the Waple Faculty Professional Achievement Award in 2016; the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Research Honors Award in 2017; and the Zumkehr Prize for Scholarship in Public Memory in 2020. In addition, the American Association of Geographers named him an AAG Fellow in 2018, and he has been the cartography editor for the AAG, sharing resources and opportunities with students to engage in the project.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Such projects develop the technical and essential skills our students need to succeed in the workplace and, more importantly, show them that they can make meaningful changes in their worlds,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Indeed, my most meaningful successes lie at the intersection of research, teaching and service to UMW&rsquo;s surrounding communities.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Hanna is the author, co-author or co-editor of numerous articles, book chapters and books, and published 65 maps in academic journals and books, works of fiction, news outlets and historical tour brochures. His work and the work of his students is recognized around Fredericksburg, having been part of projects for the Fredericksburg Area Museum, Fredericksburg Visitor Center, UMW Accessibility Map, Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail and National Parks in Virginia.<\/p><p>He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. from the University of Vermont and a B.A. from Clark University.<\/p><p><em>This is the third of three years of the endowed Anderson Award, with Professor of Theatre and Director of the School of the Arts Gregg Stull, earning the Anderson Distinguished Professor Award in 2023, and Professor and Chair of Psychological Science Miriam Liss earning the award in 2024.<\/em><\/p><p><strong>Mary W. Pinschmidt Award<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"110314\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/mary-w-pinschmidt-award-winner-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"5.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"ILCE-7M4\",\"caption\":\"Mary W. Pinschmidt Award winner\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1609473777\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"162\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"Mary W. Pinschmidt Award winner\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Assistant Professor of Management and Center for Economic Development Co-Director Christopher Willis&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A young woman and a man dressed in graduation garb stand together, while the man holds a box\" class=\"wp-image-110314\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:300px;height:300px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/2026UMWgrads051-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Assistant Professor of Management and Center for Economic Development Co-Director Christopher Willis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>Assistant Professor of Management and Center for Economic Development Co-Director Christopher Willis brings business ideas to life in his classrooms, helping students envision not just their next steps with their degree but their next business venture. He teaches a memorable Entrepreneurship Venture Creation class that gives students entrepreneurial training and connects them to real-world experience, including the Eagle Egg Pitch Competition.<\/p><p>That inspiration earns his students thousands in start-up funding for their venture, and this year, earned Willis the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award from the senior class. The Mary W. Pinschmidt Award, the only faculty award selected specifically by students, was established in 1999 in honor of the longtime professor of biology known for her enduring devotion to Mary Washington. It is awarded during commencement to a professor who exemplifies Pinschmidt&rsquo;s enthusiasm for teaching and connection with students.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Dr. Willis actively motivates students to participate in opportunities that help them refine their ideas and inspire them to believe that starting their own business is within reach,&rdquo; said Ashely Lam, senior vice president of the class of 2026, in presenting the award. &ldquo;His support is genuine and constant, rooted in a deep belief in his students and their potential. Because of him, entrepreneurship feels exciting, purposeful, and accessible to many of our students.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Willis&rsquo; entrepreneurial journey began during his college years at Appalachian State University, where he started a construction company in Boone, North Carolina. After earning a bachelor&rsquo;s degree, he founded a consulting firm to supplement his high school teaching salary, marking the beginning of a 30-year career in business and technology. He has held various roles, including IT consultant and director at MCI\/WorldCom. His expertise as both an independent and direct consultant has been sought by major corporations such as Nestl&eacute;, BP Oil, Macy&rsquo;s, Time Warner Cable, Home Depot, Cisco and Verizon, as well as government agencies like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Social Security Administration.<\/p><p>He holds a Master&rsquo;s in International Management from Thunderbird, an MBA from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in management and entrepreneurship from Old Dominion University. His research focuses on how individual factors influence entrepreneurial activities and firm governance, with a particular interest in hybrid social ventures that contribute to societal improvement.<\/p><p>To see more information about the faculty awards and prior awardees, <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.umw.edu\/administration-faculty\/faculty-awards\/\">visit the Academic Catalog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byJust before the newest Mary Washington graduates cross the stage to receive their degrees, they take a moment to recognize the faculty who have had the greatest degree of impact on their years at the University. During the 2026 Commencement Ceremony, three distinguished faculty members were honored for their leadership, commitment to teaching and connections [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5200,"featured_media":110310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[708,15651,15084],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-110308","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-commencement","9":"tag-commencement-2026","10":"tag-faculty-awards","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byJust before the newest Mary Washington graduates cross the stage to receive their degrees, they take a moment to recognize the faculty who have had the greatest degree of impact on their years at the University. During the 2026 Commencement Ceremony, three distinguished faculty members were honored for their leadership, commitment to teaching and connections [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy Jessee\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca489a61d7afe14e7dc34df87cbafec2\"},\"headline\":\"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1222,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Commencement\",\"Commencement 2026\",\"faculty awards\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/\",\"name\":\"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg\",\"width\":\"1024\",\"height\":\"413\",\"caption\":\"One photo for each of faculty award winner\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/09\\\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"News\",\"description\":\"University of Mary Washington\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of Mary Washington\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png\",\"width\":2255,\"height\":580,\"caption\":\"University of Mary Washington\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/UniversityofMaryWashington\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/UMaryWash\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ca489a61d7afe14e7dc34df87cbafec2\",\"name\":\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sarah Hertz Mahoney\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement - News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement","og_description":"byJust before the newest Mary Washington graduates cross the stage to receive their degrees, they take a moment to recognize the faculty who have had the greatest degree of impact on their years at the University. During the 2026 Commencement Ceremony, three distinguished faculty members were honored for their leadership, commitment to teaching and connections [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/","og_site_name":"News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":413,"url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sarah Hertz Mahoney","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UMaryWash","twitter_site":"@UMaryWash","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy Jessee","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/"},"author":{"name":"Sarah Hertz Mahoney","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ca489a61d7afe14e7dc34df87cbafec2"},"headline":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement","datePublished":"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/"},"wordCount":1222,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","keywords":["Commencement","Commencement 2026","faculty awards"],"articleSection":["Top Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/","name":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-09T17:39:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-09T17:39:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","width":"1024","height":"413","caption":"One photo for each of faculty award winner"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/09\/awards-honor-faculty-at-2026-commencement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Awards Honor Faculty at 2026 Commencement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/","name":"News","description":"University of Mary Washington","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"University of Mary Washington","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/10\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/10\/2colorUMWprimarywordmark.png","width":2255,"height":580,"caption":"University of Mary Washington"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","https:\/\/x.com\/UMaryWash"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ca489a61d7afe14e7dc34df87cbafec2","name":"Sarah Hertz Mahoney","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea5d23fedd9dea5897c49b5fd9c518454e393c71353d5b9bce5f8fa996e5ddf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sarah Hertz Mahoney"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_FacultyAwards_2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-21 00:41:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110308"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=110308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}