{"id":88401,"date":"2018-05-12T17:48:43","date_gmt":"2018-05-12T21:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=88401"},"modified":"2019-05-08T15:38:52","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T19:38:52","slug":"umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kendall M. Parker<\/strong> of Fredericksburg received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, which is presented to the student with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the four-year undergraduate program. Parker finished with a 3.99 GPA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Robert Barr, <\/strong>associate professor of political science, received the Grellet C. Simpson Award, the institution\u2019s most prestigious annual award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. The recipient is routinely a senior member of the faculty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Catie Finlayson, <\/strong>assistant professor of geography, received the UMW Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Member Award, presented annually to an exceptional member of the faculty who has served the institution for at least two years but no more than five years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Smita Jain Oxford<\/strong>, senior lecturer in the College of Business, received the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award. The winner is selected by the graduating class as the faculty member \u201cthey will most likely remember as the one who had the greatest impact on their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jane Huffman<\/strong>, associate professor of education, was recognized with the Graduate Faculty Award. The honor showcases an exceptional full-time faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in graduate teaching and professional leadership in a graduate program. The person selected must have served in a full-time position at the university for at least two years.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kendall Parker<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88406\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88406\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"88406\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/kendall-parker-darden\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3000,2340\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526119334&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;126.8&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kendall Parker Darden\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Kendall Parker received the Darden Award.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kendall Parker received the Darden Award.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-300x234.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-1024x799.jpg\" id=\"longdesc-return-88406\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88406\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Kendall Parker received the Darden Award.\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news?longdesc=88406&amp;referrer=88401\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-300x234.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-768x599.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-1024x799.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-1140x889.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Kendall-Parker-Darden-600x468.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88406\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kendall Parker received the Darden Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kendall Parker finished her undergraduate career with all A\u2019s, including one A-minus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do know it wasn\u2019t a course in her major, where she ended with a perfect 4.0 grade point,\u201d said Provost Nina Mikhalevsky, who recognized Parker with the prestigious award.<\/p>\n<p>A political science major with a minor in business administration, Parker earned an honorable mention in a national undergraduate paper competition. She is a member of the national senior honor society Mortar Board; the national political honorary society Pi Sigma Alpha; and the national collegiate athletic honor society Chi Alpha Sigma. An exceptional player on the UMW basketball team, she set a school record for the number of three-pointers made in a single game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs her thesis advisor put it, she\u2019s not just good in one area: she\u2019s an outstanding scholar, an accomplished athlete, and a wonderful person,\u201d said Mikhalevsky who described Parker as a \u201ctriple threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Robert Barr<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88409\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88409\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"88409\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/robb-barr\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3000,1800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526119954&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;174&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Robb Barr\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Associate Professor Robert Barr&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Associate Professor Robert Barr&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-300x180.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-1024x614.jpg\" id=\"longdesc-return-88409\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88409\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"Associate Professor Robert Barr\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news?longdesc=88409&amp;referrer=88401\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-300x180.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-768x461.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-1024x614.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-1140x684.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Robb-Barr-600x360.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88409\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Associate Professor Robert Barr\u00a0 received the Grellet C. Simpson Award<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Associate Professor Robert Barr has put his students at the center of his teaching since he arrived a Mary Washington in 2005, Mikhalevsky said. Students and faculty praise him for his frank and accessible manner, and his willingness to spend hours mentoring students, challenging them to push for excellence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile his courses are demanding, his students consistently comment on how much they are challenged and learn, how effectively he engages students in discussions, and how obvious it is that he cares about all of his students,\u201d said Mikhalevsky, adding that students flock to him for advice. \u201cBy expressing confidence in his students, he helps them excel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recipient of the University\u2019s Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Member Award in 2010, Barr also received a Jepson Fellowship and a prestigious research grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation. An expert in Latin American politics, he has published numerous articles in academic journals.<\/p>\n<p>Barr holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, a master\u2019s degree in foreign affairs and a bachelor\u2019s degree in economics with a minor in international relations from the University of Virginia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Catie Finlayson<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88399\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88399\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"88399\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/catie-finlayson-young-faculty\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3000,2030\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526119760&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;180.9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Catie Finlayson young faculty\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Catie Finlayson is congratulated by Provost Mikhalvesky.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Assistant Professor Catie Finlayson is congratulated by Provost Mikhalvesky.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-300x203.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-1024x693.jpg\" id=\"longdesc-return-88399\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"Catie Finlayson is congratulated by Provost Mikhalvesky.\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news?longdesc=88399&amp;referrer=88401\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-300x203.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-768x520.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-1024x693.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-1140x771.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Catie-Finlayson-young-faculty-600x406.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88399\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assistant Professor Catie Finlayson is congratulated by Provost Mikhalvesky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Assistant Professor Catie Finlayson, who arrived at UMW in 2014, is described as energetic, challenging, inspiring and always willing to lend a hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTeam-based teaching, a \u2018flipped\u2019 classroom and open-educational resources are more than academic buzzwords for her: they are fundamental approaches she routinely employs to actively engage students in their classes,\u201d Mikhalevsky said.<\/p>\n<p>A human geographer, she specializes in cultural geography, including nature and societal interactions, explorations of theory and methodology, and the geography of religion. She has published a textbook and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has supervised students in more than 20 independent research projects, helping them develop papers for conference presentations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs one undergraduate researcher put it, the experience pushed her to accomplish academic goals she never imaged she might achieve,\u201d said Mikhalevsky.<\/p>\n<p>Finlayson earned a Ph.D. in geography from Florida State University and a bachelor\u2019s degree in philosophy and religious studies from Winthrop University in 2007.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Smita Jain Oxford<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88398\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88398\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"88398\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/grace-howie-with-smita-jain-oxford\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3000,2129\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526119602&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;117.3&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Grace Howie with Smita Jain Oxford\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Grace Howie poses with Senior Lecturer Smita Jain Oxford.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Grace Howie poses with Senior Lecturer Smita Jain Oxford.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-300x213.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-1024x727.jpg\" id=\"longdesc-return-88398\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88398\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-300x213.jpg\" alt=\"Grace Howie poses with Senior Lecturer Smita Jain Oxford.\" width=\"300\" height=\"213\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news?longdesc=88398&amp;referrer=88401\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-300x213.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-768x545.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-1024x727.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-1140x809.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Grace-Howie-with-Smita-Jain-Oxford-600x426.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grace Howie, left, poses with Senior Lecturer Smita Jain Oxford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A senior lecturer in the College of Business, Smita Jain Oxford has clearly influenced students\u2019 lives, according to Class of 2018 representative Grace Howie who presented the Pinschmidt award. Howie recounted a quote from one student who said that Oxford not only affected her life academically, but also provided wisdom and advice for transitioning from life as a student, to life as a professional.<\/p>\n<p>Students described Oxford as kind, fierce, persistent and highly intelligent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose in her classes admit that while her grading \u2018sends a shiver down their spine,\u2019 it is worth it, because her classes are exciting and she uses real world examples from her time as a negotiator in her academic and personal life,\u201d Howie said. \u201cThis professor has not only made an impact on the student\u2019s education but has forever left a mark as we proceed after our time here at the University of Mary Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oxford started at UMW in 2003 as a visiting instructor and was appointed to a full-time position in 2005. She received an MBA from Columbia University, a master\u2019s degree from the University of Maryland and a bachelor\u2019s degree from Wellesley College.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jane Huffman<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88396\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88396\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"88396\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/huffman\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4194,3000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1526069774&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;129.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Huffman\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Associate Professor Jane Huffman received the Graduate Faculty Award.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Associate Professor received the Graduate Faculty Award.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-300x215.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-1024x732.jpg\" id=\"longdesc-return-88396\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88396\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-300x215.jpg\" alt=\"Associate Professor Jane Huffman\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news?longdesc=88396&amp;referrer=88401\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-300x215.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-768x549.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-1024x732.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-1140x815.jpg 1140w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/Huffman-600x429.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88396\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Associate Professor received the Graduate Faculty Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Associate Professor Jane Huffman spent than a decade teaching in the Virginia public school system before coming to the University in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer teaching is noteworthy both for the range of different courses she teaches and for the way she employs collaborative activities, active learning techniques, and real-world class projects,\u201d said Mikhalevsky. \u201cHer students leave UMW with a thorough understanding of education law, instructional design, learning theory, and issues of equity and access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s also distinguished herself by taking on multiple leadership roles both in the College of Education and throughout the University. As an example of her dedication, Mikhalevsky said that, despite breaking her ankle that required her to wear a rolling leg brace, she continued to teach classes, mentor students and fulfill her program commitments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was down only briefly, bounced back, and had another extremely productive year,\u201d Mikhalevsky said.<\/p>\n<p>She received a doctorate in education from Virginia Tech and a master\u2019s and bachelor\u2019s degree from Radford University.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12. Kendall M. Parker of Fredericksburg received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, which is presented to the student with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the four-year undergraduate program. Parker finished with a 3.99 GPA. Robert [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":88408,"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":[],"topics":[5144],"class_list":{"0":"post-88401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"topic-news","9":"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>UMW Awards Top Honors at 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\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12. Kendall M. Parker of Fredericksburg received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, which is presented to the student with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the four-year undergraduate program. Parker finished with a 3.99 GPA. Robert [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-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=\"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"460\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marty Morrison\" \/>\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=\"Marty Morrison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marty Morrison\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22f4edfad5bbf9805c6ee36473a05291\"},\"headline\":\"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1164,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/\",\"name\":\"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":460},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/12\\\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UMW Awards Top Honors at 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\\\/22f4edfad5bbf9805c6ee36473a05291\",\"name\":\"Marty Morrison\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marty Morrison\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UMW Awards Top Honors at 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\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement","og_description":"The University of Mary Washington presented its top honors during commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12. Kendall M. Parker of Fredericksburg received the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award, which is presented to the student with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the four-year undergraduate program. Parker finished with a 3.99 GPA. Robert [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/","og_site_name":"News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":460,"url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marty Morrison","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UMaryWash","twitter_site":"@UMaryWash","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marty Morrison","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/"},"author":{"name":"Marty Morrison","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/22f4edfad5bbf9805c6ee36473a05291"},"headline":"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement","datePublished":"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/"},"wordCount":1164,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","articleSection":["Top Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/","name":"UMW Awards Top Honors at Commencement - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-12T21:48:43+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-08T19:38:52+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","width":1140,"height":460},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2018\/05\/12\/umw-awards-top-honors-at-commencement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UMW Awards Top Honors at 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\/22f4edfad5bbf9805c6ee36473a05291","name":"Marty Morrison","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4deb0a1cb4c535a31abeec908c3806228ab676054fa81103c8491f745c8b9e3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Marty Morrison"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/05\/NewRelease_Parker.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 22:28:52","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\/88401","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\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88401"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=88401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}