{"id":91935,"date":"2021-08-23T10:33:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=91935"},"modified":"2021-08-23T10:42:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:42:41","slug":"president-paino-focuses-on-what-matters-most-in-umw-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2021\/08\/23\/president-paino-focuses-on-what-matters-most-in-umw-address\/","title":{"rendered":"President Paino Focuses on What Matters Most in UMW Address"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the University of Mary Washington welcomed students to campus last week, President Troy Paino expressed “true joy” as he gathered with many of his colleagues for the first time since March of last year. Speaking in Dodd Auditorium last Monday, Paino was visibly moved as he delivered his all-University address in person to more than 100 faculty and staff, while those still teleworking watched on livestream.<\/p>

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UMW President Troy Paino spoke of the University’s ongoing efforts to refine and reinforce the Matter brand during the recent All-University address.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Paino, who wore a mask in adherence to UMW’s indoor face coverings policy, shared his concerns about the Delta variant. But having witnessed the campus community’s commitment to mitigating the spread of the virus, he said he was confident in Mary Washington’s resilience and ability to adapt. “Our capacity to serve our students and fulfill our mission” will be renewed and strengthened after the adversity we’ve all faced, he said.<\/p>

Touting a 90 percent vaccination rate among students and employees, Paino said the University will continue to monitor the situation and follow guidance from local and state health authorities. Finishing the last academic year among schools with the lowest number of cases, Mary Washington has been a model for the Commonwealth, he said. Furthermore, Chief of Staff Jeff McClurken, who managed UMW’s pandemic response with Interim Provost Tim O’Donnell, was asked to chair a team of COVID directors from Virginia colleges and universities.<\/p>

Flanked by banners declaring the values that matter at Mary Washington, Paino announced that more than 7,000 members of the UMW community helped create “a collective expression … that is authentic to who we are.” Mary Washington will continue to collaborate with Atlanta-based firm Mindpower to refine and reinforce the Matter<\/em> brand to tell our story to prospective students and their families, he said.<\/p>