{"id":96843,"date":"2024-01-22T09:14:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T14:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=96843"},"modified":"2024-01-22T09:14:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T14:14:49","slug":"spring-2024-opening-assembly-emphasizes-core-strengths-and-community-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/01\/22\/spring-2024-opening-assembly-emphasizes-core-strengths-and-community-values\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2024 Opening Assembly Emphasizes Core Strengths and Community Values"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_96844\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-96844\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"96844\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/01\/22\/spring-2024-opening-assembly-emphasizes-core-strengths-and-community-values\/1x5a3016\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1705545485&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;153&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University of Mary Washington President Troy Paino delivers the spring 2024 opening-semester address to faculty and staff inside UMW&amp;#8217;s Dodd Auditorium. Photo by Sam Cahill.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-96844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"University of Mary Washington President Troy Paino delivers the spring 2024 opening-semester address to faculty and staff inside UMW's Dodd Auditorium. Photo by Sam Cahill.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3016-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-96844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Mary Washington President Troy Paino delivers the spring 2024 opening-semester address to faculty and staff inside UMW&#8217;s Dodd Auditorium. Photo by Sam Cahill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>University of Mary Washington faculty and staff gathered on what turned out to be the first day of classes on Wednesday, Jan. 17, following the MLK holiday and a snow day. President Troy Paino led the semi-annual assembly, starting the spring semester with renewed energy.<\/p>\n<p>From the Dodd Auditorium stage in George Washington Hall, Paino defended the value of higher education, particularly in the liberal arts; recounted challenges and successes from the previous year; and spoke of plans for the future.<\/p>\n<p>He spent much time over the University\u2019s two-week holiday break, he said, reflecting on Mary Washington\u2019s core role, especially in the context of current events, in the United States and across the globe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are here to teach the art of living in a free society,\u201d Paino said. \u201cWe are \u2026 teaching [students] how to think for themselves, how to argue for themselves &#8230; but we are also teaching them how to live in community, how to live amid difference and how to do it in a way where they don\u2019t lose their humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ability to express kindness, empathy and compassion is critical, said Paino, who encouraged faculty and staff to convey care for students\u2019 physical and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n<p>In that vein, Paino said, he\u2019s proud that StoryCorps visited campus last fall to film several episodes of its <em>One Small Step<\/em> podcast, designed to bring people from different perspectives together to share stories and better understand their common humanity.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps most fundamentally, Paino expressed gratitude for the work that went into securing UMW\u2019s 10-year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/01\/17\/umw-earns-10-year-reaffirmation-of-accreditation-from-sacscoc\/\">reaffirmation of accreditation<\/a>, confirmed last month by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which issued no recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo go through this as cleanly as we did, really is a testament to this university and the work that you do every day,\u201d Paino said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/22\\\/spring-2024-opening-assembly-emphasizes-core-strengths-and-community-values\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 508px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"508\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 340px; height: 508px;\" data-original-width=\"340\" data-original-height=\"508\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/1x5a3106\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"336\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"504\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"96562\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1705547125&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-200x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-683x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-scaled.jpg?w=336&#038;h=504&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-scaled.jpg 1707w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-200x300.jpg 200w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-683x1024.jpg 683w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3106-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" width=\"336\" height=\"504\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"336\" data-original-height=\"504\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Dean of Residence Life and Housing and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs David Fleming picks out a polo shirt before the assembly begins. Photo by Sam Cahill.\" style=\"width: 336px; height: 504px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Dean of Residence Life and Housing and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs David Fleming picks out a polo shirt before the assembly begins. Photo by Sam Cahill. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 760px; height: 508px;\" data-original-width=\"760\" data-original-height=\"508\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/1x5a3100\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"756\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"504\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"96560\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1705547105&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;5000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-scaled.jpg?w=756&#038;h=504&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/1X5A3100-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"756\" height=\"504\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"756\" data-original-height=\"504\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing Ashe Laughlin picks up a polo shirt with the new UMW logo before heading into President Paino&#039;s start-of-the-semester address for faculty and staff. Photo by Sam Cahill.\" style=\"width: 756px; height: 504px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing Ashe Laughlin picks up a polo shirt with the new UMW logo before heading into President Paino&#8217;s start-of-the-semester address for faculty and staff. Photo by Sam Cahill. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>He congratulated Associate Professor of Education Melissa Wells on her recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/21\/umws-melissa-wells-receives-virginia-outstanding-faculty-award\/\">Outstanding Faculty Award<\/a> from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, which he called a prestigious and competitive honor. He also noted UMW\u2019s long history of public service, much of it originating with student work and the Center for Community Engagement, led by Director Sarah Dewees. Two examples of such work are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/\">recent graduate Meghan McLees<\/a>, who won the 2023 Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer Award from the Virginia Governor\u2019s office, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/08\/umw-senior-named-newman-civic-fellow-by-campus-compact\/\">senior Nathan Francis<\/a>, who was named to the Newman Civic Fellows 2023 cohort by Campus Compact.<\/p>\n<p>Paino spoke of UMW\u2019s recently announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/11\/umws-tuition-promise-extends-full-tuition-awards-for-qualifying-virginia-students\/\">Tuition Promise<\/a> designed to close the gap in tuition funding for in-state students with financial need significant enough to qualify for Federal Pell Grants. \u201cWe hope that this opens some doors and some interest in our ongoing effort to attract even more Pell-eligible students who are academically capable here to Mary Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also reiterated the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/16\/umw-reports-record-breaking-21-3-million-raised-in-2022-23\/\">record-breaking year<\/a> for Mary Washington fundraising, with more than $21 million in gifts and pledges raised during the 2022-23 fiscal year, increased donor participation in multiple areas and 11 new scholarships formed this past fall. \u201cPeople give because of the experiences they\u2019ve had here and the relationships they\u2019ve formed here,\u201d he told faculty and staff, who could review the stories and successes of the prior year in the award-winning <a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/umwpublications\/docs\/yearinreview2022-23_issuu\"><em>Year in Review<\/em><\/a>, a 40-page publication available in print and online.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_94613\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94613\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"94613\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/21\/umw-year-in-review-2022-23-chronicles-a-stellar-year\/social_yir23\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1350\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW&amp;#8217;s award-winning &amp;#8216;Year in Review 2022-23&amp;#8217; publication recounts a stellar year.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-240x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-819x1024.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94613\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"UMW's award-winning 'Year in Review 2022-23' publication recounts a stellar year.\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-240x300.jpg 240w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-819x1024.jpg 819w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23-768x960.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/12\/Social_YiR23.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-94613\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UMW&#8217;s award-winning &#8216;Year in Review 2022-23&#8217; publication recounts a stellar year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mary Washington heads into the new year in a strong position in both enrollment and residency, said Paino, who pointed to one of UMW\u2019s largest assets, in terms of acreage and appeal. The main undergraduate campus in Fredericksburg becomes students\u2019 feels-like-home place, with campuses in Dahlgren and Stafford extending UMW\u2019s partnerships and innovative programs. Now in addition to the daily upkeep, expertly managed by a dedicated crew in Landscape and Grounds, UMW will review and assess campuses and buildings through a comprehensive planning process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is important but also very exciting work,\u201d Paino said of the initiative, which he hopes to bring to the University\u2019s Board of Visitors for feedback during summer and final approval in fall.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing ahead to April events \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/mary-wash-giving-day-2\/\">Mary Wash Day<\/a>, a 24-hour fundraising event, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/04\/25\/student-leaders-event-aspires-to-celebrate-community-values\/\">ASPIRE Week<\/a>, recognizing core community values \u2013 Paino previewed the full semester. \u201cThis is going to be an exciting year \u2026,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s seize this opportunity to show the world who we are, what our values are, what we care about and why we exist.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>University of Mary Washington faculty and staff gathered on what turned out to be the first day of classes on Wednesday, Jan. 17, following the MLK holiday and a snow day. President Troy Paino led the semi-annual assembly, starting the spring semester with renewed energy. From the Dodd Auditorium stage in George Washington Hall, Paino [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":96561,"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":[15341,15342,902],"topics":[5144],"class_list":{"0":"post-96843","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-opening-address","9":"tag-spring-2024","10":"tag-tpaino","11":"topic-news","12":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Spring 2024 Opening Assembly Emphasizes Core Strengths and Community Values - 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\/2024\/01\/22\/spring-2024-opening-assembly-emphasizes-core-strengths-and-community-values\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spring 2024 Opening Assembly Emphasizes Core Strengths and Community Values\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"University of Mary Washington faculty and staff gathered on what turned out to be the first day of classes on Wednesday, Jan. 17, following the MLK holiday and a snow day. President Troy Paino led the semi-annual assembly, starting the spring semester with renewed energy. 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