Dear Campus Community,
As we finish the summer season and begin a new fall semester, I want to extend a warm welcome to all—especially to our newest students, faculty, and staff. The start of classes brings so much potential and possibility, and this year is no exception.
We start this school year with some major announcements, in our new major of kinesiology and minors in education studies and marketing analytics, and in the launch of the Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows Program, a competitive funding opportunity supported by the largest gift in University history – over $36 million from Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59, a groundbreaking scientist in electron microscopy, who has magnified STEM fields for students. Her gifts have also supported several scholarships and the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 Summer Science Institute (SSI), which wrapped up a 26th year this summer. This year’s projects showcase an interdisciplinary approach and real-world applications, with 30 students tackling scientific questions across seven STEM disciplines – biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, geography, mathematics and physics.
Students also stayed and studied on campus for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute (AHSSSI), now in its fourth year, exploring AI’s potential in video production and creative writing, the role of eye movements in memory, and the evolution of phonological features. We welcomed high school students from Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon and Pennsylvania – even as far away as Vienna, Austria – for the annual Summer Enrichment Program, offering more than 20 courses. We hope many will return to Mary Washington as their first college choice. And, of course, we welcome our newest students this fall, with more than 1,000 first-year and transfer students starting their classes at Mary Washington. Among this impressive cohort are five Washington and Alvey Scholars.
Our staff and faculty have been busy through the summer as well, leading our new students and families through orientation, with several supporting the summer programs, and many working on scholarly publications. Read more about their recent book publications in our summer round-up, or consider how you might expand your knowledge through a microcredential in Coursera Career Academy. Launched in the spring, this initiative offers students, faculty and staff, and alumni complimentary access to the global online learning platform and more than 45 entry-level professional certificates from leading companies. Nearly 300 of our students also signed up for an extra credit this summer through the “Intro to AI” course.
This fall, we launch the Center for AI and the Liberal Arts, under the leadership of Professor of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao. It will serve as a hub for research, teaching and public engagement, with resources for our campus community and public events. The University of Mary Washington has long been a leader in higher education adapted to a global digital environment, and I’m excited to see this work continue. Mary Washington also continues to be a statewide leader in internships, with several of our students and recent graduates serving as ambassadors on the July 31 Internships Day, and many more sharing their stories across social media.
That focus on internships and experiences has earned Mary Washington top honors in The Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges for 2025. UMW ranks #11 in the Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact and #18 in the Top 20 Best Schools for Internships, and is just one of five public universities in Virginia to be recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career services at an affordable price. In addition, The Princeton Review’s most recent publication The Best 391 Colleges puts UMW in the Top 20 for Best Health Services, Best Student Support and Counseling Services, Best College Theatre, and Great Town-Gown Relations. These accolades come directly from student surveys, and we are thrilled that our students have these experiences and speak up about them. I invite you to attend a UMW Theatre performance this year, as we set the stage for the new theatre at the corner of William St. and Sunken Road.
Theatre construction has begun at the corner of campus with the closure of the Marshall and Russell parking lots and the hill at Marshall Hall. Brent House was taken down this summer and soon we’ll remove Marshall and Russell Halls, while saving items of significance for the archives and bricks for our alumni. We’re working closely with the City of Fredericksburg on the project and looking forward to creating a new home for the Department of Theatre and Dance, while extending Campus Walk to that corner.
Monroe Hall has reopened for classes this fall, and I know many of you will join me in eagerness and appreciation for our dedicated facilities team as we resume activities in this historic building in the heart of campus. We continue to work through accessibility improvements, which have included repairs to brick pathways across campus, and the upgrades to Ball Hall this academic year. The Battleground Athletic Complex has new turf and fencing, and at the end of August, an official new name for the soccer field as it will be dedicated for founding men’s soccer coach Roy Gordon. Please join us in the celebration, and remember, you always have a free ticket to regular season home games.
There’s so much to cheer for this fall, and we look forward to wonderful traditions of Honor Convocation and Eagle Gathering, the President’s Ice Cream Social and Club Carnival. I encourage our new students to participate and find a program they love, whether it’s a student organization, undergraduate research, internships, study abroad or leadership opportunities. You’ll soon find the newly created Research and Creativity Collaborative in the library, with resources and workshops planned throughout the year. And you may discover that the work you do at Mary Washington leads to even bigger adventures, such as Fulbright Grants, Peace Corps service, or any number of fulfilling careers around the state, nation and world. Just ask our alumni, who came back to campus this summer for Reunion, or read more about it in the alumni awards story.
If it’s overwhelming, reach out to your peers for support, from our peer leaders to our resident assistants and professional staff, there’s someone to connect with on questions, ideas and concerns. As we begin to settle into the new semester, I encourage you to practice mindfulness and self-care and keep in mind our many wonderful campus resources, including the Talley Center for Counseling Services, the Speaking and Writing Center, the Digital Knowledge Center, the Gwen Hale Resource Center, and more. Should you seek more support, remember that TimelyCare is available for students and the Employee Assistance Program runs through our health plans. This year, there’s also a four-week program – LaunchPad – designed to set UMW Eagles up for success, complete with tips on digging into syllabi, organizing college life, using Microsoft programs (free for all students!), getting connected with clubs and ways current students level-up into their first year, or any year. It’s open to everyone, no matter the class year. Check the calendar for drop-in sessions.
We’re also continuing to serve our graduates and community members with Continuing and Professional Studies, which has grown the Business Acumen Series, and just last month was awarded GO Virginia grant in the healthcare cluster to launch a new Practice Management Certificate Program for credentialing medical office managers. It’s the first of its kind in the state, and one of the many ways Mary Washington connects to community and ensures the vitality of our region.
As we step into this new academic year, let us do so with purpose and optimism and with our minds toward what we can accomplish together.
Sincerely,
Troy Paino
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