Dear UMW Community,
As we wrap up the fall semester through final exams and papers, I encourage you to find ways to celebrate the season and your successes this year. We’ve made progress on so many projects and initiatives, including the recent approval and announcement of our Master of Science in Nursing, which will offer tracks in nursing education and family nurse practitioner. Students interested in graduate degrees at UMW can also pursue a Master of Business Administration or a Master of Education as well. In addition, we are building enhancements to the undergraduate experience. We’ve also begun site work for the new theatre at the corner of William St. and Sunken Rd. and broken ground on the locker rooms at the Battleground Athletic Complex. Just last week, we had another successful Giving Tuesday, with the generosity of our alumni, friends, families, students, and faculty and staff coming together once again in support of scholarships, student resources, and the Fund for Mary Washington.
And while all of these things put into place the next steps for UMW, it is this place – a university central to economic development in Fredericksburg, and perfectly positioned between Richmond and Washington, D.C., that offers so much opportunity. I encourage you to take a break to visit downtown and see the history of our city or venture to a nearby park or one of the many exhibits in our museums and galleries. You might start planning for spring and summer by exploring internship opportunities or our summer research institutes, or aim even farther through study abroad or start an application for the Peace Corps. UMW has a notable record of placing students in many amazing programs and ranks in the top 10 by the Peace Corps as well as the top 20 for internships by The Princeton Review. That’s distinct nationally, but also here in the Commonwealth, where Mary Washington is the only public university in Virginia that embeds experiential learning into our curriculum. It’s your experience, and it matters.
We continue to welcome high school students to visit campus through our winter months, and the Summer Enrichment Program is open for applications now for high school students who want to experience a week on campus this July. For our current students seeking to build their resumes and portfolios, I hope you’ll consider on-campus employment opportunities, including serving as orientation leaders, resident assistants, and peer mentors. You have so much to share with our new students and families.
If you need extra support through the break, remember that TimelyCare for students is available 24/7 online and via the app. The Employee Assistance Program, available at no cost with state employee health insurance plans, can be accessed through the Human Resource website.
And if you stay in Fredericksburg, our UMW Eagles are on the court through winter break, and home games are free. It’s the perfect time to see our No. 6 ranked men’s basketball team and our women’s basketball team, which includes sophomore McKenna Huff – a three-sport athlete, who was recently drafted by New York into the Women’s Professional Baseball League. Women’s soccer concluded the season with a stellar run in the NCAA tournament through the national quarterfinals, and UMW Esports Valorant team recently won the NACE Grand Finals. Congratulations to all of our student-athletes, and our many scholars representing UMW and presenting their work at research conferences and in final projects this year.
You have worked hard this semester to accomplish your goals, and I hope you have a relaxing and rejuvenating break, whether that’s with family, friends, or doing the things that you love most. Good luck on finals and Happy Holidays.
Sincerely,
Troy Paino