Hello Eagles,
September is shaping up to be a fantastic month on campus. We are now several weeks into the fall semester, with classes in full swing, favorite student activities and events on the schedule, and a lot to look forward to, with ASPIRE Week and Life After Mary Washington wrapping up the month.
We are working toward several strategic priorities this year, with plans in place for “Learning, Innovation, and Community: A Strategic Action Plan for the University of Mary Washington.” Our priorities for the next five years are ambitious and achievable, and they are needed by our campus community now and into the future. They stem directly from feedback of our community, narrowed into priority areas that allow us to focus and to work together, and we are excited for the opportunities ahead. You can read more about each priority online: revolutionizing the liberal arts; serving regional and commonwealth workforce needs; cultivating community, engagement, belonging, and school spirit; and building campus infrastructure for the future.
Evidence of this work is already making headlines, with several new majors and minors starting this fall, internship accolades, plans underway in our residence hall programming, and progress on accessibility improvements and the new theatre construction. We’re also very excited to share another successful year of fundraising, reporting more than $14 million in gifts and pledges contributed in 2025-26. Thank you to everyone for supporting Mary Washington, and congratulations to the team in Advancement and Alumni Engagement for another banner year.
UMW is also rising in the rankings, as Washington Monthly, known for rankings that emphasize colleges’ contributions to students and the public good, ranked UMW No. 90 among its “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” in the Southeast, up from No. 97 last year. TIME, the national news publication, also included UMW among 500 institutions in its inaugural America’s Best Colleges list, produced in partnership with global data and rankings company Statista. Forbes, the national business publication, named UMW among 500 institutions in its 2027 America’s Top Colleges ranking, placing Mary Washington No. 297 nationwide. These two publications place greatest weight on alumni outcomes, and we are grateful for all of our students and alumni responses to surveys as well as sharing their success stories, such as this one from alumni-athlete and now surgical resident at MWHC, Sabrina Elliott.
Also new this year are two unique lists from Niche, a college search and rankings platform that combines data with student and alumni reviews, awarded UMW an A+ for Future Readiness and an A for Student Wellness in its 2027 rankings. If you used Niche in your own college search as a student or a family member, now is a great time to provide feedback from your experience, as their monthly survey factors into these rankings and more. This month is also the perfect time to think about Life After Mary Washington, no matter your class year. Check out the full schedule of events, culminating in the Career and Internship Fair on Oct. 1.
It’s also opening week for UMW Theatre, now ranked 12th in the nation by The Princeton Review. Tickets are available to purchase now. Plus, don’t forget the many free events with your UMW EagleOne ID, from art galleries on campus, area museums, and UMW Eagles regular season games. Later this month, we’re excited to celebrate the dedication of the Clint Often Press Box on Sept. 19, and tickets and tailgating spaces are on sale for Homecoming in October.
If you want a way to engage with campus traditions before then, invite the family for a visit during Family Weekend Oct 2-4, 2026, and note that ASPIRE Week is happening the last week of September. For our prospective students and families, we’ll host the first of several fall open houses, and this year, we’re offering twilight tours for several home games. Each of these opportunities is a wonderful way to connect with campus and the people and programs that make it matter, such as our award-winning faculty. It’s also an opportunity to learn what’s new on campus, such as the renamed College of Education and Human Development, which launched the new Master of Science in Nursing this fall and welcomed Dean Melissa Napolitano.
We know each of you cares so much about this campus and our community, from the small actions of composting though the recent Virginia Department of Environmental Quality grant to the efforts to register to vote and engage as active citizens in our democracy. Thanks to each of you for stewarding this place that we call home, from the first few years as students and residents of our campus to the decades of scholarship and ongoing support. I hope you each had a wonderful start to the fall season and join in the many educational opportunities and celebrations on campus.
Sincerely,
Troy Paino