Dear Campus Community,
Homecoming week is here with events starting Tuesday, Oct. 21 and running through the weekend. I hope you will join in the celebration and connect with our alumni who return to their college home this October. With Professor Bingo, Crafternoon, Karaoke, Trivia, Sammy’s Spirit Station, and the Big Ash Bonfire, there’s something happening every day. Join the cheering section at the games on Saturday, which are still free of charge, but note a ticket is required for tailgating.
It’s also the season for Halloween festivities, including the annual Ghost Walk, that takes you on a tour of familiar haunts downtown, led by our Historic Preservation Club, and many more student-led activities and opportunities from Student Activities and Engagement through Scary Washington on Oct. 31.
Last week, we celebrated our amazing staff and faculty during the Annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon, featuring a wonderful lunch, award announcements and raffle prizes. As the theme of the event noted, it was hats off to these hard-working employees. Congratulations to award recipients Jay Harrison, Alicia Tisdale, Maureen Aylward, Mark Thaden, and Mary Bullock for their many contributions and dedicated service to UMW. At Mary Washington, it’s the people that make this place what it is, and we appreciate everyone who keeps our campus running smoothly, supports our students, and welcomes our visitors to experience all we have to offer. That includes the most recent Admissions Open House, and the upcoming Open House on Nov. 8.
This week is the perfect time to tell a friend about Mary Washington. During Virginia College Application Week, Oct. 20-24, high school seniors can apply to UMW for free via the Common App with code VACW. It’s also National Transfer Week, and our transfer application is open too. Listen to the Tuesday, Oct. 21, Town Talk on local radio, featuring leaders in admissions Sarah Lindberg and Melissa Yakabouski to learn more. You can also hear our faculty on air through a variety of programs and podcasts, including With Good Reason, with monthly features. And soon, we hope to share our own UMW podcast with additional conversations with campus leaders.
On campus, we’ve opened the Research and Creativity Collaborative space in Simpson Library, and we break ground on the locker rooms at the Battleground Athletic Complex during Homecoming Week. Soon, we’ll see more activity at the corner of William St. and Sunken Rd, as the two offline residence halls come down to start sitework for the new theatre. More information is available from Facilities Operations in the Campus Corner newsletter.
Earlier this year, we announced the School of the Arts and School of Science as part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and we’re excited to share that in September, the UMW Board of Visitors approved naming the Irene Piscopo Rodgers School of Science, recognizing the extraordinary gifts of the 1959 alumna, who was a pioneer in her field of electron microscopy and an ardent supporter of students’ continued education and advancement in the liberal arts and sciences at Mary Washington. It’s a fitting home for our science majors and faculty, as well as the Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows Program and the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 Summer Science Institute. Rodgers’ generous gifts to date have funded 115 students with research fellowships, scientific presentation grants for conference travel, and other scholarship awards, which includes 24 Alvey Scholarship recipients. The awards and impact continue to grow.
November ushers in another election, and with it more opportunities for conversations and civic engagement. I encourage you to check the events calendar for upcoming talks including the James Farmer Multicultural Center Cultural Awareness Series, the Khatib Program in Religion and Dialogue, as well as the activities of UMW Votes and the Center for Community Engagement. Their steadfast encouragement to engage with others and becoming actively involved in the election process through civic and public service avenues is also a timely reminder to vote before or on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4. You might also be interested in upcoming talks and debates from the Center for AI and the Liberal Arts.
We also extend an invitation to any of the upcoming performances by UMW Theatre or Music, which hosts the U.S. Army Concert Band in a free concert of “This is Halloween,” on Oct. 25, or check out what’s new in the UMW Galleries. The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library and Gari Melchers Home and Studio, which are both part of UMW, are also offering free admission to government employees during the federal shutdown, and are always free to UMW staff and students with a EagleOne Card.
October is typically a busy month, and I hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate all we’ve accomplished so far this semester, including mid-terms. It’s also a good mid-point to reassess, reach out to friends and family or reconnect. If you need additional resources, remember that the Talley Center offers students TimelyCare 24/7, and the Employee Assistance Program is open to employees through our health plans. We have so much to look forward to this fall, and the spring schedule of classes is now posted, with pre-registration advising starting this week.
Go Eagles!
Troy Paino
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