With the fall 2024 semester underway at the University of Mary Washington, thousands of new and returning students are finding fresh on-campus offerings. From new courses of study and continuous-learning selections to pool renovations and a recently opened coffee shop, students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Fredericksburg community, will find new opportunities to fill their cups at UMW this year.
And that’s great news for what Dean of Students Melissa Jones calls an “incredibly engaged student body.” Attendance at student events is trending up this year, Jones said, at opening programs like New Student Welcome and Club Carnival. “These students couldn’t be more excited. They are all in!”
Here’s a taste of what’s in store:
New Majors and Minors Tap Into Popular Topics
With more than 100 majors, minors and programs available to students, UMW introduces two brand new trios – three majors and three minors – designed to target the topics today’s students want to tap into. New minors include Disability Studies, Global History, and Professional Writing. New majors make students ready for any modern enterprise or to start their own business through Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Data Science, and Management and Entrepreneurship.
Partnership Provides Fast Track to Accounting Master’s Degree
UMW’s College of Business has signed a partnership agreement with the University of Virginia that helps accelerate grads’ paths to a master’s degree in accounting from UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce. The agreement streamlines the admissions process for Mary Washington accounting majors who meet preferred qualifications. It includes an expedited application review of no more than three weeks and an application fee waiver. Plus, qualified candidates who apply before Jan. 5 are set to receive a guaranteed minimum scholarship of $10,000.
UMW’s Digital Knowledge Center Turns 10
This fall marks a decade since the opening of the Hurley Convergence Center (HCC) and, along with it, the Digital Knowledge Center (DKC) tucked inside. A hub of student support for digital creation, the DKC empowers students to accomplish their goals, with one-on-one support from peers and access to digital tools, media production spaces, a 3D print lab and more. To celebrate, students, faculty and staff are collaborating to create an exhibit titled “A Decade of Digital Convergence,” featuring artifacts from the HCC’s early days. Displays include videos and architectural drawings from the building’s construction, an homage to the Console Living Room project and a student-designed light art installation. An opening reception will be held in the third-floor Convergence Gallery on Friday, Oct. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m., during Homecoming celebrations (see details below).
‘For Five Coffee Roasters’ Chugs Full-Steam Ahead
A New York-born coffee shop is perking up the northern end of Campus Walk across from the HCC, with hot macchiatos, cold matcha, crispy pastries and an assortment of other menu items served up in a boutique-like setting. Founded in 2010 by two longtime friends from Queens, For Five – “FOR the FIVE boroughs” – has opened shops not only in New York but also in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta, not to mention Virginia, with 11 locations in the D.C. Metro area alone. Its UMW locale marks the company’s first foray on a college campus.
Library Helps Lighten the Textbook Load
Spurred by the results of a 2021 Virtual Library of Virginia Consortium survey that measured student concern about the cost of course materials, UMW professors have begun to transition to open educational resources and online articles. Now, additional support from the Office of the Provost is allowing Simpson Library to follow suit, said Access Services and Outreach Head Trish Greene. This semester the library was able to acquire about 90 percent of assigned textbooks, as e-books or physical copies. “Many of these materials are very expensive,” Greene said. “We’re thrilled that we’re able to offer this to students and help them save some money.” Available selections are searchable on the “Textbooks/Reserves” tab on the library website.
Restoration Splashes New Life Into Goolrick Hall Pool
The Goolrick Hall Pool – where UMW’s Division III athletes train to become All America swimmers and go on to coach Olympic gold medalists – took a summer break of its own, going offline for a few months for much-needed improvements. The hot-weather hiatus stands to pay off for years to come upon the pool’s slated full re-opening early October. Upgrades to the 179,000-gallon pool allow for more efficient maintenance of water temperature and chemical balance, improvements to internal pool plumbing, a resurfaced deck and pool interior, and a fresh coat of paint.
Civil Rights Markers Highlight Trail and Trailblazers
Five markers unveiled this summer at UMW tell the story of activism, desegregation and camaraderie on the Fredericksburg Campus. Part of the Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail, “Freedom, a Work in Progress” – which also includes 16 stops throughout the city and is part of the United States Civil Rights Trail – the markers are situated outside Combs and Monroe halls and on the rim of Ball Circle. Among others, they honor some of the first Black residential students who dubbed themselves the “Big Five” in homage to the civil rights movement’s “Big Four” changemakers. The markers lay a path that passes a bust of James Farmer, the late civil rights icon and Freedom Rides leader who taught history at Mary Washington. And on campus, the trail – spearheaded by James Farmer Multicultural Assistant Director Chris Williams and the City of Fredericksburg’s Victoria Matthews – stretches to the Jepson Science Center, where a mural honors the late scientist Venus Jones ’68, the first Black Mary Washington graduate.
Heritage Trail Sheds Light on Native American Story
Stemming from a UMW course called “Preservation in the Community,” King George County’s Native American Heritage Trail opened in June, including a stop on UMW’s Dahlgren Campus. Historic preservation students worked with members of the Patawomeck and Rappahannock tribes – in conjunction with the King George Department of Economic Development and Tourism – to create the seven-sign driving trail, which also includes 10 geocaches. The students’ efforts, which included extensive research to zero in on key narratives, highlight the county’s history through the perspective of Native American tribes from Virginia’s Northern Neck region.
Fresh Business Acumen Series Promotes Professional Development
For the second year in a row, Continuing and Professional Studies at UMW is presenting the Business Acumen Series. This eight-part lineup of daylong professional development seminars is open to anyone looking to polish their career-building skills. It closes out this year with “Leading and Managing Hybrid Teams” on Sept. 13, “Leading from Every Seat” on Oct. 16 and “Building a Growth Mindset in Your Team” on Nov. 14. The seminars take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mary Washington’s Stafford and Dahlgren campuses. Be on the lookout for an announcement of the 2025 lineup in October. Find more information and sign up online.
