This time of year ushers in changes in the weather and beautiful fall foliage, as well as inspires us to recommit to our personal, academic, and professional goals as we reach the mid-way point of the semester.
UMW has a long history of offering an excellent liberal arts and sciences education taught by outstanding faculty, coupled with a deep commitment to meeting students where they are and encouraging them to embrace personal growth and self-exploration and varied learning opportunities through internships, research opportunities, career exploration, and more.
As part of Career Week, the Center for Career and Professional Development is hosting a Career and Internship Fair today. I encourage you to find out more about full-time employment positions, internships, mock interviews, steps to revitalize your resume, obtaining a professional portrait, the value of information interviewing with alumni, academic advisors, local business owners, etc. Visit the Center for Career and Professional Development in the Cedric Rucker University Center to learn more.
Our alumni are eager to help you connect to careers as well, so if you aren’t able to make it to the Career Fair in person, you might try a digital connection via Network Mary Wash, an online service that enables students and alumni to quickly and easily connect for internship, career, and other advice. Ask a question online, and the system will find the alumni best equipped to answer, so you’ll receive responses from those with the most relevant experience.
We’re also excited to welcome StoryCorps for on-campus recordings this week. Thanks to everyone who signed up for this national program, as sharing One Small Step is critical to bringing people of different opinions and beliefs together to showcase empathy, understanding, and encouragement with one another. In addition, Campus Dining and the UMW Athletic Department are co-sponsoring Sodexo’s annual “Stop Hunger” food drive now through Nov. 1 which will benefit our campus pantry, the Gwen Hale Resource Center, and the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank.
Our students recently found ways to Pay it Forward on Saturday, during the annual day of service organized by COAR, and I encourage each of you to pay it forward during this week by offering a friend or family member who is a high school senior or prospective transfer student to apply to UMW for free. It’s Virginia College Application Week, and any future Eagle can use the code VCAW on the Common App to complete their application. We hope you’ll share your experience and insight too, as you know our Mary Washington the best!
This week and through the weekend, we’ll celebrate Homecoming, featuring traditions such as Bingo, the Big Ash Bonfire & S’mores, Spirit Day, athletic events, and more. This is a terrific opportunity to reconnect with alumni, friends and family members and to celebrate what makes UMW such a welcoming, wonderful place that so many have called and do call home.
Relationships are at the heart of UMW and I was reminded of this when I recently visited with alumni and donors in New York City. As one alum said when comparing his UMW degree to that of Ivy League colleagues, “what distinguishes my education is that I actually had teachers.” Our faculty and staff are at the front of the classroom, serve as mentors to our students, and are committed to this place. And, last week, more than 250 faculty and staff gathered at the annual appreciation luncheon and took time to honor and celebrate the dedication and exceptional service of five of our employees.
Homecoming isn’t the only time our campus exudes a game-day atmosphere, as election season is one for applause, particularly in the work of our student leaders in sharing information and encouraging voter registration. UMW Votes offers many educational opportunities throughout the year to learn more about getting involved, volunteering, serving as an election officer, and more, and as a result, UMW has been named one of 25 Voter Friendly Campuses, showcasing our recruitment efforts in social media, events, and voter registration. Mark your calendar for Election Day on Nov. 7 and join in the Day on Democracy on campus. This fundamental process fosters engagement in citizenship and an understanding of the important aspects of living in a community.
Our campus also has a full calendar of upcoming events, from the Cultural Awareness Series organized by the James Farmer Multicultural Center, which highlights our wonderful collective and unique histories, cultures, and customs. Please join me in recognizing Disability Awareness Month, the GSMA Celebration and upcoming Asian Cultural Celebration, Jewish Cultural Celebration, and Native American Cultural Celebration, as well as the opening of Park Dae Sung: Ink Reimagined in the galleries. We are also planning a forum on Nov. 1st led by our faculty experts and community partners on “The Middle East Crisis: Extending Compassion and Recognizing Grief in Our Own Community.”
Throughout the coming weeks, I encourage you to intentionally look for and create opportunities to come together as a community, supporting one another as colleagues, classmates, roommates, friends, etc. so we can share our similarities and celebrate our differences.
Sincerely,
Troy Paino