Dear UMW Community,
It’s hard to believe we’re already well past the midway point of the semester. Every day our campus looks more and more beautiful, and I encourage you to take advantage of the warmer spring weather and enjoy some healthy outdoor activities.
We have plenty of upcoming events that span campus and encourage us to come together. Mark your calendars now for the annual Multicultural Fair on Saturday, April 13, and ASPIRE Week that following week, with events kicking off Monday, April 15.
Our ASPIRE community values are at the heart of who we are and what we do and several upcoming events offer terrific outlets to demonstrate our shared commitment to these values. This year’s ASPIRE Week, created by UMW Student Government Association President, Jaylyn Long ’24, will focus on festivities to reaffirm the six principles that are the foundation of our values. In conjunction with ASPIRE Week, on April 16, StoryCorps’ One Small Step returns to campus to provide a listening session, sharing the conversations recorded this past fall with campus community members and our area neighbors. These audio recordings will be archived at the Library of Congress, but you’ll get to hear them here first.
As we look ahead to April, we kick the month off with our seventh annual Mary Wash Day, #TogetherUMW, on April 4. This 24-hour philanthropic event unites the entire Mary Washington community in support of students and faculty, as well as academic, arts, athletics, leadership, service, career, and cultural programs. We are most grateful for generous donors who have offered more than $400,000 in challenges and matches, offering an opportunity to significantly make an impact.
NCAA Division III Week is scheduled for the week of April 1, highlighting the positive impact DIII athletics and student-athletes, like our very own Jordan Carpenter and Kinsey Brooks, have on the campus and the surrounding community. Throughout Division III Week, UMW Athletics is once again hosting Flip the Field events all across campus, offering clinics and friendly contests for UMW faculty, staff, and students.
We continue to make progress on building projects, including the unexpected repairs needed in GW Hall and Monroe Hall. Offices on the first floor of GW Hall and Dodd Auditorium remain open, and we have a spring semester schedule to repair the HVAC systems in offices on the second and third floors and complete the remediation needed. Monroe Hall remains closed for the roof reconstruction project as Facilities Services sources materials and secures the contractors to complete this work. We appreciate everyone’s continued patience and flexibility from the quick class and office moves earlier this semester.
We are waiting to hear from Governor Youngkin about his reaction to the biennial budget passed by the 2024 General Assembly. Until the state biennial budget is approved, we cannot finalize our fiscal year 2025 budget, which starts July 1, 2024. We also know that the FAFSA delay has caused additional uncertainty for our students and families. Financial Aid staff, along with the Admissions Office, has been carefully tracking new details, answering frequently asked questions online, and getting ready to assist as soon as more information is available. The annual scholarship application is open now.
This is also a busy time of year for collecting data and completing surveys, organizing campaigns for student elections, meeting with academic advisors, faculty, and staff to plan for graduation, summer and fall courses, internships, study abroad, and more. It’s important to utilize the various resources on campus, such as the Speaking and Writing Center, the Digital Knowledge Center, the Simpson Library, TimelyCare, and the Gwen Hale Resource Center, which now has a branch located in Simpson Library offering nonperishable food items, called “Food for Thought.”
UMW faculty are also finding new ways to make an impact. Making resources more accessible and affordable is critically important to supporting a liberal arts and sciences education. Recently announced, VIVA Open Grants recognized efforts to reduce costs of textbooks, and through the work of three faculty, including Professor Stephen Davies, Assistant Professor Samira Fallah, and Associate Professor Adria Goldman, students may see cost savings of more than $72,000 for specific courses over time. In addition, Professor of Geography Steve Hanna and UMW senior Brooke Prevedel co-authored a map that commemorates Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824 visit to the United States. This map is now the focal point of a new exhibit at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.
Tomorrow, March 29, we welcome prospective students and their families on campus to the final UMW Admissions Open House this semester. I encourage you to extend warm and gracious Mary Washington hospitality to our guests. Tomorrow is also the final day to apply for Funds for Mary Washington Impact Funds, a pilot program to fund student, faculty, and staff initiatives with donor-funded grants ranging from $500 to $5,000. This is a wonderful opportunity to advance student support, professional/academic growth, and our UMW ASPIRE values.
I look forward to seeing you on campus over the coming weeks.
Troy Paino