University of Mary Washington
Encyclopedia
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
, coeducational liberal arts college
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
located in the city of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, until separating in 1972. It is named after Mary Ball Washington
Mary Ball Washington
Mary Ball Washington was the second wife to Augustine Washington, and was the mother of George Washington.-Life:...
, mother of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, who spent much of her life in Fredericksburg.
As of the 2010-2011 year, the school had 4,354 undergraduate students and 849 graduate students. In addition to the main campus in Fredericksburg, the university has graduate programs in Stafford County
Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...
, and is constructing a third campus at Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
. Its intercollegiate athletics teams, known as the Eagles, compete in the Capital Athletic Conference
Capital Athletic Conference
The Capital Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware....
.
History
On March 14, 1908, Virginia Governor Claude A. SwansonClaude A. Swanson
Claude Augustus Swanson was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Virginia.He served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1893 until 1906, was the 45th Governor of Virginia from 1906 until 1910, and represented Virginia as a United States Senator from 1910 until...
signed into law legislation for the establishment of the new State Normal
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
and Industrial School for Women. The institution was renamed Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washington
Mary Ball Washington
Mary Ball Washington was the second wife to Augustine Washington, and was the mother of George Washington.-Life:...
, mother of the first president of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and long time resident of Fredericksburg.
In 1944 the college became associated with the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
as its women's college
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
. Until that time, the University of Virginia had not admitted women as undergraduates, except in its education and nursing programs; its postgraduate programs were also coeducational. Following UVA's transition to coeducational status in 1970, the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
reorganized Mary Washington College in 1972 as a separate, coeducational institution. Today the university is the only public, coeducational college in the United States named after a secular woman.
The General Assembly of Virginia enacted legislation changing the college's name to University of Mary Washington on March 19, 2004. The institution sought university status to reflect the addition of master's degree programs and increasing enrollment at its College of Graduate and Professional Studies, formerly the James Monroe Center for Graduate and Professional Studies, located in nearby Stafford County. Students can earn an MBA, M.Ed., MSMIS, MBA-MSMIS dual degree, BPS
BPS
BPS can stand for:In science, mathematics and technology*Base pairs, a measure of length of DNA using the number of nucleotide pairs*Basis points, equal to one one-hundredth of a percentage point...
or other graduate certificates or professional certifications at the campus. The Carnegie Foundation reclassified the college to university status based on its graduate programs.
Campus
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. The campus itself is a short distance from Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and elsewhere in Spotsylvania County, commemorating four major battles in the American Civil War.-Park:...
. Brompton, the president's official residence, served as a field hospital
Field hospital
A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...
during the battle and is the home of the university's presidents.
Most of the architecture on the Mary Washington campus is neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, or Jeffersonian
Jeffersonian architecture
Jeffersonian Architecture is an American form of Neo-Classicism or Neo-Palladianism embodied in American president and polymath Thomas Jefferson's designs for his home , his retreat , his school , and his designs for the homes of friends and political allies...
(because of its similarity to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's design of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
). Several buildings are named for notable women from American history. Frances Willard
Frances Willard (suffragist)
Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Her influence was instrumental in the passage of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution...
Hall is named for the famous temperance leader and crusader for women's rights. Ann Carter Lee Hall honors the mother of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph
Martha Jefferson Randolph
Martha Washington Jefferson Randolph was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson. She was born in Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia and was named in honor of her mother and of Martha Washington, wife of...
, is acknowledged by Randolph Hall. While the university no longer refers to the buildings by their full names, one can find them on those buildings that have dedication plaques.
The university also maintains athletic facilities both on and within walking distance of the Fredericksburg campus. Goolrick Hall serves as UMW's primary venue for varsity volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, men's and women's swimming, and men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. The Battleground athletic facility is a few blocks away from the main campus and houses several multipurpose fields, an outdoor track, a baseball stadium, a softball field, and an indoor and outdoor tennis complex.
Expansion and renovation
The University is currently engaged in a number of construction and renovation projects. The two newest construction projects include Eagle Village and the William M. Anderson Center. Eagle village includes apartment-style student residences, a secured transportation center, a pedestrian bridge spanning U.S. 1, and retail, restaurant and “Class-A” office space on seven acres at the northern end of the shopping center. At a cost of $115 million, construction of Phase I began in March 2009 and was completed in summer 2010. The start of construction for the William M. Anderson Center was celebrated at a groundbreaking ceremony on September 17, 2009.The two-story center is designed to provide seating for more than 3,000 people for convocation events and approximately 2,000 spectators for athletic events. The 52000 square feet (4,831 m²) facility is expected to be completed in mid-winter 2011.The Carmen Culpeper Chappell '59 Centennial Campanile was completed in May 2007, and was heard for the first time ringing in the 2007 commencement procession. Ringing twice a day, the campanile can be heard over a mile away. Lee Hall opened after a two-year renovation, and now brings key student services under one roof. One exciting feature is the Underground, a casual cafe, which reopened in the Fall of 2009. Beginning in May 2009 and largely completed in June 2011, Monroe Hall, the oldest building on campus, was also completely renovated. A parking deck was completed in the fall of 2006 and has helped to ease the parking situation on campus.
Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is playing an increasingly important role on the Mary Washington campus and within the community. The first LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
-certified building, CGPS North Building, was built in 2007. To promote environmentally-friendly transportation methods, the university works with the Fredericksburg Regional Transit System (FRED) to provide specific routes and subsidies for students and staff. An Energy Performance Contact with the energy service company NORESCO from 2005-2007 has reduced waster usage by 25% after the installation of water saving devices. NORESCO also installed low energy light fixtures, occupant sensors, HVAC controls, and completed replacement of leaking condensate piping.
The UMW Recycling Program currently collects corrugated cardboard, printer ink cartridges, mixed paper, newsprint and co-mingled plastic, glass, and aluminum. Each Residence Hall recycling program is led by a Recycling Coordinator (RAs) and an elected Hall Council Recycling Chairperson. In 2009, UMW participated in the RecycleMania competition and increased its amount of recycled material threefold.
UMW Ecology Group is the only student-run organization dedicated to sustainability on campus. The Ecology Club works as a part of the Campus Climate Challenge and is affiliated with the Virginia Climate Action Network.
Stafford campus
The University maintains a campus in nearby Stafford County. At this campus, working adults are able to take classes at night or on weekends to complete a bachelor’s degree or earn a master’s degree. Opened in 1999, the College of Graduate and Professional Studies has been replaced by a College of Business and a College of Education.Academics
The University of Mary Washington is a public liberal arts university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
. It is not a research university. Five alumni have earned Fulbright scholarships
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
.
Admissions
For the fall semester of 2009, the Admissions Committee at the University of Mary Washington reviewed 4,761 freshman applications and offered admission to 3,541 candidates. 963 of those candidates enrolled as first-time freshman. Though mostly Virginians, the students came from 32 states and 13 countries outside the United States. Among the middle 50% of admitted applicants, high school GPA ranged from 3.41–3.95, SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores ranged from 1630–1950 and ACT scores ranged from 24–28. In reviewing applications, the Admissions Committee places emphasis on academic achievement in the liberal arts and sciences, standardized test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
s scores, and enrollment in honors course
Honors course
Honors course is a distinction applied in the United States to certain classes to distinguish them from standard course offerings. The difference between a regular class and the honors class is not necessarily the amount of work, but the type of work required and the pace of studying...
s and programs like the International Baccalaureate. The university also "strives to enroll a student body that is culturally and ethnically diverse."
| Undergraduate | Graduate | Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... | USA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African American African American African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States... |
0.9% | 9.9% | 19.6% | 12.3% |
| Asian American Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,... |
4.4% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Caucasian American | 60.3% | 67.8% | 72.3% | 75.1% |
| Hispanic American | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 12.5% |
| Native American Native Americans in the United States Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as... |
0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| International International student According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national... |
0.9% | 1.5% | N/A | N/A |
| Unknown | 25.3% | 15.5% | N/A | N/A |
Honor system
The University of Mary Washington upholds an honor systemHonor system
An honor system or honesty system is a philosophical way of running a variety of endeavors based on trust, honor, and honesty. Something that operates under the rule of the "honor system" is usually something that does not have strictly enforced rules governing its principles...
. The system is maintained by the Honor Council, an organization of elected officials from the student body. All entering students must sign a document stating that they understand, abide by and agree to support the honor system during the convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
. Traditionally faculty will require students to sign a written pledge of abidance to the honor code for every major work submitted.
Programs
Undergraduate
| Graduate
Certificates
|
Board of Visitors
By statute of the Code of VirginiaCode of Virginia
The Code of Virginia is the statutory law of the U.S. state of Virginia, and consists of the codified legislation of the Virginia General Assembly. The 1950 Code of Virginia is the revision currently in force...
, the University of Mary Washington is governed by a Board of Visitors, one member of which is elected every two years to serve as Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. The UMW Board of Visitors is composed of twelve members appointed by the Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
and confirmed by the General Assembly. At least six members of the Board must be alumni of the University, and no more than three may be nonresidents of Virginia. Each member serves a term of four years and may be eligible for reappointment to one successive term.
President
The Board of Visitors announced that Richard V. Hurley would serve as the ninth president of the institution, effective July 1, 2010. Hurley served as executive vice president and twice as acting president following the resignations of both William J. Frawley and Judy G. Hample.Past presidents
- Richard V. Hurley (2010–present)
- Judy G. Hample (2008–2010)
- William J. Frawley (2006–2007)
- William M. Anderson, Jr. (1983–2006)
- Prince B. Woodard (1974–1982)
- Grellet C. Simpson (1956–1974)
- Morgan L. Combs (1929–1955)
- Algernon B. Chandler, Jr. (1919–1928)
- Edward H. Russell (1908–1919)
Student life
Activities
UMW has 118 student clubs and organizations registered with the Office of Student Activities and Community Service. These organizations include the Student Government Association, Honor Council, special interest groups and service organizationsNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
.
Cultural groups on campus include: Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
Student Association, Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
Student Association, Brothers of a New Direction, Islamic Student Association, Jewish Student Association, Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
Student Association, People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
(PRISM), Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Club, the Student Organization for the Learning About Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Students Educating and Empowering for Diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
(SEED),Women of Color and Eagle Bhangra (an Indian dance team).
Students Helping Honduras
Students Helping Honduras
Students Helping Honduras is an international NGO operating in both the United States and Honduras. While the majority of its projects are centered on the peripheries of El Progreso, the organization engages in projects throughout all of Honduras....
established its first collegiate chapter at UMW.
Traditions
Devil-Goat Day is an annual competition among students whose graduating classes fell on even years ("goats") and odd years ("devils"). The tradition began in 1926.The Multicultural Fair is an annual celebration of cultural diversity
Cultural diversity
Cultural diversity is having different cultures respect each other's differences. It could also mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole...
. Each year hundreds of food vendors, artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
s and student organizations register to attract people from the Fredericksburg area. The Fair is the largest annual event hosted by the university.
Athletics
The University of Mary Washington is an NCAA Division III institution. The University plays in the Capital Athletic ConferenceCapital Athletic Conference
The Capital Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware....
, where it has won more conference championships than any other school. In fact the Women's swim team has won all 21 straight CAC Championships, while the Men's swim team has won 17 out of 21. To date, the UMW "Eagles" have had more than 100 student-athletes achieve All-American status. Three UMW teams have won national championships (1982 AIAW champion women's tennis, 1988 NCAA Division III women's tennis, 1991 NCAA Division III women's tennis), and UMW athletes have won three NCAA individual titles (1993 - Shannon Hutcherson, 200 yard backstroke, swimming; 1996 - Myra Simpson, long jump, outdoor track & field; 2004 - Dan Uyar and Paul Bristow, doubles tennis). In recent years, the men's tennis team has advanced to eight straight NCAA Tournaments, finishing in the top eight four times, and the women's basketball team has advanced to three straight Sweet 16s, including a third place finish at the 2007 Final Four.
Men and women compete in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, soccer, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and the IHSA
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
-Overview:The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association or IHSA is an equestrian organization established in 1967 by Bob Cacchione when he was a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey...
riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
team. Men also compete in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and women in softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The sports facilities are available in Goolrick Gym and outdoors on the Battleground Athletic Complex, and the school's home barn is Hazelwild Farm. These facilities are utilized for intercollegiate competition as well as for intramural and recreational activities. The University also features a number of popular club teams, including boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, tennis, synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and ultimate frisbee. In 2007 the women's rugby club made their fifth consecutive appearance at the national championship tournament.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
placed University of Mary Washington second out of all public schools and second overall. Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
ranked UMW 13th among public colleges and universities in the United States in its 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges," and 121st overall. The Princeton Review deemed the university one of the "Best Southeastern Colleges" in the United States. Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
magazine ranked the university as the 2nd best value public college in 2009.
The University of Mary Washington has one of the preeminent policy debate
Policy debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government or security discourse...
teams in the country, having consistently ranked in the top twenty policy debate teams over the past ten years. The Mary Washington debate team is currently ranked tenth among colleges and universities in the northeast region of the Cross Examination Debate Association
Cross Examination Debate Association
The Cross Examination Debate Association is the largest intercollegiate policy debate association in the United States. Throughout the school year, CEDA sanctions over 60 tournaments throughout the nation, including an annual National Championship Tournament that brings together over 175...
. The team ranked 3rd overall in the National Debate Tournament
National Debate Tournament
The National Debate Tournament is one of the national championships for collegiate policy debate in the United States. The tournament is sponsored by the American Forensic Association with the Ford Motor Company Fund.-History of the NDT:...
.
The University of Mary Washington has one of the highest percentages of alumni volunteering in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
. In 2008 it produced the sixth greatest amount of volunteers among small schools in the United States.
Alumni
- Karen Olsen BeckKaren Olsen BeckKaren Olsen Beck was First Lady of Costa Rica during the governments of Jose Figueres Ferrer 1954-1958 and 1970–1974, Legislative Assemblywoman and Ambassador of Costa Rica- Biography :...
, former first lady of Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... - Marion BlakeyMarion BlakeyMarion Clifton Blakey is president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association. AIA represents the nation’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial systems, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles,...
, former Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation AdministrationThe Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
Administrator - Teresa A. H. DjuricTeresa A. H. DjuricTeresa A. H. Djuric is a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.-Career:Djuric joined the Air Force in 1983 and was assigned to North American Aerospace Defense Command at Cheyenne Mountain...
, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General - Jean DonovanJean DonovanJean Donovan was an American lay missionary who was murdered with three nuns in El Salvador by a military death squad while volunteering to do charity work during the civil war there.-Life:...
, relief worker martyred in El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America... - Shin FujiyamaShin FujiyamaShin Fujiyama is a Japanese-American philanthropist who co-founded Students Helping Honduras. He graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2007 with a Bachelor's degree in International Affairs and Pre-medicine. He and his sister, Cosmo Fujiyama, incorporated Students Helping Honduras in...
, co-founder of Students Helping HondurasStudents Helping HondurasStudents Helping Honduras is an international NGO operating in both the United States and Honduras. While the majority of its projects are centered on the peripheries of El Progreso, the organization engages in projects throughout all of Honduras.... - Thomas JohnsonThomas Johnson-Public officials:*Thomas Johnson , English Member of Parliament*Thomas Johnson , American jurist; one of the Founding Fathers; Governor of Maryland; Supreme Court justice...
, musician, television personality and philanthropist - Judy MullerJudy MullerJudy Muller is an American journalist. She has been a correspondent for ABC News since 1990, contributing reports to such programs as Nightline and World News Tonight. She is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition program...
, journalist - Nan Grogan OrrockNan Grogan OrrockNan Grogan Orrock is a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 58th district. She is the Vice-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and the former Majority Whip...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
House of Representatives 58th district - Toddy PullerToddy PullerLinda Todd "Toddy" Puller is an American politician. A Democrat, she served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–99 and was elected to the Senate of Virginia in November 1999. She the 36th district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.-Personal life:Puller's father...
, Virginia District 36 Senator - Desiree Marie VelezDesiree Marie VelezDesiree Marie Velez was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is the daughter of Inez Torres and Angelo Velez. Her parents are from Puerto Rico. She has Spanish and Taino native ancestry. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and currently lives in Virginia. She is a graduate of Mary Washington College...
, actress - Eugene Williams, Jr., writer and educator
- Maggie StiefvaterMaggie StiefvaterMaggie Stiefvater is a bestselling American author of young-adult/urban fantasy novels. She currently lives in Virginia. She attended Mary Washington College, graduating with a B.A. in history. After graduating, she worked as a portrait artist, specializing in equestrian art.; her art was...
, writer - Elizabeth EdwardsElizabeth EdwardsElizabeth Anania Edwards was an American attorney, a best-selling author and a health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S...
, lawyer
Faculty
- Bulent AtalayBulent AtalayBülent Atalay is a Turkish-American author, scientist, and artist.Born in Ankara, Turkey in 1940, Atalay is the author of the best selling book, , initially published in English by Smithsonian Books in 2004, and subsequently in eleven foreign languages...
, physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and author of Math and the Mona Lisa - Helga BullockHelga MeyerHelga D. Meyer was a German opera singer. She taught voice at Mary Washington College for many years; in 1977 she was a singer in the opera of Salzburg. Meyer died aged 58 of colon cancer in Arlington, Virginia....
, operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer and mother of Sandra BullockSandra BullockSandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,... - David CainDavid Cain (professor)David William Cain is a distinguished professor of religion at the University of Mary Washington and past president of the Søren Kierkegaard Society of North America. He has chaired plenary sessions on and authored books about Søren Kierkegaard. He lectures in Christian theology and Kierkegaard...
, theologianTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
noted for his research of Søren KierkegaardSøren KierkegaardSøren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel... - Joseph Dreiss, art historianArt historyArt history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, author of "Gari Melchers: His Works in the Belmont Collection", leader in art's relation to neuroplasticityNeuroplasticityNeuroplasticity is a non-specific neuroscience term referring to the ability of the brain and nervous system in all species to change structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment. Plasticity occurs on a variety of levels, ranging from cellular changes involved in... - Claudia EmersonClaudia EmersonClaudia Emerson is an American poet who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife.-Background:...
, poet, 2006 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
Winner - James L. Farmer, Jr.James L. Farmer, Jr.James Leonard Farmer, Jr. was a civil rights activist and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was the initiator and organizer of the 1961 Freedom Ride, which eventually led to the desegregation of inter-state transportation in the United States.In 1942, Farmer co-founded the Committee...
(On faculty 1985-1998), African-American civil rights leader - W. Brown Morton III, international preservationistPreservationistPreservationist is generally understood to mean historic preservationist: one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects or sites from demolition or degradation...
, former principal architect of the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
, led efforts to save Buddha'sGautama BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
birthplace (LumbiniLumbiniLumbinī is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. It is the place where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha lived between roughly 563 and 483 BCE...
), Episcopal priest - Ron SmithRon Smith (American poet)Ron Smith is an American poet and the first writer-in-residence at the St. Christopher's School in Richmond, Virginia.He is the author of Running Again in Hollywood Cemetery and Moon Road. Together with Elizabeth Seydel Morgan, he was one of the first two winners of the Carole Weinstein Poetry...
, poet - Julien BinfordJulien BinfordJulien Binford was an American painter. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and then in France. Settling in Powhatan County, Virginia, he was known for his paintings of the rural population of his neighborhood as well as for his murals. During World War II he lived in New York and painted...
, artist - Frank M. Snowden, Jr.Frank M. Snowden, Jr.Frank M. Snowden, Jr. , was an American Professor Emeritus of Classics at Howard University, and one of the foremost authorities on blacks in classical antiquity....
, scholar of blacksBlack peopleThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
in classical antiquityClassical antiquityClassical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world... - Stephen Stageberg, USA track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team member, Pan American GamesPan American GamesThe Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
medalist - Gregory StantonGregory StantonGregory H. Stanton is the founder and president of Genocide Watch, the founder and director of the Cambodian Genocide Project, and the founder and Chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide...
, founder and president of Genocide WatchGenocide WatchGenocide Watch is an international organization based in the United States which attempts to predict, prevent, limit, eliminate, and punish genocide throughout the world through reporting, public awareness campaigns, and judicial or quasi-judicial follow-up...
Further reading
- Alvey, Edward (1974). History of Mary Washington College 1908-1972. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0813905280
- Crawley, William Bryan (2008). University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908-2008. University of Mary Washington. ISBN 978-0615210155