The University of Mary Washington presented the Grellet C. Simpson Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching to Professor of English Maya Mathur at the general faculty meeting on August 16. This award, for which all full-time continuing faculty members are eligible. Simpson, UMW’s fourth president, is celebrated for his emphasis on academics and belief in the liberal arts tradition. Dr. Kyle Schultz, chair of the University Sabbaticals, Fellowships & Faculty Awards Committee, announced the award, noting: During the six years since earning associate professor rank, Dr. Mathur has created six new courses, including two popular First Year Seminars (FSEMs), tailored to the interests of 21st century students. Her courses, including Shakespeare and Popular Culture and From Cinderella to Harry Potter: Fairy Tales and Fantasy Literature, blend canon with modern topics and bring intellectual rigor by challenging students to examine issues of class, race, gender and power within … [Read more...]

Adrienne Brovero, UMW's Director of Debate, was recently recognized by the Barkley Forum for Debate Deliberation and Dialogue as this year's recipient of the Melissa Maxcy Wade Award Honoring Debate as a Public Good at the Atlanta Season Opener Debate Tournament. The award is presented at the Season Opener each year to a person in the debate community who is committed to using debate as a public good or encouraging and empowering others to use debate as a public good. In March, Brovero was similarly recognized by the National Debate Tournament, when she received the Lucy M. Keele Award for Service, based on her service to the community. Brovero is also continuing in that spirit, having been elected as Chair of the National Debate Tournament Committee in March. … [Read more...]

Anand Rao, professor of communication, recently attended the National Communication Association annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was part of a discussion panel titled “Communication at Play: Creating Strategic Partnerships between the Basic Course and First Year Experiences.” He talked about UMW’s QEP/FSEM, how it serves as a basic communication course for new students, and how the Speaking Center helps to support the FSEM. He also finished his year as Past Chair of the Communication Centers Division for NCA, helped run the annual business meeting, and, most significant, was the recipient of the 2018 Hobgood Service Award for “dedication to excellence, commitment to the profession, concern for others, appreciation of diversity, and vision of what could be.”​ … [Read more...]

Professor Shumona Dasgupta presented a paper on Bollywood and the Partition, entitled “Mothers of the Nation: Gender and Identity in Indian Partition Cinema,” at the 29th annual Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association conference in Baltimore (November 8-9, 2018). The paper has since been nominated for the MAPACA Donald Award, which recognizes an outstanding paper and presentation delivered at MAPACA’s annual conference. … [Read more...]

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Foss, who was recently awarded a prestigious Waple Professorship for 2018-2010, during which he will write a book on Oscar Wilde's fairy tales and disability.  Foss was also recently awarded a UMW College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Grant for 2018-2019, as were Professors Paul Fallon, Brenta Blevins, and Mara Scanlon. … [Read more...]

Faculty in Linguistics, Literature, Creative Writing, and Journalism recently secured major grants from the university for their professional work. Dr. Janie Lee was awarded a sabbatical and Dr. Kate Haffey, Professor Jon Pineda, and Professor Sushma Subramanian all received Jepson Fellowships. Congratulations to all four for this amazing sweep! … [Read more...]