University of Mary Washington
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University of Mary Washington |
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| Motto | Pro Deo Domo Patria Latin: "For God, Home, and Country" |
| Established | 1908 |
| Type | Public university |
| President | Dr. William Frawley |
| Faculty | 206 |
| Students | 4,862 |
| Undergraduates | 4,183 |
| Postgraduates | 679 |
| Location | Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Campus | Suburban, 176 acres (71.22 ha) |
| Colors | Navy Blue and Gray |
| Nickname | Eagles |
| Website | www.umw.edu |
The University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College) is a coeducational, selective, state-funded, four-year liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia about 55 miles (88 km) north of Richmond and 45 miles (80 km) south of Washington, DC. U.S. Route 1 borders the western side of the campus. The university's undergraduate campus has 4,183 students and its graduate campus has 1,029 degree-seeking students.
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[edit] History and Campus
Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women, the college was renamed Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washington, mother of the first president of the United States of America, George Washington.
In 1944 the college became associated with the University of Virginia as that institution's undergraduate liberal arts college for women. Following the university's transition to coeducational status in 1970, the Virginia General Assembly reorganized Mary Washington College in 1972 as a separate, coeducational institution.
Effective July 19, 2004, the institution legally became the University of Mary Washington, after approval by the General Assembly of Virginia. 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., BPS or other graduate certificates or professional certifications. The original undergraduate campus is now Mary Washington College of Arts and Sciences.
On June 30, 2006, Dr. William Anderson retired after 23 years as the institution's president. On February 17, 2006 the UMW Board of Visitors had selected William Frawley, Dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at The George Washington University, as the next president of the University. Dr. Frawley's presidency began on July 1, 2006. He was officially inaugurated on September 30, 2006.
Most of the architecture on the Mary Washington campus can be described as neoclassical, Georgian, or Jeffersonian (because of its similarity to Thomas Jefferson's design of the University of Virginia). The Princeton Review has ranked Mary Washington as one of the top 20 most beautiful campuses in the nation.
The University is currently undergoing construction and renovation. The Carmen Culpeper Chappell '59 Centennial Campanile will finish construction in March of 2007. Lee Hall, however, has just begun an overhaul of the interior and an extension out the back. More recently a parking deck was completed, easing commuter students' parking situation. However, due to the location of the parking deck relative to the academic buildings, its use is infrequent.
Recently, Newt Gingrich was announced as the commencement speaker at the Class of 2007's Graduation Ceremony.
[edit] Academics
Academic departments at the undergraduate campus of UMW include:
- Art and Art History
- Biological Sciences
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
- Computer Science
- Economics
- English, Linguistics, and Speech
- Education
- Geography
- Geology and Environmental Science
- Health and Physical Education
- Historic Preservation
- History and American Studies
- Mathematics
- Modern Foreign Languages
- Music
- Physics
- Political Science and International Affairs
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Theatre and Dance
New to UMW in the 2006-2007 academic year is a Middle East Studies Certificate. In this program, students take five Middle Eastern-related classes as well as two semesters of Arabic. They also must prepare a special thesis.
[edit] Admissions
UMW reviewed 4,287 freshman applications for the fall of 2006, offered admission to 2,999 candidates, and enrolled 935 first-time freshman for the 2006 fall semester. These students hail from 27 states and eight foreign countries. The average Mary Washington student has a GPA of 3.67 and combined SAT scores of 1226 or above. The strongest Admission factors include Standardized Tests scores, as well as the rigor of secondary school record.
[edit] Rankings
- Mary Washington has one of the preeminent debate teams in the country, having consistently ranked in the Top #20 over the past ten years. After participating in the National Debate Tournament held at Northwestern University, the University of Mary Washington Debate Team is currently ranked 10th in the nation. The National Debate Tournament (NDT) rankings place Mary Washington behind Emory and Dartmouth, and ahead of Harvard, Wake Forest and Northwestern University. [1]
- The University of Mary Washington has one of the highest percentages of students volunteering in the Peace Corps. In 2006, Mary Washington ranked #6 among the top Peace Corps producing schools in the United States behind Dartmouth, University of Chicago, and Wesleyan University.[2]
- The University of Mary Washington was ranked by Men's Fitness Magazine as being the #24 most fit college or university in the country. [3]
- In its 2007 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” U.S. News and World Report ranked UMW 6th among southern master’s degree-granting institutions in the South and second among public schools in the same category. UMW also was recognized for having the second highest graduation rate in the South.[4]
- In its 2006 edition, The Fiske Guide to Colleges listed UMW as one of the nation’s 300 best colleges and universities, stating that “Mary Washington has gained a reputation as one of the premium public liberal arts colleges in the country". It was also listed in the 2007 edition as one of the best public institutions, price wise. [5]
- Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges’ 2007 edition placed Mary Washington in its “highly competitive” category, designating the University as one of the 171 top colleges and universities in the nation in terms of academic selectivity.
- Mary Washington is one of the 146 colleges named a Best Southeastern College by The Princeton Review.[6]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Eric Axelson, musician
- Marion Blakey, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator
- Jason Caddell, musician, sound engineer
- Jean Donovan, relief worker martyred in El Salvador
- Rose Likins, diplomat, former US Ambassador to El Salvador
- Judy Muller, journalist
- Judge Reinhold, actor
- Aaron Altscher, cast member of The Apprentice, season 6
[edit] Notable faculty
- Bulent Atalay, physicist and author of Math and the Mona Lisa
- Claudia Emerson, poet, 2006 Pulitzer Prize Winner
- James L. Farmer, Jr., Civil Rights Leader
- Stephen Farnsworth, political scientist, author, Fulbright Scholar
- Matyla Ghyka, author, academic, diplomat
- Gregory Stanton, founder of Genocide Watch
- Stephen Stageberg, USA track and field team member, Pan American Games medalist
- Rorie Malerbi, Novelist, 2004 Pulitzer Prize Winner
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Public Colleges and Universities in Virginia |
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| Christopher Newport • George Mason • James Madison • Longwood • Mary Washington • Norfolk State • Old Dominion • Radford • University of Virginia • U.Va.-Wise • Virginia Commonwealth • Virginia State • Virginia Military Institute • Virginia Tech • William & Mary Community Colleges • EVMS • VMRCVM |
