Giving Stories

UMW’s Giving Tuesday Totals Top $215K

December 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

That’s a wrap! Donors to the University of Mary Washington gave more than $215,000, based on preliminary totals, in support of the UMW student experience during 2023’s Giving Tuesday celebration on Nov. 28.

Members of the Mary Washington community – including alumni, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students – gathered together for the 24-hour event to #MakeItPossible on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, contributing 575 gifts to areas across the University.

Nearly 300 alumni made gifts, helping to unlock more than $45,000 in matching and challenge funds from generous donors, inspiring others to give and maximizing the impact of each gift.

“I’m always amazed at the way our Mary Washington family comes together for students on Giving Tuesday year after year,” said Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14. “Their enthusiastic support is a testament to their generosity and belief in UMW’s mission.”

The following challenges and matches were met in full on Giving Tuesday:

$12,500 match from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund for gifts of $500 or less to the Fund for Mary Washington
$10,000 challenge gift from Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 after 200 gifts were made in November to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment, a College of Arts and Sciences initiative, which focused on student study abroad this year
$5,000 match for the College of Business from the COB Executive Advisory Board
$5,000 match for the Veterans Endowment from Brian ’84 and Erma Baker ’82
$5,000 match for the General Scholarship Fund from Alec and Betty Olander Adams ’69

Ryan Donaldson ’14 donated in honor of his former roommate, who had served in the military. “I’d like to make it easier for veterans like him to go to college,” he said.

Ryan’s gift of $19.08 also earned him the opportunity to name a campus squirrel after his current roommate as an early Christmas gift. More than 200 donors gave squirrels fun names like Henrietta Minerva Nutkin, Sir Donald Edward Fluffington, Sammy T. Squirrel, and Ms. Zippy Chatternut, receiving a digital certificate with their chosen name.

Alumni were also invited to make gifts in honor or in memory of the person who made their Mary Washington experience a special one. Beth Unklesbay ’74 paid homage to Karen Laino Giannuzzi ’71 – they’re both part of a small group of female retired military officers – whom she met almost five decades after leaving Mary Washington.

“From the beginning of our newfound friendship, Karen has been an enthusiastic advocate for our alma mater,” Beth said. “I credit her with bringing me back into the UMW fold.”

To learn more about the #GivingTuesday totals, please visit givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible.

– Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

#MakeItPossible for Mary Washington Students on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28

November 15, 2023 Leave a Comment

The University of Mary Washington is inviting members of its community to give back in honor or in memory of the person who had the greatest impact on them at Mary Washington.

With a theme of #MakeItPossible, UMW’s Giving Tuesday celebration will give donors the opportunity to invest in the education of current and future students so they can fulfill their dreams – while thanking those at Mary Washington who supported their own.

Alumni, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students are invited to make gifts of any size to areas across the University on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible. More than $47,000 in challenges and matches sponsored by generous donors are waiting to be unlocked throughout the day, doubling the impact of each gift:

Each gift of $500 or less made to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, up to $12,500.
If 200 donations are made to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment during the month of November, Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 will unlock $10,000 for the College of Arts and Sciences initiative to support students studying abroad.
The College of Business Executive Advisory Board will match all gifts to the College of Business up to $5,000.
Steve and Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68 will match each gift made to the College of Education, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Alec and Betty Olander Adams ’69 will match each gift to the General Scholarship Fund, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg will match all gifts to Friends of Athletics up to $5,000.
Brian ’84 and Erma Baker ’82 will match all gifts to the UMW Veterans Endowment, up to $5,000, supporting Mary Washington students who have served or are active service members.

Other areas addressing critical needs include the Cedric Rucker ’81 S.O.S. Fund, an endowment in “support of our students,” helping those who have unexpected or life-altering emergencies, and the Gwen Hale Resource Center, which provides food, toiletries, clothing, and other necessities for students in need.

UMW’s Office of Annual Giving has several perks for gift-givers, including an opportunity for young alumni to name a campus squirrel – and get a digital certificate as a keepsake – when a donation of $19.08 or more (in honor of the University’s founding year) is made to the Fund for Mary Washington. Parents, guardians, and family members of current students will earn their Eagle a note of encouragement and bag of Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses during finals week when they make a gift on Giving Tuesday.

Alumni and friends can pitch in even more by serving as a #GivingTuesday ambassador. They’ll receive an exclusive toolkit and a unique referral link to inspire others to give. Anyone who posts on social media throughout the day is encouraged to use #MakeItPossible and #GivingTuesday.

Visit givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible to learn more about Giving Tuesday challenges and to sign up to be a Giving Tuesday ambassador.

Why I Give: Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61

November 14, 2023 Leave a Comment

Six decades have passed since Barbara Upson Gravely Welch donned her graduation cap and gown, but she still remembers the bittersweet feelings she had about leaving Mary Washington.

Barbara Upson Gravely Welch '61 as a senior at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of The Battlefield Yearbook/UMW Libraries' Special Collections and University Archives. — Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61 as a senior at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of The Battlefield Yearbook/UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives.

“I was almost sad to graduate,” said Barbara, who started out a shy history major but was eventually elected senior class president. “I enjoyed my college years immensely and realized what a difference Mary Washington made in my life. That’s what inspired my giving.”

Barbara has donated to the University of Mary Washington every year since she graduated, earning her a spot in UMW’s new Forever True Circle, which honors donors who have made a recurring or annual contribution for three or more years. Her gifts to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington underscore her trust in the University and help guarantee that it can continue to address its most pressing needs.

“I benefited from all aspects of my Mary Washington education,” said Barbara, who grew up in Delaware and Central New Jersey. She hadn’t even heard of the small school in Fredericksburg until several friends mentioned it, but a visit to campus confirmed that it was the place for her.

She loved the history courses she took with Professors Carrol H. Quenzel and Laura Sumner, as well as the broad liberal arts and sciences curriculum she found at Mary Washington. “College really opens your mind to different perspectives, opinions, and ideas,” she said.

Barbara then became president of her senior class and gained a seat on Honor Council, serving as its vice president. “Those experiences made me into a confident young adult,” she said. “Faculty at my high school said that they needed to send more students to Mary Washington, because of how I had turned out.”

After graduation, she taught high school history until her children were born. She jumped into a new profession over a decade later, becoming an environmental paralegal in the legal department of chemical manufacturer DuPont, where her father had also worked.

Barbara Upson Gravely Welch '61 with her late husband, Charles Welch. — Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61 with her late husband, Charles Welch.

“I fell in love with the law,” said Barbara, who rose through the ranks for 25 years, until she retired in 2004. She spent the next decade earning her pilot’s license and learning how to fly her husband’s plane. “My education has allowed me to zigzag and try many different things.”

Over the years, she has kept in touch with Mary Washington, at first by interviewing scholarship applicants and participating in a regional alumni network, where she enjoyed connecting with older alumni from the 1930s and 1940s. Now, Barbara misses her dear friend, Connie Booth Logothetis ’61, who always shared her important milestones with their classmates in Class Notes.

And Barbara continues to invest in UMW and its students. “College is such a formative time and what you do with it makes a difference for the rest of your life,” she said. “Mary Washington helped me, and I want to honor that by giving back.”

Q: As a student, what was your favorite spot on the Mary Washington campus?
A: The Ann Carter Lee Hall kitchen/café.

Q: What might surprise your classmates to learn about you?
A: I’m taking voice lessons for the first time. After COVID, it seemed like we didn’t talk or sing as much. Now that I’m alone, I needed a new challenge and wanted to try something creative.

Q: What else do you do in your free time?
A: I no longer fly our plane, but I love to travel and just returned from Hawaii. I also exercise and volunteer at the Mary Campbell Center in Wilmington, Delaware. My second husband, Charles Welch, founded it in 1976 as a residence for disabled adults, in honor of his daughter, Charmie.

Q: What are the words you live by?
A: When I was nervous about taking on leadership roles in college, my father said, “Barbara, if you respect the people who asked you, you should have no doubt that they believe you can do it.” After that, I went through life accepting any challenge that came my way.

To learn more about the Forever True Circle or the Fund for Mary Washington, please contact Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14 at sorlando@umw.edu or 540-654-1361.

Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Gift Planning Connections – Fall 2023

November 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

In this issue:

Meet scholarship recipient Adelaide “Ada” Gill ’26. Ada is majoring in chemistry and participating in campus activities while exploring her career options.

Learn about a new scholarship for students interested in, but not majoring in, theatre. This scholarship is being funded by Heritage Society members Daniel and Diana Hamilton Cowell ’66.

Discover tips to support UMW through an RMD, a QCD, a charitable gift annuity, or through a bequest in your will.

Read a special message from President Paino about fundraising success and our Washington Scholarship students.

See how a bequest written more than three decades ago by Anne Hope Scott ’59 will now fund a scholarship for chemistry students.

Read each story in the fall edition of Gift Planning Connections by selecting the links above, or click here to view a PDF version.

Mock Interview Competition Preps UMW Students to Land the Job

November 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

Senior Aniya Stewart ’24 sharpened her skills before taking part in the Mock Interview Competition at the University of Mary Washington last month. She researched how to answer the toughest questions and reflected on her past performances when applying for jobs.

Still, she was surprised when she was declared the winner. “My shock wore off when the judges explained their reasoning and gave feedback,” said Aniya, a mathematics major at Mary Washington. “I was elated after that and called my mom to share the good news.”

Aniya, who is already looking for her first post-college position, said she feels more prepared than ever after participating twice in the competition, held every other year for UMW Student Alumni Ambassadors, or SAAs. The event equips students with strategies and techniques to nail any interview – and hopefully, the job.

Along with Network Mary Wash, it’s one of many initiatives organized by the Office of University Advancement and Alumni Engagement to introduce UMW students to the vast network of graduates whose guidance can help them launch their careers and lives after college. A recent Mary Talk held on Nov. 15 featured Associate Provost for Career and Workforce Kimberly Young discussing the key competencies the University has adopted to prepare students for Life After Mary Washington.

Aniya Stewart ’24, winner of the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Aniya is a mathematics major and a member of the Student Alumni Ambassadors, who participate in the biennial competition. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Shadwick Yoder ’25, an SAA and a finalist in the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Shadwick is a political science major and an environmental sustainability minor. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Natalie Baca ’24, an SAA and a finalist in the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Natalie is a biomedical sciences major and neuroscience minor. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

This year’s interview competition saw 16 participants vie for a job as a program assistant in UMW’s Office of Student Activities and Engagement. While the position was fictional, Aniya will get a real recommendation from Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte and an overnight stay at a regional alumni event.

A finalist during her senior year, Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadiann Treviño Pinto ’22 serves as staff advisor of the SAA program, which fosters relationships between alumni and students. “I provide pointers like ‘dress to impress, come early, and look for verbal and nonverbal cues,’” she said, but ultimately, the students are responsible for matching their qualifications to the job description.

“This is an essential experiential learning opportunity for UMW students, preparing them to succeed in the real world,” said College of Business Dean Filiz Tabak, who served on a panel of alumni, faculty, and staff judges who evaluated the participants over two rounds. While all the students were “well-prepared, personable, and professional,” Dean Tabak said, Aniya’s confidence, authenticity, and comfort with taking risks helped her stand out among her peers.

Michael Gilchrist ’20, who also served as a judge, said that being a former finalist in the competition helped him distinguish a good interview from a great one. His own mock interviews as a SAA helped him secure his current position as a global client and project manager at D.C.-based ROI Training. “Even to this day, I use the feedback I received to better position myself among other applicants.”

Junior Shadwick Yoder ’25 may have fielded a few curveball questions, but he said that making it to the final round gave him the confidence he needs to pursue his future career.

“Being an SAA has given me many firsts in the realm of professional development,” said Shadwick, a political science major and environmental sustainability minor, who applied to the program during his first semester at Mary Washington. “All of the skills I’ve gained are extremely valuable, no matter what field I enter.”

Learn more about the Student Alumni Ambassador program at the University of Mary Washington by contacting Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadiann Treviño Pinto ’22 at ctrevino@umw.edu or 540-654-1153.

Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Giving to Mary Washington

Giving Stories