mary washington

Recognizing Faculty Impact

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Award named for former biology professor continues to promote excellence.

Prior to this year’s commencement, the Class of 2021 chose Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid as the 23rd recipient of the Mary W. Pinschmidt Teaching Award. “It was totally unexpected, ” says Majid. “It’s an individual award, but I think there’s really so much more. Your work in the classroom is a reflection of so many other people. It really is a team effort—it’s not that I hold something magical.”

Associate Professor Kashef Majid is the recipient of the 2021 Mary W. Pinschmidt Teaching Award.

Majid might not hold a magical power, but his commitment to students during a pandemic year makes him stand out as a dedicated professor – just like Dr. Pinschmidt.

Named in memory of a beloved and longtime biology professor, the Mary W. Pinschmidt Teaching Award was established to annually recognize one faculty member selected by graduating seniors to have had the greatest impact on their lives. The late Mary Pinschmidt was one such exemplary professor.

Posthumously promoted to Distinguished Professor of Biology, Pinschmidt was committed to her students. She was heavily involved in Chi Beta Phi, pioneered several graduate and continuing education programs, and worked for many years on the HIV-AIDS Education Committee. In 1982, she became the eleventh recipient of the Grellet C. Simpson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the highest faculty award at Mary Washington.

Dr. Mary Pinschmidt taught biology at Mary Washington for 37 years.

Pinschmidt also helped restructure Mary Washington’s general education program, including more core learning experiences for students of all levels. She even taught a class two days before her sudden illness and unexpected death in 1998. Perhaps most importantly, she left an enduring impact on the faculty and students who knew her.

Students quoted in the December 3, 1998, issue of The Bullet fondly remembered Pinschmidt as a “friendly, kind professor who was always there to help and never in a bad mood.” Her colleague at the time, Professor of Psychology Roy Smith, remembered her as “a wonderful presence in the classroom. She was an ultimate teacher. That’s who she was.”

Pinschmidt taught at Mary Washington for 37 years, often serving in high-level administrative roles. Her husband, Bill Pinschmidt, also taught biology at Mary Washington. Immediately following her death, those who knew her were determined to keep Mary Pinschmidt’s legacy alive by making gifts in her memory. Ultimately, those memorial gifts from caring family, friends, faculty, staff, and students helped create the teaching award that bears her name.

Professor Farnsworth (left) received the first Mary W. Pinschmidt Award in 1999 at Mary Washington’s commencement.

In 1999, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Stephen Farnsworth was selected as the award’s first recipient.

“I’m one of the dwindling number of faculty members whose time at Mary Washington overlaps with Dr. Pinschmidt,” says Farnsworth. “I was honored to receive the award because she was an extraordinary faculty member, so committed to student excellence. It’s a wonderful tribute to her that this award exists. It’s great that it keeps her memory alive in a generation of students who now weren’t even born when she taught here.”

While today’s UMW students do not have the opportunity to learn from Pinschmidt, they continue to benefit from her legacy through lectures inside the Mary W. Pinschmidt Lecture Hall in Jepson Science Center and through the faculty who continue to share her commitment to student excellence.

For information about making a gift to support students and faculty, visit giving.umw.edu or contact the Office of Advancement at advance.umw.edu.

Article written by Advancement Intern Tabitha Robinson ’24

Following the Music

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Scholarship helps student pursue dreams.

Morgan Anderson ’22 already has three degrees from Germanna Community College, including one in early childhood education. She now is majoring in music at the University of Mary Washington and plans to teach elementary school.

“I have always prioritized education and believe it is the critical foundation for success,” says Morgan.

She is grateful to be the 2020-2021 recipient of the Myrtle Hollins Isbell Scholarship. The scholarship honors the life and memory of Myrtle Hollins Isbell, who graduated from Mary Washington College in 1923 and became a home economics teacher.

As a full-time student at UMW, Morgan works several jobs to help pay for school. She is currently a part-time teaching assistant at a preschool in her hometown of Culpeper and also babysits on the weekends. The Isbell Scholarship offers Morgan financial reassurance during her time at Mary Washington and provides her with the opportunity to make her education the top priority.

After graduation, Morgan plans to enroll in UMW’s Master of Education program to earn her teaching license for music education, but her plans do not stop there.  “As an educator, you are continuously learning and thriving with the children you encounter,” says Morgan. Her passion and dedication to learning and educating others makes Morgan successful and serves as an inspiration to all.

Written by Darlene Mugisha ’21

Going Above and Beyond …

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Alumna will match gifts to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment.

Long before she led the effort to modernize food safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Catherine O’Connor Woteki ’69 was a student lab assistant in Combs Hall.

Catherine O’Connor Woteki ’69

“Doing behind-the-scenes prep work and just being able to hang around the lab was so helpful; I became much more comfortable working in a lab environment,” says Cathie, referring to her 1968 position in Mary Washington’s Biology department.

Cathie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Mary Washington, where she served as class treasurer and helped pay her way through school with summer jobs. She hopes to provide today’s UMW students with opportunities to discover their strengths and passions, just as her early experiences in the lab helped to inspire her career as an internationally known leader in science policy.

Through the end of July, Cathie and her husband Tom Woteki will match dollar-for-dollar all gifts to UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment for student research and learning. The University’s College of Arts and Sciences aims to raise $1 million for this new fund to support internships, study abroad, independent research, and other high-impact learning experiences.

“About two years ago, [College of Arts and Sciences Dean] Keith Mellinger told me about his idea to create a fund that will give students more experiences outside of the classroom, such as traveling to present research, attending a professional society meeting, or completing an unpaid internship,” says Cathie, who works closely with Mellinger as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board. “After he shared his vision, I knew I wanted to help make it happen.”

A well-respected scholar who has received many awards for her contributions to science and society, Cathie was inducted into the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2017. She has held leadership positions in academia, government, and industry, including Dean of the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University, the USDA’s first Undersecretary for Food Safety, Global Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for Mars, and USDA Chief Scientist.

As the first Undersecretary for Food Safety, a position created by the Clinton administration, Cathie led the agency through a transformation of the meat inspection system. Her efforts to base the process in science led to lasting benefits for public health.

“Through the introduction of pathogen testing in meat-processing plants, we were able to illustrate a dramatic reduction in foodborne illnesses,” she explains. “The application of science to benefit people is incredibly rewarding.”

Cathie as pictured in the 1969 Battlefield

Cathie credits her Mary Washington professors with instilling confidence and providing a strong scientific foundation, putting her on the path to scholarship and leadership.

She also holds a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Virginia Tech. “Many of my classmates in graduate school came from larger universities where they had more experience with advanced instrumentation, but when it came down to it, I was more capable than many of them,” she says. “The quality of the Mary Washington education was just that good.”

Mellinger says he relied on Cathie’s insights and guidance to narrow his focus for the endowment.

“She was instrumental in the creation of the fund, so her sponsorship of this match is perfect,” he explains. “It’s incredibly rewarding to hear that Cathie’s experiences at Mary Washington played such an important role in shaping her career.  We are ever grateful that she and Tom are now creating those same opportunities for our next generation of students.”

A loyal supporter of Mary Washington initiatives, Cathie contributed to an endowed scholarship by the Class of 1969 in honor of their 50th Reunion. She says she views her match for the Beyond the Classroom Endowment as a way to lead by example.

“My classmates are enormously successful, and so many other Mary Washington alumni have gone on to do amazing things,” Cathie says. “I hope others will join me in giving back as a way of saying thank you for the education we received.”

Donate by July 30, 2021, to have your gift to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment matched dollar-for-dollar during the Catherine O’Connor Woteki ’69 and Tom Woteki Beyond the Classroom Match.

Click here to make an online gift, or mail a check to:
University of Mary Washington
1119 Hanover Street
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401
Please make check payable to UMW Foundation and note “Beyond the Classroom Endowment” on the check’s memo line.

For more information about giving, contact the Office of Advancement at umwgift@umw.edu or 540-654-1024.

 

Article written by Beth Waters Hunsinger ’01

It All Adds Up

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Giving Day Match Increased Support for James Farmer Multicultural Center.

Three Mary Washington diplomas are centered on a wall behind a desk in Ashburn, Virginia. Jacob Sapp ’04, MBA ’08 and Kelly Sapp ’08 are proud of their connections to Mary Washington and Fredericksburg, and they remain engaged and supportive of university priorities.

For Mary Wash Giving Day held April 13, 2021, the couple matched gifts made to the James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC). The Sapp Match was dollar-for-dollar, up to $2,500, in support of underrepresented students and the JFMC’s diversity, inclusion, and social justice programs. The match was so well received, the couple increased the match to $5,000.

“Recent news events made Kelly and I more aware of social injustice, so we looked for ways to get involved and to set an example for our children and others,” says Jacob. “We discovered that programming offered through the James Farmer Multicultural Center supports success, while inspiring students to become leaders in their fields and to advocate for social justice.”

Jacob grew up in Fredericksburg and excelled in math. He completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration – and with a professional reference from Professor and Associate Dean Ken Machande – soon landed his first job for a federal contractor in Dahlgren.

He married Kelly in 2006 and began taking graduate courses toward a master’s degree in business administration. In a serendipitous twist, Jacob received his MBA diploma and Kelly received her diploma for a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at the same commencement ceremony in May 2008.

Today, Jacob is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for ASRC Federal, a federal government aerospace and defense contractor. Twice, he has participated in career chats to offer advice and perspective to UMW students based on his 17 years of business experience. He also serves on the James Farmer Circle to help promote a fundraising initiative named in honor of UMW’s late Distinguished Professor of History and American Studies.

“Kelly and I have a lot of respect for Mary Washington,” says Jacob. “We feel this is one way we can help increase awareness and make things a little bit better.” The couple initially made a donation in 2020. Their matching gift added additional support for JFMC programming, while doubling the impact of gifts from other donors.

To learn more about the James Farmer Multicultural Center, visit students.umw.edu/multicultural.

 

 

Mapping Success

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Scholarships help student discover route to success.

English is her first major, but Beth Devine ’21 fell in love with the UMW geography department after taking an Intro to GIS course with Dr. Stephen Hanna and a Weather and Climate course with Dr. Jackie Gallagher. After seeing the passion and the tight-knit community within the Geography department, Beth declared Geography as a second major.

She was grateful for the help of three separate scholarships during her time at Mary Washington. Beth is the current recipient of the Geography Alumni Scholarship, and she previously received the Marguerite J. Helbush Scholarship in English, and the Susan J. Hanna Endowed Scholarship in English.

Outside the classroom, Beth has been awarded numerous opportunities to work in geography with professors and other students. In the summer of 2019, she assisted Dr. Marco Millones in editing and preparing labs for an introductory GIS course for Spanish speakers.

 In 2020, Beth had the opportunity to work on Dr. Hanna’s plantation research team, which visited presidential plantations and observed how these museums presented the lives of enslaved people who once lived there. Beth was also invited to join Dr. Hanna’s cartography practicum, where she and two other students created a campus accessibility map for UMW’s Office of Disability series of hiking trail maps for an official hiking guide of Hocking Hills, Ohio.

In addition to Geography and GIS, Beth also works as a department aide for the Geography department. Beth helped restructure the Geography Club, and she currently serves as its president. Last summer, Beth also served as a Cartography intern with the Federal Government.

After graduating from UMW, Beth plans to pursue a master’s in Geography, Cartography, or International Relations. “Geography has become a special part of my UMW experience, and I owe a lot of my success to the Department’s constant support.” says Beth.

Written by Darlene Mugisha ’21