As more than 1,000 Class of 2023 graduates crossed the stage at UMW’s Commencement to the applause of hundreds of faculty and thousands of family and friends, two students and two faculty received top-of-class honors.
Graduates Hannah Harris and Riley Smith earned the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award for Academic Achievement for completing their degrees with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in the undergraduate program. Both finished with a perfect 4.0 GPA and are members of the UMW Honors Program and Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society.
In addition, Associate Professor of Chemistry Randall Reif was recognized with the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award, for having had the greatest impact on the lives of the members of the Class of 2023, and Professor and Chair of Theatre and Dance Gregg Stull was named the first Anderson Distinguished Professor.
A biochemistry and English literature double major from Troutville, Virginia, Hannah Harris is headed to medical school this fall, a path she plotted early in her UMW journey, through the Honors Program’s early selection agreement with The George Washington University School of Medicine. Her provisional acceptance two years ago gave her time to focus on her undergraduate studies and spark her academic creativity.
Her capstone honors project, supervised by Professor of English Eric Lorentzen, examined the scientific concept of entropy – the randomness and chaos of a system – as represented in British Victorian literature. She’s also completed four years of undergraduate research on the toxicity of plastic compounds in an ongoing project supervised by Associate Professor of Chemistry Davis Oldham, who calls Harris, “the most productive research student I have had at UMW… a brilliant scientist.”
Harris chaired the Honors Student Advisory Council, helped coordinate the trademarked City as Text program for incoming Honors students and worked on campus as a Washington Tour Guide. Off campus, she volunteered with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps, during the height of the Covid pandemic and release of vaccines, and with Mary Washington Hospital.
The first UMW student to earn the Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Scholar of the Year award, she was named Outstanding Major in English, earned departmental honors also in chemistry and received the Alumni Association Award for Outstanding UMW Senior.
Riley Smith, a business administration major with a minor in English, from Leola, Pennsylvania, is a scholar-athlete on the women’s tennis team.
In her first year at UMW, she went undefeated in singles and doubles, earning spots on Mary Washington’s Athletic Honor Roll and C2C All-Academic Team each year. The team advanced to the NCAA’s elite eight in 2021 and is currently ranked 33rd nationally out of 328 teams. During the 2023 Commencement, Smith and her teammates were competing in the NCAA D3 Women’s Tennis Tournament in Middletown, Connecticut.
As an honors student, she has immersed herself in the intricacies of antitrust law, scrutinized U.S. Supreme Court cases, and analyzed relevant legislation and case law researching and crafting her honors project, “The NCAA’s Conflict with Antitrust Law and the Future of Student-Athlete Compensation,” which delved into the intersection of amateur athletes and name, image, likeness concerns within college athletics.
Her faculty speak highly of her work in the classroom, noting that she is “the type of student you want in every one of your classes. She is engaged, interested, proactive, hard-working, detail-oriented, and excited to learn.”
A peer consultant for Academic Services, Smith also is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international honor society recognizing students who have attained superior records in business programs in colleges accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), and Chi Alpha Sigma Honor society, recognizing student-athletes who excel both on and off the field of competition.
She plans to complete UMW’s MBA program next.
Associate Professor of Chemistry Randall Reif was honored by the graduating class for his dedication in the classroom, in the lab and throughout students’ and graduates’ lives.
Noted as a faculty member who embodies the true meaning of an outstanding Mary Washington professor, Reif was recognized for efforts to empower students, providing individualized attention and compassionate support, while remaining grounded, approachable and willing to listen and offer advice.
“This year’s recipient has made an indelible impact on the lives of countless students, inspiring them to pursue knowledge, excellence and personal growth,” said Class of 2023 Vice President Page Davidson, who presented the award. “Through their dedication to teaching and scholarship, they have truly fostered a culture of learning that permeates every aspect of their classroom and beyond.”
Davidson quoted another student, who described Reif as kind and excited: “No matter what we were doing in class, they were always enthusiastic about the material and optimistic about our success. Their excitement for sharing knowledge and their passion for learning was truly contagious.”
With a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Texas Tech University, Reif researches nucleic acid chemistry and the process of apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, in cancer cells. He frequently partners with students on published papers and presentations, leading honors-level research with real-world impact, such as his exploration of the cancer-fighting potential of over-the-counter drugs.
The only faculty award selected specifically by the graduating class, the Mary W. Pinschmidt Award was established in 1999 in honor of the longtime professor of biology known for her lasting devotion to Mary Washington. It goes to a professor who embodies Pinschmidt’s enthusiasm for teaching and connection with students.
Professor and Chair of Theatre and Dance Gregg Stull, who also serves as producing director of UMW Theatre, received the Anderson Distinguished Professor Award, recognizing tenured faculty who have demonstrated exceptional teaching, professional work and service to the University.
A 1982 graduate of Mary Washington College, Stull brings those ideals to life in the classroom and on the stage. He earned an M.A. from the University of Maryland and joined the Mary Washington faculty in 1991 in the Department of Theatre and Dance. He has long represented the hallmark of a Mary Washington education, and his own phrasing best captures his purpose: “to inspire colleagues not only to teach students, but to learn alongside them.”
Teaching numerous courses, serving on dozens of committees, and bringing countless productions to Klein Theatre, Stull earned tenure in 1999 and was promoted to professor in 2005.
“[Stull’s] teaching and impact on theatre can be felt throughout the Fredericksburg region, across the commonwealth, and to Broadway and beyond,” said UMW President Troy Paino. “At a time when the arts and humanities are being increasingly questioned, we are proud that theatre is thriving as one of our signature programs due in no small part to [his] efforts over a long and distinguished career.”
That impact will continue to grow with the upcoming construction of a new world-class theatre on campus. Stull will use the award’s support to study theatre programs across the country and develop a standard of excellence to guide UMW Theatre into the future.
The Anderson Distinguished Professorship honors Mary Washington’s sixth president, William M. Anderson Jr., who held the position for 23 years. It is endowed by Richard and Sara Page Mayo, Class of 1964.
