The University of Mary Washington’s Board of Visitors held its final quarterly meeting of the 2024-25 school year on April 10 and 11, discussing executive orders, the success of Mary Wash Day, and developing relationships between UMW and regional health programs.
UMW President Troy Paino thanked his colleagues for their help in making sure the University of Mary Washington is compliant with all federal laws.
“I also want to thank my team for working hard to review everything that we do around admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid and scholarship prizes, housing ceremonies, disciplinary action, procurement, academic and student life to make sure we are in compliance with federal law.”
According to Piano, plans for the summer include reviewing UMW’s statement of nondiscrimination, which is a board-approved document, as well as the statement of guiding principles on diversity and inclusion.
“We are awaiting even further guidance from the attorney general or Department of Education,” said Paino, “as well as the state, on further direction as to how some of those executive orders apply to higher education that’s been promised,” said Paino.
In particular, Paino said that his administration is engaged in a strategic planning process with the James Farmer Multicultural Center “to ensure that the center’s future aligns with both our community values, but also serves all of our students here at Mary Washington, which has always been their goal.”
The discussion came as boards at public universities across the state, including the University of Virginia, have voted to dissolve their DEI offices in recent months.
Mary Wash Day, which took place between April 2-3, is an annual fundraising event for the University. Katie Turcotte, the Vice President for Advancement & Alumni Engagement, said UMW raised more than $1.2 million during this year’s event, at least $400,000 more than any previous Mary Wash Day.
Turcotte said the event drew 548 first-time donors.
“Our earliest alumni donor class year was 1950, and over 100 areas were supported across campus. So it was a really, really great day,” she said.
Turcotte said the Fund for Mary Washington — an unrestricted fund to serve areas around the university — was the No. 1 area of giving on the day,
In addition to impending changes regarding executive orders, BOV member Christopher Newman, who is the new CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare, discussed bridging the gap between the university and the health system.
“The health system is exploring, and seriously interested in bringing a medical school to the Fredericksburg region,” Newman said. “We’re early in this process, there’s probably some more regulatory hurdles to get an MD or an allopathic school versus an osteopathic school. We’ll learn more about that and make the decision.”
According to Newman, a third of Fredericksburg-area residents leave the community for their health care needs.
“So going to DC, Charlottesville, Richmond and others, and as we’re able to, you know, maintain some of that here, that in itself, is a huge economic lift for the region and will impact far outside of healthcare,” he said.
UMW sets tuition, board rates
Also during its meeting, the board voted unanimously to authorize a 2.5% tuition increase for undergraduate and graduate students and a mandatory comprehensive fee increase of 4% for the 2025-26 academic year.
In a press release announcing the increases, UMW stated that the tuition and fee increase supports state-mandated compensation actions for faculty and staff; increases in the minimum wage and health insurance benefit rate for employees; cost increases and inflation impacting the price of goods, materials and services; and state administrative system charge increases.
At an operational level, the increase ensures that UMW maintains its educational distinction, where all classes are taught by faculty rather than teaching assistants, staff are experts in their fields and trusted mentors for students.
For 2025-26, housing rates will increase by 2%. Dining rates will remain unchanged. A student can live in an on-campus residence hall for the fall and spring semesters for less than $10,000.
On-campus apartment rates are around $13,000 for the academic year, with a variety of single- and double-room options. The new student programs and arrival fee, which is a one-time fee for new incoming students, will increase by $50.
