Jogging Student Avoids Gunman
September 1, 2010
Anne Elder/Bullet
On Monday, Aug. 30, a UMW student was jogging downtown when she was approached by an armed male cyclist, according to a campus crime alert sent out Tuesday afternoon.
The 20-year-old student left the scene unharmed and the Fredericksburg police are actively investigating the incident, according to Fredericksburg Police Department Public Information Officer Natatia Bledsoe.
“We have assigned this case to a detective,” Bledsoe said. “We are aggressively pursuing any information we receive.”
According to the crime alert, the jogger noticed a bicyclist following her while she was near William and Sophia streets. When she reached the intersection of Sophia and Charlotte streets, the male approached her asking if she knew where Bragg Hill is located.
After replying “no,” she directed him to a nearby coffee shop for directions. He proceeded to reach into the black drawstring bag he was carrying and pulled out a handgun, according to the alert.
The jogger ran up Charlotte Street yelling, “He has a gun,” which caught the attention of several males who were standing near the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center on Caroline Street. The males proceeded to chase the suspect, who was last seen riding toward the Chatham Bridge, according to the alert.
The alert informed students that the police searched the area, but were unable to find the suspect or the “Good Samaritans” who chased him away.
“We’re hoping they’ll come forward,” Bledsoe said of the Samaritans. “Any details are really helpful.”
In light of the incident, Bledsoe encourages students to be aware of their surroundings, and not to use iPods or other music players to the extent that hearing is restricted.
Bledsoe also said that the police department doesn’t recommend carrying defense tools such as mace, but instead recommends wearing a whistle, which can alert bystanders and scare the potential attacker away.
Despite the crime, Bledsoe said that generally speaking, Fredericksburg is a secure area.
“I think Mary Washington and the surrounding communities are very safe,” Bledsoe said.
She said the majority of crimes that occur in Fredericksburg happen between people who know each other and crime between strangers “just doesn’t happen that often.”
Hurley Named President Amid Standing Ovation
April 15, 2010
Marie Sicola/Bullet
BY BRYNN BOYER AND ANNE ELDER
Richard (Rick) Hurley will serve as the ninth president of the University of Mary Washington, effective July 1, 2010.
The Board of Visitors made the announcement at its meeting on Friday, April 9 after an hour-long closed session.
Hurley, who has previously served as acting president twice, has agreed to stay in the position for at least the next three years.
“My expectation is that that is not a term limit,” Nanalou Sauder, rector of the BOV, said.
Hurley said he expects the contract to be finalized soon.
He said the Board’s decision to name him as president did not come as a surprise, because of the “outpouring of support” he received from the campus community.
“It shifted from ‘This’ll never happen’ in the beginning to ‘Maybe this’ll happen’ to ‘It looks like this is going to happen’,” Hurley said.
Hurley said Sauder called him three weeks ago, asking him to consider the presidency.
“I said ‘yes’ to that,” Hurley said. “I had no indication it wasn’t going to happen. But, [the BOV] played their cards very close to their vest.”
When Sauder made a motion at the meeting to accept the resolution that would name Hurley as president, the Board members all applauded and gave him a standing ovation.
“It seemed obvious to me that it was the right thing,” Sauder said. “I’m really looking forward to working with Rick.”
Hurley has been serving as acting president since April 1, taking over after Judy Hample stepped down.
He also was acting president in the transition between William Frawley and Hample, from April 2007 to June 2008. Before stepping up as president, Hurley was executive vice president.
Hurley said his approach to the presidency would be one of “honesty, openness and collaboration.”
His immediate goal as president is implementing the strategic plan, including making sure the reaccreditation process goes smoothly.
“The strategic plan continues to emphasize the core mission of the University of Mary Washington. [It] has always been to provide a quality, affordable liberal arts education,” Sauder said. “People need to understand higher education is changing.”
“I want to focus on regional engagement,” Hurley said. “That means getting our name out beyond Fredericksburg.”
UMW’s regional engagement will be three-fold: create more internships for students, increase the reputation of Mary Washington as an institution of higher education and create additional revenue.
He sent a campus-wide e-mail to students on Friday afternoon, explaining the upcoming reorganization of the university.
“I don’t see Mary Washington growing into a mega-university,” Sauder said. She shares Hurley’s hopes of serving the region and wishes to “respond to the needs of higher education as we continue to move forward.”
“By giving you this information first-hand, I hope to curtail rumors and speculation about what is really going on,” Hurley said in the e-mail.
At the BOV meeting, Hurley said he’s looking forward to meeting students through his new position.
“I’m a very accessible person,” Hurley said. “Please come up to me and introduce yourself.”
BOV Names Hurley as Ninth President
April 9, 2010
BY BRYNN BOYER AND ANNE ELDER
Richard Hurley will serve as the ninth president of the University of Mary Washington, effective July 1, 2010.
The Board of Visitors made the announcement at its meeting today after an hour long closed session.
Hurley, who has previously served as acting president twice, has agreed to stay in the position for at least the next three years.
“My expectation is that that is not a term limit,” Nanalou Sauder, rector of the BOV, said.
Hurley said he expects the contract to be finalized by next week.
He said the Board’s decision to name him as president did not come as a surprise, because of the “outpouring of support” he received from the campus community.
“It shifted from ‘This’ll never happen’ in the beginning to ‘Maybe this’ll happen’ to ‘It looks like this is going to happen’,” Hurley said.
When Sauder made a motion at the meeting to accept the resolution that would name Hurley as president, the Board members all applauded and gave him a standing ovation.
“It seemed obvious to me that it was the right thing,” Sauder said.
Hurley said his approach to the presidency would be one of “honesty, openness and collaboration.”
Hurley has been serving as acting president since April 1, taking over after Judy Hample stepped down.
Hurley said he’s looking forward to meeting students through his new position.
“I’m a very accessible person,” Hurley said. “Please come up to me and introduce yourself.”
Hurley Demotes Top Official
April 2, 2010
In one of his first decisions as acting president, Rick Hurley demoted a recently audited UMW official.
Khalil Yazdi, the former chief information officer and vice president for Information Technology and Institutional Research since August 2008, was reassigned, according to an e-mail yesterday from Hurley.
“Nina Mikhalevsky has been appointed interim vice-president of information technologies and chief information officer and will serve in that position until further notice,” Hurley said in the e-mail. “Yazdi will report to Mikhalevsky.”
Mikhalevsky is currently a professor of philosophy. She has also been the acting provost and vice president for strategy and policy at UMW.
Yazdi was unavailable for comment.
This reorganization came one week after the Bullet reported that Yazdi had been investigated for not appropriately following Virginia laws when purchasing computer software.
Allegations made against Yazdi through a state employee fraud, waste and abuse hotline were found to be substantial by UMW Director of Internal Audit Tera Kovanes, according to an audit report.
Hurley would not comment on whether the audit played a role in the demotion.
“I made the decision that I thought was in the best interest of the university,” Hurley said. “I thought our information technologies needed a new perspective.”
Yazdi worked under former President Judy Hample at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education before coming to UMW.
He has an annual salary of $185,000. This salary is the third highest at UMW and is larger than salaries for equivalent positions at schools like James Madison University, College of William and Mary and Longwood University.
According to the Free Lance-Star, Yazdi’s salary will not change at this time.
Yazdi’s contract will expire at the end of the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The June 2009 contract signed by Hample states: “This offer should in no way be interpreted as a commitment or implied promise by the University to grant tenure to you as an administrator in the future.”
Hample to Receive $217,000 Severance
March 17, 2010
President Judy Hample will receive $217,000 in severance, according to an amended agreement between Hample and the Board of Visitors.
According to the agreement, the severance will be given to Hample as she “forever waives her rights to tenure on the University’s faculty, effective June 30, 2010.”
Hample will continue to receive her presidential base salary, which according to her original contract, is $330,000. She will also continue to receive benefits and will remain in Brompton until June 30, 2010.
This agreement, signed on March 7, was reached shortly after Hample’s resignation was announced in late February. Board of Visitors Rector Nanalou Sauder said the amended agreement has been in discussion since Hample’s announcement.
Also included in the agreement, Hample must consult and obtain permission from the BOV “for all major personnel decisions, including the hiring and firing of senior administrators.”
“It’s the appropriate legal way to do it,” Sauder said of adding the amendment.
The agreement also included a nondisparagement clause, which stated, “Dr. Hample agrees she will not engage in any conduct or communication that may impugn the reputation or integrity [of] the University, the Rector or the Board of Visitors or any of its members, or the University’s employees.”
According to Sauder, many of the items included in the agreement are “standard legal things.”
Another agreement reached by Hample and the BOV includes a mutual agreement that neither party will sue the other for any reason.
“It’s good protection for everybody, all parties concerned,” Sauder said.
While the BOV maintains that many of the agreements are standard procedure, several students were displeased regarding the severance.
“It seems a little excessive but I don’t really know the reasoning behind it,” junior Andrew Mullen said. “She didn’t seem to be terribly involved in the university so it’s hard to have an opinion.”
Junior Latasha Lee had a similar perspective.
“I don’t see the whole purpose. They should be doing something better with our tuition money,” Lee said. “It’s ridiculous.”
Hample Releases Emergency Recordings
March 1, 2010
Video:
Audio:
Reversing the course of their previous withholding, the University of Mary Washington has decided to release the phone records related to a false emergency report President Judy Hample filed with campus police last fall.
The approximately 3-minute long audio recording depicts Hample asking for police assistance from the top level of the parking deck. She describes a man in an athletic jersey harassing her and two other women. Her tone becomes increasingly anxious until the call ends. A man then informs police over the phone that the call is a test.
Earlier this month, UMW told the Bullet and Frederickburg’s Free Lance-Star, which had sought the records under the Freedom of Information Act, that it would not release audio or video records, citing Va. Code Ann. 2.2-3706(F)(1)), that evidence related to a criminal investigation are exempt from the provisions of the act.
“Ultimately, the evidence gathered pertaining to last fall’s safety walk did not result in a criminal charge,” the denial letter said. “This fact does not diminish the fact that the recording which you requested is evidence related to a criminal investigation.”
At a campus safety walk in September 2009, Hample made a call from an emergency phone located on campus claiming she was being assaulted. The false alarm set campus police, who did not know it was only intended as a test by the president, scrambling to respond.
The uproar around the call, reported in the Bullet on Oct. 7, 2009, resulted in stories appearing in other newspapers across the state and became one of the most visible acts of Hample’s 18-month presidency. Last week, Hample said she planned to resign, effective June 30. She said her resignation, however, was unrelated to the disputed phone call.
In a Bullet interview with Hample, she had said that the university’s legal council withheld the records.
“It is not Judy Hample denying these. It is not Rick Hurley denying these. It is not even our campus police denying these,” she had said before the records were released.
George Farrar, the associate vice president of university relations and director of communications, explained why the university changed their decision.
“We thought we should hold [the audio records] based on our council’s advice,” Farrar said. “We misinterpreted our council.”
The release of the records came one day after the Student Press Law Center, a press-advocacy group based in Arlington, Virginia, reported on its Web site that the Bullet was seeking legal representation after open record requests for a mock “emergency” phone call made by Hample were denied.
Executive Director for the Student Press Law Center, Frank LoMonte, said that there was no rationale for the documents to stay confidential since the criminal investigation is closed and there was never a prosecution.
Download Hample Safety Walk Audio
In Her Words: The Resignation Interview
February 24, 2010
In an interview with the Bullet in her office yesterday afternoon, President Judy Hample addressed her presidency, resignation and recent events.
She began with one important caveat:
I cannot speak on why I am leaving or what I am going to do after.
Were you asked to resign?
No, absolutely not.
Were there any health problems that played a role in the last 18 months or your resignation?
Everyone knows about my surgery that I had in December. I had 17 abdominal hernias that were a result of a surgery I had had 18 years earlier. I was very sick then. I won’t speak to that issue as it relates to my resignation.
Do you have any plans for your final three months here?
I will continue to do my job as I have been doing. I am what is called a lame duck. Once people know that you are leaving, they treat you as though you are already gone, but as far as I am concerned, as far as the Board of Visitors is concerned, I am the president until June 30.
Hample explained that she will continue with the Strategic Plan, national accreditation and budget issues. She then discussed the community’s reaction to some of these decisions.
Have I made everyone happy? No. But, everyone hasn’t made me happy either. That is not what administration is about. Have I been as visible as all the students would like? No, but I have also traveled to meet with alumni and donors more in the 18 months than past presidents have in six or seven years combined; all this in 18 months. And, if it sounds like I am bragging, I am not. I am really just accounting for my behavior, and I believe in accountability. People are going to say what they are going to say and everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.
Some people think you did not do an adequate job raising funds for the university. What do you think?
I came in toward the end of the Capital Campaign. We finished the Capital Campaign six months prior to its deadline. We were over $3 million ahead of our goal. I traveled on 27 trips to meet with alumni and donors in my first year, which is an unprecedented amount of travel for a new president. I think most people don’t know what was done.
It was recently reported that a complaint was made to the Division of State Internal Audit about bookshelves you purchased for $28,000. What is your response to this?
The bookshelves were purchased not for me, but for the president’s residence. It was part of the ongoing upkeep and repair of Brompton. You can’t rush out to Wal-Mart and buy bookshelves that you just sit in there. The bookcases needed to be both constructed to fit the space and they needed to be appropriately styled to accommodate the nature of the home. One other important thing is that the Board of Visitors did not need to approve that purchase. It went through the appropriate procurement process.
What were the goals for your recent trip to Egypt?
This is part of the University President’s Travel Club, and it is a program that has been in place for more than a decade. I didn’t start it. In fact, I didn’t travel on the trip last year that went to South Africa because I was having surgery. It takes alumni and other special guests who pay. And, we spend concentrated amounts of time with individuals on the trip, many of whom are our major donors.
Do you feel that the goals you had on that trip were accomplished?
We laid a great foundation. We won’t know for a few months whether all of those goals were accomplished.
Did you feel that you were justified with your actions on the safety walk in September?
Absolutely. I participated personally because students expressed their unhappiness to me directly about previous safety walks and the fact that our blue-light system had not functioned as it was supposed to. I was determined to find out what the problem was because I am very much a problem-solution person. There is a problem, and we want to fix it. Somewhere in the chain of command, someone neglected to tell the campus police that there was a safety walk and there was going to be a test of the blue-light system. It is unfortunate that this happened, but it is not my responsibility to tell every member of the university staff. That is why you have a chain of command. [The campus police] thought it was a real test. The cue was supposed to be when I told them that Judy Hample is calling, which is what I did. That was supposed to be the signal. And you will recall from the time that we did the test that the blue-light system did not work effectively. They had difficulty identifying exactly where we were, what location we were at, and it took a considerable amount of time to get there. My sole purpose was the concern for the safety of the students and campus. I believe that our campus police are very concerned about the issue as well. We are all concerned about campus safety. There are a lot of people who work here, and it was an oversight.
Do you think this event impacted your tenure?
It has nothing to do with my resigning, absolutely not. It has impacted me personally because I have gotten a lot of unnecessary negative publicity about it and continue to get it. Reasonable people understand why I did the test; I did it in my professional capacity as president. It is just one more issue that people who do not like me use to beat me up about. I am used to it.
What about the denial of phone records requested by the Bullet under the Freedom of Information Act related to the safety walk?
Our legal council advised us of that. Ultimately we have to do what our legal council tells us to do. Those records were all gathered by our campus police, and they are under certain obligations based on state law. Their records are subject to a broader legal set of parameters. The attorney general’s office, which is the source of our legal council, said we don’t have the right to turn these things over. It is not Judy Hample denying these. It is not Rick Hurley denying these. It is not even our campus police denying these.
Was there a criminal investigation due to this incident?
There was no crime committed and there has been no criminal investigation.
How do you expect the university to follow through with the Strategic Plan in your absence?
The course is laid out. If the next leader wants to step in and follow that course, it is achievable. It is a road map that includes the strategic, tactical and financial goals. As of now, the Board has been very clear that they are going to stay on course. It will take strong leadership to do this. I say this because, one of the major ways to plan is to internally reallocate resources. That doesn’t make you popular. I have done some of that already and the new president will have to do more of that. In the face of not getting new money from the state, it is the only way to get it done.
How do you feel about leaving without seeing this plan come through?
Obviously, that is a personal choice I had to make. For the personal reasons that are driving me to resign, that is a higher priority right now.
What has been your favorite part of working here at UMW?
It is the sense of community here that exists, a community of scholars. The thing that I appreciate the most about this institution is the extent to which our faculty extend themselves personally and professionally to work with our students. We have some exceptionally talented students here. At the end of the day, that is what a liberal arts institution ought to do. Mary Washington does it extremely well. That is what I will miss.
-Jessica Masulli and Anne Elder compiled this report.
Vice President Hurley Postpones Retirement
February 23, 2010
Board of Visitors Rector Nanalou Sauder announced today that Executive Vice President Rick Hurley has decided to postpone his retirement, according to a university press release.
The announcement comes four days after President Judy Hample declared her plan to resign from the university effective June 30, 2010.
Hurley served as Acting President in 2007 and 2008 after former President William Frawley was terminated.
In October 2009, Hurley announced his plan to retire effective May 31, 2010.
Hurley began his career at UMW in 2000, after leaving the position of vice president of administration and finance at Longwood University.
In the release, Sauder said, “The Board has expressed thanks to Mr. Hurley for his willingness to change his plans and continue to serve the needs of Mary Washington.”
President Hample Resigns
February 20, 2010
President Judy Hample announced yesterday that she will be leaving the University of Mary Washington as of June 30, 2010, after two years into her five-year contract as president.
Hample, the first female leader and eighth president of UMW, has been at the helm since July 1, 2008, after replacing William Frawley.
Now, the Board of Visitors has the task of looking for interim leadership.
In a UMW press release sent out yesterday, Hample said she was leaving to “pursue other interests in higher education.”
“I have especially enjoyed my opportunity to work with the talented faculty, gifted students, and dedicated alumni of Mary Washington,” Hample said in the release.
Hample has no further statement at this time, a university spokesman said.
The decision came after the BOV met in closed session for several hours yesterday, The Free Lance-Star reported.
Nanalou Sauder, rector of the BOV, said in the release, “On behalf of the Board of Visitors, I want to thank President Hample for her dedicated service to the University. She began the important process of charting the University’s future course, and she will be remembered for leading the institution through a time of transition.”
Hample’s unexpected resignation comes amid controversy over some of her recent actions.
Recently, the Division of State Internal Audit confirmed it had received a complaint about Hample’s purchase of $28,000 bookshelves for Brompton, the president’s home, as reported by The Free Lance-Star.
The allegations about Hample’s purchases come after the university denied Freedom of Information Act Requests for the police records related to Hample’s false report during the Sept. 30 safety walk.
Both The Bullet and The Free Lance-Star were denied the records, with the university citing them as evidence in a “criminal investigation.”
Judy Hample is the third president in four years at the university.
William Frawley, who became president in July 2006 after long-time President Bill Anderson retired, was fired in April 2007.
Executive Vice President Rick Hurley took over as acting president from 2007 to 2008 during the search for Frawley’s replacement.
When asked if his plans to retire this May would change because of Hample’s resignation, Hurley said, “I’m going to have to think about that.”
“My concern is the stability of the institution,” Hurley said. “I’m the one with the most institutional memory.”
Hurley said he did not know Hample’s reasons for leaving or who would fill the role of interim president.
The 2008 contract states Hample’s salary as $330,000 a year, with four weeks of paid vacation each year.
According to the contract, in the event that Hample resigns, she will not be entitled to any further compensation or benefits as president, and she must vacate Brompton within 30 days of her resignation.
Before coming to UMW, Hample was chancellor of Pennsylvania’s 14-campus public university system.
“The Board of Visitors will turn its attention to the selection of interim leadership and a timeline for recruiting a new president,” according to the release.
-Ryan Marr contributed to this report.
President Hample to Leave UMW
February 19, 2010
The following press release was sent by University Relations at 8:25 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19:
President Judy G. Hample has made the decision to leave the University of Mary Washington, effective June 30, 2010 in order to pursue other interests in higher education.
“I have especially enjoyed my opportunity to work with the talented faculty, gifted students, and dedicated alumni of Mary Washington” said Hample.
“On behalf of the Board of Visitors, I want to thank President Hample for her dedicated service to the University. She began the important process of charting the University’s future course, and she will be remembered for leading the institution through a time of transition” said Nanalou Sauder, Rector of the Board of Visitors.
Judy G. Hample was appointed the eighth President of the University of Mary Washington on July 1, 2008. Prior to her arrival, she was Chancellor of Pennsylvania’s 14-campus public university system. Previously, she was Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor of the State University System of Florida. Dr. Hample’s higher education system experience is complemented by more than 20 years of campus experience as a tenured faculty member and academic administrator. She earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in communication and secondary education (French) from David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. She holds both master’s and doctoral degrees in communication from The Ohio State University.
The Board of Visitors will turn its attention to the selection of interim leadership and a timeline for recruiting a new president.
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