News Notes

All-Time Greatest

The leading scorer in MBU sports history, Jessica Carter ’08, returned to campus in January for a ceremony honoring her contributions to the basketball program and the university. Amassing 1,943 points in her four-year career as a Fighting Squirrel, Carter earned first team All-USA South honors as a senior and was named to the USA South 50th Anniversary Team in 2014.

Seal of Approval

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation has given MBU the first-ever designation of a Social Impact Campus, recognizing the university’s strong commitment to community service and social entrepreneurship. (Pictured above, the MBU Social Work Club serving Thanksgiving dinner at Staunton’s Valley Mission.) Mary Baldwin has a long-standing relationship with the Sullivan Foundation, having awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award to a senior student and a member of the MBU community since 1933. Additional facets of the partnership include awarding an annual Sullivan Scholarship, student participation in the foundation’s yearly Ignite Retreat, and faculty and staff being named Sullivan Faculty Fellows.

Taking the Field

MBU baseball debuted its first-ever season of club competition early this spring, starting with a doubleheader at Eastern Mennonite University. When at home, the Fighting Squirrels take the field at John Moxie Stadium in Staunton, where the local inter-collegiate team, the Staunton Braves, plays during the summer months. Though MBU baseball’s inaugural season was cut short by social distancing measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, they look forward to playing their first official NCAA DIII varsity season in 2021.

Congrats, 2020

MBU marked its 178th Commencement with a virtual ceremony on May 24, featuring recorded remarks, slides honoring each graduate, shout-outs to award recipients, and social media highlights. The week before, MBU also mailed celebratory boxes with graduation gifts to each member of 2020. “The COVID-19 pandemic does not define you as a class or as individuals,” said President Pamela Fox in her video message. “You are now Mary Baldwin graduates. You embody the values of our founders: the centrality of women’s education, the breadth and depth of critical thinking … an obligation to society and service, and a holistic approach to a life well lived.”

New Technology Opens Doors

The Information Technology (IT) department donated much-needed equipment to the Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry (WARM), which provides housing to local families and individuals in need. WARM guests are using the new technology to look for jobs, stay in contact with loved ones, or apply online for services like Medicaid and the state’s rapid rehousing program. “If they don’t have the ability to put in an application, all of those resources are closed to them,” said Lee Reid, IT managing director (pictured at far left). “This was a meaningful way for us to apply our technology from MBU to help a couple hundred people in the community.”