History
President Troy Paino created a Campus Environment Presidential Ad Hoc Committee (CE) in September of 2017 at the request of the UMW Board of Visitors. The impetus behind the committee was to ensure that UMW conveys itself visually to students, faculty, staff, and visitors in a manner consistent with our commitment to a welcoming environment.
The Committee was charged with “…conducting an audit of the public displays of history and culture in the campus common areas, including academic and administration buildings and residence halls, and to make recommendations where appropriate. The committee’s goal is to recognize and preserve the school’s history while also updating and contextualizing displays to reflect the changes in our student body and to create a fully welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff. The committee is also charged with making sure that the physical environments on our campuses more generally reflect our commitment to ASPIRE values.
The Committee—made up of students, faculty, alumni, and staff members identified and assessed 2,070 public displays on all three UMW campuses. This assessment included examining how each display represents ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender, as well as broader subject classifications associated with content. Once compiled, this data was analyzed in conjunction with the campus history of UMW. The Committee engaged in a two-phase process—quantitative and qualitative—and combined the findings into a 71-page draft report which included 17 recommendations.
In its November 2019 Resolution, the Board of Visitors endorsed the Campus Environment Presidential Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations, including the creation of a Standing Committee on Campus Environment. The Campus Environment Standing Committee was appointed by President Paino last summer, and consists of current faculty, staff, and students. In addition, ex-officio faculty members from the Art & Art History and the Historic Preservation department provide valuable insight and expertise and have been crucial to the committee’s work so far.
The committee’s goal is to help ensure the university’s physical environment reflects the diversity of our community, as well as the values that we ASPIRE to and that unite us.
Since it first meeting in summer 2020 the Committee has begun addressing long-term plans for the Schnellock murals in George Washington and Monroe Halls, which include temporary concealment until members of the UMW community can contribute to a comprehensive strategy which will include:
- a thorough documentation of the murals themselves
- the permanent concealment of portions of the murals that do not contribute to a campus environment encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusiveness
- opportunities for new displays
This plan will also ensure that, while concealed, the murals will be preserved according to historic preservation best practices and methods. Moving forward, the committee will be seeking proposals from the UMW faculty, staff, students, alumni, and wider community for new displays throughout campus.