Online trivia, virtual dance parties and outdoor fitness classes are in this fall. High fives, handshakes and hugs are out, at least for now.

Activities and engagement are as much a part of college life as academics. That’s why staff and student volunteers at the University of Mary Washington have worked tirelessly this summer to ensure that campus traditions like Club Carnival and Eagle Gathering draw first-year and transfer students into the UMW experience. Going virtual for the first time, these events will continue to foster community and connection, even when students are apart.

“All students go to college to get a degree, but their experience is often defined by their involvement in activities outside the classroom,” said Sandrine Sutphin, director of Student Activities and Engagement. Read more.

The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of more than 5,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Va., a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Va., which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers