Students, families, alumni, faculty and staff at the University of Mary Washington have long recognized President Troy D. Paino’s commitment to their work, well-being and success. Now his dedication on campus has earned national acclaim, with NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education selecting Paino to receive the 2023 President’s Award.

“He is, above all, a student-centered leader,” UMW Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair said in the nominating letter. She emphasized Paino’s compassionate approach to strategic planning and decision-making, his personal attention to student ideas and feedback, and his commitment to understanding diverse perspectives – viewpoints he intentionally seeks during regular dinners with students at his residence, Brompton.

Gabby Taroc ’26 attended one of those dinners and described President Paino as welcoming: “It was a great time! He was so interested in each of the students’ stories and what we want in life. It was wonderful meeting him and his wife!” 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 about 4,000, 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.