New VP of Student Affairs joins UMW

by COLE RASMUSSEN

Staff Writer

Get Dirty, Go Walsh! In May, Mike Walsh joined the University of Mary Washington’s faculty as the Vice President of Student Affairs. Walsh stepped into the role previously held by Juliette Landphair, who now works as the Associate Vice President of Health and Wellness. 

Walsh says he was drawn to UMW because he grew up in Virginia and wanted to focus on “an ethic of care,” a teaching philosophy that focuses on students from an all-encompassing perspective. He explained that this philosophy involves attending to students’ entire selves.

“It gives educators a framework that’s totally non-judgmental to allow people to feel accepted for who we are,” he said.  

Walsh said he has “always looked upon Mary Washington very highly. I easily could have gone here, had I not chosen William and Mary.”

Walsh previously worked at the University of Portland as the Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Student Life, as well as at Oregon Health and Science University as the Vice Provost of Student Affairs. He has been working in student affairs since he attended the College of William and Mary where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in history. He earned his master’s in education at the University of Vermont and his doctorate in higher education and student affairs at Portland State University. 

Walsh says he wants to build relationships with students by attending events and eating lunch at the Cedric Rucker University Center as often as he can. 

“I also really want to be out with students and faculty and staff,” he said. 

“I try to eat my lunch at the CRUC every day and go to as many events as possible,” Walsh said. “I want to be someone who’s out and about on campus and present and available.” 

He continued, “Hopefully students over time will get to know me well and know that I’m approachable and I’m here for them.” 

According to many student leaders, Walsh has already managed to make a positive impression. 

“He personally emailed the leadership of New Student Programs to thank us for our work in both the programs and welcoming him and the new students to UMW,” said Destiny Pacchelli, NEST Leader and senior psychology major. “He really did not have to do that, but I think it speaks a lot about his character to have gone out of his way to thank us. It made me feel really recognized and like I did something good for the students. I’ll always be grateful [to] him for these little things.”

In his role, Walsh also wants to focus on sophomore retention rates because it’s one of his “areas of expertise.” According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment transfer rates grew by 4.4% in 2024, with 1.2 million students transferring throughout the United States. 

“We can lose a lot of people their second year. We focus on freshman year, right? But actually a lot of our retention problems are second year,” said Walsh. “A lot of second year students kind of don’t get, you know, kind of involved or figure out their major, and we lose them.” 

To combat this, Walsh is focused on encouraging students to cheer each other on, especially at sports matches. He wants to focus on bolstering student engagement with athletics as a way to bring the campus community together. 

“I think we could probably build a lot more school pride and spirit, and kind of engage more with athletics,” he said. “That goes for club sports and especially Esports.”

Walsh is getting his start at UMW at the same time many freshmen are transitioning from high school. He says that New Student Welcome events, like Eagle Gathering, have been especially moving.

“I felt like I was being welcomed too,” he said. 

He continued, “I like big events that are formative and help people feel a sense of belonging.”

Walsh has already created memorable moments with students across campus. Abby Powers, a junior biomedical sciences major and a member of Orientation support staff and a Peer Mentor coordinator, met Walsh during his interview process. 

“Once I interacted with him in a student centered context, I connected with more as he is very friendly and genuinely cares about us as students,” she said.

So far, some of his favorite spots on campus include the bridge behind the fountain near Monroe Hall and the Zen Garden behind James Farmer Hall. Walsh invites students to come visit him anytime on the third floor of George Washington Hall.