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Mona Albertine takes over as board rector at the University of Mary Washington Date published: 8/1/2004 By KELLY HANNON Mona Albertine is a brave woman. She's volunteered to host a pool party at her home for a crowd of teenagers from Fredericksburg's sister city, Frejus, France. And she can't wait. "It's been really fun having these kids around. They're great," Albertine said, mere hours before the DJ was to set up poolside on Tuesday. "They end up at our house a lot." But then, Albertine has devoted much of her life to working with children, and her latest leadership role with the University of Mary Washington will shape the future for thousands of college students. Albertine, 54, is the new rector of the university's board of visitors. She was unanimously elected to the post July 16 by her fellow board members. For the next two years, she'll oversee and lead board discussions and help roll out new initiatives, including a move to hire 40 new faculty members and whittle down class size. She'll also help the school navigate a pivotal period this fall. Mary Washington has been a university since July 1. The transition was an emotional one for many students and alumni, who were passionate about keeping the Mary Washington College name alive, and President William Anderson came under fire for his handling of the issue. On July 17, one day after Albertine became rector, the board voted at its annual retreat to keep the college name in the university's mission statement. Some details of its use, however--such as what will appear on diplomas--are still being ironed out. Albertine's loyalty and devotion to the school may serve as a bridge during the process ahead. She graduated from Mary Washington College in 1971, after studying foreign service and international affairs. She dreamed of working abroad at an embassy, until an internship in Boston gave her a dose of reality. "I simply found out that I could not speak enough Spanish," she said, laughing at the memory. But the liberal-arts curriculum that drew her to the school gave her a wonderful foundation for life, she said. "As I've gotten older, I've really appreciated it more, what I learned there." As a student she met and married her husband, Jack Albertine, who was then an economics professor at MWC.
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