Singleton

Fingerhut

Davidson

Three given emeritus status at UMW

Date published: 5/12/2007

The University of Mary Washington will award emeritus status to three people during graduation ceremonies today.

Fredrick Davidson will be named professor emeritus of business administration; Victor A. Fingerhut will be named associate professor emeritus of political science; and Ronald E. Singleton will be named vice president for university relations and communications emeritus.

Davidson, 68, has been a member of the faculty at the University of Mary Washington since 1986, including a year as the acting chairperson of the department of business administration.

He had been self-employed as a consultant and trainer for many years, and also taught at Old Dominion University and the University of Virginia.

Davidson earned a doctorate and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh, after receiving a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University.

He is a member of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Phi, the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma and the academic honor society Phi Kappa Phi.

An expert in political theory and public opinion with bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Yale University, Fingerhut, 67, has taught at Mary Washington since the late 1960s while also remaining active in politics.

He has conducted polls and designed communications campaigns for a variety of political candidates and labor unions, including Hubert Humphrey, Lloyd Bentsen, the United Steelworkers of America and the United Mineworkers, as well as political parties in Canada and Australia.

Recently, at the request of the State Department and other groups interested in the success of democratic political systems, Fingerhut provided briefings for political, labor and business leaders in many of the world's newer democracies.

He has shared his expertise in interviews on CSPAN, CNN, MSNBC and Fox Broadcasting, and has written articles on politics for many publications, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and The New Republic.

Singleton, 56, served for a decade as senior vice president for advancement and university relations, and later as vice president for university relations and communications at the University of Mary Washington.

He has directed communications programs at Ferrum College, Wofford College and Shenandoah University, along with 20 years at UMW, earning the nation's top awards in marketing, communications and public relations. He is a specialist in helping colleges and universities gain national recognition and visibility through media relations.

He is the co-founder of the College Communicators Association of Virginia and the District of Columbia, as well as a founding member of the Fredericksburg Public Relations Society.

He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the College of William & Mary, a master's degree from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate with concentrations in mass communications and higher education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Date published: 5/12/2007