Faculty And Staff News

Lonnie Calhoun was among the organizers of a reunion for those who tutored African-American students shut out of education in 1963

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:08:30 EDT

Lonnie Calhoun, Director of Multicultural Affairs and International Student Services, was among the organizers for the reunion sponsored by the Robert Russa Moton Museum for former Queens College students who in 1963 tutored African-American students shut out of education by the closing of Prince Edward County's schools.

Calhoun served on the planning committee for the event, held Oct. 1-4, and also serves with the ongoing group "Our Schools, Our Vision: A Shared Commitment," whose members are drawn from Longwood, Hampden-Sydney College, Fuqua School, and the Prince Edward County Schools, which helped the Moton Museum organize the reunion. Some seven of the 16 students from Queens College in New York City who tutored in the Farmville community in the summer of 1963 returned for a "recognition weekend." Two current Queens College students, who are working on an ongoing archival civil rights project at their school, also came to Farmville.

Among the activities was a banquet Oct. 3 in which the keynote speaker was William F. Winter, a former Misssissippi governor who founded the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. Other events were held at several churches where the Queens College students and others tutored local students (as many as 500 students benefited from the tutoring, done by about 40 tutors). Four of the four Queens College tutors who made the trip visited Longwood on Oct. 2; interestingly, one of them, Carolyn Hubbard Kamunanwire, is the wife of the Ugandan ambassador to the U.S., who was a professor of Calhoun's at the City College of New York.

Dr. Martha Cook, Professor Emerita of English, served with Calhoun on the ad hoc planning committee for the reunion of the Queens College tutors. Both she and Calhoun are former members of the Moton Museum Board of Directors. The Moton Museum, housed in the former R.R. Moton High School, near the Longwood campus, is devoted to the study of civil rights in education.

Dr. Robert Frank was the keynote speaker for the annual convention of the Virginia Association of Speech, Debate and Drama Coaches

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:23:22 EDT

Dr. Robert Frank, Director of International Affairs and Associate Professor of Communication Studies, was the keynote speaker for the annual convention of the Virginia Association of Speech, Debate and Drama Coaches, held Oct. 2-3 in Charlottesville. His speech was titled "What You Do Does Make A Difference." Dr. Frank, who also participated in three panels at the conference, is a former high school teacher and was a debate and speech coach. He is a member of the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame.

Longwood University received two awards at the South Region Conference of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:52:15 EDT

Longwood University received two awards at the South Region Conference of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), held Oct. 1-4 in Winston-Salem, N.C., attended by Billy Boulden, Assistant Director of Campus Activities, and six students.

Boulden and the students received the Outstanding Delegation Award, given to conference delegations that "excel in all areas of conference activity." The award is given to three delegations based on the number of delegates; Longwood's award was for the largest category, six to 10 delegates. "We were chosen the most otstanding delegation of all 95 delegations that attended," said Boulden, who is adviser to Lancer Productions (LP). Four of the six students who attended are LP members: Abby Whitlock (president), Rebecca Van Hook (comedy & novelty director), and Jessica Snyder and Jessica Prewitt (members of the Cultural Events and Traditions committees, respectively). Cam Patterson attended as SGA president, and graduate student Mariana Mosquera represented the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, in which she is a graduate assistant (the other students are undergraduates).

The other award was in the graphics competition for low-cost publicity designed by a faculty or staff member (not a student) at a member school. The award recognized the publicity for the "LP Movie Previews," designed by Boulden. NACA's South Region encompasses Virginia (south of metro D.C.), North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Kinman and Amoss to lead SACS reaffirmation and quality enhancement efforts

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:03:03 EDT

Longwood President Patricia Cormier has announced the appointment of Virginia Kinman, electronic resources librarian and associate professor, and Dr. McRae "Mac" Amoss, chair of the Faculty Senate and professor of French, to lead two important initiatives related to reaccreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Kinman will serve as director of the SACS reaffirmation, which is due in 2013. To gain or maintain accreditation with the Commission on Colleges, an institution must comply with the standards contained in the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement and with the policies and procedures of the Commission on Colleges. The Commission on Colleges applies the requirements of its principles to all applicant, candidate, and member institutions, regardless of type of institution (public, private for-profit, private not-for-profit). Longwood earned its initial SACS accreditation in 1927 and was last reaffirmed in 2003.

"Assessment is a process of continuous evaluation and improvement," said Kinman. "While the SACS reaffirmation is required to maintain accreditation, it also offers the entire institution an opportunity to step back from our day-to-day activities and take a closer look at how well we are fulfilling our mission. I look forward to participating in this process of reflection and documenting the quality and effectiveness of Longwood's programs and services."

Since joining the faculty in 2003, Kinman has served on Faculty Senate and numerous university committees, including four years on the Committee on Finance and Planning. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee for Assessment. She has authored peer-reviewed publications and presented at state and national conferences on e-metrics and library assessment. She earned an M.A. in French from Auburn University and the M.Ln. degree with emphasis on academic reference from Emory University.

Amoss has agreed to coordinate the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a new component of the SACS accreditation process, that reflects and affirms the commitment of the Commission on Colleges to the enhancement of the quality of higher education and to the proposition that student learning is at the heart of the mission of all institutions of higher learning. Developing a QEP as a part of the reaffirmation process is an opportunity for the institution to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue or issues the institution considers important to improving student learning.

Amoss joined the faculty in 1991. The director of general education and a professor of French, he is currently chair of the Faculty Senate and in March 2009 was appointed to the 14-member presidential search committee charged with finding a successor to President Patricia Cormier.

"The development of a Quality Enhancement Plan is a positive addition to what SACS requires from institutions," said Amoss. "Different from most parts of the compliance review, the QEP enables a university to look toward the future and focus the attention of all its constituencies on a specific area in which to improve student learning. I'm looking forward to working with the campus community in the development of Longwood's plan."
"I am grateful to these individuals for taking on this arduous task, which is critical to the mission of the institution," said Longwood President Patricia Cormier.

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. The Commission's mission is the enhancement of educational quality throughout the region and it strives to improve the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that award associate, baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degrees.

Dr. Audrey Church was recently the keynote speaker for a week-long series of presentations

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:16:56 EDT

Dr. Audrey Church, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the School Library Media Program, was recently the keynote speaker for a week-long series of presentations sponsored by the Louisiana Library and Media Professionals (LALAMP). Dr. Church spoke on "Topics and Trends by the Dozen to Empower Learners" from Sept. 14-18 in Metairie, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Alexandria, and Ruston. "I spoke 10 times in five days at five locations, sharing with those in attendance current topics and trends occurring in school libraries that impact student learning," she said. Every fall LALAMP, made up of K-12 school librarians from across Louisiana, sponsors a series of free workshops throughout the state. Dr. Church's talk examined 12 of the latest hot trends for school library media specialists.

Longwood's Chris Moore quoted in the Dallas Morning News about the physics of punting

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:34:05 EDT

Longwood's Chris Moore, assistant professor of physics, is quoted in an article in the Dallas Morning News (25 August 2009) about how the center-hung digital scoreboard in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium is presenting a potential problem for punters who must ponder the punt trajectory to avoid hitting the scoreboard.

The story, "Cowboys Stadium digital board is a hot topic," was written by Todd Archer and can be accessed online.

Register and Sheavly co-author report on marine litter

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:08:45 EDT

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has published a report co-written by Seba Sheavly, a 1975 Longwood graduate, and Katie Register, executive director of Clean Virginia Waterways (CVW) which is based at Longwood.

Sheavly is president of Sheavly Consultants Inc., an environmental consulting firm located in Virginia Beach. The report, "Guidelines on the Use of Market-based Instruments to Address the Problem of Marine Litter," was commissioned by UNEP and provides an overview of economic tools and strategies that encourage a change in behavior that will lead to positive and lasting benefits on the marine and coastal environments. The full report, issued in April, can be accessed from the United Nations Environment Programme web site.

For more information, view the news release.

Longwood's Daly selected for stuttering therapy workshop

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:37:20 EDT

Gayle Daly, a certified speech-language pathologist and clinical director for the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Longwood University, was one of only 20 speech-language pathologists selected to attend an intensive workshop on stuttering therapy held June 10-14 in Boston. Daly provides services for children and adults who stutter at the Longwood Center for Communication, Literacy, and Learning (LCCLL).

The workshop, Diagnosis and Treatment of Preschool and School-Age Children Who Stutter, is designed to increase the pool of speech-language pathologists trained in the latest techniques for the treatment of stuttering and is co-sponsored by the Stuttering Foundation of America (SFA) and Boston University.

"Those who are selected already have professional experience and are highly motivated," said Diane Parris, workshop coordinator. The SFA notes that the 240 past graduates of the program are sharing the knowledge they gained during the workshop with other professionals in their communities.

"I am looking forward to applying the knowledge gained in the advanced training workshop through our work with clients at the LCCLL," said Daly. Established in fall 2006, the LCCLL is an interdisciplinary center that provides tutoring, early intervention, and speech and language services to adults and children.

The Stuttering Foundation estimates that more than three million Americans stutter. While there are no miracle cures, a qualified speech-language pathologist can help children and adults make significant progress toward speaking fluently. The Stuttering Foundation of America is a nonprofit organization that has been helping those who stutter since 1947. For more information visit www.stutteringhelp.org or contact the LCCLL at 434.395.2972.

Dr. Raymond Cormier contributed an essay to the forthcoming book "Approaches to Teaching Ovid and the Ovidian Tradition"

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:40:05 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, contributed an essay to the forthcoming book Approaches to Teaching Ovid and the Ovidian Tradition. Dr. Cormier's "In Focus" essay is on the Ovide Moralisé, a late medieval French loose adaptation/amplification of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The book, which will be published in April 2010, is part of the Modern Language Association's "Approaches to Teaching..." series. The whole volume is edited by Dr. Barbara Weiden Boyd (Bowdoin College) and Dr. Cora Fox (Arizona State University).

Dr. Raymond Cormier presented a paper at the 44th International Congress on Medieval Studies

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:18:16 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, presented a paper at the 44th International Congress on Medieval Studies, held May 7-10 at Western Michigan University. The paper, "A Twelfth-Century Humanist Glosses Virgil," is a brief piece of research connected with his larger project on medieval French romance. Dr. Cormier also presided over a session on Celtic literature. The conference, sponsored by the university's Medieval Institute, drew more than 3,000 scholars and others interested in the Middle Ages.

Pat Howe received the Virginia Library Association Paraprofessional Forum's Supporter of the Year Award

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:31:34 EDT

Pat Howe, Head of Technical Services in Greenwood Library, recently received the Virginia Library Association Paraprofessional Forum's Supporter of the Year Award during the VLAPF Annual Conference in May. The award was established in 1996 to recognize a person who has provided significant support to their staff and has been a champion for library support staff within their own library and throughout Virginia. Those considered for the award, which has been given to only seven people since its inception, have been an advocate for continuing education programs and have encouraged their library staff to excel in the workplace. While at the conference, Howe and Becky Fisher, Acquisitions Manager in Greenwood Library, presented the session "Audiovisual Cataloging 2009," which included updates of current cataloging standards and practices and rule changes for cataloging of audiovisual materials.

Several Longwood faculty, staff and students are involved in the Waterworks Players' production of Brigadoon, which will be presented May 22-23

Thu, 21 May 2009 10:53:30 EDT

Several Longwood faculty, staff and students are involved in the Waterworks Players' production of Brigadoon, which will be presented May 22-23 and 29-30 at 8 p.m. Matt Spalding (Conferences and Scheduling) is playing Mr. McClaren, Brenda Barringer (Capital Planning & Construction), is playing Fiona McClaren and is the cast music director, current student Colin Lee is playing Angus McGuffie, and fellow student Bryan Axson is playing Harry Beaton. The band includes three other Longwood students - Max Doss (bass), Holly Phelps (clarinet), and H.B. Wilmouth (saxophone) - as well as the Music Department staff accompanist, Carole Harper, on piano.

Cathy Roy receives Longwood's Student-Faculty Recognition Award

Wed, 13 May 2009 15:04:21 EDT

Dr. Cathy Roy, associate professor of exercise science at Longwood University, was recognized with the Student-Faculty Recognition Award during Longwood's commencement ceremony on May 9. The award honors a member of the faculty for professional excellence and devoted service to students.

Dr. Roy joined the Longwood faculty in 1999. She earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and M.Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

An article by Virginia Kinman, Electronic Resources Librarian, has been published in the January-March 2009 issue of the Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship (Vol. 21, No. 1)

Mon, 04 May 2009 17:03:33 EDT

An article by Virginia Kinman, Electronic Resources Librarian, has been published in the January-March 2009 issue of the Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship (Vol. 21, No. 1). The article, "E-Metrics and Library Assessment in Action," examines five years of usage statistics for Greenwood Library online databases in conjunction with other library and institutional data. Results are compared to major findings from other researchers, with examples of how e-metrics can be incorporated into a broader assessment of the library's success in meeting the needs of its users.

Bevin Alexander will appear on the TV program "The Art of War" on the History Channel at 8 p.m. on May 3

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:44:34 EDT

Bevin Alexander, adjunct instructor of history, will appear on the TV program "The Art of War" on the History Channel at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 3. The two-hour program "examines how the ancient Chinese military sage Sun Tzu would have conducted the modern battles of Gettysburg in 1863, the Normandy invasion in 1944, as well as other modern battles," said Alexander, one of five experts on Sun Tzu interviewed for the program, which might air again. Alexander is the author of 10 books on military history and was a decorated combat historian in the Korean War.

Rodney Williams is co-director of City Dance Theatre of Richmond, which won multiple awards in DanceAmerica regional competition

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:14:13 EDT

Rodney Williams, Artist-in-Residence and director of the Longwood Company of Dancers, is co-director of City Dance Theatre of Richmond, which won 14 first-place and seven second-place awards and one third-place award in DanceAmerica regional competition Feb. 27-March 1 in Portsmouth. The 22 dancers were among 45 members of City Dance Theatre who, as the only municipally sponsored dancers, competed against members of companies representing dance schools and private studios from Maryland to Georgia. They will compete in DanceAmerica national competition July 1-4 in New York City. Williams is a judge for DanceAmerica and teaches master classes for Dance Olympus, the teaching component of DanceAmerica competitions. City Dance Theatre, which Williams has co-directed (with Annette Holt) since coming to Longwood in 1992, is a competition team for youths sponsored by the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. The company has won more than 100 national trophies.

Faculty members and students involved in "Spring Into Health"

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:04:44 EDT

Several faculty members and students in the Department of Health, Recreation & Kinesiology as well as student-athletes and coaches were involved in "Spring Into Health," a wellness fair March 24 at Prince Edward County Elementary School (PECES) sponsored by the Healthy Weight Coalition. The event's organizers included Dr. Phil Gapinski, Assistant Professor of Health Education; Dr. Matt Lucas, Assistant Professor of Physical and Health Education; and Dr. Jo Morrison, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science. Dr. Gapinski, Dr. Lucas and Dr. Morrison are part of the Healthy Weight Coalition, which addresses the problem of overweight children in the Piedmont Health District. In the event, at least 20 Longwood student-athletes from men's and women's teams handed out posters and schedules; the women's soccer team participated in a recess activity; and two student organizations, PHETE First (for future health and physical education teachers) and the Exercise Science Association also helped out. Among those who actively supported the event were Troy Austin, Director of Athletics, and coaches Kristin Caruso, Todd Dyer and Mike Gillian. The event included free health/wellness assessments including glucose screening, blood pressure screening and body composition testing, performed by students in Dr. Morrison's Exercise Testing and Prescription class; a dance contest; face painting; health information; and fun fitness stations. "The event, which we hope to make an annual event, was designed to introduce people to healthy eating and low-cost ways to increase physical activity," Dr. Morrison said. About 150 PECES students, family members and others from the community, including the Prince Edward County school superintendent, Dr. Patricia Watkins, attended the event.

Faculty awarded promotions and tenure

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:23:24 EDT

During the recent Board of Visitors' meeting, several faculty members received promotions and-or were awarded tenure. Those who were promoted, and their new academic rank, are Dr. William Burger, Professor of Sociology; Mary Carroll-Hackett, Associate Professor of English; Dr. Audrey Church, Associate Professor of Library Media; Dr. Robert Cochran, Associate Professor of Accounting; Dr. Allison (Vonnie) Colvin, Professor of Health, Recreation & Kinesiology; Dr. Glenn Dardick, Associate Professor of Computer Information Management Systems; Dr. John Gaskins III, Associate Professor of Marketing; Dr. George Hooks, Associate Professor of Biology; Dr. Lisa Kinzer, Professor of Music; Abby O'Connor, Senior Lecturer, Marketing/Management; Dr. Jeannine Perry, Associate Professor of Education; Dr. Phillip Poplin, Associate Professor of Mathematics; Dr. Carl Riden, Associate Professor of Sociology; Dr. Gerry Sokol, Associate Professor of Education; Dr. Christopher Swanson, Associate Professor of Music; and Dr. Margaret (Meg) Thompson, Associate Professor of Athletic Training. Those awarded tenure were, from the above list, Carroll-Hackett, Dr. Church, Dr. Cochran, Dr. Dardick, Dr. Gaskins, Dr. Hooks, Dr. Perry, Dr. Poplin, Dr. Riden, Dr. Sokol, Dr. Swanson, and Dr. Thompson, as well as Frances Reeve, Associate Professor of Library Media.

An article by Pat Howe and Stephanie Tucker appear in a national publication of the ALTAFF

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:51:47 EDT

An article by two members of the Janet D. Greenwood Library staff, Pat Howe, Head of Technical Services, and Stephanie Tucker, Serials Manager, appears in a national publication of the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF). The article, "Friends Team Up with Alumni Association to Launch Online Book Club," appears in ALTAFF's March 2009 news update (Volume 32, Issue 2). ALTAFF is a division of the American Library Association. The article is a slightly modified version of an article, "Friends Group and Alumni Association Launch Online Book Club," that appeared in the Spring 2009 issue (Volume 3, Issue 1) of the Friends of the Janet D. Greenwood Library newsletter. To view that article, visit http://www.longwood.edu/library/friends/index.htm, then click on "New! Spring newsletter posted." The article is about an online book club blog, the Longwood BookLink, launched in January, that is a joint effort between the Alumni Association and the Friends of the Greenwood Library. Nancy Shelton, Director of Alumni Relations, was instrumental in establishing the book club. The first online book discussion, about Lee Smith's Black Mountain Breakdown, was led by Dr. Martha Cook, Professor of English, and the second discussion, about Flying by Eric Kraft, will be led by Dr. Michael Lund, Professor Emeritus of English, beginning April 15.

Dr. Lissa Power-deFur appointed to Governor's Council

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:51:41 EST

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has appointed Dr. Lissa Power-deFur, associate professor and graduate coordinator for communication sciences and disorders at Longwood University and director of the Longwood Center for Communication, Literacy and Learning, to the Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Services (VICC).

As an advisory council to the executive branch of state government, the purpose of the VICC is to promote and coordinate early intervention services in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As a representative of higher education Dr. Power-deFur will have an opportunity to address issues associated with the preparation of future professionals who will work with infants and toddlers. Longwood's Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate program provides future speech-language pathologists to work under the direction of a faculty member providing early intervention services in the natural environment, typically the child's home.

Throughout my professional career as a speech-language pathologist I have been committed to providing early intervention services for children, said Dr. Power-deFur, a certified speech-language pathologist. One of my first clinical opportunities, prior to passage of the federal mandate for early intervention services, was working with an infant with hearing impairment which convinced me of the critical nature of early identification and intervention. This focus has remained throughout my career.

Dr. Power-deFur earned her master's and doctorate degrees in speech-language pathology from the University of Virginia. While working in special education and student services at the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), she was involved in various preschool and early intervention initiatives and served as an alternate representative to the VICC for the VDOE. She also represented VDOE on the Virginia Hearing Impairment Identification and Monitoring System initiative and co-authored the parent guide to hearing impairment.

In 2004 Dr. Power-deFur joined the faculty at Longwood University, and was instrumental in creating the new graduate program in Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2005, Longwood became the lead agency for the Infant and Toddler Connection of the Heartland. This program provides for early intervention services for the counties of Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward since 2005. In addition to her work preparing future speech-language pathologists, Dr. Power-deFur directs Longwood's Center for Communication, Literacy, and Learning (LCCLL), which is located in downtown Farmville. In addition to offering early intervention services, the speech and language evaluation and intervention for children and adults, and tutoring services for school-aged children for the Southside Virginia community. For further information please contact the Center at 395-2972.

Dr. Chrys Kosarchyn will give a presentation at the national conference of the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) on April 4

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:44:31 EST

Dr. Chrys Kosarchyn, Professor of Health Education, will give a presentation at the national conference of the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) on April 4 in Tampa, Fla. Her presentation, in which she will be joined by Dr. Diane Allensworth of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is "Developing a Framework for a Health Promoting University." It is based on an ongoing project in collaboration with the CDC and the AAHE that she began during her sabbatical in the spring 2008 semester. In the project, with which she will be involved for at least another year, Dr. Kosarchyn is "developing a ‘Framework for a Health Promoting University' based on the World Health Organization's ‘settings' approach to health promotion (e.g., the university being one ‘setting') and the ecological model of health behavior that will help address the health of college students," she said. As a result of her work on this project, Dr. Kosarchyn was selected as the AAHE's representative on the American College Health Association (ACHA) Working Group for "Healthy Campus 2010/2020." The ACHA document Healthy Campus is "used extensively at Longwood to help plan, develop, implement and evaluate health promotion efforts on our campus," she said. "But, like the Healthy People 2010 document it is based on, it must be updated to the 2020 version. I have been meeting via conference calls since June 2008 with the other members of the Working Group, and our efforts are progressing nicely."

Education professors give presentations at international conference

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:22:41 EST

Dr. Katherine Wiesendanger, Visiting Professor of Education; Dr. Gretchen Braun, Associate Professor of Education; Dr. Jeannine Perry, Assistant Professor of Education; and Dr. Barbara Williams, Assistant Professor of Education, made presentations at the 53^rd International Reading Association Convention, sponsored by the International Reading Association (IRA) and held in May 2008 in Atlanta. Dr. Wiesendanger’s and Dr. Perry’s presentation was “A Model for Using Interactive Writing as a Vehicle for Literacy Learning with Older Struggling Readers.” Dr. Braun’s and Dr. Williams’ presentation was “The Challenges and Rewards of a University Based and Public School Partnership from the Perspectives of Literacy.” Dr. Wiesendanger, a longtime active member of the Professional Reading Teacher Educators (PRTE is a special interest group of the IRA), is featured in the November 2008 PRTE Newsletter in a full-page “Spotlight on Editorial Advisory Board Member.” She is a former editor of the publication and has served PRTE in several other capacities, including program chairperson and presenter at the international and European conferences. At the 54^th International Association Convention, to be held May 6, 2009 in Minneapolis, Dr. Wiesendanger, Dr. Perry, Dr. Braun, and Dr. Williams will give a presentation on “Factors that Contribute to the Successful Implementation of a Recreational Reading Program.”

Dr. Theresa Clark had a paper accepted by the Council on Social Work Education at its 54th Annual Program Meeting, held Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 2008

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:42:05 EST

Dr. Theresa Clark, Associate Professor of Social Work, had a paper accepted by the Council on Social Work Education at its 54^th Annual Program Meeting, held Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 2008 in Philadelphia. Dr. Clark’s presentation was Challenges in the 21st Century for Older Americans and Caregivers, which closely followed a published book chapter by Dr. Clark on caregiving. Dr. Clark coordinates the Social Work program.

David Whaley, Director of Publications and Visual Arts, began a three-year term on the Board of Directors of UCDA Foundation on Jan. 1, 2009

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:07:00 EST

David Whaley, Director of Publications and Visual Arts, began a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the University & College Designers Association (UCDA) Foundation on Jan. 1, 2009. Whaley, an active UCDA member since beginning at Longwood in 1997, is one of two new board members for the Foundation, which assists the UCDA in “attaining its goals for member education and charitable support.” The Foundation, said Whaley, “allows the UCDA to accomplish far more than it can on its own. It helps fund special projects and scholarships, as well as increase awareness of UCDA and the role its members play in promoting higher education.” The UCDA “exists to promote excellence in visual communications for educational institutions,” according to its mission statement. It was founded in 1970 as the first association of its kind in the nation and now has more than 1,000 members throughout the United States and Canada.

Lonnie Calhoun was an invited attendee to the National Conference on Climate Governance sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, held Dec. 11-12

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:19:27 EST

Lonnie Calhoun, Director of Multicultural Affairs and International Student Services, was an invited attendee to the National Conference on Climate Governance sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, held Dec. 11-12. “I was invited because of mutual academic interests in terms of the activities that my office has sponsored or co-sponsored,” Calhoun said. The academic conference, which featured leading scholars and practitioners, examined the role that government should play in dealing with climate change. The proceedings will lead to a “policy report and an edited, peer-reviewed book to help guide the new presidential administration and Congress,” according to the Miller Center of Public Affairs, a leading nonpartisan policy institution.

Video developed for contest highlights Longwood's sustainability efforts

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:27:33 EST

Longwood University staff members Robin Dickson, Kelly Martin and Louise Waller and student Amanda Thomas collaborated on developing a video to enter in the National Wildlife Federation's Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming video competition. Colleges and universities across the nation compete annually by creating a three-minute video showcasing how their institution is confronting climate change. Two winners will be selected, each of which will receive a $500 grant and five "Campus Climate Challenge" T-shirts, and the winning video will be featured in a multimedia broadcast in April 2009.

Everyone is encouraged to vote by watching the video and clicking on "Vote Now" below the video in the green bar. Forty percent of the judging is based on the number of combined views and votes from the online community, with the remaining 60 percent based on NWF's judging of video content. Only one vote per IP address is allowed. Voting began Dec. 1, 2008 and will end Feb. 1, 2009. For more information about the competition, visit www.nwf.org/campusEcology/chillout. Dickson is a multimedia specialist, Martin is sustainability coordinator, Waller is space planning and real property manager, and Thomas is a recycling coordinator

For more information on Longwood's sustainability efforts, please visit:
www.longwood.edu/greencampus

President Patricia Cormier gave the Presidents-to-Presidents lecture at the annual meeting of AASCU, held Nov. 23-25

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:58:58 EST

President Patricia Cormier gave the Presidents-to-Presidents lecture at the annual meeting of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), held Nov. 23-25 in Williamsburg. Dr. Cormier was chosen by the AASCU board of directors to deliver the lecture, which an AASCU spokeswoman described as a “signal honor” in which the designee “addresses colleagues on leadership based on his/her experience.” Dr. Cormier, a former chair of the AASCU board of directors, spoke on “An Expression of the American Mind: Citizen Leaders in the Global Marketplace” during the luncheon Nov. 24. Also at the meeting, attended by about 200 presidents and chancellors from around the country, Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, participated Nov. 23 in the “Orientation/Mentoring Session for Spouses/Partners of New Member Presidents.” He was one of four panelists in the discussion, presided over by Jo Hern Curris, director of AASCU Spouse Programs. AASCU is the leadership association of 430 public colleges and universities.

Virginia Kinman gave two presentations at the XXVIII Charleston Conference: Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition on Nov. 6-7

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:05:09 EST

Virginia Kinman, Electronic Resources Librarian and Associate Professor, gave two presentations at the XXVIII Charleston Conference: Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition on Nov. 6-7 in Charleston, S.C. “Using Usage Data to Support Collection Management Decisions during an Economic Slowdown” dealt with how the Greenwood Library has used electronic resource usage statistics for journal and database collection decisions. Co-presenter Gayle Baker, professor and electronic services coordinator at the University of Tennessee Libraries, provided the perspective of a research library. As an invited panelist for “Usage Statistics: Best Practices and Practical Applications from a Librarian’s Perspective,” Kinman provided an overview of how usage data are collected and repurposed at the Greenwood Library to evaluate electronic resources within the context of overall library collections and services. The Charleston Conference is an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants and vendors of library materials.

Longwood President Dr. Patricia Cormier will deliver AASCU's President-to-Presidents lecture

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:38:34 EST

The Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has selected Longwood University President Patricia Cormier to deliver the President-to-Presidents lecture at the association’s Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia.

A tradition at the AASCU Annual Meeting for more than 30 years, the President-to-Presidents lecture is a signal honor bestowed by the AASCU Board of Directors on one of their colleagues. The president chosen generally addresses colleagues on leadership based on his/her experience. Cormier will discuss An Expression of the American Mind: Citizen Leaders in the Global Marketplace at the luncheon on November 24.

For more information, view the news release.

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, lectured Nov. 13 to the Irish-American Society of Greater Richmond (IAS)

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:41:40 EST

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, lectured Nov. 13 to the Irish-American Society of Greater Richmond (IAS) on “The Cattle Raid of Cooley – Crown Jewel of Early Irish Epic Poetry (but underappreciated).” The Cattle Raid of Cooley is an epic-like tale considered Ireland’s Iliad. Dr. Cormier is an expert on early Irish epic literature, which he said “remains a neglected genre” derived from an “ancient pan-Celtic heroic tradition” whose earliest development some scholars date as far back as the Iron Age (third century B.C.). Dr. Cormier discussed, among other topics, how The Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailgne in the Irish language) and many other heroic narratives were committed to manuscript in Old and Middle Irish during the Early Medieval period. Before his talk, he was introduced by IAS member Dr. Helen Warriner-Burke, a member of the Longwood Board of Visitors whose husband, Pat Burke, a former member of Longwood’s history faculty, was the group’s co-founder and first president.

Dr. Richard Chassey will have a paper published in the Spring 2009 issue of the Journal of Student Conduct Administration

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:20:19 EST

Dr. Richard Chassey, Director of Honor and Judicial Programs, will have a paper published in the Spring 2009 issue of the Journal of Student Conduct Administration, a publication of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs. The paper, "Development of Critical Thinking Skills among Student Judicial Board Members," describes a year-long research project involving volunteers from the Honor and Judicial boards. "The outcome of the project indicates that the students gain significant critical thinking and communication skills as a result of their membership on the boards," Dr. Chassey said.

Dr. Theresa Clark was one of four panelists who participated in the Hans S. Falck Lectureship on Social Responsibility

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:59:18 EST

Dr. Theresa Clark, Associate Professor of Social Work, was one of four panelists who participated in the Hans S. Falck Lectureship on Social Responsibility on Oct. 28 in Richmond. The topic was “Civil Rights and Race Relations in Virginia Public Education: A Case Study in Social Change.” The lectureship is named for a retired professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work who was one of Dr. Clark’s professors in her doctoral program. The program, held before a capacity audience in the William Byrd Community House, was co-sponsored by the VCU School of Social Work, the Richmond Peace Education Center, and St. Andrew’s School.

Dr. Raymond Cormier has recently published an encyclopedia entry

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:53:42 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, has recently published an encyclopedia entry, “Early Irish Sagas,” in The Facts on File Companion to British Poetry before 1600, edited by Michelle Sauer (pp. 154-5).

Linda Sauvé will play the lead role of Catherine in the Waterworks Players' production of Proof

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:35:37 EDT

Linda Sauvé, Administrative Assistant in the Department of Capital Planning and Construction, will play the lead role of Catherine in the Waterworks Players’ production of Proof. Sauvé has appeared in other Waterworks productions including Educating Rita, Lettuce & Lovage, Guys & Dolls, Lend Me a Tenor, The Nerd, The Rainmaker and Oklahoma. Her most recent role was that of Blanche in Hampden-Sydney College’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire in February. Performances of Proof are at 8 p.m. Sept. 19-20 and 26-27.

Jay Lynn is directing the Waterworks Players' production of Proof

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:29:09 EDT

Jay Lynn, Information Technology Project Manager for Information and Instructional Technology Services, is directing the Waterworks Players’ production of Proof, an award-winning play by David Auburn. Performances are at 8 p.m. Sept. 19-20 and 26-27. Lynn has had numerous roles over the years, appearing in the Waterworks Players’ productions of Damn Yankees, Complete History of America (Abridged), Arsenic and Old Lace, Tintypes, I Do! I Do!, Doubt and, most recently, The Full Monty. One of the most celebrated plays in recent years, Proof received the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play in Drama and the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The Waterworks Players are Farmville’s community theater group.

Dr. Susan Hildebrandt is the recipient of the 2008 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages-Modern Language

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:50:07 EDT

Dr. Susan Hildebrandt, Assistant Professor of Spanish, is the recipient of the 2008 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages-Modern Language Journal Emma Marie Birkmaier Award for Doctoral Dissertation Research in Foreign Language Education. The award will be presented during the ACTFL annual meeting in November in Orlando, where she will participate in a panel called “Second Language Teacher Development: Trends, Goals and Challenges.” In May 2008 she was selected for a Lucile Cornetet Professional Development Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation to assist in her attendance at the ACTFL conference.

Dr. John Reynolds was recently selected for an annual Certificate of Merit Award

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:25:19 EDT

Dr. John Reynolds, Professor of Modern Languages, was recently selected for an annual Certificate of Merit Award from the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe Institute of New York. He is one of only seven teachers in the United States chosen for the award, presented for outstanding achievement in furthering the teaching of German. A presentation ceremony will take place Nov. 21 during the AATG’s annual meeting in Orlando. A panel of AATG and Goethe Institute personnel selects the winners from those nominated from AATG chapters in the recipient’s home state or through individual AATG members.

The next day, at a session of the AATG/German Honor Society, Dr. Reynolds will give a talk on “Enhancing German Studies.” He will discuss a teaching method he uses in advanced composition classes in which students rewrite and perform plays from the standard canon of literary works, which he says gives them practice in writing and speaking the language. The performances are recorded, and students receive a DVD of the play at the end of the semester. “Works from the 18th and 19th centuries often do not resonate with American students, who sometimes find it hard to appreciate works from the Enlightenment, Romanticism or Realism periods written in German,” said Dr. Reynolds. “One of the favorites is Goethe’s Faust, which one class performed as Die Faustin (The female Faust), and we’ve also done G.E. Lessing’s Emilia Galotti, an Enlightenment play, and Fritz Wedekind’s Liebelei (Flirtation), a post-naturalist play. Several of my students who have become German teachers show the DVD to their students, some of whom have come to Longwood to study languages because of the impact these films have had on them. This method, which I’ve used in my German 402 class since 1990, also helps make students more aware of the value of these works.”

Dr. Raymond Cormier was recently elected a Trustee of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:58:09 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, was recently elected a Trustee of the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence. The organization, founded in 1990 and based in Princeton, N.J., has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of colloquia in the United States and abroad. The aim is to study, holistically, manuscripts and texts in other forms and promote them by preserving, transmitting and understanding the intellectual legacy of the past.

Dr. Sally Scott co-authored a book chapter that appeared recently in an edited text published by Harvard University Press

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Dr. Sally Scott, Director of Disability Services and Associate Professor of Special Education, co-authored a book chapter that appeared recently in an edited text published by Harvard University Press. She and Dr. Joan McGuire of the University of Connecticut collaborated on “A case study approach to promote practical application of Universal Design for Instruction,” which appeared in Universal Design in Higher Education (pp. 135-143), edited by Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler and Dr. Rebecca Cory.

Dr. Deneese Jones has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Renaissance Group

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:20:00 EDT

Dr. Deneese Jones, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Renaissance Group, effective July 1, 2008. The appointment is for three years. The Renaissance Group is a national consortium of colleges and universities with a major commitment to the preparation of education professionals; one in every 10 teachers is educated in Renaissance Group institutions. Longwood University adheres to the Renaissance Group’s guiding principles that affirm the importance of the education of teachers as an all-campus responsibility, a campus culture that values and models quality teaching, the creation of partnerships with practicing professionals, the extensive use of field experiences in diverse settings, the adherence to high standards and accountability, a focus on student learning, the effective use of technology, and the development of teachers as creative and innovative leaders.

Dr. Audrey Church was keynote speaker for the Infusion Teaching and Technology conference

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Dr. Audrey Church, Assistant Professor of School Library Media, was keynote speaker for the Infusion Teaching and Technology conference this summer sponsored by Virginia’s Region VIII school divisions. Her topic was “Practical Technology for Curriculum Innovation.” On Aug. 14, Dr. Church as one of the featured speakers at the Chesterfield Informational Technology Exposition where her topic was “Leveraging Your Library Program to Create 21^st Century Learners.” On Aug. 27, Dr. Church was a featured speaker at the Northern Virginia School Librarians Professional Development Day, sponsored by the Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County and Prince William County Public Schools. There she addressed “The 21^st Century Learning Standards and You” before more than 400 school librarians.

Brenda Barringer recently released her first music CD, "Spiral Staircase"

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Brenda Barringer, Administrative Assistant in Capital Planning & Construction, recently released her first music CD, “Spiral Staircase,” featuring 17 original songs in which she plays guitar and sings. The CD, released under her stage name, “Broda,” is being sold online (CDBaby.com, IndieRhythm.com and brendabarringer.com) and at Buffalo Creek Guitar Company in Farmville. Some of its songs have been played on Farmville radio station WFLO. She was selected through an online submission process as a showcase performer for the 2008 Indiegrrl Women in the Arts Conference, held Aug. 21-24 in Spencer, Va., near Martinsville, where she performed alongside independent female musicians from the United States and Canada. She has been asked to perform at Indiegrrl Fest Jonica Gap in Mineral Bluff, Ga., in June 2009. She is a 1999 graduate of Longwood, where she was a member of Jazz Ensemble A, the Concert Band and the Camerata Singers.

An article by Dr. Raymond Cormier has recently been published in a journal

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:29:22 EDT

An article by Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, has recently been published in the Belgian journal Le Moyen Age (The Middle Ages). The article, “Au sillon de Virgile: un embellissement médiéval de Cerbère” (In the footsteps of Virgil: a medieval embellishment of Cerberus), studies in depth the creative amplification/appropriation by an anonymous 12th-century French romancer of Virgil’s monstrous hound in Book VI of The Aeneid. Cerebus is a three-headed dog that guards the Underworld. The article appears on pages 273-286 of Volume 114, No. 2, of the journal.

Dr. Raymond Cormier attended a Spoken Latin seminar at the University of Kentucky

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:05:00 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, attended a Spoken Latin seminar at the University of Kentucky from July 7-14. Called Conventiculum Kentuckiensis by the leader-organizer, Dr. Terence Tunberg, a world-famous UK professor of classics, the program “featured eight- to 10-hour daily sessions of conversation, textual analysis (from Cicero down to the Renaissance humanists – Neo-Latin of Erasmus, for example), and lectures,” Dr. Cormier said. “All 30 participants signed a pledge on the first day to speak only Latin all week with classmates.”

Dr. Lissa Power-deFur is the author of a recently published book

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:02:00 EDT

Dr. Lissa Power-deFur, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Communication, Literacy and Learning, is the author of the recently published book Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act: Piecing Together the Puzzle of Federal, State, and Local Requirements. The manual, published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and part of its series related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), is "designed to assist speech-language pathologists who work with students with disabilities," Dr. Power-deFur wrote in the introduction. A speech-language pathologist and teacher of the deaf, Dr. Power-deFur previously worked in special education for the Virginia Department of Education for 18 years. While there, she was responsible for the revision to the state special education requirements in response to the prior reauthorization of IDEA. She is an active volunteer with ASHA and served on its No Child Left Behind Advisory Committee and chaired a subcommittee on Medicaid billing in schools.

Dr. Raymond Cormier has contributed a chapter to a recently published book

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:37:06 EDT

Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, has contributed a chapter to the recently published book Words of Love and Love of Words in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dr. Cormier wrote the chapter “Woman’s Ways of Feeling: Lavinia’s Innovative Discourse of/on/about Love in the Roman d’Eneas.” The 480-page book, edited by Dr. Albrecht Classen of the University of Arizona, was published June 10 by the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Dr. David Coles is the co-author of the recently published book "Sons of Garibaldi in Blue and Gray: Italians in the American Civil War"

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:33:16 EDT

Dr. David Coles, Associate Professor of History, is the co-author of the recently published book Sons of Garibaldi in Blue and Gray: Italians in the American Civil War. The 472-page hardback, published by Cambria Press, was co-written with Dr. Frank Alduino, professor of history and political science at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. The book "fills a critical gap in studies of Italian American life in the United States in the late 1800s," according to the publisher, and includes samples of John Garibaldi's wartime correspondence to his wife, lists of Italian Americans who served as officers and noncommissioned officers in the Union Navy, and first-hand correspondence of William Howell Reed, Virginia hospitals overseer under President Grant. Dr. Coles and Dr. Alduino became acquainted when both were in graduate school at Florida State University.

A new book includes a chapter by Dr. Raymond Cormier appears in "The Virgilian Tradition: The First Fifteen Hundred Years"

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EDT

A new book includes a chapter by Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French. Dr. Cormier's contribution, "Roman d'Eneas" (pp. 550-576) appears in The Virgilian Tradition: The First Fifteen Hundred Years, a 1,082-page book edited by Jan M. Ziolkowski and Michael C.J. Putnam and published Feb. 4 by Yale University Press.

A photograph by Dr. Raymond Cormier appears in the Winter 2008 issue of "Hospital Drive," a journal published by the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:34:01 EDT

A photograph by Dr. Raymond Cormier, Visiting Professor of French, appears in the Winter 2008 issue of Hospital Drive, a journal published by the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The photo, "At the Shivah," was taken during a celebration of the life of the late Joseph Boardman, spouse of Dr. Sharon Hostler, interim dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine, and shows her young grandson Alan. Hospital Drive, launched in fall 2006, "encourages original creative work that examines themes of health, illness, and healing."

Virginia Kinman gave a presentation at the Electronic Resources & Libraries Annual Conference

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:00:02 EDT

Virginia Kinman, Electronic Resources Librarian and Associate Professor, gave a presentation titled "Putting the Trees Back in the Forest: E-Resource Usage Statistics and Library Assessment" at the Electronic Resources & Libraries Annual Conference, held March 18-20 in Atlanta.