Global Posts

The Center for Faculty Enrichment (CAFE), Civitae Core Curriculum, Cormier Honors College, the Digital Education Collaborative (DEC), and the Post Graduate Success Initiative invite you to participate in Longwood’s annual day of undergraduate faculty professional development–a day filled with several options and opportunities to collaborate with and learn from your faculty colleagues. The full schedule is available @ https://blogs.longwood.edu/longwoodcafe/undergraduate-faculty-professional-development-day-2025/. Breakfast and lunch are provided.

Please go to https://forms.gle/cgovC4Wb6QhgXh388 to register; registration is required for all events. 

Standard (300 hours/semester):  Fall 2025 & Spring 2026
Non-Standard (200 hours/summer): Summer 2026

The Graduate Assistant (GA) will support the Director of the Call Me MISTER Program in a variety of administrative, academic, and student engagement functions. This role is ideal for a graduate student interested in education, student affairs, or program coordination; and offers hands-on experience in teacher preparation, academic support, and community engagement.

Questions can be directed to Mr. Byron Morgan, morganbp@longwood.edu  

Standard Fall/Spring (300 hours/semester; $3,000 in tuition coverage and a $4,500 stipend)
Non-Standard Summer (200 hours; $4,000 stipend)

Academic/Research Assistant Position 
Call Me MISTER  
Funding Source:  CMM
Status: Open

Nobody knows Commencement like Judith Campbell knows Commencement. As the director of university events and ceremonies at Longwood, she is in charge of all Commencement planning/logistics/communications, etc.

So I thought it might be helpful if I asked her some questions that could be on the minds of parents and other guests who plan to attend the ceremony on Saturday, May 17.

First and foremost: “My biggest tip is that parents make sure their student has been reading (and sharing with them) the emails we send every month with updates,” Campbell said. “Be sure to ask your student to share with you the last email, which goes out on Monday, May 12.”

Below are Campbell’s answers to some other pertinent questions.

What time should students arrive at Willett Hall prior to the ceremony?
Graduating students, dressed in their academic regalia, need to report to Willett Hall, through the Brock Commons entrance, at 8 a.m. Saturday. The undergraduate ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Graduates will line up in Willett and process from there to Wheeler Mall for the ceremony.

Can parents come with students into Willett Hall?
To facilitate a smooth and quick check-in process, it is imperative that guests proceed directly to Wheeler Mall. Please do not go with your student into Willett Hall.

How can I help my student Commencement morning?
Ask your student if they would like you to hold onto any items for them before they go to Willett. There will be nowhere to store totes, purses or backpacks in Willett, so your student should hand those items off to you or one of their other guests before they go into Willett.

Are tickets required?
Tickets are not required, and there is no limit on the number of guests a graduate can invite to the outdoor ceremony on Wheeler Mall. (Information about inclement weather plans has been shared with your graduate in those emails mentioned earlier in this post.)

What time should parents and other guests arrive at Wheeler Mall?
We ask that all guests be seated by 9 a.m. When the ceremony starts, we ask that guests stay clear of the walkways so that those processing can easily pass by. People jumping into the walkways to take pictures holds things up!

Is there assigned seating?
Designated seats are reserved for graduates. Other than that, seating is open and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Where are the best places to park to catch a shuttle to Wheeler Mall?
Shuttle service will run loops between two off-campus locations from 7:30-9:30 a.m. and from noon to 1 p.m. Guests are welcome and encouraged to park in the lots noted below for easy and close drop-off access to the ceremony location. The shuttle will run loops through the Sunchase Apartment complex.
—Sunchase Shopping Center, 215 Sunchase Boulevard, Farmville, VA 23901
—Lancer Park, 200 Cormier Drive, Farmville, VA 23901

What other parking is available?
Multiple central campus lots will offer both general parking and ample ADA-accessible specific parking. All parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and no reservations are required. Parking lots are shown on this map: Undergraduate Commencement Parking Map (pdf). There is no need to make a reservation.

What if a member of our party is handicapped?
Attendees who have Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specific needs should park in a central campus-accessible-identified lot because shuttle vehicles are not equipped with lifts. See the parking map for the location of these lots: Undergraduate Commencement Parking Map. Golf carts will be available from the ADA lots for those with accessibility needs in getting to and from the ceremony area.

What should guests wear?
Virginia weather can be tricky. Also, there is very little shade on Wheeler Mall. We recommend dressing for the weather, wearing sunscreen and bringing a hat.

What should guests bring with them to the ceremony?
We recommend bringing a hat, sunscreen and water.

What should guests NOT bring to the ceremony?
Please do not bring to the ceremony umbrellas, alcohol, air horns, beachballs, bubbles or any other items that may become distractions for other attendees and disrupt the reverence of the ceremony. We have 7,000 chairs set out in  the ceremony area, so there’s no need to bring lawn chairs.

About how long will the ceremony last?
The ceremony usually lasts about 3 hours.

Is there somewhere on campus guests can watch the ceremony in an air-conditioned space?
Guests are welcome to watch the ceremony in Jarman Auditorium, Blackwell Ballroom (in the Maugans Alumni Center) or Soza Ballroom (in the Upchurch University Center). The ceremony will be live-streamed in these locations.

If I’m not able to attend the ceremony, is there a way I can watch it live from where I am?
Yes! On the morning of the ceremony, you can watch the ceremony live on the Commencement homepage or you can go to go.longwood.edu/live .

Will there be a lot of traffic after the ceremony?
Generally, we don’t find there to be heavy traffic after the ceremony because parking is equally distributed across campus. Also, many guests and graduates stay after the ceremony to take photos. All this makes exiting campus after the ceremony relatively easy.

Additional information about Commencement can be found online here: https://www.longwood.edu/commencement/undergraduate-ceremony/ 

—Sabrina Brown

Get tickets here: https://la1.glitnirticketing.com/laticket/web/login.php?ret_link=%2Flaticket%2Fweb%2Fwportal.php&type=notLogged

My internship with the PULSE Ambassador Program has been the most valuable thing I’ve been able to utilize and learn from so far in my academic journey as a sociology major. What I’ve come to know is that PULSE is a leadership development program that basically trains people who are in various institutions to go out and invoke and create change. This internship gave me the opportunity to apply sociological theories with real world experiences. During my time with the program I observed interviews, coded themes, created a literature review and reflected on the impact and importance of leadership and collaboration. This not only expanded my understanding  of sociological theory but also helped me realize how I’ll need that in my future career of medical social work which would most likely need me to be a collaborator or leader in all aspects. 

Responsibilities

My responsibilities during my time were observing and analyzing interviews with PULSE ambassadors all over the country. Around 7-10 weeks total I spend time reading through transcripts, linking common themes and finally creating a summary table for each participant to emphasize their responses. To further explain my duties in my interview stage I sat in and used active listening skills and noted how ambassador’s came to the program and their personal opinions on things and experiences.  I then also created a literature review on Kurt Lewin’s (1976) three stage model of change in regard to applying it to the ambassadors. Each week I spend around 4-8 hours doing my responsibilities and reflecting on what I did which I believe is a testament to my commitment to this internship.

Skills 

One of the most valuable skills I developed is the ability to create a theme analysis based on qualitative data. From reading and coding the interview transcripts, I learned how to point out recurring themes and how to apply them in a sociological framework. I noted patterns like resistance, and peer learning to which I linked theories of group roles and socialization. I only got to participate in one interview but in it I learned condense but not take away insights from interviews. This would be critical in my future field of medical social work which is needed to listen to people carefully and interpret their needs and get them the service they need. Additionally to my new found research skills I also got a good grasp on time management and professional writing which I most deficiently need and am very grateful for those correctional aids. 

Takeaways

The biggest thing I’m taking away from this would be how meaningful change can be and how it is with understanding and empathy. A lot of ambassadors emphasized how they realized how they need to connect on some level with people before creating change. I also gained a deep appreciation for the emotional tolls it would take for these people in unpaid volunteer work to do these things. They are essentially sacrificing time for change that isn’t even for themselves which is so selfless. Ambassadors have a deep dedication to this in spite of the challenge that comes with it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my Internship with the Pulse Ambassador Program was not only deeply enriching but so informative for me. It allowed me to take what I learned so far in my sociology class and apply it to what I learned and interviews without me even knowing I was doing so at first. Through this experience I fully believe I am steady in my choice of profession and now with these valuable skills. I am not only grateful for Dr. Pederson’s generosity but the patience of her and Gracie with me and my learning curve with all of this.