Global Posts

This fall the Longwood Institute of Archeology is happy to welcome two undergraduate Student Research Associates (SRAs), Megan Shipe and Griffyn Caires, to our ranks! The SRA experience provides students with in-depth exposure to post-excavation archaeological practices such as the development of collections-based research designs, artifact cataloging and analysis, reporting findings to the archaeological community, and preparing presentations of archaeological research for a variety of audiences. In their roles as research associates this semester Megan and Griffyn, both juniors in the Archaeology program at Longwood, will conduct analyses of artifacts from the Eyreville archaeological collection.

The Eyreville archaeological site is located on Virginia’s eastern shore in Northampton County. A team led by archaeologists from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), Mike Barber (former State Archaeologist) and Mike Clem (Eastern Regional Archaeologist), conducted a series of excavations at the site starting in 2017. With features dating as early as 1636, Eyreville is the oldest colonial site yet excavated on the Delmarva Peninsula. Megan and Griffyn’s analyses of artifacts recovered from the site, graciously loaned to Longwood by DHR, will contribute to Barber and Clem’s ongoing research of Eyreville’s history and early colonial life in the Chesapeake. 

Research associate, Megan Shipe, examines a glass bead under the microscope

Megan’s research will focus on glass beads recovered from Eyreville. At both global and local levels, glass beads played an important role in 17^th-century colonial exchange networks. In collaboration with Dr. Sarah Porter, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, and undergraduate chemistry students, Lauren Johnson and Angela Scarpa, Megan will investigate the chemical composition of the Eyreville beads. Capturing the chemical “fingerprint” of the bead assemblage will help researchers explore questions related to where the beads were manufactured before arriving in the New World. Using the historic record and building on prior archaeological research, Megan will also investigate how glass beads were used and valued by various groups living and interacting on the eastern shore in the colonial period.  

Research Associate, Griffyn Caires, measures the bore diameter of a tobacco pipe stem fragment

Griffyn’s research project will examine ceramic tobacco pipes from the Eyreville collection. To date, over a thousand pipes and pipe fragments have been recovered from the Eyreville site. In addition to imported European pipe varieties that are ubiquitous on sites of European colonization throughout the Atlantic, the collection also includes many “domestic” pipes made from clays local to the North American mid-Atlantic region. Griffyn’s research will explore how archaeologists use pipe stem bore-diameter measurements to estimate site occupation dates. Particular interest will be paid to the different techniques that have been developed to date imported European pipes versus locally-made “domestic” pipes.      

Megan and Griffyn’s semester-long SRA experience will culminate in the preparation of an article to be submitted for peer-review and publication in an academic journal and a professional conference presentation. In addition to six course credits, our SRAs will each receive a $3,500 stipend to support their research. Funding for their positions was made possible by a grant awarded to the Longwood Institute of Archaeology by the National Science Foundation through its Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program (Award #1914456).

Who knew there was a national Collect Rocks Day?

Patti Carey, that’s who.

That’s why earlier this week there were Longwood students hunting all over campus for the very special rocks created by Carey ’82 and some of her friends in the College of Business and Economics (CBE).

Over the past few weeks, the CBE faculty, staff and students painted more than 150 rocks with cheerful messages and pictures, and then set them out for students to find. Some of the colorful rocks promised the finders CBE swag. The “mayor’s rock” entitles the finder to a key to the town to be handed over by Farmville Mayor David Whitus ’83, who wanted to participate in the event.

As director of student engagement and special initiatives in CBE, Carey is always looking for ways to spread some sunshine for students.

Sarah Kuzniewski ’22 (left), Dorie Walters ’21 and Rachel Wells ’21, all business majors, were some of the students who looked for rocks this morning.

“Last year we were brainstorming things we could do, and I ran through a list of some of those wacky days of the year. I also was aware of the Kindness Rocks Project, where people paint rocks with inspirational messages and leave them for anyone to find. The two just seemed to go together,” Carey said, adding that this is the second year she’s spearheaded the event.

Dr. Dawn Schwartz and Dr. Melanie Marks, both CBE faculty, were among the volunteers who painted rocks this year.

“We just want to show some college spirit and go the extra mile to create a fun activity for students. There are many beautiful rocks, so I hope they end up on desks to remind the students to stay focused and give it their all,” said Marks. “I love the things Longwood does to show students that they are our focus. I think it is especially important this semester that students know we want them to have the best experience possible.”

Some lucky students will get to take home these rocks, painted by Dr. Melanie Marks.

It’s all about happiness, agreed Schwartz ’03, MBA ’13.

“I do this because I want to spread happiness among our students,” said Schwartz. “I did it last year for the same reason. However, this year I can see the toll Covid-19 has had on our students (and really all of us), and I wanted to make it extra special for them.”

Schwartz said she hopes the inspirational messages on her rocks would give hope, joy and “maybe the strength to persevere through whatever they are going through. I know they’re just rocks, but sometimes the smallest thing can be the sign someone needs to keep going.”

If senior Will Watson’s experience is any indication—mission accomplished.

Watson, who is graduating in December with a concentration in accounting, hit the campus at 7 the morning of the “hunt” with the goal of finding the mayor’s rock. A few hours later he had it hand, saying it took a little of the sting out of some of this semester’s challenges and disappointments.

“Today,” he said, flashing a smile and holding up the coveted rock, “I have joy.”

—Sabrina Brown

Please click the link to view the fall schedule Friday’s @ CAFE

Fridays first announcement for posting on blog

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In today’s post, I’m very happy to be able to share with you the good news about Longwood that was released today by U.S. News & World Report in the magazine’s annual college rankings. Feel free to spread the word!

This is the fifth-straight year Longwood is ranked among the top 10 public universities in the South and the second year Longwood is named a “Best Value” among regional Southern universities—both indicative of Longwood’s steadily rising reputation. Since 2013, the university has climbed to No. 7 from No. 12 among public institutions in the Southern regional category. Among public and private regional universities, Longwood is ranked No. 16 overall.

New this year: Longwood is the top-ranked Virginia university on the list of Best Colleges for Veterans, a rapid rise due in large part to concerted efforts led by Dr. John Miller, associate professor of early American literature and member of the U.S. Coast Guard.

“Rankings can never fully capture the student experience of a university, nor can they capture its spirit, but a steady rise like we have seen is because of improving benchmarks that matter very much,” said President W. Taylor Reveley IV. “Those benchmarks include small class sizes that are the hallmark of our Civitae core curriculum and our strong academic reputation. Our true strength, however, is in our community of citizen leaders who innovate and strive each day to seek new ways to push forward.

“This year I’m especially proud to see our work with our veteran students recognized alongside our commitment to college affordability,” continued Reveley. “Both of these measures are top of my mind every day, and we know that we can make a real difference to students and families by holding tuition increases among the lowest in Virginia and providing opportunities to veterans who have served our country.”

Among the factors that have led to Longwood’s sustained top-10 ranking:
—A six-year graduation rate that exceeds predictions
—Fewer than 20 students in nearly 60 percent of classes
—Civitae core curriculum classes capped at 25 students

At the same time, Longwood continues to invest heavily in full-time, tenure-track faculty—offering students smaller classes taught by professors who are making their careers at the institution. Since 2012, Longwood’s ranks of tenured and tenure-track faculty have increased by more than 40 faculty members, amounting to growth of 25 percent. That comes as universities across the country have scaled back full-time faculty hiring, relying more on adjuncts, graduate assistants and part-time staff to teach classes.

The Best Value ranking system compares overall ranking with total cost, factoring in the amount of need-based aid and the average discount given. Longwood is behind only one other public university in Virginia on the regional list.

“For the past eight years we have worked extremely hard on college affordability,” said Louise Waller MBA ’10, Longwood’s vice president for administration and finance. “We’ve kept tuition increases to among the lowest levels in the state, and this coming year we will actually be lowering out-of-state tuition rates. We have ongoing conversations about how we can innovate to keep the sticker price as low as possible so more families aren’t priced out of higher education. I’m glad that work is recognized in these rankings, but more fulfilling is meeting students who benefit from our efforts.”

During Spring 2020, I participated in an independent study with my advisor; the study revolved around the writing style for the Southern Fiction genre. Throughout the course, I read and analyzed authors such as Lee Smith and Katharine Anne Porter to compare and contrast writing styles while identifying my own in the genre. This course provided a deeper challenge because I had to read and annotate on the most massive scale I ever had for any class, not to mention that I had to figure out what to do for the final part of the course during the time everyone was sent home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After writing two revised short fiction stories in the Southern genre, I find myself feeling more capable to write fiction more than ever before, which is my ultimate goal in life.

In ENG 365 Shakespeare, our first big assignment was a literary analysis paper. Our professor asked us to select a sonnet from the numerous amount that Shakespeare wrote and analyze it in great detail, especially with focus on how Shakespeare frames certain phrases. For my essay, I chose Sonnet 8, and did required research in the Oxford Dictionary regarding how particular words in the sonnet have multiple meanings, therefore offering multiple interpretations.