April 18, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

McClurken Presents Multi-day Workshop on Digital Liberal Arts Pedagogy in Beirut

by

McClurken leading off the workshop with a set of shared resources

From May 3rd to 5th, UMW’s Chief of Staff and Professor of History and American Studies Dr. Jeffrey W. McClurken ran a workshop on Collaborative Digital Liberal Arts Pedagogy: Integrating Projects and Methodologies into Your Course at DHI-B (Digital Humanities Institute — Beirut) held at the American University of Beirut. The participant group of 25 faculty, librarians, and instructional technologists came from AUB or other AMICAL schools with the goal of collaborating on using Digital Humanities tools in a course, in particular in the undergraduate context of international liberal arts institutions. Participants brought syllabi (or at least the idea for a syllabus) and left with clear plans to integrate digital projects and/or methodologies into their courses.

Whalen Publishes Essay of Media Archaeology in Digital Studies

by

Associate Professor of English, Linguistics, and Communications Zach Whalen

Associate Professor of English, Linguistics, and Communications Zach Whalen

Zach Whalen, Associate Professor in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communications, recently had his article “Teaching with Objects: Individuating Media Archaeology in Digital Studies” published in The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy: https://jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/teaching-with-objects-individuating-media-archaeology-in-digital-studies/.

Abstract: “Media archaeology presents a framework for understanding the foundations of digital culture in the social histories of technological media. This essay argues that a pedagogy focused on individual, physical artifacts of technological media involves students in constructing a constellation of insights around technology’s mineral, global, and human history as well as its ecological future. By describing and reflecting on a series of assignments and exercises developed for my “Introduction to Digital Studies” class, I show how the intimacy of specific devices can connect to the exigencies of technological media through the lens of media archaeology. The core of this experience is a group project where students take apart an artifact like an old smartphone or game console, attempt to locate the origins of each component in that artifact, and present those origins in a map and timeline. The risks and rewards of this assignment sequence actively engage students in designing their own learning and encourage them to think critically and ethically about the media they consume, the devices that provide the foundation for that consumption, and the global economy of human labor that makes it all possible. In a step-by-step consideration, I consider how the practical and logistical challenges of this assignment sequence support the learning goals I identify as crucial to Digital Studies.”

Young Graduates from Leadership Fredericksburg

by

Kimberly Young, executive director for Continuing and Professional Studies

Kimberly Young, executive director for Continuing and Professional Studies

Kimberly Young, executive director of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Mary Washington, recently graduated as part of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 12th Leadership Fredericksburg class. The ceremony was held on May 17 at UMW’s Stafford campus. Young was among the 31 fellows who began the program in September 2018.

Since 2017, Young has been responsible for expanding Mary Washington’s credit and non-credit programs for adult learners. She earned her B.A. in public policy studies from Duke University, and earned both an MBA and a Master of Management in hospitality from Cornell University. She has nearly 20 years of experience in education, consulting and hospitality, and previously served as the executive director of Executive Education and Executive MBA programs at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri-Kansas City.

According to a Chamber press release, the class started with a personality profile assessment and continued each month as community, business, nonprofit, political and educational leaders in the Fredericksburg area offered the fellows insights about their own personal leadership journeys. Fellows were also paired with mentors who supported their progress in the program, which culminated with presentations of their Community Action Projects at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and later, at Lifepoint Church’s Spotsylvania campus for a team prize.

The Chamber is now accepting applications for Leadership Fredericksburg’s 2020 Class. The class of 2020 will be Leadership Fredericksburg’s 13th class. Since 2008, the program has graduated over 300 fellows.

An application can be obtained online at www.fredericksburgchamber.org or by calling the Chamber office at (540) 373-9400. There is a $25 application fee. Applications must be received at the Chamber office by 5 p.m. on July 1.

Harris Comments in Los Angeles Times on Housing Development in Ukraine

by

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Steven Harris

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Steven Harris

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Steven Harris was quoted in the Los Angeles Times in an article about a new housing development in a residential area of Kiev, in Ukraine. The article, entitled “Soviet housing was famously drab. This Ukraine complex is all about color,” states, “‘Scholars say housing is one realm where the Soviet Union did what the United States could not: provide cheap, reasonably decent housing for everyone.’ ‘They actually did solve the housing question,’ said Steven Harris, a historian at the University of Mary Washington and author of Communism on Tomorrow Street: Mass Housing and Everyday Life After Stalin.”

Waters Featured in Inside Higher Ed on Technology-Enabled Learning

by

Assistant Professor Biology Parrish Waters

Assistant Professor Biology Parrish Waters

Assistant Professor of Biology Parrish Waters was featured in an article in Inside Higher Ed entitled “Looking Back on this Year’s Classroom Experiments.” In a previous article from last fall, professors across the country shared the technologies they were planning on testing in the classroom; now they reflect on their successes and shortcomings. According to the recent article, Waters said that he tried “encouraging student engagement with help from a formative assessment tool, which he’d used in the classroom previously, but without a cohesive strategy.” Read more. 

Wilson Comments on the Psychological Effects of Mass Shootings

by

Assistant Professor of Psychology Laura Wilson

Assistant Professor of Psychology Laura Wilson

Assistant Professor of Psychology Laura Wilson recently commented in the national media on the psychological effects on survivors of mass shootings.

Wilson, the co-author of the The Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings, said the following to Buzzfeed News in an article entitled “If You Graduate Right After A Mass Shooting, Good Luck: You’re On Your Own”: “The biggest concern I would have for them is the disconnect from people who have gone through similar things.”

She also said, “Simply by definition, mass shootings are more likely to trigger difficulties with beliefs that most of us have, including that we live in a just world and that if we make good decisions, we’ll be safe,” in an article entitled “An Anniversary We Would All Like to Forget-But Never Will,” in the Post Newspaper in Texas.

In an article entitled “The Long Reach of Grief After Gun Violence” on yr.media, she said, “A lot of what we see among survivors is that they struggle to understand why they survived when others didn’t, because they made the same decisions everyone else made.” She explained that each survivor and their recovery is unique and cautioned against generalizing survivor experiences or regarding them as “typical.”

Schiffrin Quoted on Parents Excessive Involvement in College Course Choices

by

Professor of Psychology Holly Schiffrin

Professor of Psychology Holly Schiffrin

A study completed by Professor of Psychology Holly Schiffrin was cited in an article in The News Minute entitled “How Much Freedom do Students have while Choosing their Undergraduate Course?”

“One study in the Journal of Child and Family Studies found that parents’ excessive involvement in their children’s lives yields unfavourable results. The lead author Holly Schiffrin argues, ‘Parents are sending an unintentional message to their children that they are not competent.’ This is in turn, could result in feelings of depression and dissatisfaction.”

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-much-freedom-do-students-have-while-choosing-their-undergraduate-course-101901

Richardson Column in The Free Lance-Star

by

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

Read College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s latest column in The Free Lance-Star: The Imposter Syndrome.

 

Much has been shared in recent years about what is called Imposter Syndrome. Haven’t heard of it? You may not know the name, but you know the concept.

Imposters don’t think they belong in their jobs (or other parts of their lives, but we’ll focus on the workplace here). They have a lot of negative self-talk. “I’m not ready for this promotion.” “Was there no one else to take this role, as everyone knows I don’t have the experience to do it well?” You get the point. Read more. 

Farnsworth Comments in the National Media

by

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Political Science Professor Stephen Farnsworth continues to provide daily commentary in regional and national media on breaking news items. View a few of his current interviews: As Virginia Primaries Near, Progressives Get Ready For A Fight on WAMU; Trump vs. China on CTV News Channel; Cuccinelli as a Czar, Northam Yearbook on WRVA Newsradio; and Scandals Shake Up Political Fundraising and Spending and Analyzing What Turnout May Look Like for This Year’s Primary Elections on WVTF Radio IQ.

Gately Performs with the National Symphony Orchestra

by

Doug Gately will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra in the National Memorial Day Concert on May 26.

Doug Gately will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra in the National Memorial Day Concert on May 26.

Doug Gately will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jack Everly. The National Memorial Day Concert returns live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on May 26 for a special televised 30th anniversary broadcast, hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Tony-nominated actress Mary McCormack.

The all-star line-up also features: distinguished American leader General Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); Academy Award-nominated actor Sam Elliott; Grammy Award-winning legend Patti LaBelle; multi-platinum selling singer, performer and songwriter Gavin DeGraw; acclaimed actor Dennis Haysbert; Broadway and television star Christopher Jackson (Hamilton, Bull); multi-Grammy Award-winning bluegrass icon Alison Krauss; SAG and Olivier Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated actress and singer Amber Riley (Glee, Dreamgirls); platinum-selling country music star Justin Moore; television star Jaina Lee Ortiz; and Patrick Lundy & The Ministers of Music. American Idol Season 17 finalist Alyssa Raghu will open the show with a special performance of the national anthem.