November 30, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Larus Comments on Harris Campaign and Trump-Harris Debate on Taiwan News

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, was featured in a two-part series by Global News Taiwan on Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, September 7 and 10. The program host refers to Professor Larus as 藍若思 beginning at 5 minutes into the program and at 19 minutes into the program.

Larus also offered pre-debate commentary to RW News Taiwan (in Chinese) in advance of the September 10 Trump-Harris Debate. Her name appears as 藍若思 after the first reference.

Rao Shares AI Expertise With ‘The Atlantic’

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Professor of Communication and Chair of the Department of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao

Professor of Communication Anand Rao

Professor of Communication Anand Rao spoke to The Atlantic – Online Feature for an article titled “The Metacognition Revolution,” which was published in August. In the interview, Rao discussed the special topics course he taught in Fall 2023, DGST 301N: ChatGPT and Generative AI, and the importance of introducing and using AI in the classroom in order to demonstrate both the dangers and opportunities associated with its use. He also discussed how, by building their chatbots, students developed a healthy skepticism of AI as they better understood some of its limitations. Read more.

Ferrell Wins Distinguished Fleet Professor Award of the Naval War College

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Professor of History and American Studies Claudine Ferrell

Professor of History and American Studies Claudine Ferrell

Professor of History and American Studies Claudine Ferrell was nominated by students/colleagues, selected by the faculty of the Naval War College, and approved by the President of the Naval War College to receive the 2024 Distinguished Fleet Professor Award of the Naval War College. The purpose of the award is to recognize a professor in the Naval War College, College of Distance Education and/or the Fleet Seminar Program (FSP) who exhibits superior professional performance in the completion of his or her contractual responsibilities as a teacher, mentor and professional role model for his or her FSP students and peer professional faculty members.

“As an educator and moderator of a Strategy and War seminar, Professor Ferrell taught, mentored and counseled her students in a supremely professional and engaging manner ensuring that each not only understood the complex concepts of the course, but was also provided ample and numerous opportunities to participate in a well-conducted and enlightening Socratic discussion that is the heart and soul of the Strategy and Policy academic model. Her extensive knowledge of the subject matter, and her personable, articulate, and inclusive podium presence made her class one of the absolute best among the many outstanding seminars in the program. Her dedication to her students and the College is second to none as reflected by her top ranking by her students and colleagues alike over the course of her thirty-three-year career in the College of Distance Education.”

Catullo Explains Ins and Outs of UMW Athletics on ‘Town Talk’

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UMW Athletic Director Patrick Catullo

UMW Athletic Director Patrick Catullo

Athletic Director Patrick Catullo talked recently about Division III UMW athletics on the Town Talk radio show. Catullo commented on Mary Washington’s 19 NCAA varsity sports and why Division III athletics is for student-athletes. He took the opportunity to let listeners know that all home games are free and open to the community. Listen at News Talk 1230 and B101.5.

Cooperman Comments on Gender Dynamics in 2024 Campaign Finance

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Professor and Chair of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman

Rosalyn Cooperman, professor and chair of Political Science and International Affairs, spoke to the Center for Women in American Politics by Rutgers for a piece titled “Expert Insights: What to Watch in Election 2024.” In the article, Cooperman offers a critical analysis of 2024 campaign finance. She notes that while progressive political action committees (PAC) leverage abortion rights to energize their fundraising efforts, conservative PACs have largely avoided this issue. Cooperman’s insights highlight the strategic role of gender and policy issues in shaping fundraising strategies and electoral dynamics in the current political landscape. Read more.

 

 

Singh Comments on Presidential Candidates’ Potential Impact on Gaza for ‘The Cradle’

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Department of Political Science and International Affairs Associate Professor Ranjit Singh

Associate Professor of  Political Science and International Affairs Ranjit Singh

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Ranjit Singh contributed to an article titled “Harris vs. Trump: Who is Worse for Gaza?” published in The Cradle. “The Harris-Walz campaign will spend extraordinary energy monitoring the salience of the issue amongst the various groups they need support from to win the election, and therefore, for most Democrats, Gaza will not be a deal breaker,” Singh said. Read more.

Martin Speaks on Jeremiah Community’s Role in Addressing Concentrated Poverty

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Leslie Martin, professor of sociology

Professor of Sociology Leslie Martin’s comments were included in an article titled “Consideration of Jeremiah Community Continues at City Planning Commission Meeting,” which ran in the FXBG Advance. Martin addressed concerns about the effects of “concentrated poverty” in one area of the city. She said decades of study have shown that “what caused the issues that came from [low-income] neighborhoods is not the concentration of poverty but the withdrawal of institutional support.” The presence of a Jeremiah Community in Bragg Hill could “bring more institutions and resources to the community,” she said. Read more.

Farnsworth Lectures on Disinformation and Political Humor

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Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently presented a lecture, “Battling Disinformation with Political Humor,” at the Rappahannock-Fredericksburg Rotary Club. The talk was derived from portions of Dr. Farnsworth’s recently published co-authored books,  Producing News in a Time of Disinformation: Information Evaluation Strategies for Journalists and News Consumers and Late-Night in Washington: Political Humor and the American Presidency.

Other recent media mentions for Farnsworth include:

VA election post Labor Day (WMAL)
“It looks like Virginia is not a high priority for either of the campaigns,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
Schapiro: Oracle of Charlottesville sees ’em, calls ’em (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
“Over the last generation, Virginia has become an unusually interesting place politically,” said Steve Farnsworth, an analyst at the University of Mary Washington since 1996. “The change in the political environment here has created lots of opportunity for scholarly work. … Scholars are drawn to what is changing. And for a long time, Virginia wasn’t changing.” Read more.

Biden: “Democracy Must Be Preserved” (CTV News)
“I think it is important to recognize that the current president was giving a speech he didn’t want to give,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Read more.

Can a political party get any attention when its rival holds a national convention? Yes, but it’s not easy (The Conversation; ctpost.com; Caledonian Record; Seattle Pi; The Facts; SF Gate; Darien Times)
Even for former U.S. President Donald Trump, a master at attention-getting, trying to counterprogram during the Democratic National Convention is nearly impossible. Read more. 

DNC (WCPT 820)
“The Democrats are in a very good position with this convention,” said Stephen Farnsworth. Listen here.

Will the Democrats Achieve “Triple Control” in the U.S. Elections? (Al-Sharq)
Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, viewed this advance as more than just an indicator that Harris is more electable; he also suggested that the Democrats are likely to win a majority in the House of Representatives. Farnsworth told “Al-Sharq” that the Senate, where the Democrats hold a slim majority, remains a very challenging environment for them to maintain control next year.

Virginia 7th District candidates battle over residency, service (Daily Progress; Richmond Times-Dispatch; The Free Lance-Star)
“They may not move a lot of votes in this case, but you may get the handful of votes you need,” Steve Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Everything matters to somebody.” Read more.

Freedom Caucus bets big on spending proposal in gamble to boost Trump and GOP majority (The Gazette; Washington Examiner)
“The border is a vulnerability for Biden and for Harris. Polls show that voters want a stronger border than is currently the case,” Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said. Read more.

Mellinger Adds to Documentary on Bluegrass in Fredericksburg

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College of Arts and Sciences Dean and Professor of Mathematics Keith Mellinger

College of Arts and Sciences Dean and Professor of Mathematics Keith Mellinger

Exercise, sports, reading, and the list could go on! What is your favorite pastime? Well, Keith Mellinger, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Mathematics, chooses Bluegrass! That’s one you don’t hear often! “I think there’s a lot of deep-seeded, deep roots of Bluegrass in Virginia,” Mellinger said in a recently released documentary titled “Bluegrass Thrives in Fredericksburg.” Watch the documentary.

Larus Comments on Aug. 26 Zuckerberg Letter

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs and President of E Larus Consulting LLC, commented on WION news on Mark Zuckerberg’s August 26 letter to the House Judiciary Committee that the Biden Administration pressured Meta to take down information on Covid and Hunter Biden’s laptop that did not fit the administration’s narrative. Larus commented on the timing of the letter, years after hearings on such government pressure on social media, indicating that Zuckerberg no longer needed to accommodate Biden, who dropped his reelection bid, and that Zuckerberg appears to sincerely regret his accommodation of the White House. Read more.