May 14, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Lewis, Leppanen Join Council on Undergraduate Research

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Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Spanish Elizabeth Lewis has been elected to the Council on Undergraduate Research’s
Arts Humanities Division, and Assistant Professor of Psychology Marcus Leppanen has been elected to its Psychology Division. Read more.

Devlin’s Work Featured in ‘National Parks Traveler’

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Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin

Associate Professor of History and American Studies Erin Devlin’s research has been featured by National Parks Traveler in an article titled “Black Studies Could Lead To New Historic Landmarks, Transparency About Segregation.” Devlin’s featured study, “Segregation in Virginia’s National Parks, 1916-1965,” examines the development of National Park Service segregation policies and their implementation at six national parks in Virginia. It is based on historical records from multiple sources, including the National Archives, NPS, Library of Congress and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons. Read more.

Liss and Schiffrin Share Expertise on Helicopter Parenting

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Professor of Psychological Science and Department Chair Miriam Liss (left) and Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin

Professor of Psychological Science and Department Chair Miriam Liss (left) and Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin

Professor of Psychological Science and Department Chair Miriam Liss and Professor of Psychological Science Holly Schiffrin spoke to Bored Panda about the effects of helicopter parenting for an article titled “40 Insane Screenshots Of Parents Taking It Upon Themselves To Make Their Kids’ Lives Hell.” Read the article.h

Larus Comments on U.S.-China Relationship

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, spoke to WION for a segment titled “U.S.-China Meet: Sullivan-Wang Yi Hold Candid Talks in Vienna Meeting.” Larus commented that time had to pass to let ruffled feathers settle before U.S. and China officials could meet following the China spy balloon incident. Watch the segment.

Wilson Shares Trauma Expertise With Virginia Public Media

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Associate Professor of Psychological Science Laura Wilson

Associate Professor of Psychological Science Laura Wilson

Associate Professor of Psychological Science Laura Wilson spoke to Virginia Public Media for an episode titled “Virginia had 20 mass shootings in 2022. How do survivors deal with the psychological aftermath?” Wilson said that people’s reactions to mass shootings are as unique as they are. Watch the segment.

Rao Speaks at Virginia Professional Communicators Conference

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Anand Rao speaking about generative AI at the VPC Conference

Professor of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao gave a guest presentation at the Virginia Professional Communicators Conference held in Fredericksburg on Friday, May 5, 2023. The title of his talk was “ChatGPT and Communication: How Generative AI Will Transform Our Field.” He discussed recent developments in generative AI, how GAI could be used by communication professionals, and some concerns about how GAI could be misused.

Farnsworth Lectures on Political Humor

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Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

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 delivered an online lecture to American University students entitled, “Political Humor and Donald Trump, the president and former president,” which was drawn from his co-authored book, Late Night With Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency. Discover more info on the book.

Farnsworth has also appeared in several recent media mentions, including:

Experience vs. generational change: Deeds and Hudson square off for Democratic state Senate nomination (Cardinal News)
“In the wake of the redistricting, a lot of younger candidates for office are emerging, hoping to take advantage of new districts and electorates that may be more supportive of a more liberal vision of the Democratic party,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.
https://cardinalnews.org/2023/05/11/experience-vs-generational-change-deeds-and-hudson-square-off-for-democratic-nomination/

Three Democrats hope to succeed John Edwards in the state Senate (Cardinal News)

“The big challenge for Virginia Democrats in any rural Virginia district is to figure out a way to thread the needle in a way Edwards did,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “You have to be sufficiently conservative to not scare voters who are independent, but sufficiently liberal so Democrats turn out in decent numbers.”
https://cardinalnews.org/2023/05/09/three-democrats-hope-to-succeed-john-edwards-in-the-state-senate/
Who’ll control the House and Senate? Early voting begins for Virginia primary elections (WJLA)
“Given the Democratic gains over the last several election cycles, I think a number of Democrats are thinking they might be okay with a more liberal nominee, that they might be able to win regardless,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, the professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington. “And so, you’re looking at a whole series of Democratic incumbents that are facing challenges, more aggressive challengers that they’ve seen in primaries in years past, challengers that are making an argument that the party needs to be more liberal, needs to move further to the left, but also that it’s time for a new generation of democratic elected officials to come to the fore. It’s a really, really compelling cycle. In terms of the choices that voters have. This is also going on of course on the Republican side, too.
https://wjla.com/news/local/elections-virginia-house-of-delegates-state-senate-early-voting-begins-primaries-commonwealths-attorney-fairfax-county-arlington-county-loudoun-countysteve-descano-ed-nuttall-buta-biberaj-elizabeth-lancaster-josh-katcher-parisa-dehghani-tafti
Cortez: Local and National Marketing on Cinco de Mayo (Bearing Drift)
Conservatives are privately, however, questioning the unbiased actuality of the forum. So are many professionals such as the respected University of Mary Washington Director of political science, Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, or The Republican Standard’s Shaun Kenney.
https://bearingdrift.com/2023/05/05/cortez-local-and-national-marketing-on-cinco-de-mayo/

Senator Ben Cardin will retire in 2024. Who might his successor be? (DC News Now)
“Ben took his job seriously. He looked at budgets, he looked at Medicaid and healthcare financing issues, and a lot of people have benefited from this serious attention. … It’s always a sad day when the number of serious Senators in Washington drops by one,” said Stephen Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington.
https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/senator-ben-cardin-will-retire-in-2024-who-might-his-successor-be/

Northern Virginia Poised to Lose Influence (The Connection)
“This is going to be one of the hardest fought campaign cycles in Virginia history,” said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. “Both parties are raising immense amounts of money compared to the past, and both parties are going to be looking at a lot of vulnerable incumbents and promising challengers as they try to reshape the legislature that takes office next January.”
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2023/apr/26/northern-virginia-poised-lose-influence/

Barrenechea Films YouTube Series on Rare Books

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Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea

Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea

During the spring 2023 semester, Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea served as faculty liaison to Special Collections in Simpson Library. One of his accomplishments came via collaboration with Nick Onorato, a former student and communication major.  A “spotlight” series on rare books highlighted UMW’s collection from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Watch the series on YouTube.