December 10, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Moon to Discuss New Book on Race and Place at Virginia Museum Event

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Professor of History and American Studies, Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon

Professor of History and American Studies Krystyn Moon was featured in an article in Style Weekly titled “Race and Place.” The article highlights Moon’s upcoming talk at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture on Thursday, August 7, where she will discuss her new book, Proximity to Power: Rethinking Race and Place in Alexandria, Virginia. The event explores how racial dynamics have shaped one of Virginia’s most historic cities. Read the full story.

Bonds Weighs in on NDAs and Data Center Secrecy for Arizona Luminaria

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Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds

Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds

Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was quoted in Arizona Luminaria in an article examining the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by public officials in data center development projects. “Part of due diligence for elected officials is to know the company so they can scrutinize how it can behave elsewhere,” said Bonds, who has written extensively on data center transparency, particularly in Virginia. Read the full story.

Dhar Comments on Virginia’s Rising Unemployment Rate for Channel 8 News

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Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar

Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar

Associate Professor of Economics Amrita Dhar offered insight into Virginia’s rising unemployment rate in a recent interview with Channel 8 News, featured on MSN. “Is it a permanent move or temporary? That is something we have to keep an eye out for,” Dhar said, noting that more information is needed to determine the reason behind the increase. Read the full story.

Farnsworth Discusses GOP Messaging Advantage in TRT Global

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Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth was quoted in a TRT Global article titled “Losing message war: Why Democrats are struggling to challenge Trump.” In the article, Farnsworth said, “Republicans have been much better at painting the Democrats as out of touch than the reverse,” noting the GOP’s success in shaping public perception through messaging. Read the article from TRT Global.

Other media mentions for Farnsworth include:

‘A warning signal’: is this the beginning of the end for late-night comedy? (The Guardian; TRT Global)
Stephen Farnsworth, a co-author of Late Night With Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency, says: “It was a comforting collection of lighter fare before bed. It was for people who work second shifts in factories, people who just wanted a joke or two and a celebrity interview before they drop off. It was a cultural experience back in the days of Carson where you had one show that dominated above all and it had those moments that people would talk about the next day at work.” Read more in The Guardian and TRT Global.

Republicans are speaking out about gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign (Virginia Political Newsletter)
“Ultimately unified beats divided anytime,” said Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “And the Republican Party’s inability to really get together is yet another problem for a party that’s already looking at a difficult year.” Read more in Virginia Political Newsletter.

Virginia House in the balance: 5 key races to watch this fall (Virginia Mercury)
“It’s no surprise that the most competitive districts right now are in Republican hands,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “This is an environment where Republicans are facing significant headwinds for a bunch of reasons, and that’s creating a tailwind that would help Democrats who, in other years, might be more vulnerable.” Read more in Virginia Mercury.

Republicans Suddenly Distrust Jobs Data After Trump Fires Statistics Chief (The New York Times)
Stephen J. Farnsworth, political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said even though much of the economic news Ms. McEntarfer delivered to the Trump White House was positive, “that wasn’t enough.” “The firing is a warning to other government officials that Trump pays very close attention to whether the news makes him look good or not,” he said. “The larger issue is what this means for markets and for investors. If we’re talking about an environment where the impartiality or accuracy of government statistics is called into question, it’s much harder for people to make rational and informed choices.” Read more in The New York Times.

Trump suggests he may endorse Earle-Sears for VA governor (Fox 5 DC; MSN)
University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth pointed out that Trump often endorses candidates he sees as winners. “The polls are really unfavorable right now, and it might be a really difficult environment to get a full-throated endorsement,” he said. Read more in Fox 5 DC or in MSN.

Virginia House in the Balance: 5 Key Races to Watch this Fall (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
“It’s no surprise that the most competitive districts right now are in Republican hands,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “This is an environment where Republicans are facing significant headwinds for a bunch of reasons, and that’s creating a tailwind that would help Democrats who, in other years, might be more vulnerable.” Read more in Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.

Larus Comments on U.S. & China Diplomacy in BBC News

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elisabeth Larus, a China expert and adjunct senior fellow at the Pacific Forum, was featured in a BBC News article titled “Trump looks forward to visiting China: Will Rubio, sanctioned by Beijing, become an obstacle to his trip?”

Commenting on meetings between U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and top Chinese officials, Larus observed, “Rubio’s meetings with Beijing’s top brass were inevitably awkward, including a lack of eye contact and faces that looked grim rather than smiling. But their primary role was to pave the way for a meeting between Trump and Xi, not to engage in in-depth, substantive discussions.” Read the full story. 

Atalay Featured in Smithsonian Magazine on Leonardo da Vinci’s Fusion of Art and Science

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University of Mary Washington Professor Emeritus of Physics Bulent Atalay will deliver a presentation Thursday, March 13, in Dodd Auditorium, as part of the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. Atalay will discuss his most recent book, ‘Beyond Genius.’

UMW Professor Emeritus of Physics Bulent Atalay

Professor Emeritus of Physics Bulent Atalay was recently featured in Smithsonian Magazine for his reflections on the interplay between art and science, as exemplified by Leonardo da Vinci.

“Just as the artist is restricted only by his imagination and his facility with his chisel or brush, the scientist is restricted only by his imagination and his facility with his mathematics,” Atalay writes. A former faculty member at UMW and UVA, Atalay continues to lecture internationally. Read the full story.

Gupta Authors Op-Ed on India and BRICS for The Indian Express

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Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupta Gupta

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupta Gupta

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta published an op-ed in The Indian Express, a major Indian English-language daily. The column, titled “BRICS is China’s playground” was published in July and questions whether membership in the BRICS group furthers India’s foreign policy goals. Gupta discusses that given China’s dominant role in the BRICS group, as well as its deep pockets, trade and investment ties with other BRICS member states, it is likely that India’s voice and interests get drowned out. Read the op-ed.

Kinsley Shares Business Expertise on ‘With Good Reason’

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Senior Lecturer in the College of Business Kimberly Kinsley

College of Business Senior Lecturer Kimberly Kinsley

College of Business Senior Lecturer Kimberly Kinsley spoke to the With Good Reason public radio show for an episode titled “Corporate Greenwashing.” She discussed how Volkswagen cheated on emissions tests from 2009-2015 to convince customers to buy 11 million VW cars they thought burned clean diesel. Kinsley said “Dieselgate” was the largest ever case of corporate greenwashing. Listen to the episode.

 

Farnsworth Discusses Political Donor Support for WVTF

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Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies Stephen Farnsworth was quoted in a WVTF article titled “Some Democratic candidates may not receive as much donor support as others this election cycle.”

In the article, Farnsworth said “Donors have to figure out where their money can be best spent, and that means very viable candidates may not be as appealing to a donor as somebody else is. It’s a painful reality of politics that donors engage in triage, figuring out campaigns that are most effective users of donations versus those that may be good users but not at the top of the list.” Read the article from WVTF.

Other media mentions for Farnsworth include:

Paucity of details on immigration arrests highlights Youngkin’s pattern of misstatements
“I think there’s an increasing temptation, particularly for Republican officeholders, to make claims first and provide the evidence later … if ever,” Stephen Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington political science professor, told me. “In the era of Donald Trump, strict adherence to the facts can be an inconvenience.” See articles in Virginia Mercury and WV News.

Will the State Department’s loss of seasoned diplomats diminish America’s global sway?
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, echoes Williams’ perspective. “President Trump has long had his doubts about the federal bureaucracy, where there are rules and procedures that limit what Trump wants to do,” he told TRT World. See article in TRT Global.

Spanberger outraises Earle-Sears 2-to-1 in Virginia governor’s race
Political scientist Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington said the new fundraising and polling numbers paint a clear picture of where each party is focusing its energy — and where the GOP may be shifting its bets. See articles in Virginia Mercury, Yahoo, and WTOP.

Endorsements Are the New Front in Partisan Local Politics
“We’ve come a long way from the tradition of nonpartisan local contests,” said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “As everything has gotten more partisan in American and Virginia politics, they’ve gotten more partisan in local elections.” See article in FXBG Advance.