December 5, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Hanna Talks to Media About Montpelier

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Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna was quoted in several high-profile media outlets about his research on Southern plantations. On May 17, 2022, after weeks of negative stories on Montpelier in the national press, the foundation that operates the Virginia plantation home of James Madison finally made good on its promise to share authority with descendants of people enslaved by the man known as “the father” of the U.S. Constitution. The article, “Modern-day struggle at James Madison’s plantation Montpelier to include the descendants’ voices of the enslaved,” was published by the following sources:

Hanna Pens Column on Montpelier in Washington Post

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Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna, Derek H. Alderman and Amy E. Potter, co-authors of “Remembering Enslavement: Reassembling the Southern Plantation Museum,” penned an op-ed in The Washington Post entitled, Changes at Montpeiler Work Against Repairing the Wounds of Slavery.

As scholars who have conducted research at Montpelier, we are saddened and angered by the Montpelier Foundation’s withdrawal from its power-sharing agreement with the Montpelier Descendants Committee as well as by the firing of dedicated and talented staff who worked diligently to tell a more inclusive account of American history. Read more.

Farnsworth, Hanna and Seltzer Publish Book Chapter on Virginia Politics

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Vibrant Virginia: Engaging the Commonwealth to Expand Economic VitalityProfessor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth, who is director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies; Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna; and Kate Seltzer, a 2021 graduate of UMW with degrees in political science and in communication and digital studies, are coauthors of a book chapter entitled, “Declining Rural Influence in Virginia Politics: Comparing Mark Warner’s 2001 and 2020 Elections,” which was published in the new book, Vibrant Virginia: Engaging the Commonwealth to Expand Economic Vitality, just published by Virginia Tech. Further information on the book is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Vibrant-Virginia-Engaging-Commonwealth-Economic/dp/1949373851/ref=zg_bsnr_11284_12/142-4848735-5157510?pd_rd_i=1949373851&psc=1

 

Farnsworth, Hanna and Seltzer Present Research Paper on Virginia Politics

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Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, Stephen P. Hanna, professor of Geography, and Kate Seltzer, a 2021 graduate of UMW with degrees in Political Science and in Communication and Digital Studies, are coauthors of a research paper entitled, “Declining Rural Influence in Virginia Politics: Comparing Mark Warner’s 2001 and 2020 Elections,” which was presented recently at the Northeastern Political Science Association [online].

Farnsworth and Hanna also penned an editorial with UMW political science major Cassandra Atkinson for The Free Lance-Star: Youngkin proves the political virtues of vanilla.

Dr. Farnsworth also commented on the following news stories:

How critical race theory went from conservative battle cry to mainstream powder keg (Yahoo)

Youngkin tests activists’ patience as he pushes abortion and guns aside (The Washington Post; WV News)

Stafford County’s local government went from red to purple. Is it the next phase of N. Va.’s ‘blue wave’? (The Washington Post)

What could Glenn Youngkin as governor actually do to alter admissions at TJ? (The Washington Post; msn.com)

Opinion: In Virginia, dial ‘C’ for ‘crisis’ (The Washington Post)

Democrats face tumultuous process to get massive social spending package passed (Fox News)

2021 Political Roundtable: Surfing Va.’s red wave (Virginia Business)

Will The Tea Party Of 2022 Emerge From The Debate Over Schools? Virginia Election Offers GOP Template For Midterms (Virginia Patch)

VIRGINIA — Youngkin Pledged More Parental Control of Education, But Changes May Prove Difficult (T74)

Steve Bannon Indicted by Grand Jury (CTV News)

Edwards vows to stay on (Cardinal News)

Three Amigos Summit: US Protectionism at Centre (CP24)

Trudeau in Washington (CTV News)

 

Hanna’s Plantation Museum Research Featured in Northern Virginia Magazine

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Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna

Professor of Geography Steve Hanna’s work to encourage Virginia presidential plantation museums to recognize and share the stories of enslaved people was featured in an article in Northern Virginia Magazine.

Do plantation museums do justice to the memory of the enslaved? Local professor Stephen Hanna wanted to find out, so in 2014 he joined a team of researchers associated with TourismRESET, a world-wide network of scholars who study and challenge social inequity in tourism.

Hanna, who teaches geography at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, received a grant from the National Science Foundation, enabling him to lead undergraduate students through multi-year research on how narratives and exhibits about enslaved populations and slavery were presented or absent at 15 different plantation sites. The goal was to present their findings to museum managers and thus facilitate more historically accurate and meaningful tours. His team is in the final stages of publishing a book summarizing their data and findings, to be released in March 2022. Read more.