Capped in tradition, Class of 2026 begins senior year with Convocation ceremony

"Your days here at the alma mater really have been so consequential and momentous, and the world plainly and poignantly needs these citizen leaders you have become," he said. "In this honestly turbulent time, turning with passion and intensity from 9/11 through our troubled and shocked present moment as a nation, we need citizen leaders with the spirit to say come let us reason together."

Celebrating alongside the senior class was keynote speaker Cainan Townsend '15, M.S. '20, a double Lancer who serves as executive director of the Moton Museum. Earlier this year he was honored by the Alumni Association with the Rotunda Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

In introducing Townsend, a lifelong resident of Farmville, passionate advocate for education and current member of the Prince Edward County Public School Board, Reveley detailed some of his family history, which is interwoven with that of the county and the Moton story. His father and other family members were among the students locked out of the public schools when they closed from 1959-64 to avoid integration. His great-grandfather and two of his great aunts were plaintiffs in the Prince Edward lawsuit that was rolled into the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education.

Townsend noted that he did not attend his own Convocation ceremony his senior year because he was volunteering as a coach for a local middle school soccer team. "Today I realize that this was meant to be my first Convocation to celebrate with you, the class of 2026," he said.

Among the words of advice that Townsend imparted was to go out and build bridges "especially with people that don't look and think like you."

"The biggest piece of wisdom that I offer is to be authentic and always act in congruency with your values," he said. "The problems of the day need Lancers of today and tomorrow. So when you leave this place don't forget where you come from. The world frankly needs more of what Longwood has to offer. Be the crown that somebody is drawn to to lift their fortunes. And in equal stead, be that rotunda that they dare not trample upon."

Rector Ron White noted this was his eighth Convocation as a member of the Board of Visitors. He remarked on the evolution of seniors' caps, decorated with a mixture of photographs, flowers and sentimental embellishments, that he has witnessed over the years.

"It is true that each year the caps tend to reach greater heights-each year seemingly more elaborate and, in many cases, seemingly and most assuredly defying both the law of physics and the principles of engineering," White said, eliciting laughs from the audience. "But it is also true that the essence of this tradition is the very thing that makes this university special."

White, a Manhattan-born native New Yorker, also recognized the 24th anniversary of 9/11. He reminded the seniors that, like the many heroes of that day, they too may one day be called to run toward danger as citizen leaders.

"You will do so to impact the lives of many for the greater good of civilization," he said. "Continue to be the citizen leaders that you have become."

In her reflections, Senior Class Vice President Trinity Hazelgrove '26 challenged her classmates to make a lasting impression during their senior year and to set a good example for the other classes.

"Let's build stronger student organizations by leading and supporting the groups who have shaped us," she said. "Let's be good stewards of our Longwood traditions by showing up and teaching those freshmen what Color Wars is all about. Let's be the people we looked up to when we arrived here all those years ago."

Following tradition, Senior Class President Grace Ashbrook '26 was capped on stage by her chosen capper, Madison Insley '28, and Dr. Larissa Smith, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

In her remarks, Ashbrook encouraged her classmates to make the most of their final year and to savor this moment and all that lies ahead. She also noted some of the upgrades that they witnessed during their four years.

"Campus has changed a lot during our time here," she said. "We have seen the opening of the Joan Perry Brock Arena, the D-Hall renovation, and, perhaps most importantly, the arrival of the ICEE machine at the P.O.D. But even as Longwood evolves, its heart remains the same; it is the people, the students and staff, who give this place its purpose."

Eight faculty awards are given annually at Convocation. In awarding the Provost's Scholarship Award, Reveley announced that the Faculty Senate voted to rename the award in honor of Dr. Susan H. May, professor emerita of English, who passed away in August at the age of 90.

This year's award recipients were:

• Innovation in Teaching Award:
  Dr. Evan Long, associate professor of education
• Maria Bristow Starke Faculty Excellence Award:
  Dr. JoEllen Pederson, professor of sociology
• Maude Glenn Raiford Award for Excellence in Teaching:
  Dr. Laura Jimenez, associate professor of kinesiology
• Maude Glenn Raiford Assistant Professor Award for Excellence in Teaching:
  Dr. Megan DiBartolomeo, assistant professor of Spanish
• Provost's Scholarship Award:
  Dr. Kathleen McCleskey, associate professor of counselor education
• William David Stuart Leadership and Service Award:
  Dr. Lee Bidwell, professor of sociology
• Assistant Professor Award of Excellence:
  Dr. Jennifer Gerlach, associate professor of counselor education

Dr. Phillip Cantrell, professor of history, was announced as Longwood's Murray and Cora Simpson Distinguished professor. The award, established in 2015, recognizes a tenured faculty member who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to pursuing outstanding scholarship resulting in publications, presentations, or creative work in the visual or performing arts.