It is often called the official start to the new academic year. It is a day of fun and also a day of feeling that stark realization that you are graduating in just a handful of months if you are a senior. That day is Convocation; a day when seniors line up on High Street in their academic attire with underclassmen brothers and sisters carrying decorated caps to place upon their heads when instructed.
The plethora of students began filling up High St. just after 3 p.m. Sept. 8. Faculty helpers and junior marshals were on hand to help with the processional.
President Finnegan and Dr. Ken Perkins, interim vice president for academic affairs, gave out the faculty awards, a Convocation tradition. It was a time for students to show their appreciation to the faculty members who share their knowledge with students.
Three Longwood faculty members were also highlighted during the annual ceremony. Dr. Larissa Smith Fergeson, associate professor of history, received the Maria Bristow Starke Award for Faculty Excellence. The award is given to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in scholarship, teaching and other professional activities.
Chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Studies and Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Brian Bates, '92, was this year's recipient of the Maude Glenn Raiford Award for Excellence in Teaching, given to an instructor who motivates students and has innovative teaching styles, among other attributes.
Finally, Dr. Naomi Johnson, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, walked away with the Junior Faculty Award of Excellence, given to a faculty member with three to five years of full-time teaching experience and two years at Longwood.
Awarded recipients were given a medallion and cash gift.
Also keeping in tradition, this year's speaker motivated the senior class to make the best of their last year at Longwood. This year, Brig. Gen. Joseph Bass was the guest speaker. Bass is the commanding general for the Expeditionary Contracting Command, a sub-command unit to the Army Contracting Command which provides contracting for military operations for the Army service component commands.
A 1983 graduate of Longwood, Bass entered the Army shortly after being discharged from his studies. He entered as a Distinguished Military Graduate through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program. Bass was then commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps.
During his 26 years in the Army, Bass has been assigned to units at Fort Bragg, Belgium and Germany. He has been involved in numerous acquisition assignments and has 18 years of acquisition experience under his belt. In March, he received the first William Henry Ruffner Award, the most prestigious award offered by Longwood's Alumni Association, for his achievement of national distinction in both his personal and professional career. In addition to his B.S. business administration degree from Longwood, Bass has a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy form the National Dense University.
A very crowd-pleasing Bass spoke about the importance of service to America, the country he still holds as being the best even after traveling to countless countries. He also called the years at Longwood "a priceless gift" and urged students to use that gift to help others in the community.
After Bass, Senior Class President Nancy McDonald spoke briefly, urging seniors to "make like fireworks and go out with a bang."
