Longwood University is a four-year public, liberal-arts university located in Farmville, Virginia. It was founded in 1839, and became a university on July 1, 2002. It currently has an undergraduate enrollment of about 3,700 students and a total enrollment of 4,400. Image File history File links Longwoodlogo2. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... University President is the title of the highest ranking officer within a university, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Chancellor or rector. ... Alternate uses: Student (disambiguation) Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to study, a student is one who studies. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... Degree ceremony at Cambridge. ... Farmville is a town located in Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ... School colors are the colors chosen by a school to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification. ... YOU SUCK!!!!! ... A white rose. ... The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a university or college within the United States of America is the name officially adopted by that institution for at least the members of its athletic teams. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... Division I (or DI) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. ... A website (alternatively, Web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on a Web server, usually accessible via the Internet or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML, that is almost always accessible via HTTP, a... A liberal arts college is an institution of higher education found in the United States, offering programs in the liberal arts at the post-secondary level. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Farmville is a town located in Virginia. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

History

Longwood University is one of the oldest universities in the United States and is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. It was founded on March 5, 1839, as the Farmville Female Seminary Association. In the succeeding years, the increasing prosperity of the Seminary led the stockholders to expand the seminary into a college, and the Farmville Female College was incorporated in 1860. This is a timeline of womens colleges in the United States. ... This article is about the day. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

On April 7, 1884, the state of Virginia acquired the property of the Farmville Female College, and in October of the same year the Normal School opened with 110 students enrolled. This was the first state institution of higher learning for women in Virginia. April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

With the passage of the years, the Normal School expanded its curriculum and progressed through a succession of names. It became the State Normal School for Women in 1914, the State Teachers College at Farmville in 1924, and Longwood College in 1949. Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

In 1954, graduate programs were authorized. Longwood became fully coeducational in June 1976. Governor Mark Warner officially signed legislation changing Longwood's designation to university on April 24, 2002, the one-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed Ruffner Hall (see below). Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ... Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (115th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

The main University building, Ruffner Hall was built in 1839 as the "College Building" and evolved through several stages of construction and expansion from 1839 to 1907. For decades the sprawling Ruffner, whose image appears on the university's logo and seal, was the main administration building, with administrative offices on the first floor and student housing on the upper two floors. After students vacated the building by the early 1970s, dorm rooms were converted to office and classroom space. The former library, Lancaster Hall, was renovated and reopened in 1996 as the main administration building. Ruffner was then used primarily for classrooms and faculty offices before being closed in 1999 for renovation.

Ruffner Hall burned down on April 24, 2001, in the middle of its renovation period and was subsequently rebuilt. A popular myth on the University campus holds that around the time the college changes its name, catastrophe occurs such as the Ruffner fire, deemed "The Great Fire of 2001." For example: April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (115th in leap years). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• 1884: The college changes its name to the State Female Normal School in Farmville. This was part of the agreement when the Commonwealth of Virginia bought the school from its original owners, because the owners were bankrupt following the Civil War.
• 1923: Right before the school changed its name to the State Teachers College the next year, a fire destroyed the dining hall, sitting behind Ruffner Hall.
• 1949: Just after the school changed its name to Longwood College, a fire destroyed White House Hall, a building next to East Ruffner (currently where part of Main Tabb is today), and a mirror image to Grainger Hall, which housed an auditorium. The decision was made by then-President Dabney Lancaster to wait for the new auditorium (now Jarman Hall) to open two years later, then expand Tabb to connect directly to Ruffner.

Academics

Longwood offers over 100 majors and minors, with business as the most popular, followed by education and psychology. The largest department on campus by faculty is English and Modern Languages, with 44.

The University is consistently ranked in the top ten public, masters-level universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report,^[1] and was recently selected by USA Today as one of only 20 schools in the country that actively promote and foster student success.^[2] U.S. News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ...

Campus

Longwood sits on 60-plus acres in the gently rolling Virginia piedmont. Although a single campus, architecturally speaking the grounds are separated into two distinct areas: the historic “north core” and the more modern south end.

The oldest part of campus stretches along High Street from French dormitory to Grainger Hall. These six red-brick Jeffersonian buildings (French, Tabb, South Ruffner dormitories, and Grainger, Ruffner, and Blackwell Halls) date from the 1830s to the 1920s and are joined by a covered colonnade and all bear the university’s signature red roofs. At the center of this complex is Longwood’s main building, Ruffner Hall.

The College of Arts and Sciences and recently the university’s athletic offices, are located in along this section of campus. To the western end of the north core is the administration building, Lancaster, as well as Jarman theatre and the recently completed New Science Center.

Surrounding the main campus walk, Brock Commons, are the College of Business and Economics in Hiner Building, as well as the Cunninghams dormitories, the dining hall and Lankford Building, the student union. At the south end of campus are the library, music and arts buildings, and the Hull Education Center. Several athletic complexes and dormitories surround the perimeter of the campus.

New Construction

Construction has also started on a new fitness and recreation center. The 80,000 square foot facility, scheduled to open in the spring of 2007, will feature a wide range of amenities including an indoor track, basketball and racquetball courts, a climbing wall, work-out rooms, juice bar, and the latest weight, exercise and training equipment.

Across Main Street, a new retail/student housing complex made of four four-story buildings arranged in an pedestrian mall-type setting, called "Longwood Landings," was recently completed as well. Car-free zones (also known as auto-free zones and pedestrianised zones) are areas of a city or town in which automobile traffic is prohibited. ...

Student life

Student life at Longwood revolves around many traditions, such as the annual Oktoberfest and Spring Weekend celebrations and Founders Day celebration. Oktoberfest is usually held on the first weekend in October, while Spring Weekend typically occurs on the third weekend in April. One part of Spring Weekend is called "Bandfest," a concert on the Friday of Spring Weekend, and is run by the student radio station WMLU. Such artists as Something Corporate, Yellowcard, Carbon Leaf, Cartel, Reel Big Fish, Bubba Sparxxx, and Andrew W.K. have performed in the past. Through out the rest of the year weekend events are sponsored by the student activities board, Lancer Productions. Past acts have included comedians Elvira Kurt, Stephen Lynch, and Jimmy Fallon. Longwood Universitys local radio station. ... Something Corporate is a rock band hailing from Orange County, California. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carbon Leaf is a five-piece pop rock band from Richmond, Virginia. ... A cartel is a group of formally independent producers whose goal is to increase their collective profits by means of price fixing, limiting supply, or other restrictive practices. ... Reel Big Fish is an American third wave ska band, best known for the 1997 hit Sell Out. ... Bubba Sparxxx (born Warren Anderson Mathis on March 6, 1977, in LaGrange, Georgia) is a Southern rapper. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Image:Elvira kurt. ... Stephen Lynch Stephen Lynch (born July 28, 1971), is an American comedian, musician and Tony Award-nominated actor known for witty, comical, and sometimes quite disturbing lyrics. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Ghost Stories

Many myths also abound on Longwood’s campus, thanks in part to the annual Longwood Ghost Stories. Told at Halloween by legendary professor of anthropology, Dr. James Jordan, students are reminded every year of the cemetery that still remains beneath the North Cunninghams residence hall; the infamous University Bell, which now sits in the lobby of Greenwood Library and is rung only on highly special occasions, is said to be cursed, having caused the mysterious deaths of more than one student. One story entails a young man who was burned to death in Hiner. Also said to have caused the mysterious departing of students is the once massive network of underground tunnels. Although remaining portions of the tunnels are officially said to not exist, many students believe they do and are haunted by the ghosts of past students.

Joan of Arc

Jeanne d'Arc in Longwood University's Ruffner Hall

Unique among most American universities is Longwood’s adoption of a patron saint. Saint Joan of Arc is said to both protect and inspire Longwood students. The University’s two prized depictions of Joan are “Jeanne d’Arc,”—known affectionately as “Joanie on the Stony"—an 1870 plaster statue created by French sculptor Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu and Anna Hyatt Huntington's 1915 bronze Joan of Arc equestrian statue, nicknamed “Joanie on the Pony.” Image File history File links JoanRotunda. ... Image File history File links JoanRotunda. ... Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu (29 September 1833 - 21 April 1891) was a French sculptor in a modified Neoclassical tradition. ... Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (American sculptor, 1876 - 1973) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Rituals and myths dealing with the two statues abound. Joanie on the Stony, for example, heralds the occasion of every CHI walk with a pair of mysteriously appearing blue and white carnations. Joanie on the Stony is also said to bring good luck for tests to students who touch her clasped hands on their way to class.

Joanie on the Pony, however, with her knights armor and sword, acts as Longwood’s protector. On the night of the Great Fire of 2001, Joanie turned bright red upon her horse from the intense heat of the flames. Although the fire spread west-ward, engulfing Grainger Hall along with Ruffner, the connected student dorms past Joanie to the east remained untouched—the fire stopped, for no apparent reason, directly above her.

CHI

A CHI Burning

Also popular at Longwood is the secret society, Chi, named after the Greek letter X. Shrouded in mystery, Chi was founded on October 15, 1900, and promotes and maintains the spirit of Longwood. Members are secretly "tapped" and are revealed only at the conclusion of their senior year during the annual Chi Burning, a large bonfire held on campus (most recently it has been held behind Wygal Hall). Image File history File links Chi. ... Image File history File links Chi. ...

Chi members hold one "Chi Walk" a month. Members, completely covered in blue and white robes of their own making, follow one another from one area of campus to another at midnight. Walks are announced silently with the draping in white and blue rope of "Joanie on the Stoney" a plaster statue of the University’s patron saint, Joan of Arc, located in the lobby of Ruffner Hall. During these walks, members drop small cloths emblazoned with the year and either an "X," the word "Chi" or the seal of the university. These "pieces of Chi" are said to bring good luck as obtaining one is very rare.

The "Pieces of Chi" are also called "Chi Droppings" and "Chi-kerchiefs" among other things. These can range from pieces of blue or white cloth with the symbol painted or written on to ornaments, wooden stars, or plastic forks and knives that are decorated. Unfortunately a Longwood Student cannot take these off campus when they graduate. Chi Droppings must be passed down to someone staying on campus.

Sororities

Longwood is the founding home of four national sororities: Kappa Delta (1897), Zeta Tau Alpha(women's fraternity) (1898),Sigma Sigma Sigma (1898) and Alpha Sigma Alpha (1901). This is the most of any college or university in the country. Longwood is sometimes called the "Mother of Sororities."[1] Kappa Delta (ΚΔ) is a sorority founded at the State Female Normal School, now Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Zeta Tau Alpha (ΖΤΑ) is a womens fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at what used to be the Normal School for Girls but is now known as Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Sigma Sigma Sigma (ΣΣΣ), also known as Tri Sigma or Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 92,000 members (as of August 1, 2006). ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Alpha Sigma Alpha (ΑΣΑ) is a US national sorority founded on November 15, 1901 at Longwood College (now University) in Farmville, Virginia. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The Dos Passos Prize

Main article: Dos Passos Prize

The English department at Longwood University awards the annual John Dos Passos Prize For Literature, founded in 1980. Notable past recipients include Graham Greene, Tom Wolfe, Shelby Foote, Paule Marshall, Ernest J. Gaines, E. Annie Proulx, and Richard Powers. The John Dos Passos Prize is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the United States, awarded annually to writers in the middle of their career. ... The John Dos Passos Prize is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the United States, awarded annually to writers in the middle of their career. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH (October 2, 1904 – April 3, 1991) was a great English playwright, novelist, short story writer, travel writer and critic whose works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world. ... Thomas Kennerly Wolfe (born March 2, 1931 in Richmond, Virginia), known as Tom Wolfe, is a best-selling American author and journalist. ... Shelby Foote (November 17, 1916 – June 27, 2005) was a noted author and historian of the American Civil War. ... Cover of Brown Girl, Brownstones (1959) Paule Marshall (April 9, 1929) is an American author. ... Ernest Gaines was born in 1933 on the River Lake Plantation in Pointe Coupée Parish, Louisiana, the setting for most of his fiction, which he calls Bayonne; he was the fifth generation in his family to be born there. ... Edna Annie Proulx (pronounced ) (born August 22, 1935) is an American journalist and author. ... Richard Powers (born June 18, 1957) is a novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology. ...

Notable Alumni

• Jerome Kersey '06, former basketball player (Drafted in the second round in 1984 by the Portland Trailblazers, but did not finish degree until 2006).
• Michael Tucker '93, former baseball player
• Ransford Doherty '97, actor

Jerome Kersey (born June 26, 1962 in Clarksville, Virginia) was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association for a number of teams, but most notably for the Portland Trail Blazers. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Michael Anthony Tucker (born June 25, 1971 in South Boston, Virginia) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the Philadelphia Phillies since 2005. ...

External links

• Longwood University home page
• Longwood Athletics website
• The Dos Pasos Review
• College Folklore Website

References