He came and went like the wind. Determined. Driven. Focused. Quiet. Unassuming. “When he was here, he was in the zone,” said Rachel Walton, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator/Technical Services Assistant at Stanley Library. “He was dedicated to his project.”
The person is Micah Allen, a 2022 Ferrum College graduate who majored in history and political science, from Goochland County—just outside Richmond. The project was tracing the history of the Black Student Union (BSU) at Ferrum College and the inclusion of Black students in general. He mined old, bound volumes of the campus newspaper the Iron Blade from the late 60s to early 80s, identifying anything related to the BSU, scanning and transcribing the articles as he moved through them.
The work was similar to a project he undertook with the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum. The BRIM project focused on digitizing all of the Appalachian folktales and stories collected by the folklorist James Taylor Adams in the 1940s, saving them all in the digital archives, and posting them all on Professor of English Tina Hanlon’s AppLit website. Hanlon’s website site, AppLit: Resources for Readers and Teachers of Literature for Children and Young Adults, has been up and running for 20 years and has won the Appalachian Studies Association’s e-Appalachia award in the past.
“I scanned and transcribed the folk stories,” Allen said. “I first got one of the stories and then scanned it using a printer to get it onto the computer. After the scanning process, I then transcribed what I just scanned onto a word document, word-for-word, to the best of my abilities.”
Bethany Worley, BRIM Director, sang Allen’s praises on the project. “Micah was such a pleasure to work with,” she said. “He was detail oriented, which is a must when working with archival materials. I appreciated his enthusiasm for the special collection of folktales, history, and folksongs of the James Taylor Adams collection.”
For his part, Allen relished the undertaking. “I enjoyed my time working at the BRIM and doing this project because I saw it as preserving the history of the region,” Allen said. “Doing this allows future generations to be able to learn about their home and culture.”
Allen’s main interest, however, seemed to be his Stanley Library internship and the BSU/Iron Blade research he conducted. “I found some interesting editorials written in the Iron Blades in the early 80s dealing with the Black Student Union getting more funding than other groups on campus,” he said. “I found them interesting just to see the individual arguments being made for why they are getting more money than other school organizations.”
At some point, he said, the BSU apparently disbanded on campus. “I have not found if or when the BSU dissolved,” Allen said. “I was told that there was a point where they kind of just disappeared, but now I have seen that they are back. I hoped the further I went into my research, I would be able to find the answer.”
As is the case with many students, Allen underwent a time of growth here at Ferrum. “He was definitely one of our Class of 2022 star graduating seniors in the history major, and I have had the luck to watch him grow,” said Assistant Professor of History Michael Hancock-Parmer. “Micah arrived as a shy, typically insecure freshman student—maybe convinced that he was just going to see things through, not sure of what he was going to be capable of. Somewhere along the road, he came into his own.”
Fellow Assistant Professor of History Nicole Greer Golda echoed the sentiments. “Micah really blossomed in his years at Ferrum and developed a deep knowledge of our recent past, especially African American history,” Greer Golda said. “His senior seminar research into the meanings of democracy in the United States for African Americans during World War I demonstrated his commitment to preserving a wide array of sources.”
Allen plans to continue his education at J. Sargeant Reynolds in Richmond and study as a paralegal.
Article written and contributed by Assistant Professor of English & Journalism David B. Campbell.
8/19/2021
Dr. Ed Hally
Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration Ed Hally has been appointed to the position of Boone Honors Program (BHP) assistant director. He will serve alongside Professor of English Lana Whited, who has directed the program for the past 13 years.
“With a keen intellect and a heart for service, Ed Hally is an ideal candidate for honors education,” said Whited. “I am delighted about his appointment and grateful for his willingness to take on this new role.”
“I have a soft spot for honors programs, in general,” said Hally. “They were an important part of my own college career and development as a scholar.”
The BHP, an interdisciplinary program committed to challenging students, and the college campus as a whole, to strive for excellence, has continued to grow since its 2001 inception under the leadership of now-retired Dean of Arts and Humanities and Religion Professor David Howell. In May 2021, the program graduated 14 honors medallion recipients, its largest-ever group. This fall, BHP will welcome its largest entering class of 25 honors students. (An SAT score of at least 1200 and a GPA of at least 3.5 are required to join BHP as a Ferrum College freshman.)
Hally has worked closely with BHP for more than a decade, and has taught the introductory honors seminar (Honors 100) eight times. His role as BHP assistant director will evolve over time as the program’s needs are determined, but will mostly involve program assessment, mentorship, service on the BHP steering committee, and continuing to teach the Honors 100 seminar.
In 2020, Hally began directing the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which seeks to engage the student body in ways that will lead to even more student success. He will continue directing the QEP as he navigates his new role as BHP assistant director.
“The students are the main reason to work so closely with the BHP,” said Hally. “The classes are always rewarding to teach because the students always surprise and impress me with their creativity, their talent, and their ability to work as a team.”
Read more about the Boone Honors Program.
Alumna AnnGardner Eubank ’20, pictured here in her Ferrum College volleyball uniform, is the youngest member to serve on her local town council.
The day after returning home to White Stone, VA, when Ferrum College’s spring semester classes transitioned to virtual learning due to COVID-19, AnnGardner Eubank ’20 received her absentee ballot in the mail for her local elections. The ballot listed only three names for four available town council positions.
“I realized if I spread the word enough, the last seat that was up for grabs could very well be mine,” said Eubank. “I called and messaged everyone I knew, asking them to write me in. I used social media to get my name out there, as well.”
On May 20, 2020, just 11 days after graduating from Ferrum College, Eubank received word that she would officially serve a two-year term as the youngest person on White Stone’s town council.
“A big part of what I’d like to achieve during my term is to simply provide a new perspective and to represent the younger demographic,” said Eubank.
White Stone is located near the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay, and Eubank wants to utilize and protect those waterways.
“My town is extremely small business oriented, and I’d like to continue to strengthen those small businesses within my community while promoting sustainable practices and standards,” she explained.
At Ferrum College, Eubank majored in political science and minored in international studies. She was also a member of the women’s volleyball team and secretary of the Lambda Sigma National Honor Society. She served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was a sport’s editor for the College’s newspaper, The Iron Blade.
“The political science curriculum at Ferrum not only educated me on the functions and structures of government and politics, but also aided me in seeing myself as a global citizen. I can truly and empathetically see policies and issues from multiple different stances,” Eubank said. “Dr. [Sandra] Via [director of Graduate and Online Studies and associate professor of political science] and Dr. [Ed] Hally [associate professor of political science and assistant professor of public administration] not only taught me everything I know systemically and fundamentally, but they inspired me and ignited a passion for change and the overall betterment of society.”
“We’re really proud that AnnGardner found a way to apply the lessons learned in her political science classes to serving her community so soon after graduation. She is proof that a Ferrum education and a political science background gives students the ability to change the world,” said Hally.
Eubank’s election to her local town council is just the beginning. She plans to continue serving her community through politics and will ultimately work her way into diplomacy.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s political science program here.
Students participated in a Model United Nations Security Council at Ferrum College on Saturday, March 18. A role-playing experience designed to convey the full richness, complexity, drama, and importance of international affairs, the Model United Nations Security Council is an annual event at Ferrum College that has been ongoing for more than 25 years. The Political Science, International Studies, and History Departments host the event.
“The event allows students from any major the opportunity to engage in real world events through a simulated Model United Nations Security Council meeting. The students have the opportunity to role play as one of the current country delegations sitting on the Security Council. The event is designed to broaden students’ understanding of world events, enhance their critical thinking and research skills, and develop their oral and written communication skills through the drafting and presentation of resolutions presented to the entire body. Students also engage in negotiation, debate, and diplomatic dialogue,” explained Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies Program Coordinator Dr. Sandra Via.
“Students are given the opportunity to request a country that is currently represented on the UN Security Council from a list provided. However, the assignment of a delegation is on a first come, first serve basis. There are always 15 countries represented on the Security Council. Ten of those delegations rotate, and five are considered permanent members (also known as the P5) of the Security Council. The P5 countries are the US, UK, France, China, and Russia. These are typically the most coveted delegations,” continued Via.
“The topics of the Model UN change each year. We (the advisors) typically try to highlight three significant security problems occurring in the world. We also see what issues the UN Security Council is monitoring at the time the tentative agenda is created for the students. However, items can be added to the agenda. For instance, North Korea’s recent missile launches occurred after the tentative agenda was sent out to students, but several students wrote resolutions pertaining to the topic and added it to the agenda for discussion. Ultimately, participation in the event requires that students keep up with current events and be prepared for any possible situation,” Via concluded.
