91����Ƶ held its ninth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival on Wednesday and Thursday. The campuswide event, hosted by the Provost’s Office and organized by its Intellectual Life Committee, offered students opportunities to learn and engage with one another and to showcase their research, creative projects and papers.

In her opening remarks before the festival’s keynote address on Wednesday, Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus described the ACE Festival as a “celebration of student scholarship.”

“It’s where ideas take shape, not only in papers and research, but also in art, performance, and creative expression, and in the courage it takes to share one’s thinking with others,” she said.

“Here, students learn from one another,” she added. “We engage perspectives across our fields and practice the kind of communication and collaboration that will shape our lives beyond today and this semester.”

Career fair

Students connect with local employers at a career fair in the Hall of Nations on Thursday.

A new addition to this year’s ACE Festival was a career fair held Thursday inside the University Commons Hall of Nations. The event, hosted by the Alumni Engagement Office, gave students a chance to interact directly with employers, connect with alumni professionals, explore career options, and pursue internships or jobs.

Employers represented a range of industries, including Augusta Health, Merck, Park View Federal Credit Union, and Momentum Earthworks. 

One of those employers was Kirby Dean ’92, director of parks and recreation for Rockingham County. He previously served as head coach of the 91����Ƶ men’s basketball team for 15 years, leading the “Runnin’ Royals” to the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Although his department didn’t have any full-time job openings, he said he’s always hiring part-time workers to staff the rec center desk, rake fields during baseball tournaments, or mow grass. He said the career fair was a great way to build relationships and connect with students.

“I feel like there are just good kids here,” Dean said. “They were good when I went here from 1988 to 1992, they were good when I coached here from 2003 to 2018, and they’re good now. They’re the kind of people I’m generally looking for.”

Another employer at the career fair represented the local school division. Jeron Baker, assistant director of human resources for Harrisonburg City Public Schools, said the division typically looks to fill between 50 and 60 jobs each year, mostly teaching positions in math, science, elementary education, and English Language Learner (ELL) classes.

The former associate director of 91����Ƶ admissions said 91����Ƶ graduates have a natural understanding of the diversity and complexity within Harrisonburg’s student community.

“They sense the nuances of the human component and understand that education is not just about outcomes, but about process,” he said. “The process of knowing our students more deeply and understanding their systems more fully—it’s just something that comes naturally to 91����Ƶ students.”

91����Ƶ 60% of students in the city’s public schools speak Spanish at home, Baker said, and 50 to 60 languages are spoken by students across its two high schools. 

“91����Ƶ’s ability to create cross-cultural experiences for its students while also bringing in international populations helps students develop cultural competency in ways that are unique to 91����Ƶ,” he said. “That supports our populations, our students, our families, and the broader vision HCPS has for its students.”

In an last week, 91����Ƶ sophomore Francisco Rodriguez said the event offered him a chance to look at a lot of different career paths.

“Sales is a big passion of mine,” he told the newspaper, “but understanding there are other options available here, it’s really nice to be able to check it all out.”

Presentations

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP PHOTO: Senior nursing majors Emily Guin, Kristina Suslaev, and Reina Landa give a presentation on the effects of social media use on mental health in children and adolescents. | Senior engineering major Levi Stutzman discusses gentrification trends in Washington D.C. and Denver during a poster session at the Suter Science Center. | Chase Comer, a senior majoring in political science and history, presents research on shifting voting patterns in Virginia’s Buchanan and Rockingham counties. 

Students from a wide range of majors presented their academic research Thursday in oral presentations and poster sessions across campus. Topics included the concentration of antioxidants in cinnamon bark, the effect of data centers on surrounding infrastructure and resources, the relationship between trauma and homelessness, and the impact of immigration enforcement on local communities.

Senior Emily Guin, part of a group of nursing majors presenting at Martin Chapel early Thursday morning, said her favorite thing about the ACE Festival was attending other presentations and supporting her peers. “I feel like I learn something new at every presentation,” she said. For instance, she said that last year she learned childhood obesity rates in Harrisonburg were higher than the national average.

Guin will work at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Emergency Department after graduation. Her group presented on the relationship between social media use among children and adolescents and their emotional well-being and mental health. She said they researched the topic because of how relevant and new it is. 

“I think it’s crazy how impactful social media is, both positive and negative,” Guin said. “I can’t imagine growing up in such a digital time now. It makes me feel so old to say that, but I can’t fathom having everything posted on social media.”

Like many students on campus, engineering senior Levi Stutzman had a busy day of presentations. He was part of a cohort that tracked 91����Ƶ’s carbon emissions and presented findings showing the university is not on track to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 (as outlined in its Climate Action Plan).

He also delivered a poster presentation analyzing census data from 2000 and 2020 for areas of Washington D.C. and Denver to chart gentrification in those cities. Later that afternoon, he and three other students gave an engineering capstone presentation on a “single-axis shake table” they designed to simulate sesmic movement and its impact on structures. 

“It’s exciting to show off your projects and see what everyone else is working on,” Stutzman said. “It’s a special time of the year.”

Another engineering major, junior Micah Mast, presented a 3D printer he revived and upgraded. 91����Ƶ purchased the printer, a Makerbot Replicator+, in 2018. Because the machine’s parts and software were discontinued, it had largely been unused for several years. 

“It was always the printer nobody wanted to use because the prints were low quality,” Mast said. “It just kind of sat there.”

For his project, he replaced the printer’s proprietary control system with modern open-source electronics, resulting in improved print quality, a faster workflow, and long-term serviceability, all for about $150. The upgraded MakerBot adds a fourth working printer to 91����Ƶ’s collection. 

“This goes along with sustainability, using things that otherwise would’ve essentially been thrown in the trash,” he said. 

Mast said his favorite thing about the ACE Festival is showing the rest of the school what he spent an entire semester working toward.

“There were countless hours of trying to get it to do what it’s doing right now,” he said, pointing to the machine, which was successfully printing tugboats known as the “3DBenchy” test print.

Art exhibition

Senior art students Donovan Arnason, Daisy Buller, Hollyn Miller, Jasmin Ruiz, and Allie Watkins presented their capstone projects during an opening reception Thursday afternoon at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery. The exhibition will remain on display through May 1.

Student recital

A student recital at Lehman Auditorium featured performances by vocalists Mac Rhodes-Lehman (bass) and Eli Stoll (baritone), pianists Rafael de Tablan and Micah Wenger, violinist Miriam Rhodes, violist Monica Ehrenfels, flautist Nina Dunsmore, and guitarist and vocalist Erin Yoder (alto). The musicians were accompanied by Harold Bailey and Dominic Baldoni on piano.

A wind ensemble concert was held that evening, followed by a university choir concert on Friday as part of the weeklong ACE Festival lineup. View recordings of those concerts on the .

Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation

The 17th annual Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation recognized and celebrated the winners of 91����Ƶ’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Faculty members Dr. Ryan Good, Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas, and Kevin Carini were announced as this year’s recipients. 

Click the post below for testimonials about each recipient, the winners of the student writing and academic awards, and the faculty and student authors recognized for their published scholarly works.

Keynote address

A keynote address by Dr. Deborah Lawrence, chief scientist at Calyx Global, opened the ACE Festival on Wednesday morning. Lawrence, who taught at the University of Virginia as an environmental sciences professor for more than 25 years, reflected on Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 91����Ƶ’s Common Read this year, and spoke about her research on forests in Borneo, Mexico, and around the world. 

Read our recap of her address below:

The ACE Festival is hosted by the Provost’s Office and made possible by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Center for Interfaith Engagement; and the Daniel B. Suter Endowment, which supports 91����Ƶ’s commitment to fostering curiosity, discovery, and scientific learning. 

For a full schedule of ACE Festival events, visit .

Photos by Aric Berg and Jon Styer/At Ease Consulting

As part of its ninth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, 91����Ƶ held its 17th annual Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation on Thursday. The ceremony, hosted by the Provost’s Office in Old Commons Grounds (University Commons 177), celebrated the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award winners.

The awards honor three outstanding educators who exemplify excellence in teaching across four dimensions: impact on students, effective teaching practices, subject knowledge, and continual growth. This year’s recipients are:

• Dr. Ryan Good (professor or associate professor category)
• Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas (assistant professor or instructor category)
• Kevin Carini (adjunct faculty category)

Dr. Ryan Good
Associate professor of urban studies and director of the 91����Ƶ Washington Semester

Professor Good’s teaching extends far beyond the classroom. He invites students into the lived realities of Washington D.C., helping them critically engage issues of race, space, and inequality. His deep knowledge of the region, combined with intentional course design, creates transformative learning experiences. Students describe “eureka moments” that reshape how they understand the world and their place in it. Ryan is reflective in his teaching, constantly refining his approach, and deeply committed to his students’ academic, professional, and personal growth. Simply put, he is the heart of the program.

“Not only does he work hard to prepare lessons that get students to think critically about what they are seeing in the city, he brings the city to them,” a colleague wrote. “They visit key organizations and events so that they can experience the real D.C. and gain deep insights about this city’s issues and how residents are overcoming them.”

“Ryan is enthusiastic about Washington and all the lessons it has to offer young minds,” another colleague wrote. “He loves this place. And he helps students to fall for it as well. A good number of our alums end up staying here afterwards or returning at a later point to live and work here.”

“Ryan would be the first to say that teaching and learning is a dance, and he is only a partner in their process, but I would say that he lays down the right tune and tempo and steps for them to succeed,” wrote another.

Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas
Assistant professor of psychology

Students consistently speak to Professor Howard-Ligas’s dynamic presence in the classroom. Her ability to balance interactive learning with deep disciplinary knowledge makes her courses both engaging and accessible. Drawing on her background in theater, she brings energy and clarity to complex psychological concepts. More importantly, she is intentional about connection, ensuring students feel supported, seen, and able to succeed.

“I appreciate the ways Kathryn connects with her students and ensures they have the support they need,” a colleague wrote. “Kathryn has been a great addition to the psychology department and has felt like a steady presence during all the transitions that the psychology department has endured.”

“Dr. Ligas is the most energetic teacher I have ever come across,” a student wrote. “Early morning classes are not for the weak but she speaks with such enthusiasm that it keeps you engaged throughout the class. And I genuinely love how she makes us do a ton of group activities, which to me, are a great way to learn. She also has great mastery over psychology concepts and clears all confusion and doubts with absolute clarity.”

Kevin Carini
Adjunct faculty in natural sciences

Students describe Professor Carini as deeply caring, engaging, and committed to their success. Even in challenging moments, he meets students with understanding and encouragement. His classroom is one of respect and energy, where learning physics becomes interactive, creative, and even joyful. Whether incorporating students into problem-solving or bringing humor into complex concepts, he creates an environment where students feel both challenged and supported.

“He takes time to listen and actually wants to see us succeed,” one student wrote. “In the classroom, he always incorporates the students into learning by writing his own problems with our names in them or making silly noises while crossing out variables to keep us interested and focused. He brings a positive and enthusiastic attitude to the classroom and 91����Ƶ.”

In addition to the teaching awards, Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, recognized three faculty members who reached significant milestones at 91����Ƶ this year:

• Dr. Hongtao Li has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Dr. Timothy Seidel has been promoted to full professor
• Dr. Kristopher Schmidt has been promoted to full professor

Student writing awards

The ceremony recognized recipients of 91����Ƶ’s First-Year Writing Awards, given to first-year students for their “excellent research papers.” The recipients are:

• First place: Ash Dixon for “The Environmental and Economic Effects of Fast Fashion”
• Second place: Monica Ehrenfels for “Assessing the 15-Minute City: Walkability in Modern Urban Spaces”
• Third place (tie): Malia Yoder for “Protecting our Forests: The Fight Against Deforestation” and Joshua Henkel for “AI Among Students”

Student academic awards 

The winners of 91����Ƶ’s student academic awards were also announced at the event. Dr. Michael Horst, dean of Behavioral, Health and Natural Sciences, and the Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, dean of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, presented the awards.

Behavioral, Health and Natural Sciences

• The Judy H. Mullet Award for Psychology Internship Excellence: Hollyn Miller
• The Galen R. Lehman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research in Psychology: Lauren Kauffman and Leah Frankenfield
• Outstanding Second-Year Biology Student: Malachi Peachey-Stoner
• Outstanding Senior Biology Student: Maria Longenecker
• Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research: Maria Longenecker
• Natural Sciences Award for Exceptional Service: Sophia Nguyen and Dulce Shenk Zeager
• Outstanding First-Year Chemistry Student: Lisa Zimmerman and Mara Zimmerman
• Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student: Ethan Neufeld 
• Outstanding Senior in Engineering: Levi Stutzman
• Outstanding Senior Environmental Science Student: Madelynn Hamm and Jenna Oostland
• Outstanding Senior in Computer Science: Rebekah Copeland
• Outstanding Senior in Mathematics: Katie Tanous

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Music

• Outstanding Student in Music: Naomi Kratzer and Eli Stoll
• Excellence in Musical Leadership: Jacob Nissley

Business and Leadership

• Outstanding Business Administration Senior: Sarah Prroj
• Outstanding Business Analytics Senior: Erik Wilkinson
• Outstanding Accounting Senior: Guadalupe Tenorio Ramirez
• Outstanding Achievement Award: Fadi Michael
• Outstanding Marketing Senior: Zazkia De la Vega
• Exceptional Research in Business and Leadership: Roumany Sefin
• Exceptional Service Award: Zazkia De la Vega
• Exceptional Leadership Award: Ben Knutsson

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

• CatiAdele Slater for the dedicated organizing work as a graduate assistant, particularly the D.C. field trip
• Hannah Gilman for the innovative work advancing peacebuilding and conflict transformation tools in education through your practicum
• Toya Fernandez for the innovative work on restorative justice and racial healing, particularly bringing the Sankofa Circles to 91����Ƶ
• Mercy Francis-Harris for your dedicated, thoughtful and quality work in all your classes
• Tyler Stanley for the dedicated work developed in all your classes, particularly PAX 509

Undergraduate Teacher Education

• Virginia Scholars Award in Undergraduate Teacher Education: Arelys Martinez Fabian

Authors’ Reception

The event showcased faculty and student scholarly works published since Jan. 1, 2025. Featured authors included:

Faculty

Ann Schaeffer, associate professor of nursing; James M. Yoder, professor of biology; Bryce Van Vleet, assistant professor of psychology; Mary Ann Zehr, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition; Wendell J. Shank, instructor of Spanish; Carol Grace Hurst, associate professor of social work; David F. Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies; Jacob Alan Cook, assistant professor of Christian ethics; Doug Graber Neufeld, professor of biology; Kathryn Mansfield, adjunct faculty for Center for Justice and Peacebuilding; Stephanie Day Powell, assistant professor of Hebrew bible; Timothy Seidel, associate professor of community and international development; Mark Metzler Sawin, professor of history; Debbi DiGennaro, instructor of social work; Heike Peckruhn, associate professor of religious studies; Jeff Copeland, professor of biology; Paula Ditzel Facci, assistant professor of peacebuilding; Dr. Cherelle Johnson, instructor of business and leadership; Benjamin Bergey, associate professor of music; Mary Sprunger, professor of history; Daniel Showalter, professor of mathematics; Benjamin J. Guerrero, assistant professor of music; and Steven David Johnson, professor of Visual and Communication Arts.

Students

Ash Dixon, first-year psychology major; Monica Ehrenfels, first-year music major; Joshua Henkel, first-year sociology major; and Malia Yoder, first-year natural sciences major; as well as the authors and artists of The Phoenix (2025), which was edited by Alexis Lewis and Zoey Mongold.

First-year student Monica Ehrenfels and junior Micah Wenger, both music and peacebuilding majors, provided music for the authors’ reception.

Photos by Aric Berg and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

As keynote speaker for the 2026 Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, Lawrence told a crowd gathered at Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday morning about the year she spent researching plant-animal interactions on the tropical island.

She was tasked with walking a specific route through the forest, starting at dawn, recording every animal she observed and noting what it was doing and eating. She recalled listening to gibbons sing in the mornings, watching macaques leap from tree to tree in the evenings, and seeing her first orangutan in the wild. 

Lawrence, who holds a BA in anthropology from Harvard University and a PhD in botany from Duke University, said she had arrived at college three years earlier “pretending to be a pre-med major so I would have something to say when asked,” but still unsure what she wanted to do. When she returned from that year in Borneo, she discovered a newfound sense of purpose: to save the rainforest. 

“The rainforest had held me for a year, giving me a place to learn about nature and about myself,” she said. “What a gift.”

In the years since, she has devoted much of her life to understanding the human connection to nature and the consequences of actions like deforestation. Her research has taken her around the world to forests in Cameroon, Costa Rica, Mexico, and East Africa, as well as North Carolina and Virginia.

Lawrence spent more than 25 years as a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, where she focused on global forest systems and climate dynamics.

In addition to her academic career, she served as a science advisor to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Change, supporting climate policy and international negotiations. She played a key role in establishing SilvaCarbon, a U.S. interagency program dedicated to forest carbon measurement and monitoring.

For the past four years, Lawrence has worked as chief scientist at Calyx Global, a carbon credit rating agency. At the startup, she leads efforts to ensure the scientific integrity of greenhouse gas ratings. She also directs research and analytics for nature-based solutions and engineered carbon dioxide removal.

“I still do science every day, but my target is different,” she said. “I think of it as the flip side of academic research. I used to study nature’s climate solutions—how forests and land can alter the climate. Now I study how those solutions get put into action, bundled up, and sold as carbon credits. And my job is to make sure [corporations] are delivering the climate impact that they promise.”

In her address, Lawrence spoke about the wonders of photosynthesis—“It takes something you cannot see and turns it into something you can touch and eat”—and the glorious splendor of spring. “Life is simply bursting out all around us, and it’s an amazing thing,” she said.

She recognized her feelings of eco-grief, the sadness she feels about the loss of ecosystems and living beings, and the increasing rate of extinction. “[T]he earth is more than just a place where we live,” she said. “It’s a place we love. We would not feel sadness if we felt no love. So I just want you to remember that. If you are feeling sad about what’s going on in the world, you’re also feeling love.”

Lawrence said she had been encouraged to read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer six years ago but hadn’t found the time. Having recently read the book, which is 91����Ƶ’s Common Read for 2025-26, she expressed appreciation for its wisdom. 

“Trying to know something is a way to love it,” she said. “That’s what I wish for all of you while you’re here in college. Study something deeply. It will change the way you view the world, including yourself, including nature.”

91����Ƶ’s ACE Festival continues Thursday with a full day of student presentations and performances, an authors’ reception and award presentation, and the first-ever ACE Fest Career Fair. For a full schedule of events, visit .

Watch a video recording of the address below!

Thanks to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Daniel B. Suter Endowment, and the Center for Interfaith Engagement for collaborating with ACE Festival and the Provost’s Office to bring Dr. Lawrence to campus.

ACE Fest Keynote Address
Date: Wednesday, April 15
Time: 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Location: Lehman Auditorium
More info:

Dr. Deborah Lawrence, chief scientist and director of forest and land at Calyx Global, will open the 2026 Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival as keynote speaker at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, in Lehman Auditorium.

At Calyx Global, a Colorado-based carbon credit ratings agency, Lawrence ensures the scientific integrity of its greenhouse gas ratings. She spent 25 years as an environmental sciences professor at the University of Virginia, where she conducted global forest and climate research.

She also served as a science advisor to the U.S. Department of State and established SilvaCarbon, a U.S. federal program for forest carbon measurement and monitoring, according to a staff listing on . 

Lawrence holds a BA in anthropology from Harvard University and a PhD in botany from Duke University. 

Her keynote address will reflect on “our connections to nature and how they have changed over the course of my life,” Lawrence said, “informing my scholarship, my work, and my daily life.”

Jennifer Ulrich, chair of the Intellectual Life Committee, said Lawrence’s teaching experience, research, and international background were key factors in selecting her as keynote speaker. 

She said Lawrence readily embraced both the university’s annual theme of environmental sustainability and its Common Read, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, as she developed her address.

“I am grateful for her willingness to speak with us and look forward to her keynote address,” Ulrich said.

91����Ƶ ACE Festival

91����Ƶ’s Academic and Creative Excellence Festival provides an opportunity for students to learn from their peers and to showcase their own research, creative projects, and papers. It’s also an opportunity to continue conversations sparked by 91����Ƶ’s Common Read for the year.

In addition to poster and oral presentations held throughout the day on Thursday, April 15, ACE Fest events include a music department student recital at noon in Lehman Auditorium, an art exhibition opening for senior capstone projects at 4:45 p.m. in the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, and a wind ensemble concert at 7 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium.

The 17th 91����Ƶ Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation will be held from 3:45-5 p.m. in Old Common Grounds (University Commons 177) on Thursday. The annual event, hosted by the Office of the Provost, recognizes and celebrates winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards and recipients of student writing awards, as well as 91����Ƶ faculty, staff, and students who have published scholarly work since Jan. 1, 2025. The awards presentation part of the program will begin at 4:30 p.m.

An 91����Ƶ Career Fair, hosted by the Alumni Engagement Office, will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday at the Hall of Nations. It will provide an opportunity for students to interact directly with employers, connect with alumni professionals, explore career options, and potentially secure internships or employment. 

The ACE Festival is hosted by the Provost’s Office and made possible by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Center for Interfaith Engagement, and the Daniel B. Suter Endowment, which supports 91����Ƶ’s commitment to fostering curiosity, discovery, and scientific learning. 

For more information about the festival and a schedule of events, visit .

The stars, projected onto the dome of SSC 101—formerly home to the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium and now part of the D. Ralph Hostetter Natural History Museum—became a reality thanks to recent renovations and improvements by a group of 91����Ƶ engineering students. For their senior capstone project, Adam Stoltzfus, Laura Benner, Hellena Gebremedhin, Micaiah Landis, Lleyton Stutzman, and Rebecca Tezazu, under the guidance of faculty mentor Stefano Colafranceschi, restored and modernized the 91����Ƶ planetarium projector, which was originally installed in 1968 and had been unused since 2007.

On Thursday, as part of 91����Ƶ’s eighth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, the students presented their work and led demonstrations of the star projector. Their project was one of 32 oral presentations and 64 poster sessions, featuring more than 200 students throughout the day across campus. Poster and presentation topics covered a wide range, from the effects of energy drinks on physical activity and an analysis of homemade kombucha to the repatriation of cultural artifacts at 91����Ƶ and the rise of populist movements throughout history.

Click here to view the schedule from this year’s ACE Festival.

The campus-wide academic conference, held on Wednesday and Thursday, offered students the chance to learn from their peers and showcase their research, creative projects, and papers. It also provided an opportunity to continue conversations sparked by the university’s annual Common Read. 

91����Ƶ President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, providing opening remarks before the keynote address on Wednesday, discussed how fitting the festival’s name is. “I love that acronym,” she said. “We have many ‘ACE’ scholars at 91����Ƶ, both among the student body and faculty.”

Author David Williams delivers keynote

The ACE Festival kicked off on Wednesday morning with the keynote by the Rev. Dr. David Williams, whose novel When the English Fall served as the 91����Ƶ Common Read for the 2024-25 school year. Written as the diary of an Amish farmer near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the novel follows him as he tries to protect his family and way of life in the wake of a catastrophic solar storm that brings about the collapse of modern civilization. It was one of Amazon’s top 100 books of 2017, was selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, and was nominated for the 2019 International Dublin Literary Award.

Williams, pastor of Poolesville Presbyterian Church in Maryland, read selections from his book and answered questions from moderator Dr. Marti Greene Eads, professor of English at 91����Ƶ. In between readings, Williams spoke about the dangers of doomscrolling social media, the imaginative visions that inspired him to write his novel, and the ways in which our world, and its climate, are changing.

“Has anyone had to clean Texas dust off their car recently?” Williams asked the crowd at Lehman Auditorium. “I’ve lived in Virginia since 1975, and I can’t ever remember that happening—or seeing skies tinged with color and clouded by smoke from northern Alberta. For those who’ve lived in Virginia a while, when’s the last time you remember something like that?”

Watch a recording of the keynote .

Faculty members receive Excellence in Teaching Awards

The 16th annual 91����Ƶ Authors’ Reception and Awards Presentation recognized and celebrated the winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Professors Chad Gusler, Hannah Ferguson, and Hilary Moore were announced as this year’s recipients. 

For testimonials about each award winner, as well as the recipients of the student writing awards, student academic awards, and the names of the 16 faculty authors recognized for their published scholarly works, click on the post below:

Senior VACA majors unveil art installations

Digital media and communication majors Oslyn Mejia Gomez, Noussaiba Garti, and Zack Furr presented their senior capstone projects at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery and Lee Eshleman Studio Theater during an opening reception on Thursday afternoon. Inspired by street art, graffiti, and paintings of Christian icons, Mejia Gomez used wheatpaste to affix portraits he captured with a fisheye lens. Garti drew from cinema set design and crime scene storytelling to create an installation that explores personal growth and the journey of overcoming self-destructive habits. Furr incorporated photography and interviews with survivors of sexual assault to share their stories with empathy.

At the exhibition, Professor Jerry Holsopple announced 91����Ƶ junior Jasmin Ruiz as the recipient of the Matthew Alan Styer Scholarship Grant, awarded for “exceptional skill and dedication in design and/or photography.”

Matthew Alan Styer ’05, a graduate of 91����Ƶ’s Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) program, worked for 91����Ƶ’s marketing and communications department as a videographer, designer and photographer until 2008. The scholarship endowment honors the memory of Styer, who died from leukemia at age 30 in 2011.

The sound of musical excellence

A student recital at Lehman Auditorium featured performances from vocalists Elie Hoover (soprano), Erin Batten (soprano), Eli Stoll (baritone), Mac Rhodes-Lehman (bass), trombonist Caden Bradley and pianist Fernando Sanchez. Student musicians were accompanied on piano by Harold Bailey. 

Posters made perfect

The winners of this year’s STEM Celebration poster competition are: 

Independent research division

• First place: Abigail Forrest, Maria Longenecker, Elaine Miranda Perez, and Marciella Shallomita
  Knockdown of Cox6b (Complex IV) and ATPsyn𝜷L (Complex V) of the electron transport chain in Glutamate Neurons increases sleep and lifespan of Drosophila
• Second place: Aja Laun, Malachi Peachey-Stoner, and Ella Richer
  Improved methods of eDNA detection of salamanders using probe-based qPCR analysis
• Third place: Iris Anderson, Daisy Hamsher, and Sarah Peak
  Emotional regulation, bullying, and mental health: Exploring the interplay and outcomes in college students

Projects division

• First place: Micaiah Landis, Adam Stoltzfus, and Lleyton Stutzman
  Design and control of a low-cost inverted pendulum system
• Second place: Mariana Acosta and Levi Stutzman
  Bridging communities: Constructing a suspended footbridge in Eswatini

Upperclass division

• First place: M Lashway and Ben Perkin
  Effects of D. stramonium on C. elagans behavior and motility
• Second place: Seungmin Cha, Elaine Miranda Perez, and Whitney Showalter
  Analysis of homemade kombucha
• Third place: Alex Belisle, Maria Longenecker, and Kate Stutzman
  Physiological response to pain: Male and female pain tolerance under cold stress

General chemistry division

• First place: Bennett de Tenley and Emily Donovan
  Comparing the antioxidant capacity of store-bought vs farmer’s market fruits
• Second place: Apekshya Karki and Isaac Miller
  Race to relief: Which tablet dissolves faster-gel or firm tablet?
• Third place: Ephrata Amare and Melissa Miller
  How does the pH of a beverage affect ibuprofen dissolution?

The posters from STEM disciplines (biology, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, biomedicine, and engineering) were judged by an interdisciplinary panel of 91����Ƶ STEM faculty, with winners selected in the four divisions. 

Toys for tykes

Students in the Nursing Care of Children course designed and built toys tailored to the gross and fine motor skills, social skills, and cognitive development of an infant or child of the assigned age, aiming to engage each area of growth through play. Those students were Odesa Elezi, Elijah Spicher, Abigail Foltz, and Gabriella Seal.

Swipe through the photo gallery below for more pictures from the 2025 ACE Festival.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their time and efforts to making the festival a success, including Kirsten Beachy, ACE Festival Chair, and Diane Farrar, ACE Festival Coordinator, 91����Ƶ’s Language and Literature Program, Convocation at 91����Ƶ, Clay Showalter, Daniel House, Aramark staff, Shannon Grinnan and Pioneer College Caterers. Additional thanks to the many faculty mentors and session moderators and to those who helped set up poster shows, administrative support staff, anyone who provided festival assistance, and to everyone who presented and shared their work!

Photos by Macson McGuigan/91����Ƶ and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

Hosted by the Provost’s Office, the 16th annual 91����Ƶ Authors’ Reception and Awards Presentation on Thursday, April 17, recognized and celebrated the winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Professors Chad Gusler, Hannah Ferguson, and Hilary Moore were announced as this year’s recipients.

The award celebrates the outstanding teaching work of faculty in three categories: professors and associate professors, assistant professor and instructors, and adjunct faculty. Recipients were selected based on four criteria: impact on students, effective teaching practices, subject content knowledge, and continual growth, according to Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs at 91����Ƶ, who presented the awards.

“Educating our students is our most important task, and these awards honor faculty members whose teaching not only imparts knowledge, but also transforms lives, embodies our mission and values, and most of all, advances what it means to be part of a peace and justice university,” Willingham said.

Chad Gusler
Associate professor of language & literature

Students remarked on Gusler’s passion for teaching and the creative ways he brings material to life. One student shared: “He captured our attention every day. We read a book that was so thought-provoking that it pushed us all to think beyond what we were used to. He connected the book to olive oil, and we had a tasting with crackers that was fun and interactive. Chad cares so deeply for his students and wants us all to succeed in and out of class.”

Hannah Ferguson
Assistant professor of nursing

Students spoke highly of Ferguson’s impact in the classroom. One student wrote about her ability to connect classroom content to real-life personal experiences, “which allows the material to feel real and not just a lecture slide.” Another student wrote that Ferguson is “always reassuring us of our capabilities as students and future nurses.”

Hilary Moore
Adjunct faculty in criminology and criminal justice

Students wrote passionately about Moore’s teaching abilities. One shared: “Her teaching style is straightforward and clear, ensuring we’re all well-prepared. Her exams are based on class discussions and lecture materials, reinforcing what we’ve learned in a fair and meaningful way.”

Members of the Faculty Senate, which facilitates the nomination and election process for the awards, handed out plaques to the recipients. 

Student writing awards

The ceremony also recognized the winners of the First-Year Writing Awards, which are given to three first-year students for their “excellent research papers,” according to Dr. Mary Ann Zehr, director of the writing & communication program. 

• First place: Nataly Almendarez Funez for “Emotional Intelligence: Influence in Academic Success.” 
• Second place: Luke Buckwalter for “Bombs, Terrorists, and Automobiles: Stories of Tree Resilience Through Tragedy, and the Role of Much Needed Human Intervention.”
• Third place: Leah Blough for “Purls of Wisdom: What Knitters Want to Express.”

Student academic awards

The ceremony also honored the recipients of 91����Ƶ’s student academic awards, which were presented by Daniel Ott, dean of the School of Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts and interim dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professions; and Tara Kishbaugh, dean of the School of Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Nursing.

Awards for Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts 

• History Student of the Year: Ella Brubaker
• Political Science Student of the Year: Meredith Lehman
• Outstanding Student in Music: Reah Clymer and Cassidy Williams
• Excellence in Music Performance: Thaddeus Jackson
• Excellence in Musical Leadership: Mikayla Pettus

Awards for Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Nursing 

• Outstanding Second-Year Biology Student: Zoe Clymer and Sophie Nguyen
• Outstanding Senior Biology Student: Meredith Lehman and Elaine Miranda Perez
• Excellence in Undergraduate Research: Aja Laun and Ethan Neufeld
• Natural Science Award for Exceptional Service: Ethan Neufeld and Adesola Johnson
• Outstanding First-Year Chemistry Student:  Malachi Peachey-Stoner and Claire Reichenbach
• Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student:  William Bartel and Kate Krabill
• Outstanding Senior in Engineering: Laura Benner
• Special Recognition in Engineering: Adam Stoltzfus
• Outstanding Senior Environmental Science Student: Allysen Welty Peachey
• Outstanding Senior in Computer Science: Kervens Hyppolite
• Outstanding Senior in Mathematics: Sarah Deputy and Marciella Shallomita
• Kryptos Codebreaking Contest winners: Mana Acosta, Laura Benner, and Renae Benner, who were awarded for Turing level achievement
• Judy H. Mullet Award for Psychology Internship Excellence: Rachel Tusing
• Galen R. Lehman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research in Psychology: Sarah Peak

Awards for Social Sciences and Professions

• Exceptional Service and Leadership in Business and Leadership: Caleb Chupp
• Outstanding Recreational and Sport Management Senior: Brendan Apgar
• Outstanding Business Administration Senior: Grace Fravel
• Outstanding Business Analytics Senior and the Leadership Award: Levi Myers
• Outstanding Accounting Senior: Isaac North-Sandel
• Outstanding Economics Senior and Outstanding Achievement in Business and Leadership: Garrett Nyce
• Outstanding Marketing Senior: Eli Ours
• Exceptional Research in Business and Leadership: Laney Cline
• The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s Academic Awards for 2025: Hannah Gilman, Josiah Ludwick, Mariana Meksimous, and Jacob Sankara
• The Virginia Scholars Award in Undergraduate Teacher Education: Erika Lopez

Authors’ Reception

In addition to the awards presentation, the event showcased the published scholarly works of faculty, staff, and students from the past two years. Featured faculty authors included: Kirsten Eve Beachy, Benjamin Bergey, Peter Bunton, Martha Green Eads, Paula Facci, Ryan Good, Benjamin Guerrero, Jim Leaman, Gaurav Pathania, Heike Peckruhn, Mark Sawin, Timothy Seidel, Ron Shultz, Andrew Suderman, Paul Yoder, and Mary Ann Zehr. 

91����Ƶ student Jadon Harley performed saxophone music for the reception, which was held in University Commons at the Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations and in the Student Union. 

Thanks to Clay Showalter for assisting with audiovisuals for the event and to the “three Jens”—Jennifer Ulrich, Jennifer North Bauman, and Jen Jones—and Debra Pardini for their role in coordinating aspects of the reception.

Earlier this month, as 91����Ƶ students Madelynn Hamm, Vanessa Gardiner and Aja Laun pieced together the slides for their ACE Festival presentation, they received some exciting news. The Smithsonian Institute heard about their work collecting traces of salamander DNA and wanted their help.

Over the past two years, members of the project — guided by faculty mentor Professor Doug Graber Neufeld — collected water samples from the streams of West Virginia and vernal pools of the George Washington National Forest to gather environmental DNA on species of salamanders (the common two-lined salamander and the more elusive tiger and hellbender salamanders). Their project is especially beneficial as it uses a noninvasive approach to monitor species distribution.

On Thursday, at the seventh annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, Hamm, Gardiner and Laun presented on their research methods and findings. Their 15-minute talk was one of 49 oral presentations delivered by more than 85 student presenters throughout the day all across campus — at Campus Center, in Suter Science Center and at Martin Chapel — in the humanities, biology and environmental sustainability, engineering, nursing, political science, education, and more. Topics ran the gamut from managing the invasive species in Park Woods with baby goats (mark your calendars for 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 20, to help clear the brush and pet those baby goats) to the historical and modern context of arsenic dye, lead paint and fast fashion.

Click here to view the schedule.

Throughout the day, more than 120 students presented their research at 65 poster displays spread across 91����Ƶ’s campus.

One of those posters was about the use of popular artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT among students at 91����Ƶ. In their research, students Mesa Dula, Jansen Miller and Ben Alderfer found that the majority of 91����Ƶ students who use the AI chatbot use it about one to two days a week, mostly for generating ideas and brainstorming. 91����Ƶ 30% of the 47 students they polled said they did not use ChatGPT at all. Alderfer said he uses ChatGPT often and was curious to see its use among his classmates.

“I think it’s a great tool and I think it’s probably going to become far more prevalent in the next couple years,” he said.

At another display, engineering majors Lleyton Stutzman, Micaiah Landis and Adam Stoltzfus operated a sandbox. Visitors could create mounds or divots in the sand, and a computer would adjust to the new topography by projecting hills and mountains and lakes and rivers. Landis said the sandbox shows them how water flows down mountains and through valleys, which has applications in studying erosion.

Students used the day off from classes to attend the oral presentations, view poster displays, congratulate published authors at a reception, take in the many music and arts events and get a sense of what everyone’s been working on over the past year.

For students who attend the ACE Festival, it gives them the experience of attending an academic conference, said festival coordinator Diane Farrar. For students who present at the festival, it’s a way to showcase their own research, creative projects, and papers, she added.

91����Ƶ President Susan Schultz Huxman, speaking before a keynote address on Wednesday, spoke about the goals of the ACE Festival. The first goal is to recognize excellence in research at 91����Ƶ. A second goal is to raise the visibility of the diversity of scholarship at 91����Ƶ.

“And, number three is to validate liberal arts education — to examine the rigor, the relevance, the impact and interdisciplinary richness of research that pulsates from our liberal arts fields in the humanities, fine arts, social sciences and STEM disciplines,” she said.

Speaking of that keynote address…

Author Douglas Abrams delivers keynote address

A lot of people might know about Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but few know him as well as Douglas Abrams. The New York Times-bestselling author, who co-wrote The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World with Tutu and worked with him for more than a decade, shared the wisdom he’s gleaned from the Nobel Peace Prize laureate — including how to avoid road rage — as well as lessons from many other luminaries. Abrams co-wrote The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times with primatologist Jane Goodall, which was this year’s selection for 91����Ƶ’s Common Read. He spoke about the importance of hope in a world that’s suffering and the dangers of despair and cynicism.

“In one study, communal hope was the best predictor of community well-being,” Abrams said. “Hope and despair are as contagious as any virus. Despair turns us inward. Hope sends us into the arms of others.”

During a talkback session following the address, Mary Ann Zehr, who teaches first-year writing at 91����Ƶ, shared that she had her students read The Book of Hope and that it had resonated with them. She asked Abrams if interviewing Goodall made him a more hopeful person.

“In writing the book, I was able to see this long march through history that we are on and to see the progress we’ve made, and that has been really inspiring,” Abrams replied.

Student artists unveil works at opening reception

An opening reception at Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery showcased the works of four talented 91����Ƶ artists. Cassidy Walker expressed the duality of people and the differences between how they perceive themselves and how others perceive them in a series of mixed-media portraits. Valentina Barahona created a line of packaging design labels for a juice brand that would prove eye-catching to consumers. Mariah Miller used a technique called cyanotype to create a visual representation of how “humans invade and then abandon nature.” Afton Rhodes-Lehman reflected her experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder in a collection of acrylic paintings that juxtapose restrictive and rigid lines with the “chaotic joy” of vibrant colors. The exhibition will run through May 1.

Musicians dazzle at student recital

A student recital at Lehman Auditorium on Thursday featured vocalists Reah Clymer, Arnayja Parker, Riley Quezada, Elie Hoover, Jacob Nissley and Kay Pettus, pianist Rafael de Tablan, clarinetist Luke Haynes, organist Laurel Evans, tuba player Allie Smith and French horn player Tyler Williams. The student musicians were accompanied on piano by Harold Bailey, David Berry and Luke Haynes.

The slate of music performances continued Thursday night with a wind ensemble concert. A university choir concert will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 19, in Lehman Auditorium, and a concerto/aria orchestra concert will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, in Lehman.

A bevy of award winners, among both students and faculty, were announced at ACE Festival events on Thursday.

Three faculty members receive Excellence in Teaching Awards

Hosted by the Provost’s Office, the 15th annual 91����Ƶ Authors’ Reception and Awards Presentation recognized and celebrated the winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards:

Adjunct faculty: David Pruett
Instructors and assistant professors: Allison Wilck
Associate professors and professors: Ji Eun Kim

For more information about each award winner, visit the post below.

The event also recognized three recipients of student writing awards:

First place: Tie between Caleb Metzler, Willy-Nilly Reforestation, Why Diversification is Key, and Brooke Snyder, Microplastics and the Potential Threats They Pose to Humans
Second place: Willem Hedrick, The Effects of Short-Form Video, TikTok, and the Effects of Short-Form Video Content on Adolescents

In addition to the awards, the reception showcased the published scholarly works of faculty, staff and students from the past two years. Featured faculty authors included: Kirsten Eve Beachy, Sarah Bixler, David Berry, Jacob Cook, Shannon Dycus, Marti Eads, Paula Facci, Nancy Heisey, Steven David Johnson, Jim Leaman, Heike Peckruhn, Kevin Seidel, Tim Seidel, Kimberly Schmidt, Daniel Showalter, Mary Sprunger, Andrew Suderman, Paul J. Yoder, Howard Zehr, and Mary Ann Zehr. Chamber musicians Miriam Rhodes and Dr. Benjamin Bergey performed violin music for the reception, which was held at the Sadie Hartzler Library.

Three VaCA students receive Styer scholarship award

At the art exhibition, Professor Steven David Johnson announced the recipients of the Matthew Alan Styer Award:

• Cassidy Walker
• Nussa Garti
• Oslyn Mejia Gomez

The award is given to three rising seniors majoring in the visual arts who have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication in design and/or photography, Johnson said.

Matthew Alan Styer ’05, a graduate of 91����Ƶ’s Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) program, worked for 91����Ƶ’s marketing and communications department as a videographer, designer and photographer until 2008. The scholarship endowment honors the memory of Styer, who died from leukemia at age 30 in 2011.

STEM Celebration poster award winners announced

The recipients of this year’s STEM Celebration poster awards are:

Environmental Applications of GIS posters
First place: Joel Kornhaus, Assessing vegetation growth as a result of sand dams
Second place: Tie between Evelyn Shenk and Esme Martin
Honorable mentions: Levi Myers and Laura Craft

Chemistry class
First place: Jenna Oostland, William Bartel and Madelynn Hamm, Water System Health of Local Streams
Second place: Amber Bonds and Maya Tutton
Honorable mentions: Evelyn Shenk, Andrew Arledge and Elaine Miranda Perez

Biology class
First place: Marciella Shallomita, Bioinformatic analysis of cardiac tissue functionality: Implications for the process of bioengineering hearts
Second place: Ethan Neufeld
Honorable mentions: Betty Debebe, Elaine Miranda Perez and Aja Laun

Independent research and projects
First place: Marciella Shallomita, Abigail Forrest, Elaine Miranda Perez and Sadie Oesch, Loss-of-Function In The Drosophila Serotonin Transporter (dSert) Gene Changes Sleep and Activity and Decreases Life Span
Second place: Adesola Johnson, Meredith Lehman and Allysen Welty-Peachy
Honorable mentions: Levi Stutzman, Ivan Betancourt, Myles Dixson, Ben Friesen Guhr, Jonathan Kronimus and Sean Swartley; and Samantha Hensley, Hayley Collins and Sarah Moore

The posters from STEM disciplines (biology, chemistry, biomedicine, engineering, computer science, and psychology) were judged by 91����Ƶ STEM faculty, with winners selected in the four categories. 

And, for one more award…

Office of DEI announces a new staff award for community organizing

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), in conjunction with the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) and Professor Dr. Gaurav Pathania, announced a new award for 91����Ƶ staff employees who promote community organizing and enhance a sense of belonging and inclusivity among diverse groups. 

The Ambedkar-Baker DEI Award for Community Organizing seeks to honor the contributions and legacy of eminent African-American civil rights activist and organizer Ella Baker and social reformer Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, architect of India’s Constitution. This award celebrates staff members at 91����Ƶ who work together to address institutional inequalities and make positive changes. Eligible candidates are those who contribute to building a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community at 91����Ƶ, fostering a sense of belonging for everyone. Staff members can either be nominated by others or nominate themselves for this award.

Further details about the criteria for this award and the nomination process will be released this fall.

Sponsors for the ACE Festival included Blauch Brothers Inc. mechanical contractors, Park View Federal Credit Union, and Omar’s Hair Salon & Barbershop.

Photos by Macson McGuigan/91����Ƶ and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

New York Times-bestselling author Douglas Abrams, who has worked with many of the most inspiring people on the planet — from Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama to Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall — is the keynote speaker for 91����Ƶ’s Academic & Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival.

Abrams will deliver a virtual address titled “Two Truths and Three Lies 91����Ƶ Hope and Humanity” from 10:10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17, in Lehman Auditorium. His address explores the importance of hope in our lives and how to cultivate it personally and collectively when we need it most. It invites audiences to see hope not as a passive or weak response, but as an act of resistance that challenges the status quo. Following his address, Abrams will remain available for a talkback session until 11:30 a.m.

The talk will draw on his work writing The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times (2021) with Goodall (91����Ƶ’s Common Read selection for 2023-2024) as well as his collaborations with leading spiritual teachers, activists and scientists. Together with the Dalai Lama and Tutu, Abrams co-wrote The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (2016), which inspired the documentary .

Abrams lives in Santa Cruz, California. He is the founder of Idea Architects, a literary agency and media development company that helps visionaries create a wiser, healthier and more just world.

He worked with Tutu as his co-writer and editor for more than a decade. He was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers and served for nine years as the religion editor at the University of California Press.

91����Ƶ the ACE Festival

The ACE Festival invites keynote speakers to engage the community in conversations around values important to us at 91����Ƶ. The speaker is typically selected with the themes of the year’s Common Read in mind. We invite engagement and response from diverse perspectives, and encourage continued conversation around these themes.

This event is co-sponsored by 91����Ƶ Convocation and the Language and Literature Program. It will be livestreamed on Facebook Live from the .

Igloria will deliver a keynote “reading address” titled “What Poetry Offers: More Than Feeling” on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 from 7–8 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium and. The address invites audiences to consider how language, technique, practice and revision can be used to affect the meaning and impact of a poem. The event is open to the public and includes a reception and book signing from 8–9 p.m. in the Brunk Maust Lounge in the Campus Center. Three collections of Igloria’s poetry will be for sale.

Igloria teaches at Old Dominion University where she is a Louis I. Jaffe professor of English and creative writing in the MFA Program, which she directed from 2009–2015. She also leads workshops for and is a member of the board of The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk, Virginia.

Igloria is the inaugural recipient of the 2015 Resurgence Poetry Prize (U.K.), the world’s first major award for ecopoetry; a panel headed by former U.K. Poet Laureate Andrew Motion selected her for the prize. In July 2020, she was appointed Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving a two-year term. In April 2021, she received one of 23 Poet Laureate Fellowships from the Academy of American Poets to support a program of public poetry projects.

Find Luisa A. Igloria on social media:

• Website:
• Facebook:
• Instagram: @poetslizard
• Twitter: @ThePoetsLizard

Igloria’s visit is being hosted by the Provost’s Office. The ACE Festival is generously sponsored by these partnering businesses:

Explore past integration projects:, , 2017,  2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Schedule

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (chapel period)
Jimmy Calhoun: “The Wounded Healer: Clergy and Grief”
Jenn Parsons: “Companioning One Another Through Disenfranchised Maternal Grief”

Thursday, March 23, 2023
Hailey Holcomb: “Do I Matter? Using Theatre to Address Religious Trauma in Queer Community”
Virginia Basden: “Why the Wilderness: An Exploration into Wilderness as Spiritually Healing”
Greg Kropff: “An Examination of Clergy Trauma and How to Address It”

Thursday, April 20, 2023 (ACE Festival)
Carrie Dengler Wenger: “Toward Wholeness: How Chaplains Integrate the Sacred Work of Healing”

Capstone Descriptions

Tuesday, March 21  

Jimmy Calhoun: “The Wounded Healer: Clergy and Grief”

My CIP will develop a Wounded Healer program. This project is important to me because I am a Pastor and over the past eight years, I have lost three core members of my family and was diagnosed with a disease that is gradually taking away my ability to walk. While I know I am not the only person to deal with loss, as a Pastor I am struggling with how to heal. The problem is there is no program or group to my knowledge that helps Clergy deal with their grief. So, my research question is: How can fellow clergy walk with the wounded healers who are trying to help others? I will give an anonymous poll to clergy to access online as well as on paper. This will allow the individuals to write about their fears and pain. They will be asked whether they have someone who can walk with them during tough times. As the in-person course continues the participants will be placed in small groups to work on Lectio Divina questions. My presentation and paper will report on the experience and results and point out further areas for work.

Jennifer Parsons: “Companioning One Another Through Disenfranchised Maternal Grief”

Grief surrounds us. Yet, we are often uncomfortable in its presence. We rely on familiar rituals to accompany us through the loss of a loved one. We send or receive flowers, homemade casseroles, and sympathy cards. We dress in appropriate attire and attend a memorial or funeral service. But what happens when the loss is not the death of a loved one? What if we find ourselves or those we care about stranded in a space absent from social support? This presentation weaves together Kenneth J. Doka’s concept of disenfranchised grief, contemporary grief theory, and personal experience to offer examples of accompaniment through the turbulent waters of disenfranchised maternal grief. 

Thursday, March 23

Hailey Holcomb: “Do I Matter? Using Theatre to Address Religious Trauma in Queer Community”

This project draws on my ten years of experience in theatre. It combines the forefront of modern theatre research and practices with ministry and pastoral care to address religious trauma in Queer community – my community. I am writing an extensive theoretical “this is how 91����Ƶ could apply these practices to address this specific trauma event” in relationship to the 2015 experience of a production of the play Corpus Christi. Methodology includes embodied practices used to address trauma, anxiety, and PTSD  and organizing time out of the rehearsal schedule for cast and crew to have conversations about the particulars of their religious trauma, their experiences of religious community, how we approach scripture, finding ourselves in scripture and biblical narrative, finding community, setting and enforcing healthy boundaries, and other relevant topics. All of this includes discussions of the specifics here at 91����Ƶ and within the context of this production. Emphasis is on the process and the conversations rather than on a showcase for an audience.

Virginia Baisden: “Why the Wilderness? An exploration of Disability theology through the Wilderness Motifs in the Hebrew bible”

My project is designed to build on my personal experiences in exploring the wilderness, and a careful study of biblical themes related to wilderness, to encourage pastors, chaplains, and other spiritual leaders to incorporate wilderness experience into their practice.  I hope my project will help clergy, pastors, chaplains and Christians in all walks to feel more equipped to understand the theological grounding for time spent in nature, ways to enrich our experiences in Wilderness, and have informed and grounded conversations defending the importance of time spent in the Wilderness as not only a special retreat, but more so a necessary integral part of the Christian journey. In whatever manner I am ministering as a Chaplain, I am positive the Wilderness and nature will be integral. I may end up working with memory care, based on time I spent with my grandmother as well as my background with children with special needs. I have first-hand have experience with what nature and being outdoors can offer to children…especially children who have internalized differences from their peers and find solace and confidence in being in an open outdoor environment.

Gregory Kropff: “An examination of clergy trauma and how to address it”

Exploring clergy trauma and how to address it is an important topic as clergy trauma is often overlooked and not always understood. Clergy work very long hours and are often confronted with significant issues on top of being responsible for managing the local church and ordering and conducting worship. I can often feel like we are doing it all alone. Recent research argues that clergy are suffering from moral injury in conflictual ministry settings. Other data indicates that clergy experience suicidal ideation frequently. I will employ methods learned in CPE that can be beneficial in support of my clergy colleagues. I am hoping to help form clergy support groups where pastors can seek out informal confidential emotional support, receive aid with reflecting on difficult situations and feel less isolated. Based on a questionnaire circulated among clergy colleagues, I intend to make a call to action to both parish and denominational leaders to broaden resources of support for the clergy with whom they relate.

Thursday, April 20

Carrie Dengler Wenger: “Toward Wholeness:  How Chaplains Integrate the Sacred Work of Healing”

Chaplains in clinical settings are facing unique ministry challenges.  As they are more integrated into the medical system, they must shape their work in ways that harmonize and complement the interdisciplinary team.  Additionally, they carry the responsibility of spiritually supporting people across a wide spectrum of beliefs and faiths.  How can chaplains bring theological integrity to their role amidst systemic healthcare practices and when companioning people on various spiritual journeys?  How do they contribute to the health of each individual and integrate their assessments into the plan of care?  Questions related to the theology that grounds and guides chaplains, the chaplain’s role on an interdisciplinary team, and the professional chaplain’s integration with the healthcare system are vitally relevant parts of the growth of the profession of chaplaincy. 

The primary lens I will bring to my work will be that of a theology of wholeness.  I will engage scholarly work and biblical studies to create the framework for this theology.  Then I will bring this lens to several different disciplines including perspectives from medicine, social work, grief theory, and family systems theory.  In each area, I will be looking for indicators of wholeness and interventions that serve the telos of wholeness. 

To address both the goal of theological integrity and the realities that accompany interdisciplinary work in a hospital setting, I will propose the use of an appropriate spiritual assessment tool.  My process will include both the study of and experimentation with various tools as well as a proposal for how they might be improved.  In short, I will be aiming to discover and/or craft a tool that is theologically grounded, practical, relevant, and translatable. 

The ACE Festival Keynote will take place virtually on Wednesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Goldstein will speak on “Dreams, Drama and Dogma: Spiritual Writing Through the Centuries,” exploring the diverse legacy of writing in the Abrahamic faith traditions, from antiquity to the present.

Members of the public can view the free livestream on . (You do not need a Facebook account or page to access Facebook Live, nor does clicking on the link obligate you in any way to Facebook.)

Goldstein has a rich resume of community work in various disciplines. He helped found the Napa Center for Thought & Culture, an organization grounded in Jewish traditions and values that organizes thought-provoking programs and events. He was the founding rabbi of The New Shul, an innovative synagogue in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He’s the national Jewish chaplain for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and a chaplain for the Napa Police Department. He’s done humanitarian work in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

As a visiting scholar with the Center for Interfaith Engagement in spring 2014, Goldstein taught courses in spiritual writing and comparative monotheistic religions. He has also served on the faculties of New York University, Loyola University, and Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Institute of Religion. 

The rabbi will also speak with a panel of 91����Ƶ faculty and students about his newest book, Eight Questions of Faith: Biblical Challenges That Guide and Ground Our Lives (Jewish Publication Society, 2015), in a virtual event at 10:15 a.m. on April 21. 

The book uses eight questions found in the Bible – such as “why did I ever issue from the womb?” – to explore themes of mortality, responsibility, forbidden knowledge, sin, and the afterlife. Goldstein couples these meditations with reflections on his own life experiences.

Professor Marti Eads said the book’s “deep engagement with Hebrew scripture around existential questions is sure to spark rich campus conversation, not just during Goldstein’s visit but for days to come.” Copies of the book are already available for 91����Ƶ students on a first-come, first-served basis in the language and literature department.

“Goldstein’s search for answers are res­o­nant with any reader’s con­sid­er­a­tions of per­son­al life and career,” wrote Rabbi Arnold D. Samlan in . “Indeed, the great val­ue of this book is in the way the read­er will take the author’s expe­ri­ences, per­son­al­ize his ques­tions, and move toward more mean­ing­ful choic­es in their own life.”