Parents and students celebrate at annual Ring Ceremony

Saturday, March 23, was a special day at Longwood.

Under the dome of the Rotunda, with their families and Longwood alums looking on, a group of students received their long-awaited class rings.

Longwood’s annual Ring Ceremony marks this important and symbolic moment in the Longwood experience. The class ring is a tangible representation of a student’s academic accomplishments, recognizing the hard work, dedication and perseverance that went into earning their degree.

The Ring Ceremony tradition actually begins the day before the ceremony. Staff from the alumni office place all rings in a treasure chest designed and decorated by members of CHI, Princeps and CAHOOTS. The chest remains in the Rotunda overnight under the watchful eye of Joanie on the Stony, one of three sculptures on campus depicting Joan of Arc, Longwood’s patron hero.

Rings are presented during the ceremony the next day. This year Vice President for Student Affairs Cameron Patterson ’10, M.S. ’17, and Alumni Board secretary Kathy Moore Verhappen ’90 welcomed students and their families to the ceremony and luncheon.

Think your student might be interested in a class ring?

A Balfour representative will be on campus tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26, from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the Upchurch University Center to answer questions. Students can look at ring options, find out their ring size and even order their rings.

—Sabrina Brown

 

Get ready to cheer on the Lancers this Friday as they face Houston in the NCAA Tournament

I hope your student was able to make it to the NCAA Tournament selection show watch party this past Sunday in the Joan Perry Brock Center on campus.

It was an unforgettable moment.

Hundreds of students and other Lancer fans filled the stands behind the men’s basketball team to find out together who Longwood would face in their first NCAA Tournament game this year. When our bracket was announced—we’ll face No. 1 seed Houston this Friday—the crowd exploded, jumping to their feet with a roar of support for what will be Longwood’s second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years.

The crowd was so enthusiastic that NBC’s Today show included a clip from Longwood in its Selection Sunday coverage.

Longwood’s game against Houston is set for 9:20 p.m. Eastern time Friday, March 22, in Memphis’ FedExForum.

For the latest information about the tournament, including how to buy tickets and where you can watch the game, go to Lancer Tournament Central.

Here’s what we know right now.

The game will be televised on TNT. Tipoff will be at 9:20 p.m. Eastern time Friday, March 22.

Longwood is working to organize regional locations to watch the game and a pregame event in Memphis where Longwood faithful going to the game can gather before heading to FedExForum.

Whatever happens on Friday, we all can feel proud to be part of the Lancer family. Go Wood!

—Sabrina Brown

P.S. I also wanted to let you know that tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20, is Love Your Longwood Day. This special day for Lancers to show their support for the university comes around every spring. Find out more at: https://love.longwood.edu/. 

Dancing Again! Join a NCAA Selection Sunday watch party on March 17

For the second time in three years, our men’s basketball team is headed to the big dance—the NCAA Tournament—and, as an important part of the Lancer family, you’re invited to join in the excitement starting this Sunday!

On Selection Sunday, March 17, help us cheer on the team as they find out who they will take on in the first round of March Madness! You can join other Lancer fans at the campus watch party or at a regional watch party in your area. All of the watch parties have no entry fee and are open to all Lancer fans. (You’ll find details about times and locations at the bottom of this post.)

Or you can watch the Selection Sunday show from home at 6 p.m. on your local CBS station.

All this is thanks to the men’s stellar performance in the Big South Tournament, which earned them the conference championship. You can see some of the Big South Tournament action here.

“We’re so excited to welcome fans back to the Joan Perry Brock Center one more time this season to celebrate not only this special team and their incredible run to close out the season, but also the best fans in the Big South,” said Longwood Athletics Director Tim Hall. “I hope to see all of Lancer Nation rock JPB one more time this season when we find out where we are headed for March Madness.”

Keep an eye on https://www.longwood.edu/gowood/ for all things tournament-related. We’ll be regularly updating the site with information about watch parties, Longwood’s games and more.

Now about those Selection Sunday watch parties.

Campus Watch Party

5 p.m. Sunday, March 17
Joan Perry Brock Center

What a great moment to share with your student! Everyone will be in their Lancer blue and white and anticipating the announcement of Longwood’s first game in the tournament. (You might even be caught on camera if Virginia television stations cover the event.) There will be complimentary snacks, T-shirt giveaways, free posters and the chance to take photos with the 2024 Big South Tournament trophy before the 6 p.m. show. Try to allow yourself enough time to be in your seat behind the team by 5:45 p.m. Afterwards, everyone is invited to meet and greet team members, who will be available to sign autographs.

Regional Watch Parties

Virginia Beach
ShoreBreak Pizza and Tap House
5:30 p.m., Sunday, March 17
2941 Shore Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Let us know you’re coming on Facebook!

Richmond
River City Roll
5:45 p.m., Sunday, March 17
939 Myers St.
Richmond, VA 23230
Let us know you’re coming on Facebook!

Northern Virginia
Bronson Bierhall
5 p.m., Sunday, March 17
4100 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22201
Let us know you’re coming on Facebook!

—Sabrina Brown