A BRIEF HISTORY OF FARMVILLE & LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY

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1 1 LAUREN GINDER & SARAH LUONGO LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY TAKING THE HIGH BRIDGE : BENEFITS OF CLIENT-BASED LEARNING IN COLLEGE TOWNS A CASE STUDY BACKGROUNDER This case study examines the benefits of cultivating strong mutually beneficial relationships between higher education institutions and their surrounding communities;; it details the ways in which a group of four Longwood University students and the Executive Director of a local nonprofit organization, The Farmville Downtown Partnership, have worked and are continuing to work to cultivate lasting relationships. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the Fall semester of 2013, Longwood University Junior communications students, Lauren Ginder, Sarah Luongo, Mason Ramsey, and Erik Obst embarked on a semester long project with the local non profit organization in their community, Farmville Downtown Partnership. The project was for a class titled, Communication 364, Applied Organizational Communications (COMM 364);; the student team was tasked with the responsibility of creating a strategic communications plan to meet a client's goal and/or need. The student team selected the recently established nonprofit organization, Farmville Downtown Partnership, to serve as their client. When the students began working with the organization, they identified an ongoing problem the organization was experiencing;; a lack of effective communication between the Farmville Downtown District and Longwood University students. Throughout the course of the semester, the student team from COMM 364 actively worked and strategized to improve the communication between Longwood University students and Downtown Farmville in order to cultivate a strong mutually beneficial relationship between the two entities. A BRIEF HISTORY OF FARMVILLE & LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY The Town of Farmville, Virginia was established in Prince Edward County in 1798 and emerged as the center of commerce, education, and law for the area s seven surrounding counties. Farmville thrived as a town with a superior market of loose leaf tobacco and

2 2 manufacturing (Johns & Company, 1888). Farmville, with a current population of 8,216, was and still is, the largest town between the larger Virginian cities of Lynchburg and Richmond (Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce, n.d. & Town of Farmville, n.d.). In the 1850 s, due to Farmville s location, it became a stop along the South Side railroad that connected Lynchburg and Petersburg. The railroad system played an important role in Farmville s development and history. In the 1870 s s the railroad expanded and merged with other railroad routes in the country, and became known as the Norfolk and Western Railroad. However, in 1982, the maintenance of the railroad bridge that crossed over the Appomattox River, High Bridge, became too much of an expense, therefore the railroad s use and route were significantly reduced and eventually abandoned (Longwood University, 2014). The town of Farmville began to experience a decline in economic development in a few years prior to the railroad's closure. In 1974 when federal regulations were put in place on the town s major industry, tobacco the town began to suffer (H. Person, personal communication, April 16, 2014). During the course of Farmville s history, a major development occurred in 1839, when the Commonwealth of Virginia decided to establish a female seminary in the town of Farmville, Virginia. This all female seminary became known as The Farmville Female Seminary, and later the Farmville Female College. It opened with the intention of educating young women and providing a home-like atmosphere (Rosemary Sprague 1989). The institution has been called many names- State Normal School for Women in 1914, The State Teachers College at Farmville in 1924, Longwood College in 1949, and finally Longwood University in The University was sex-segregated until 1976, the year that the college began accepting male students. This was just two years after the railroad began to deplete. Since then, the University has continued to grow, change, and adapt to the changing world around Farmville, Virginia. During the course of the university s growth and evolution, the relationship between the Longwood University community and the Farmville community has become strained and communication minimized. As a result of the diminished railroad and success of Longwood sex-integration, the two communities operate separately, rather than working together. CLIENT BASED LEARNING: Creating Mutually Beneficial Between Academia & Community Academia no longer has to be confined to the four walls of a classroom. With increased technology and emphasis on client based learning, also known as, service learning, students are

3 3 presented with opportunities to enhance their learning and professional development well beyond the physical walls of a classroom. Client based learning, according to Addams et al. (2010), occurs when assignments in the classroom are specifically designed to promote student interaction with business professionals. Client based learning facilitates opportunities for both the client and students to benefit. For the students, this interaction provides hands-on experience with the cushion that academia can provide, room for failure without repercussions. Client based learning provides extra motivation for students to perform because they have the desire to see their efforts in a tangible way. While students are able to apply their classroom knowledge in the real world, they learn the value of social responsibility and the importance of community involvement (Addams et al. 2010). As previously stated, students are not the only beneficiaries in client-based learning settings, the client also benefits. Community clients benefit from having a supply of a dependable work-force, who have new perspectives and ideas. Both the client and the student can learn from one another and gain a tangible take-aways from the partnership. There are also benefits beyond higher education, these civically engaging projects allow students to begin to understand the transition from university standards to workplace standards. According to King & Polenghi (2014) situated learning, which can be used in accordance with client based learning, is learning that we do outside of the classroom and in the context, this broadens students worldview and allows them to walk a mile in someone else s shoes. This is beneficial because it allows for creative, critical, problem solving to occur, as well as beneficial experience within context, a necessary skill for entering the workplace. LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY: Citizen Leadership & Applied Organizational Communication Longwood University, located in Farmville, VA, utilizes principles of situated/client-based learning into their curriculum. For example, Longwood University has structured it s learning focus around citizen involvement and leadership. Longwood also places great emphasis on hands-on learning, and finding the balance between education, values, and service. When these three join together, they create a citizen leader and thus, create a positive impact on the surrounding society (Longwood University, 2014). The institution has implemented programs, organizations, and classes into the curriculum that cater specifically to the civic mindset.

4 4 The Longwood University course, Communication 364: Applied Organizational Communication (COMM 364), is designed with the institution's citizen leadership philosophy in mind. It s focus is to help students develop advanced, professional, communication skills that are present in the business and professional realm. This course s objective is for students to learn collaborative meeting management skills, develop team presentations, and seek change in their surrounding environment. This course requires student teams to aid a community client in achieving a specific goal by creating a tangible, viable, strategic communication plan. For the purpose of this class, student team, Lauren Ginder, Sarah Luongo, Mason Ramsey, and Erik Obst, partnered with the Farmville Downtown Partnership, and worked with the organization s Executive Director, Helen Person, to create a tangible communication plan that caters specifically to the Farmville Downtown Partnership and Longwood University needs and goals. FARMVILLE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP The Farmville Downtown Partnership was established at the beginning of 2012 as an extension of the Virginia Main Street (VMS) Program in Farmville, Virginia. The mission of the Farmville Downtown Partnership is to bring together the residents, merchants, and students of Farmville to preserve downtown s role as the center of our historic community, and to plan for the future of Farmville as an exciting and profitable place to live, learn, open a business, and visit (Farmville Downtown Partnership, 2014). Along with the mission, the Farmville Downtown Partnership has established a vision for the organization to work towards. The following vision points are adapted directly from the Farmville Downtown Partnership website. to preserve the historical character of a small college town and to promote the economic and cultural vitality of its future. to develop the commercial and cultural heart of this college community by preserving its historical appeal while promoting a future of bright economic prospects for merchants and vibrant entertainment and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. to help enrich the economic and cultural quality of life for Farmville s residents, students, merchants, and visitors by building on its historical appeal and helping to realize its commercial, residential, and entertainment potential.

5 5 to capitalize on the pride and enthusiasm of Farmville s residents and merchants in order to develop a stronger community spirit (Farmville Downtown Partnership, 2014). In order to achieve their mission and vision, the Farmville Downtown Partnership is organized into four distinct committees;; Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization. Each committee is tasked with specific responsibilities to aid in achieving the partnership s overall mission and vision. The following is a brief description of the different committees and their responsibilities. 1. Design - Facade rehabilitation, display and merchandising assistance, downtown decor 2. Economic Restructuring - Entrepreneur support and program development 3. Promotion - Community events, and retail and business promotion 4. Organization - Fund development, volunteer management, brand management and marketing Each committee is meets a minimum of once a month at the Virginia s Heartland Visitor s Center to plan for and evaluate committee efforts (Farmville Downtown Partnership, 2014). In the Fall of 2013, The Farmville Downtown Partnership s mission and Longwood University s focus of learning began to line up when the Longwood University student team from COMM 364 and the Executive Director of the Farmville Downtown Partnership created a strategic play to work towards the goal of cultivating a strong mutually beneficial relationship between Farmville Downtown and Longwood University students. TIME LINE Early 2012 Farmville Downtown Partnership established Summer 2013 One student from Longwood University volunteered for two weeks in the Farmville Downtown Partnership office August 2013 First day of COMM 364: Applied Organizational Communications, semester long student teams are established

6 6 September 2013 Team members;; Lauren Ginder, Sarah Luongo, Mason Ramsey, Erik Obst, select Farmville Downtown Partnership as focus of the semester long project COMM 364 group makes initial contact with the Executive Director of the Farmville Downtown Partnership, Helen Person The student team identifies an organizational problem: a lack of effective communication between the Town of Farmville and Longwood University students Students identify goal: to cultivate a stronger mutually beneficial relationship between the students of Longwood University and Farmville Downtown Students volunteer with Farmville Downtown at Longwood University s event, Rock the Block, to survey students about their communication patterns and downtown interests Sarah Luongo and Erik Obst attend the Farmville Downtown s Promotions Committee monthly October 2013 Sarah Luongo and Erik Obst attend the monthly Promotions Committee meeting All members of the COMM 364 student team volunteer to help with the organization s Downtown Halloween Parade preparations November 2013 Through the Farmville Downtown Partnership, students partner the student organization PRSSA, formerly Longwood University Public Relations Organization (LUPR), with the Farmville Lion s Club, to design a float to be featured in the town s Christmas Parade Sarah Luongo and Erik Obst attend the Promotions Committee s monthly meeting December 2013 Students present research and tactics to COMM 364 class Farmville Downtown Partnership approves budget for 2014 to include funding for a Halloween event and spirits tour that was proposed by the COMM 364 student team earlier in the fall All members of the student team are offered internships with the Farmville Downtown Partnership. January 2014 Two student interns (one from the organizational communications class and one non communications student) from Longwood University begin 150 hour internships with the Farmville Downtown Partnership

7 7 March 2014 Student interns are given full access to social media accounts April 2014 Farmville Downtown Partnership receives two inquiries about interning with the partnership in Fall 2014 Sarah Luongo and Lauren Ginder decided to evaluate the previous strategies and tactics in comparison to their success in reaching the students of Longwood University Three Longwood University students accept internships for Summer 2014 with the Farmville Downtown Partnership Four Longwood University students accept internship positions with the Farmville Downtown Partnership for Fall 2014 TACTICS After spending time in the office and on campus, the students were able to gain a better idea of what sort of changes should take place to improve the flow of communication between the two cultures. The COMM 364 student team created the following strategic plan to achieve their goal of building a stronger mutually beneficial relationship between Farmville Downtown and Longwood University students. Objective 1: Build trust between Farmville Downtown Partnership and Longwood University students Strategy: Actively participate in activities pertaining to and planned by the Farmville Downtown Partnership Tactics: Volunteer at the Farmville Downtown Partnership s booth at the Longwood University event, Rock The Block. Rock The Block is a block party held for the residents of Farmville, and the students, faculty and staff of Longwood University. This party is a result of The Town of Farmville and Longwood University partnering to allow businesses owners and organizations within the surrounding area to reach out to students and vice versa. Volunteer for Downtown s Halloween Parade preparation

8 8 Attend monthly meetings with the Promotions Committee Meet on a regular basis with the Executive Director and Promotions Committee Chair Objective 2: Create a long lasting, mutually beneficial partnership with Farmville Downtown and Longwood University students beyond the Fall 2013 semester. Strategy: Develop and implement opportunities for Longwood University students to become involved with the Farmville Downtown Partnership Tactics: Develop and implement an internship program for Longwood University students in the Farmville Downtown Partnership offices Propose a Halloween event that students can help plan and implement as well as attend Partner Longwood University student organizations with local organizations to collaborate EVALUATION During the Spring 2014 semester at Longwood University, members of the Fall 2014 COMM 364 student team, Lauren Ginder and Sarah Luongo, decided to evaluate their efforts in regards to their client, Farmville Downtown. The two students started writing a case study that measures the success of the tactical plan they created in relation to its goals. The student team strived to achieve their first objective of, building trust between Farmville Downtown Partnership and Longwood University students. Over the course of the four month semester, the team strategized to actively participated in activities pertaining to the Farmville Downtown Partnership. Volunteerism was important because prior to this plan, Downtown had not received many Longwood student volunteers. The student team first broke the mold, when they volunteered to work on behalf of the Farmville Downtown Partnership at the Longwood University event, Rock the Block. COMM 364 team members, Erik Obst and Sarah Luongo, stayed at the booth for two hours, promoting Farmville s downtown district and collecting student s contact information. They collected the phone number and address of 141 Longwood University students so that the Partnership s Executive Director would have a student contact list to send out information about the Partnership s activities.

9 9 The student team s next initiative was to volunteer again, in order to show consistency. This time, the team worked within the Partnership s office to stuff candy bags to be given out to children attending the Farmville Downtown Halloween Parade that was to be held the following afternoon. In accordance with this effort, in November;; Sarah Luongo, Erik Obst, and Mason Ramsey provided their labor to the Farmville Lion s Club and helped them construct their float for the Farmville Christmas Parade that took place on December 1st. In addition to these volunteer efforts, Luongo and Obst attended three of the Promotion Committee s monthly meetings;; held the third Tuesday of every month at 8am. Overall the COMM 364 student team was able to achieve their first objective of establishing a good rapport and trust with the Farmville Downtown organization. It was important that the students embedded themselves within the town s culture. According to Helen Person s idea of the Farmville culture, it s personal and everyone does business with their neighbors...it s important to understand that everyone is essential to the community. (H. Person, personal communication, April 24, 2014). When the student team situated themselves not only in the office, but within the town of Farmville, the students created and maintained trust within the Partnership s office, and the Farmville community. This Objective s success was vital to the success of the team s second objective, creating a long lasting partnership with Farmville Downtown and Longwood University students beyond the Fall 2013 semester. Members of the student team report that volunteering and working with the organization helped them to learn about maintaining power distant interpersonal relationships, organizational structure, and the importance of commitment in a professional environment. When the COMM 364 team regularly met with the Farmville Downtown Partnership s Executive Director, they would often brainstorm possible events and opportunities. One of these opportunities was the establishment of an internship program. Because the student team expressed interest and the Executive Director was impressed with the student s consistency in communication and volunteerism, all four of the students were offered an internship with the Farmville Downtown Partnership. This occurrence, inspired the student team s second objective of, establishing long lasting, mutually beneficial relationship between Longwood University students and the Farmville Downtown Partnership beyond the Fall 2013 semester. Prior to the Fall of 2013, Executive Director of Farmville Downtown, Helen Person, reported in an interview that she had only ever had one student intern in the office. This intern was from Longwood University and had been with her short term;; a period of two weeks in the summer of Since the end of the Fall 2013 COMM 364 class, Farmville Downtown has had

10 10 two Longwood University students complete internships;; COMM 364 team member Sarah Luongo a communications student, and another Longwood University student, Ellen Farmer who is majoring in liberal studies. Over the course of the Spring 2014 semester, these two Longwood University students completed 150 hour internships. According to Executive Director Helen Person, having student interns in the office has been a tremendous help. Due to the fact that she is the only member on the payroll for the Farmville Downtown Partnership, having student interns has helped her to meet the goals and objectives set in place by the organization. The Partnership is not the only entity to benefit, Person strives to provide students with an environment that helps to nourish students skillset so that they stand out upon newly entering the workforce. Person also expressed desire in allowing the internship program to grow and become sustainable within the town of Farmville. As of right now, there are three confirmed Longwood University student interns for Summer 2014, and four confirmed Longwood University student interns for the Fall 2014 semester. In addition to the internship program, the student team successfully partnered a Longwood University student organization with a local community organization in order to establish the LU presence within the town. The recently chartered, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), formerly known as, The Longwood University Public Relations Organization (LUPR) was partnered with the Farmville Lion s Club through this COMM 364 project. Members of the student organization and Farmville Lion s Club worked together to design and build a parade float for Farmville s annual Christmas Parade. The Lion s Club was so overwhelmed and happy with the students effort and work that they asked the group to return the following year and help them again. Since this partnership, Helen Person has urged that future partnerships of Longwood University clubs and Farmville organizations should take place in regards to the Farmville Christmas parade and other events. The COMM 364 student team was also successful in creating a comprehensive Halloween event plan to be implemented by the Farmville Downtown Promotions Committee. Upon the plan s completion, the former Promotions Chair, John Miller, proposed the students plan to the committee members and a budget was approved for the event. The Halloween movie night proposal was tangible evidence that the team was committed to working with the Farmville Downtown Partnership. Team members were motivated by the possibility of their ideas transforming into a reality. This event is set to take place during the Fall 2014 semester. With persuasive efforts and collaboration, it is hoped that Longwood University student organizations and interns will aid in the development and execution of the event.

11 11 CONCLUSION Client-based learning in college towns allows students and the surrounding areas to benefit. Students are able to gain applicable, real-world knowledge and experience by participating in situated learning at the university level. Clients are able to benefit from the additional labor and differing perspectives, making this a mutually beneficial relationship. The evaluation of Longwood University, COMM 364 students alliance with the nonprofit organization, Farmville Downtown Partnership, supports that client-based learning results in tangible benefits for all parties involved. The Longwood University students gained experience with organizational structure and learned the importance of trust and consistency. The students benefited from situated learning because they were able to converse with business owners and citizens of the town, allowing them to learn and practice the surrounding culture. This was beneficial to the success of the strategic plan because it provided foundation for the formation of appropriate tactics and helped in determining their success in relation to their goal. Because the students were given insight, they were allowed to wear both the Longwood University perspective as well as the Farmville perspective. As a result of this duality, the students tactics were consistently beneficial for both parties, another indicator of this case study s success.

12 12 References Addams, H. L., Woodbury, D., Allred, T., & Addams, J.. (2010). Developing student communication skills while assisting nonprofit organizations. Business Communication Quarterly, 73(3), Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce (n.d.). History. Retrieved from Farmville Downtown Partnership. (2014). About us. Retrieved from Farmville Downtown Partnership. (2014). Structure. Retrieved from Longwood University. (2014). Historic farmville. Retrieved from Longwood University. (2014). Mission & Vision. Retreived from Johns & Company. (1888). Prince edward county for a home in virginia. Richmond, VA: Johns & Company, Book and Job Printers. Sprague, R. (1989). Longwood College: A History. Richmond: The William Byrd Press Town of Farmville. (n.d.). Economic Development. Retrieved from