3 minute read
Presidential Perspective
Constantly and optimistically becoming
For the sixth year running, JMU ranked No. 1 in institutions of its type for student participation in study abroad programming, according to the 2020 Open Doors Report issued by the Institute of International Education. While the COVID-19 pandemic has halted all of our in-person international operations since mid-Spring 2020 semester, our Center for Global Engagement is hopeful that a handful of our programs can return this fall despite continued uncertainty.
Since becoming JMU’s president, I have visited many of our international partners and study abroad locations. From Beijing to Malta and at points in between, I have met with students and heard their stories of experiencing personal awakenings as their perspectives were broadened by living in another culture. I have also enjoyed the privilege of accompanying them and their faculty guides through museums, historic sites and natural wonders.
One experience I will never forget was in Florence, Italy, at the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s David is exhibited. If you’ve ever been in the presence of this masterwork, you know that it represents a pinnacle of artistic expression and human achievement.
But what really intrigued me at the Accademia were four other lesser-known works by Michelangelo. They were unfinished sculptures referred to as Michelangelo’s non-finito. Each one is a human form partially emerging from marble. Art historians interpret these works in many ways, and each piece evokes just how brilliant Michelangelo’s artistry was by revealing his process. Some interpretations claim that Michelangelo left the pieces unfinished purposefully to depict humans’ unending struggle to free themselves from this corporeal realm. In any case, it was a memorable experience.
A few years later, Jenny Burden, executive director of the Arts Council of the Valley, delivered an inspiring Commencement address to Class of 2019 graduates from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She invoked Michelangelo’s non-finito sculptures in a most remarkable way. Describing her visit to the Accademia Gallery as an undergraduate studying abroad in Florence during the 1980s, she said, “But, it was not the ‘polished’ David that made the biggest impression on my 20-year-old self. It was Michelangelo’s unfinished marbles lining the corridor that led to David that stayed with me. The four carved figures in various stages of completion are in a state of becoming, and they are magnificent!”
— JENNY BURDEN, executive director, Arts Council of the Valley
Jenny’s message to CVPA graduates was that they should give themselves permission to accept a constant state of “becoming.” Burden closed her address with, “Just remember, like Michelangelo’s unfinished marbles, it’s not about the ‘polished’ David; it’s about ‘becoming’ the David. And just like those marbles, you are magnificent!” What a gift her message was to those young artists and performers on the cusp of their journey’s next phase!
In conversations with friends, colleagues, students and associates of all sorts about our collective experiences during the pandemic and social upheaval, I often hear the theme of “becoming.” Disorienting interruptions to our lives, experiences of loss and a gripping sense of uncertainty have caused many of us to reconsider our perspectives and priorities. Some of us hope to become someone new. And despite the pain of the last 18 months, optimism can spring from focusing on a sense of becoming.
As you read this issue of Madison, I hope you will feel this optimism. In just about every story in these pages, some person, some thing or some effort is in the process of becoming. Building on our history as a women’s institution, this issue also features, in particular, celebrations of women leading and becoming. If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the JMU Softball program becoming a national sensation during its magical run in the World like Michelangelo’s Series. Their grit, talent and palpable fondness for unfinished marbles, each other as fellow Dukes still inspires me. You’ll also meet current JMU student Corinne Martin, one of six children who was told her parents couldn’t afford to send her to college. She applied for a Centennial Scholarship, received a full ride to JMU, is exploring her Native American heritage through her writing, and plans on becoming a published author by the time she graduates. And there are many more such examples.
As I write this, campus is gearing up for the Fall 2021 semester while the Delta variant is causing surges in COVID-19 infections. Uncertainty continues, and we are planning for all contingencies. Despite this, we’ve set our sights on constantly and optimistically becoming.
—Jonathan R. Alger, president, James Madison University
