Madison Magazine: Fall 2023

INSIDE: FROM THE MAT TO MOUNT EVEREST26 LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE 52 M

FALL 2023

A D I S O N

The future is smart Will we be wise enough to meet it?

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THE MAGAZINE OF

F U L LFrame F R A M E Full

Worth the wait

Trailing 35-24 entering the final frame and following a lengthy weather delay, JMU clawed its way back for a thrilling 36-35 victory at Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. It was the teams’ first meeting in 40 years. The Dukes scored the game-winning touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Jordan McCloud to Kaelon Black with 55 seconds remaining, capping off an 80-yard drive.

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PH OTO G R A PH BY C AT H Y K U S H N E R ( ’ 87 )

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Presidential Perspective

James Madison’s westward vision in the digital age

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Navigating the impact of artificial intelligence on democracy and higher education

ames Madison’s library at Montpelier faces west, a potent symbol of the future in late 17th- and 18th-century American minds. I’ve been in that room in Orange County, Virginia, and the vista is inspiring, especially while conjuring the feeling of his presence. Madison was captivated by the openness of western lands and their potential for the young nation’s ability to expand its domain while also diffusing the disrupting forces of focused power and concentrated faction that dominated in Europe.

Of course, today we know that westward expansion was a disaster for native peoples, and it expanded the scourge of slavery. But during the Founding Era, the political idea of growing the nation’s footprint was a basis in Madison’s thinking of how a republican democracy based on popular sovereignty might last, while so many past democracies had failed. This was a fundamental component of his brilliant “Federalist No. 10.” It also was a motivating factor for Madison as the primary negotiator of the expansive Louisiana Purchase while serving as former President Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of state. A more dispersed populace would help to protect against a tyranny of the majority, he believed, as it would be more difficult to organize across great distances.

Madison died in 1836, long before electricity was put to industrial and residential use. So it is safe to assume that he could not have imagined the internet and its ability to instantaneously connect people across great distances. Our ability to access vast amounts of information quickly and become more politically engaged through the web and social media is most definitely a civic benefit of this technology. But there is much dis- and misinformation on the internet. And Madison’s fear of factions coalescing among populations — but who are actually spread out geographically — is coming true. In Federalist 10, Madison defined a faction as a group of citizens, whether a minority or majority, with shared interests or passions that are averse to the rights of other citizens or to the best interests of the community. We’ve seen such groups join together on the internet and urge each other to commit violence in some cases.

While Madison was a major proponent of technology and innovation, it would be fascinating to see his reaction to how the internet has

“... the dynamics of democracy must evolve in response to technological advancements.”

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changed our world and affected our democracy. Ironically, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, of the U.S. Constitution, often referred to as the Patent and Copyright Clause, was aimed at inspiring innovations, like computing and the internet. As the widely regarded “Father of the Constitution,” what would Madison think of his offspring now?

This issue of Madison explores how the latest internet innovation — generative artificial intelligence — might continue to change our world. All of us have seen the dire headlines predicting that we will lose control of AI, and it will destroy the world. While sensational, such predictions are spooking many, including policymakers.

But I believe Philip Frana, professor of interdisciplinary liberal studies, has it right in this edition.

Frana researches the social and cultural aspects of AI and information technology. He is optimistic about AI, although he thoughtfully reflects, “When we worry about positive and negative AI outcomes, we are really thinking about our own redeeming and destructive capabilities. When we ask if an AI is intelligent, creative or dangerous, we are really asking those things of ourselves.”

As one who thinks a lot about the healthy functioning of our modern civil society, I am very interested in how AI will affect our ability to govern ourselves. Ultimately, AI is an enabling tool that, if put to good use, can benefit our systems of government, policymaking and social cohesion. But as Frana suggests, not all of us are motivated to benefit others. While Madison’s vision of a diverse and expansive republic with factions counterbalancing one another still has relevance today, the dynamics of democracy must evolve in response to technological advancements like the internet and AI. As president of a large university, I am also interested in how AI will affect JMU. You will read on Page 48 that I am convening a Task Force on Artificial Intelligence with four working groups: Authorship and the Production of New Knowledge, The Student Experience, New Contexts and Meaning, and Administrative Applications. These groups will seek to understand the benefits and drawbacks of generative AI, and at the same time explore how JMU can foster its mission through the responsible use of this technology.

Jonathan R. Alger president, James Madison University

PH OTO G R A PH BY L A R RY B O U T E R I E A N D CO U RT E SY O F M O N T PE LI E R

GIving Day 2024 theme text options 7.11.23

GIVE LIKE A DUKE

2.22.2024 GIVE LIKE A DUKE GIVE LIKE A DUKE givingday.JMU.edu GIVE LIKE A

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Contents 1

Full Frame

Forty years in the making, the Dukes defeated the Cavaliers at Scott Stadium on Sept. 9

BY CATHY KUSHNER (’87)

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Presidential Perspective

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Letter From the Editor

JMU is committed to exploring how AI will impact students and higher education

AI is becoming more humanlike, bringing ethical challenges. What does this mean for JMU?

BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96, ’17M)

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Letters to the Editor

Teaching tools for Ukraine; alumna reflects on cherished memories; recognizing JMU’s visionary leaders and exceptional faculty

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Actor Brian Kurlander (’89), sits on a piano in the theater at Oglethorpe University, where he’s an adjunct professor.

Kurlander, a national wrestling champion, looks back at his years at JMU, acting on screen and climbing Mount Everest — while also navigating career uncertainty in the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes.

10 Contributors

The individuals behind the scenes of this issue of Madison

11 Research

New initiative to enhance the university’s national and global reputation while increasing research production and expenditures

12 Advancing Madison

Post-Unleashed generosity continues; alumna receives philanthropy award; Women for Madison raises $1 million-plus; return of the purple, pocket-size U.S. Constitutions

16 News & Notes

JMU attends Global Citizenship and Peace seminar in Hiroshima; university climbs ladder in college rankings; students make historical discovery; challenging the status quo; Black poetry curriculum; Sen. Kaine remarks on common ground; Every Campus a Refuge; Geospatial Semester wins big

20 Faculty Focus

Spotlighting professors and administrators through the lenses of scholarship, awards and service

22 JMU Nation

New Convo Center debut; Sun Belt Student-Athlete Summit; fresh faces and top honors; 2022-23 highlights; ESPN+ broadcast control room launch

26 Bright Lights

Brian Kurlander (‘89) gained new lessons and clarity from climbing Mount Everest

BY JOSETTE KEELOR

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ABOUT THE COVER: David Plunkert is an illustrator, poster artist and graphic designer. His work has appeared in advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 companies as well as major newspapers, magazines and recording labels.

PH OTO G R A PH BY DAV I D C LI F TO N -ST R AW N

RETURN ON

EXPERIENCE James Madison University issues a First Destination Outcomes Report on each graduating class.

Our most recent report found that

96.3% of 2022

JMU alumni had a positive career outcome within

six months of graduating, meaning they were either employed, continuing their education or in the military.

Rather than a high return on investment, we call that a high Return on Experience. Because at JMU, students don’t just buy their education — they live it.

C O N T E N T S

32 Harnessing the potential of AI

Artificial intelligence’s potential to spark fear and confusion can easily overshadow its potential for improving lives

BY PHILIP L. FRANA

40 Can AI help alleviate ‘wicked‘ world problems?

Math professor Hala Nelson believes AI can serve the public good — if smart and effective design policies are developed

BY AMY CROCKETT (’10)

44 AI in the classroom

Integrated Science and Technology students in JMU’s Data Science and Applied Machine Learning Laboratory experiment with AI in everyday life

BY JOSETTE KEELOR

48 The ethics of AI

At JMU, the promise of AI is being carefully weighed against the potential pitfalls

BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96, ’17M)

52 Making Carrier a library of the future

The venerable building’s latest renovation and expansion is well timed with JMU’s evolution as a highresearch doctoral institution and a national university

BY ANDY PERRINE (’86)

56 Alumni for Life

Chapter Spotlight; Tom Pendleton (’98) directs Boy Scouts National Jamboree; JMUAA President’s Letter; the return of the Latinx Alumni Network; new AA board members; Mark Colombell (’99) seated as U.S. magistrate judge; Mixed Media

66 Class Notes

Faculty Emeriti Association activities; Celebrations (weddings, honors and future Dukes); delegates represent JMU at college presidential inaugurations; Staff Emeriti Association news; scholarship thank-you letters

80 By the Numbers

JMU has seen a significant increase in external grant funding over the last five years

BY MADISON WHITLEY

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Once again, the time has come to fully renovate and expand Carrier Library, not only to improve its physical spaces, but also because how we consume, interpret and disseminate knowledge is ever-changing. The project will transform Carrier into a library of the future.

I LLU ST R AT I O N BY DAV I D PLU N K E RT; LI B R A RY BY M I K E M I R I E LLO ( ’ 09 M )

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Letter From the Editor

‘The cat is out of the bag’

FA L L 2 0 2 3 Vol.46, No. 3 EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Embracing a world with AI

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ull disclosure: This letter was not written by ChatGPT. Not that the AI-powered generative language model couldn’t handle the assignment. No doubt it could and with perfectly acceptable results — perhaps unrecognizable from, or even significantly better than, mine. It might even throw in a “Go Dukes!” at the end for good measure.

But as executive editor of Madison, I simply won’t allow it. I’ve been writing and editing professionally for more than two decades now. It’s a big part of who I am. It’s what gets me up in the morning and sometimes keeps me up at night.

Along with music, it’s my creative contribution to the world. Why would I turn over something like that to a chatbot?

Before you label me a technophobe, consider this: I like ChatGPT. I use it on occasion for research and to help organize my thoughts before I sit down to write. In fact, I asked it to generate a list of some of the ethical considerations of AI — which it returned in a matter of seconds — prior to drafting my feature on the subject for this issue (Page 48). My team in University Marketing and Branding uses AI systems to produce content.

And like many of you, I use AI-based voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, in my personal life.

It’s important to remember that these technologies are tools. Generative AI systems, like ChatGPT — which use algorithms to generate text, imagery and speech that is remarkably humanlike — are really good at searching the internet and responding to user prompts or guessing the next word in a sentence. But just as the advent of the World Wide Web in the 1990s should have come with a warning label not to believe everything you read on a website, so too do generative AI tools require a critical perspective. That ChatGPT letter to a donor prospect that’s not on brand? You might want to tweak it. An image of Duke Dog on the surface of the moon? It’s a fake.

What is very much real is machines’ rapid evolution and their capacity for learning. In essence, they’re becoming “more human.” But we

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Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M) EDITORS

shouldn’t fear this convergence. It may end up contributing to our own evolution, in turn making us more human.

When our daughter was in middle school, she predicted that one day her best friend would be a robot. She may not have been far off the mark.

Media reports about “robots coming for our jobs” are tired and overblown. As AI expert Philip Frana writes in “Harnessing the Potential of AI” (Page 32), “the notion that there is a fixed amount of work to do and that AI will inevitably lessen demand for human employment … is one of many ways in which AI is being misunderstood.” Yes, machines will replace some workers — they’ve been doing so since the invention of the wheel — but they’ll also likely drive the creation of new jobs involving higher-level thinking, creativity and a personal touch. Frankly, I want a supercomputer analyzing billions of cancer cells, if it means finding a cure for the disease sooner and letting doctors focus on patient care.

At JMU, AI is being integrated into the classroom and the culture. In this issue, Amy Crockett speaks with mathematics professor Hala Nelson and Séan McCarthy of the Cohen Center for the Humanities about the potential for AI to help solve “wicked problems” such as poverty, gender disparity and climate change (Page 40). Josette Keelor takes us inside the Data Science and Applied Machine Learning Laboratory, where director Tony Teate is busy preparing ISAT students for the world of AI (Page 44). “The cat is out of the bag now, and there’s just no way to put it back in,” he says. And you’ll read about how, during Orientation, first-year students grappled with the ethics of AI in an as-yet fictional scenario involving chatbots as counselors to meet growing demand for student mental health services (Page 48).

The future is smart. Will we be wise enough to meet it?

Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M)

Executive Editor

Amy Crockett (’10) Josette Keelor C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R

Bill Thompson

ART DIRECTOR

Carolyn Windmiller (’81) A D M I N I S T R AT I V E A S S I S TA N T

Haley Garnett

D E S I G N A S S I S TA N T S

Sofie Saad Lily Seeley Madison Whitley

E D I T O R I A L A S S I S TA N T S

Lilly Johns Jane McConville

PHOTO AND VIDEO PRODUCTION

Steve Aderton (’19) Olive Santos (’20) Cody Troyer Julia Weaver (’21)

AT H L E T I C S P H O T O G R A P H Y

Cathy Kushner (’87)

CAMPUS CONTRIBUTORS

Alumni Relations Athletics Donor Relations Parent Relations University Marketing & Branding F O R A D D R E S S U P D AT E S :

Email: advancementgr@jmu.edu or call 1-855-568-4483 C O N TA C T T H E M A D I S O N S TA F F :

Email: madisonmag@jmu.edu or call 540-568-2664

Madison magazine, JMU, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 For Class Notes, go to jmu.edu/alumni.

Madison is an official publication of James Madison University and is produced by the Division of University Advancement for alumni, parents of JMU students, faculty, staff and friends of JMU. Editorial office: JMU, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, Harrisonburg, VA 22807

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: James Madison University does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, race or color, height or weight, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation or belief, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, parental status (including pregnancy), marital status, family medical or genetic information in its employment, educational programs, activities and admissions. JMU complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination, affirmative action and anti-harassment.

JMU prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment, including sexual assault, and other forms of interpersonal violence.

The responsibility for overall coordination, monitoring and information dissemination about JMU’s program of equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, Title IX and affirmative action is assigned to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX. Inquiries or complaints may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX: Amy Sirocky-Meck, Title IX Coordinator, 540-568-5219, www.jmu.edu/oeo, oeo@jmu.edu.

(REVISED JANUARY 2020)

H E FFE R N A N ( ’ 9 6, ’ 17M ) PH OTO G R A PH BY M I K E M I R I E LLO ( ’ 09 M )

Letters to the Editor Overseas delivery

Recently, I put boxes in the Elkton, Grottoes and Shenandoah libraries to collect books for Ukrainian soldiers learning English. I have just read the Ukraine articles in the Spring/Summer 2023 edition of Madison magazine.

I would like to send along 100 copies,

or whatever you have available, with the books I am sending.

I have been in contact with Ms. Chekryzhova, the young woman teaching the soldiers, and she has sent me her mailing address.

She is looking forward to receiving the books.

— Bob Pippin Elkton, Virginia

Madison memories

A letter from the alumna we featured in “A Madison College Love Story” (Spring/Summer 2023 issue), arrived in the mail. Excerpts below: It was an honor to have my story included in your latest edition of Madison magazine.

I am happy that you found it to be of interest to your readers. My granddaughter-in-law, Stephanie Shenk Bailey (’09), was responsible for submitting the story. I appreciate all her efforts on my behalf.

I have only fond memories of my time at Madison College, and I look forward to each issue of the Madison magazine.

Sincerely, — Johanna Lee Shallcross Bailey (’49)

A proud alumna

Thanks to a Virginia reader, Ukrainian soldiers in Olena Chekryzhova’s English classroom were mailed copies of Madison.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We did end up sending copies of the Spring/ Summer issue. We hope they are being put to good use!

Thoroughly enjoy Madison magazine and read it cover to cover.

I want to add to what Bonnie Nelson Mason (’61) wrote in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue when she stated, “Wow, there are some great students and pro-

Johanna Lee Shallcross Bailey’s (’49) senior portrait

grams at JMU.” We must add that JMU has been led by a great succession of presidents. They have been leaders with strong visions in growing JMU to be a progressive, modern, relevant, nationally recognized university.

Finally, amazing faculty and staff round it all out.

Proud alum, — Judy Baumgardner (’83) CORRECTION:

A photo of Angela Reddix (’90) on Page 17 of our Spring/Summer issue should have been credited to Mark Rhodes, a freelance photographer for Virginia Business magazine. n

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We hope you’ll include JMU in your future plans, and please contact us if you do.

We’re here for you. jmu.edu/plannedgiving

540-568-8938

C L A S S RO O M PH OTO G R A PH CO U RT E SY O F O LE N A C H E K RY ZH OVA ; S H A LLC ROS S BA I LE Y ( ’49) CO U RT E SY O F TH E SCH OO LMA’AM

Planned Giving

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Contributors FA L L 2 0 2 3 Vol.46, No. 3 BOA R D O F V I S ITO RS 2022–23

Maribeth D. Herod (’82), Rector Christopher Falcon (’03), Vice Rector Richard “Dickie” Bell (’88) Teresa Edwards (’80) Carly Fiorina Kay Coles James John C. Lynch (’91) Lara P. Major (’92, ’20P) Suzanne Obenshain John C. Rothenberger (’88) Steve Smith (’79) Michael Stoltzfus Jack White Nicole Wood (’96) Abigail Cannella, Student Representative Kathy Ott Walter, Faculty Representative Donna L. Harper (’77, ’81M, ’86Ed.S.), Secretary PRESIDENT

Jonathan R. Alger

Professor Philip Frana focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to analyzing and understanding artificial intelligence, health informatics and digital technologies. He is editor and contributor to the Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence: The Past, Present, and Future of AI and advisory board mem-

ber for the Museum of Science Fiction in Washington, D.C. He received a doctorate in the history of technology, science and medicine from Iowa State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Wartburg College.

His feature article, “Harnessing the Power of AI,” appears on Page 32.

Dorian Crawford is a student writer for the College of Integrated Science and Engineering. Majoring in Computer Science and Marketing, he has tinkered with computers since childhood.

Crawford also paints miniatures and thinks about writing but puts it off till the next week. He is a member of the Word is Born Writers’ Society and the Honors College. Read Crawford’s story about an international peace summit in Japan on Page 16.

Josette Keelor is a senior writer and editor with University Marketing and Branding. Following 16 years in journalism, she joined the Content Marketing team in March and writes feature stories about our students, staff and alumni. She also edits stories for Madison magazine, the Madison app and the JMU website.

Josette’s feature “AI in the Classroom” begins on Page 44, and she wrote our Being the Change feature on the back cover.

PRESIDENT’S CABINET

VICE PROVOSTS

Jeff Bourne

Linda Cabe Halpern

Brian Charette

Rudy Molina Jr.

Heather Coltman

Elizabeth Oldmixon

Director of Athletics Special Assistant to the President, Strategic Planning and Engagement Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs

David Kirkpatrick

Madison Whitley, a design assistant in University Marketing and Branding, is a senior Graphic Design major. In her spare time, she enjoys working on creative projects, playing violin, and spending time with her friends and family. Whitley hopes to pursue a career in branding and creative advertising. Her first graphic-design assignment for Madison is By The Numbers on Page 80.

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Student Academic Success and Enrollment Management Faculty and Curriculum

Anthony Tongen

Chief of Staff

Research, Economic Development and Innovation

Arthur Dean II (’93, ’99M)

DEANS

Associate Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Hollie Hall

Dean of Students

Donna Harper (’77,’81M,’86Ed.S.)

Traci Zimmerman (’92, ’94M) Arts and Letters (interim)

Bethany Blackstone Honors

Vice President, Access and Enrollment Management

Michael Busing

Jack Knight

Rubén Graciani

Senior Assistant Attorney General and University Counsel

Nick Langridge (’00,’07M,’14Ph.D.) Vice President, University Advancement

Malika Carter-Hoyt

Business

Visual and Performing Arts

Robert Kolvoord

Integrated Science and Engineering

Mark L’Esperance Education

Associate Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Fletcher Linder

Tim Miller (’96, ’00M)

Sharon Lovell (’85)

Vice President, Student Affairs

Rudy Molina Jr.

Vice Provost, Student Academic Success and Enrollment Management

Towana Moore

David Clifton-Strawn focuses his practice on portrait, figurative, documentary and fashion-influenced photography, all of which he captures with a unique focus on his hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. Clifton-Strawn’s work has been exhibited across the United States, Canada and Europe, showcasing his ability to capture individuals with strength, dignity and resilience. His photos of Brian Kurlander (’89) appear in Bright Lights on Pages 4 and 26.

University Programs

Vice President, Administration and Finance

Elizabeth Oldmixon

Vice Provost, Faculty and Curriculum

Chris Orem

Director, Institutional Research

Andy Perrine (’86)

Associate Vice President, University Marketing & Branding

Caitlyn Read (’10, ’18M)

Director, State Government Relations

Narketta Sparkman-Key Associate Provost, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Academic Affairs

Anthony Tongen

University Studies

Health and Behavioral Studies

Bethany Nowviskie Libraries

Samantha Prins

Science and Mathematics

Nick Swartz

Professional and Continuing Education (interim)

Linda Thomas The Graduate School

A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N OFFICER

Tripp Hughes (’09) President

PA R E N T S C O U N C I L CHAIRS

Jeff (’90) and Beth Smith (’23P, ’26P)

Vice Provost, Research, Economic Development and Innovation

Mary-Hope Vass (’22M)

Executive Director of Communications and University Spokesperson

FR A N A A N D K E E LO R PH OTO G R A PH S BY J U LI A W E AV E R ( ’ 2 1 ); W H I T LE Y BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

Research

Investing in research centers

Africana Studies, Early Childhood Development selected for initial funding

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By Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M)

ames Madison University will invest more than $2 million in the development of six academic institutes and centers, or AICs, over the next decade to expand research opportunities for faculty and students.

The initiative comes on the heels of JMU’s classification from Carnegie as an R2 doctoral university with “high research activity,” and is designed to enhance the university’s national and global reputation while increasing research production and expenditures.

These research-based AICs will convene scholars, researchers, and communities to examine and address 21st-century challenges. Three of the centers will be new — to be housed initially within the Office of Research, Economic Development and Innovation — and three will be existing centers at JMU. All of them will receive funding and support toward becoming fully functional, self-sustaining centers of research excellence by 2032.

Two centers were selected for the initial round of investment following a competitive proposal process.

The African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center, which launched in 2021 within the College of Arts and Letters, is the epicenter of Africana Studies at JMU, offering an annual international conference, a thriving academic minor, monthly workshops, a Libraries fellowship, and a range of research and instructional activities.

With more than 70 affiliate faculty members from all eight colleges at JMU and the Graduate School, AAAD’s mission is to “advance interdisciplinary and decolonial knowledge about peoples of African descent — their histories, cultures, languages, arts, economics, spiritualities, sciences and technologies, philoso-

AAAD Director Delores B. Phillips (inset) and Maryam Sharifian (above), executive director of the new Center for Innovation in Early Childhood Development

PH I LLI PS PH OTO G R A PH BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20); S H A R I FI A N BY CO DY T ROY E R

phies, ideas, and sociopolitical structures in local and global contexts.”

“AAAD can develop research-based solutions to answer the questions circulating in our public discourses,” said Delores B. Phillips, director.

“Because of our focus on African diasporas, our attention is necessarily global — as are our networks.” Phillips said AIC funding over the next three years will help boost AAAD’s capacity to provide opportunities for faculty and students within the following research clusters: Health and wellness studies Community and economic development, with an emphasis on mutual relations and shared knowledge between communities and constituencies n African and African diasporic women, gender, and sexuality studies n African music, dance, and visual art across the continent and throughout its diasporas n Digital humanities, identities and identifying n Electoral power in the U.S. and political studies of African states n The economics and ecologies of Africana foodways n n

Meanwhile, the new Center for Innovation in Early Childhood Development will build on JMU’s tradition of teacher education as well as exceptional early childhood programs. CIECD, which launched July 1, has been under development within the College of Education for the past few years. The center will integrate JMU’s Early Childhood Initiatives, the Young Children’s Program and other outreach services.

New laboratory spaces are being added in Memorial Hall.

The goal of CIECD, according to Executive Director Maryam Sharifian, is to provide a platform for ongoing research, grants, and studies to increase access, quality, and equity in early childhood development. “Our vision is to create, advocate, and witness equitable access to high-quality early childhood development experiences and interdisciplinary resources for children, families and educators across the world.”

Over the next three years, CIECD will become a hub for longitudinal studies in early childhood development; a resource for JMU faculty members to create partnerships and include students in their research and study; a place for doctoral students to complete graduate assistantships; and a vehicle for building stronger connections with community partners. The center will also publish a journal inviting national and international experts in the field to share their knowledge.

Sharifian and representatives from REDI and CoE traveled to Capitol Hill in the spring to brief congressional staff on these new research priorities, with visits to the offices of Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Reps. Ben Cline and Jennifer McClellan, and the House Committee on Education & the Workforce.

The next award cycle for AIC investment will take place during the 2025-26 academic year.

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Advancing Madison

Donors’ generosity continues post-Unleashed

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aking good on a prediction that Unleashed: The Campaign for James Mad27.5 ison University would effectively double annual giving to JMU, the university received more than $27.5 million in charitable gifts during fiscal year 2023.

“Our donors deserve the credit for 2023 the doubling of philanthropic giving to JMU,” said President Jonathan R. Pre-campaign giving averaged $11.3 million annually. During the campaign, it doubled to Alger, who made launching a com- $22.2M annually. In the first year after Unleashed, giving remains elevated at $27.5M. prehensive campaign a priority from the beginning of his presidency. May 4 campus dinner and ceremony for Valley Scholars families. “It “But I must say that Vice President Nick Langridge and his team in has been a long journey together.”

University Advancement executed a textbook campaign, presenting a The largest single gift in fiscal 2023 came from Angela (’90) and compelling case to sophisticated donors about why JMU is such a wise Carl “Pete” (’88) Reddix, who committed $1.1 million to support firstinvestment,” Alger added. generation students at JMU. The gift names the Reddix Center for First-Generation Students and also establishes the Reddix Centennial FISCAL 2023 LEADERS Scholarship Endowment. Their investment will fund center programCorporation and foundation giving, success in the Sun Belt Confer- ming to support students who do not have a family tradition of colence, endowed gifts and a family gift for lege, which will help them to navigate and first-generation students led donor giving “Dreams become reality succeed in their Madison Experience. The in fiscal 2023. when people roll up their Reddixes graduated from the College of Also notable about fiscal 2023 was the Business.

May graduation of 17 students from the sleeves and get to work.”

In fiscal 2023, donors made gifts of all — JONATHAN R. ALGER, president first cohort of Valley Scholars, due in part to sizes. From Xaiver Williams’ (’23) gift of donors who provided scholarships of JMU $10 to the Reddixes’ seven-figure gift, each tuition and fees over the years. Ever since Alger instituted the rigorous contributes to JMU’s philanthropic success. More than 13,000 gifts college preparatory program in 2014, select eighth-graders from sur- of $250 or less accounted for more than $1 million raised in fiscal rounding middle schools who successfully complete Valley Scholars 2023. Nearly $2.8 million came from 16,128 gifts of $1,000 or less. and qualify for admission to JMU are promised scholarships of tuition The number of donors overall remained elevated at 17,484, down only and fees to the university. “Dreams become reality when people roll 840 donors from fiscal 2022, the last year of the Unleashed campaign. up their sleeves and get to work,” Alger emphasized to attendees at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 >>

Donors contributed to JMU’s success in the Sun Belt Conference, the first cohort of Valley Scholars graduating in 2023, the Reddix Center for First-Generation Students and Women for Madison scholarships.

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VA LLE Y S C H O L A RS PH OTO G R A PH BY ST E V E A D E RTO N ( ’ 1 9); R E D D I X FA M I LY BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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Judy Strickler (’60) receives 2023 Leslie Gilliam Spirit of Philanthropy Award

Honor reflects a lifetime of leadership and support

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t the 2023 Women Who Amaze Summit, JMU celebrated the indomitable spirit of women’s philanthropy embodied by Judith Shreckhise Strickler (’60). Alongside her late husband, Charles, Strickler’s contributions to the university community, both in terms of financial support and personal dedication, exemplify the true essence of giving back.

The Strickler family legacy has been building for decades and touches many areas of campus, including Athletics, the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, the arts and business.

A philanthropic green thumb

Strickler’s love of gardening, plants and landscape design led her to play a pivotal role in the establish-

PH OTO G R A PH S BY J U LI A W E AV E R ( ’ 2 1 )

ment of the arboretum on campus. When approached by former JMU President Ronald E. Carrier and biology professor Norlyn Bodkin, she eagerly embraced the opportunity. Alongside her husband, she funded the original iron gates and inspired others to invest in this green refuge of peace and beauty.

A love for town, gown

As part of the family business, Rocco Enterprises, Strickler hosted many foreign and domestic agricultural officials and customers, helping the poultry company grow into one of the Valley’s largest employers. She helped orchestrate the longstanding Rocco Forum speaker series, giving students and community members access to inspiring business leaders.

Clockwise from left: Judy Strickler (’60) receives a standing ovation from Women for Madison summit attendees while granddaughter, Ali Byrd Boyd (‘15), right, looks on; Strickler’s family, including three generations of Dukes, joined Women for Madison to help surprise her with the award announcement on May 20; Strickler is framed by her daughters, Stephanne Byrd (’92M), left, and Ann Marie Elles (’91), right.

During JMU’s Centennial Celebration, Strickler made a lead gift to the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, saying she wanted JMU’s exceptional theater and dance productions to become more accessible to all Valley residents.

JMU’s No. 1 fan

Now known as one of the Dukes’ most avid supporters, Strickler played a key role in evaluating the possibility of adding a football team to the university in 1972, and her support continues with contributions to various sports facilities and teams.

Strickler was a founding member of Women for Madison more than 10 years ago. She is also an Amethyst Circle founder and a leadership investor in WFM’s scholarship program.

With gratitude and admiration, WFM members congratulated Strickler on receiving the Leslie F. Gilliam (’82) Spirit of Philanthropy Award, recognizing a lifetime devoted to making the Valley and JMU a better place for all.

Scan to watch Strickler accept the award.

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Donors’ generosity continues (cont.) >> FROM PAGE 12

Funding from corporations and private foundations remained high in fiscal 2023, accounting for $9.8 million, down just $1.6 million from fiscal 2022. The total is on top of the more than $24 million faculty received through federal and state grants, altogether affirming JMU’s continued upward trajectory in the sphere of faculty research and its new status as an R2 national university.

Of the $27.5 million total, giving to Athletics reached almost $7 million, reflecting JMU’s success in the Sun Belt, with volleyball and women’s basketball winning cham-

“Our donors deserve the credit for the doubling of philanthropic giving to JMU.” — JONATHAN R. ALGER, president

pionships last season. JMU had the most teams (five) in the Sun Belt reach their championship games. The popularity of football and the associated seating and parking realignment for football ticket holders also buoyed giving. Football made the Associated Press Top 25 rankings last season, with every

game day causing Google searches for “James Madison University” to skyrocket.

ENDOWED FUNDS

Donors gave more than $6 million in endowed funds to JMU, which are invested in the stock market to build the corpus plus yield a yearly expendable award for the donors’ gift designation. This type of giving provides funding in perpetuity.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Private contributions to scholarships have totaled more than $5.2 million. These

‘We’ve started something big’

WFM’s Amethyst Circle raises more than $1 million, grants 27 scholarships

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o a room of high-spirited cheers, Amethyst Circle founder Vonya Alleyne (’93) shared on May 19 that the group’s 2021-23 members had surpassed their $1 million goal.

“Together, we have given $1,333,750! Our first-of-itskind, women-led scholarship initiative is a huge success — because you have taken a stand,” Alleyne said, starting the official announcement during the Women for Madison Summit’s One AmaZING! Evening.

The generosity of these visionary women has resulted in 27 new scholarships, providing $20,000 per

“At JMU, I felt this rush of welcoming energy immediately. I am so thankful to each of you.”

— KARLEE TOMLINSON, Communication Studies major

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student — $5,000 per year renewable for up to four years. Over the weekend, Alleyne introduced three of the Virginia-native scholarship recipients to the group: Eliana Diaz-Aceituno, a Biochemistry major from Harrisonburg; Karlee Tomlinson, a Communication Studies major from Virginia Beach; and Trystin Umphrey, an Anthropology major from Chesterfield, Virginia.

“My time at JMU has been life-changing,” Umphrey told her supporters at the summit luncheon. “I’m sure many of you found yourself here, and now I’m becoming myself here. This circle has opened the door for me.” Umphrey is part of a JMU research team excavating Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace in Staunton, Virginia, to explore the probable location of a slave quarter. After graduating, she hopes to pursue archaeological work in Europe.

Tomlinson shared details of her life story with the

(L-R): Vonya Alleyne (’93) and firstgeneration students Trystin Umphrey and Karlee Tomlinson at One Ama-ZING! Evening women, highlighting the challenges of being the first in her family to attend college. “At JMU, I felt this rush of welcoming energy immediately. I am so thankful to each of you,” she said.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m flailing here, but I want to thank you for helping me find my life and pursue my passions. I wouldn’t be able to do it without people like you.” Tomlinson is already

paying it forward; she’s part of Harrisonburg’s Operation Smile, helping children in other countries afford lifechanging surgeries.

“This is why we give,” Alleyne told both recipients.

“You. You are why we give.”

“Our sisterhood is alive, vibrant and powerful,” said Cannie Campbell (’95, ’20M), Women for Madison executive director.

— Jamie Marsh

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funds support students and enable promising and deserving high school seniors to say “yes” to JMU. Women for Madison’s Amethyst Circle raised more than $1.3 million for scholarships and programming over the last two years, presently funding 27 students with renewable scholarships. The Amethyst Circle group is beginning its new, two-year membership drive to fund its next 25 scholarship recipients.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS

Planned-giving pledges reached almost $5 million, with donors arranging to support JMU in the future through bequests, wills and other estate planning. More than $1.7 million in past planned gifts were also realized in fiscal 2023.

MADISON TRUST

Madison Trust investors gave more than $166,000 to support faculty innovations and research, including undertakings like the Space Biology Research Program, Mitigating Misinformation on Social Media and the 21st Century Federalist Papers Project. Madison Trust’s 11-year, cumulative investment total is $1.1 million in support of 87 projects. Often, Madison Trust is a harbinger of major, future faculty research grants, providing seed money to establish evidence and proof of concept for promising innovations.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS WEEK

During Reaching New Heights week, 2,339 donors raised $581,655 in support of 94 campus causes, including an anonymous $100,000 gift for Valley Scholars and $40,000 for unrestricted giving. Giving was spurred in part by the Reaching New Heights video. JMU’s traditional Giving Day returns this fiscal year on Feb. 22, 2024.

UNRESTRICTED GIVING

Donors pushed unrestricted giving to $522,173, which is even higher than the Unleashed campaign’s final year of $515,000.

These flexible dollars provide a foundation for JMU leaders to seize emerging opportunities and address urgent needs.

PH OTO G R A PH S BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

JMU donors, alumni help put the U.S. Constitution in Madison’s hands again

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hose popular, purple, pocketVision Series, Constitution Day, the sized U.S. Constitutions are Institute for Constructive Advocacy back on campus, distributed to and Dialogue, and the James Madison first-year students during OrientaCenter for Civic Engagement. tion in August.

When the ConstituEmblazoned in JMU tions made their JMU colors, the publication debut during the summer features a foreword from of 2022, campus and President Jonathan R. social media buzzed at Alger. The books include their arrival. Students in the full text of the Constithe General Education tution and all 27 amendProgram’s political sciments, plus the Declaraence, history and justice tion of Independence. studies courses were the “These Constitutions are first to receive them. The The publication is a an important and approMadison Center for Civic nonpartisan effort priate welcome to new Engagement continues to further civic students from the univer- engagement at JMU. to make them available sity named for the Father at events throughout the of the Constitution,” Alger said. academic year.

Alger considered them so sigAdditionally, JMU could be startnificant that, when he decided to ing a trend. When Alger sent copies continue the program this year, he of the publication to other college tapped Madison Vision Fund donapresidents, the College of William tions to help underwrite the cost and Mary decided to follow JMU’s of reprinting the books. Last year, lead by making Constitutions — donors made almost 2,500 gifts to green and gold, of course — availthe fund, which is used for urgent able to its students. needs, new ideas and life-changing The idea of giving students keepopportunities. sake editions of the Constitution The handouts advance the legacy came from the late Lynn Z. Lang of James Madison. The university is a (’64) and Jeffrey M. Lang, who recognized leader in higher education approached Alger about furthering for shining a light on the role of univercivic engagement on campus. “Might sities in promoting civic participation we find a way to get them to give the and learning, welcoming all viewpoints, Constitution a home on their bookand encouraging civil discourse. shelves?” they asked. Alger agreed, In addition, the university has proand the Langs committed a generous grams and initiatives like the Madison gift to fund the original printing.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Coming soon! Because alumni and other members of the JMU community have requested their own copies, Constitutions will be available during a fundraising campaign this spring. For details and to be notified when the books become available, scan the QR code.

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JMU moves up in Best Colleges national rankings

I Students share stage with Alger at summit in Hiroshima, Japan

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hree JMU students — Rylan Gildersleeve-Price, Engineering major; Elena Ogbe, Nursing major; and Bella Santos, Political Science and International Affairs double major — were selected to attend the International Student Seminar for Global Citizenship and Peace, hosted by Hiroshima University from Aug. 1-10. Jus-

(Top): President Jonathan R. Alger attends INU Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima. (Above, L-R): Jiangyuan Zhou, executive director of the Center for Global Engagement, in Hiroshima with students Elena Ogbe and Bella Santos

tin Henriques, professor of engineering, was also selected as one of four faculty members across 13 universities to give a workshop.

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ing of Hiroshima and focuses on issues affecting the global community. This year’s theme was “Climate Emergency and Action.” Approximately 60 students from the International Network of Universities attended, engaging in workshops, seminars, case studies and field trips throughout the 10-day program.

The exploration into how nations across the world are reacting to climate change culminated in a role-play scenario in which students acted as members of the U.N., proposing and voting on resolutions.

Gildersleeve-Price shared his perspective on the seminar, highlighting the value of practical experience and theoretical knowledge. He emphasized how engaging with diverse perspectives and problem-solving approaches during the seminar challenged his own views and expanded his understanding. “Reading about it doesn’t really open your mind to those different possibilities in the same way actually experiencing it does,” he remarked.

Henriques led a workshop to empower students to become agents of change in addressing climate adaptation and resilience. “I get really excited about helping students ... to be changemakers,” he said.

— Dorian Crawford

n only its second year of being ranked among national universities, JMU jumped eight spots to No. 64 among public institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

Overall, JMU moved up 27 spots to No. 124 nationally. U.S. News & World Report defines “national universities” as offering “a range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, and [emphasizing] faculty research or [awarding] professional practice doctorates.”

This year’s rankings reflect a change in methodology, including an increased emphasis on how often students from all socioeconomic backgrounds earned degrees as well as graduation rates.

Other measures included peer assessments, first-year retention rates, performance of first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients, graduates’ earnings, faculty salaries and financial resources per student.

— Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M)

JMU’S NOTABLE RANKINGS IN THE 2024 BEST COLLEGES REPORT INCLUDE: National Universities — #124 Top Public Schools —#64 n Best Undergraduate Business — #103 n Best Undergraduate Engineering NonDoctorate — #30 n Best Undergraduate Nursing — #86 n Best Undergraduate Economics — #145 n Best Undergraduate Psychology — #98 n n

H I ROS H I M A PH OTO G R A PH S BY Z AC K K U L ZE R ; W I L S O N H A LL BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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Carly Fiorina urges students to challenge the status quo

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veryone has the power to change the world, business executive Carly Fiorina told listeners on Sept. 20 in Wilson Hall.

At the Madison Vision Series presentation “To Create a More Perfect Union …” — in honor of Constitution Day, which was Sept.

17 — Fiorina urged listeners to promote more understanding, cooperation, listening and discussion.

“Being the Change is not just a slogan,” she said. “Being the Change matters. Becoming fully prepared to be educated and enlightened citizens matters. … [T]he work to create a more perfect union is our privilege and our responsibility as American citizens.”

Students uncover alleged plot to kill George Washington

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hree former JMU History graduate assistants recently uncovered an alleged local plot to kill George Washington while sorting and digitizing historical records in the Rockingham County courthouse for the online archiving project Histories Along the Blue Ridge.

A bond agreement dated March 13, 1779, states that Rockingham County resident Nicholas Weatherholt was to appear in court the following term to stand trial “for Consulting to raise or Levy men for the service of the Tyrant George King of Great Britain and conspire with several other Torries [sic] and enemies of the United States

… to murder General Washington and the Honorable members of the Continental Congress.”

Megan Schoeman (’18, ’23M) came across the agreement in a bundle of old papers.

Fellow graduate assistant Annette Guild (’23M), who was working alongside Schoeman at the time, said her eyes “got big” when she realized what she had found.

They enlisted Thomas Kidd (’21, ’23M) to draft an article for Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk Chaz W. Haywood’s (’97) Facebook page, which details this and other findings under the series name True Crime in the Shenandoah Valley.

— Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M)

(Top, L-R): Annette Guild (’23M) and Megan Schoeman (’18, ’23M) sort and digitize court records for an online archiving project, Histories Along the Blue Ridge.

S C H O E M A N ( ’ 1 8, ’ 23 M ) A N D G U I LD ( ’ 23 M ) PH OTO G R A PH BY CO DY T R OY E R ; WA S H I N G TO N CO U RT E SY O F T H E LI B R A RY O F CO N G R E S S / PE N D LE TO N ’ S LI T H O G R A PH Y; FI O R I N A BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

Alger and Fiorina speak at a Madison Vision Series on creating a more perfect union in honor of Constitution Day. Using the example of how Jamestown overcame failure during its first year in 1609, she presented the story as a “business case” for how leaders might learn from those closest to a problem (the settlers) when determining how best to find solutions (survive and prosper in a new world).

“People closest to the problem usually know best how to solve it, if only we will ask,” she said. “[An] interplay between practicality and idealism is America’s story and our gift to the world,” she explained. “This is the only country founded not on ethnicity or territory or religion, but instead on a unique combination of practical experience and inspiring ideas. … And it is the framework of the Constitution that enables the innovation and the collaboration necessary to solve problems.”

JMU President Jonathan R. Alger and Emma Niland, a fourth-year Political Science major and Spanish minor, joined in the presentation.

— Josette Keelor

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Poetry center hosts event aimed at development of open-access curriculum

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he Furious Flower Poetry Center hosted more than 20 scholars and poets at JMU in June to create a nationwide curriculum for incorporating Black poetry into classrooms of all ages and levels.

Participants were placed into groups based on the academic level for which the materials were intended, such as high school, undergraduate, graduate and community education. The educators collaborated on the creation of educational materials like unit plans, exercises, course projects, and more, and drew on resources from the center’s archive, housed in JMU Libraries’ Special Collections, as well as Furious Flower’s published anthologies of poetry.

Funded by a $50,000 Equity in Verse grant from the Poetry Foundation, the open-access curriculum, “Opening the World of Black Poetry: A Furious Flower Syllabus,” will be distributed to educators nationwide free of charge.

— Megan M. Medeiros (’17, ’21M)

(L-R): Furious Flower Advisory Board members Dana A. Williams and Shauna Morgan, and poet educator Adrienne Danyelle Oliver

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Reaching across the aisle

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Sen. Tim Kaine emphasizes the importance of finding common ground

ames Madison did not initially believe “We should always do more than we do,” he the Constitution needed the Bill of said, “but we do live in a world where conflict, Rights. But he ended up changing his frankly, is more interesting than cooperation.” mind because he was open to dialogue, Kaine stressed the importance of citizens U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said during a stop at asking questions. “There is something everyone JMU on Sept. 22 as part of a new lecture series, can do that can really help us,” he said. “If you Common Good in the Commonwealth. interact with anyone in office, if you develop Sponsored by the James Madison Center the habit of asking — no matter your politics for Civic Engagement, the series explores — ‘Tell me something you are working on with ways in which JMU students and the Har- someone on the other side of the aisle,’ it can risonburg community can work together to be a game-changer. And when you do, it may find similar interests and new approaches to make us more intentional about understanding solving problems. what folks want to hear.”

“I have really Kaine and JMU PresiLater in the event, Leia strong opinions Surovell, a fourth-year dent Jonathan R. Alger participated in the inaugural Anthropology major and about virtually “fireside chat” in the Festival everything, but a Democracy Fellow at the Ballroom.

Madison Center, asked if I am a good lis- Kaine about freedom of K a ine ha s ser ved a s tener, it can give expression in the classroom mayor of Richmond, Virginia; lieutenant governor me perspective.” and the importance of open and governor of Virginia; dialogue.

— TIM KAINE, U.S. senator and a state senator.

“The cool thing about He fielded questions on a wide range of top- open dialogue is we all have the ability to change ics, from civic engagement to international our mind,” Kaine said. “I have really strong affairs. To begin the Q&A session, Kaine was opinions about virtually everything, but if I am a asked whether mutual understanding is pos- good listener, it can give me perspective because sible in politics.

I didn’t live that life.”

“There are plenty of areas where we can, The next installment of the Common and do, find common ground,” he said, citing Good in the Commonwealth series will take bipartisan legislation he sponsored in 2013 to place Nov. 30 in the Festival Ballroom. fund pediatric cancer research.

— Jane McConville S E N . K A I N E A N D FU R I O U S FLOW E R PH OTO G R A PH S BY ST E V E A D E RTO N ( ’ 1 9)

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JMU joins initiative Every Campus a Refuge

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MU recently became the 14th acclimate to the area and find ways to Every Campus a Refuge chapter build a sustainable quality of life. The nationwide and only the second university helps these families with pubin Virginia. lic transportation, mail Every Campus A Refuge services, English skills and was founded at Guilford other assistance.

College in North Carolina “Becoming an ECAR by associate professor Diya chapter campus not only Abdo in 2015. The effort acknowledges good works calls on colleges and uniby so many faculty memversities to partner with bers, students and commulocal refugee resettlement nity members,” said Steve agencies to house refugees Grande, director of the on campus grounds and Community Engagement assist them in resettlement. and Volunteer Center, “but The idea is that university ECAR’s mission is to it also spotlights that there mobilize academic and college campuses have institutions to host is so much more we can do everything necessary — refugees on campus. when JMU and Harrisonhousing, food, care, skills burg join together in a civic — to take in refugees and support them as commitment to making a welcoming comthey begin lives in their new homes. munity where everyone can thrive.”

JMU supports refugee families as they — Ginny Cramer

“It spotlights that there is so much more we can do when we join together to make a welcoming community where everyone can thrive.”

— STEVE GRANDE, director of the Community Engagement and Volunteer Center

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Geospatial Semester students sweep awards at global conference

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tudents in JMU’s Geospatial Semester were big winners in the Map Gallery competition at the ESRI International User’s Conference held July 8-11 in San Diego, California.

The maps, based on students’ final projects in their dual-enrollment geospatial technology class, took first, second and third place in the teen category at the conference, which was attended by 18,000 geospatial professionals from around the world.

The winning entry analyzed the data on the costs and benefits surrounding shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.

Anastasia Stoltz and Nabneet Kaur from Tuscarora High School in Loudoun County, Virginia, took first place for their “Analysis of Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.” Jatin Palvai and Ronak Badam from Rock Ridge High School secured second place for their comprehensive “Analysis of Urbanization in Virginia.” Katelyn Miller from Loudoun County High School showcased her skills and creativity by earning third place for “Still Seward’s Icebox?: An Exploration of Permafrost Thaw in Alaska.”

The Geospatial Semester is a unique partnership between high schools in Virginia and JMU’s College of Integrated Science and Engineering.

Seniors participating in the semester take classes at their home school and earn credit from JMU. A key aspect of the program is focusing on local projects connecting students, technology and their community.

— Lynn Radocha (’18)

To learn about the Geospatial Semester, contact Bob Kolvoord at kolvoora@jmu.edu or scan the QR code.

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FACULTY FOCUS Spotlighting JMU professors and administrators through the lenses of scholarship, awards and service

Daniel Beers JUSTICE STUDIES

Beers, associate professor of justice studies, received a 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award and will research Romania’s humanitarian movement at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. More than a million refugees have crossed into Romania since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and despite the size and speed of the crisis, Romanians have responded with an outpouring of humanitarian support.

“I began my career focusing on development issues in Eastern Europe. As a grad student, I worked for a democracy-assistance project with the Ukrainian Parliament, and I conducted my dissertation fieldwork in Romania. I even met my wife while studying in Bucharest.

Since then, my interests have shifted toward the humanitarian and

refugee studies fields, leading me to work in other parts of the world. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Eastern Europe has become a global hot spot for refugees and humanitarian action. The Fulbright will allow me to return to a place that I know well, a place that I care deeply about, with a new set of skills that I hope will allow me to give back something meaningful. In a way, it feels like my whole scholarly career has led me to this moment.”

Beers will investigate local responses to the war, examining how Romanians mobilized to assist Ukrainian refugees, how they understood their work and what the experience might teach us about the nature of humanitarian movements. He will also teach courses on humanitarian aid and refugee protection.

while teaching a course on American politics and culture.

His research will create greater awareness of Vietnam’s role in promoting the social and economic reintegration of persons with disabilities.

It will also suggest how other Asian countries, in particular, and Rutherford international society, more broadly, can address issues affecting persons with disabilities and initiate legal measures to support them.

This is his second Fulbright award. In 2005, he received a U.S. Scholar Award to the University of Jordan in Amman to research Jordan’s regional leadership in protecting the rights of the disabled.

Ken Rutherford

GEOLOGY

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Rutherford, professor of political science, was appointed to a four-year term on the Virginia Board of Historic Resources

by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The board’s work is devoted to “the Commonwealth of Virginia’s significant historic, architectural, archaeological and cultural resources.”

Rutherford also received a 202324 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award and will research disability rights in Vietnam. In Spring 2024, he will spend five months at the University of Foreign Languages, Hue University. Rutherford will conduct research on Vietnam’s regional and international leadership on disability rights, and humanitarian issues,

William Lukens For Lukens, assistant professor of geology, the publication of two articles in Science — which establish a new paradigm for ape evolution and their ecosystems in eastern Africa — is a career highlight.

Lukens “This is absolutely the pinnacle of my career so far,” he said of the research, which reveals that Africa’s earliest apes lived in landscapes that include C4 savanna grasses, more than 10 million years earlier than previously believed. The new findings suggest that Africa’s earliest apes inhabited ecosystems far different from the tropical forests that most modern apes live in.

Lukens was one of more than 20 authors on the two papers, one led by Daniel Peppe, professor of geosciences at Baylor

University. Lukens was a doctoral student at Baylor when he was asked to join the international research team in 2015.

“I developed a new way to estimate what kinds of plants were living on the landscapes based on our measurements of the fossil soils of the sites,” he said.

“Some of the rock layers used to be the landscape, the ground with soil forming there. We analyzed different materials in these ancient soils that reflect the above-ground vegetation.”

Michael Stewart and David Stringham COMPUTER SCIENCE, MUSIC

Stewart, assistant professor of computer science, and Stringham, professor of music and executive director of the Office of Creative Propulsion, received $40,725 from the National Endowment for the Arts and the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music.

Stewart and Stringham will compare three different methods to engage students using the MusicCPR web application they developed through participatory design methods involving pre-service, in-service, and postgraduate music educators to measure the students’ processes of creating, performing, and experiencing meaningful personal connections with music.

The project is a multi-institution collaboration that works closely with graduate and undergraduate students at JMU. “This funding will support the continued development and research of a platform that increases access to quality instrumental music education for students across the state and nation,” Stewart said. With limited funding for arts education nationally, this work aims to support instructors in evaluating

“The Fulbright will allow me to return to a place that I know well ... with a new set of skills that I hope will allow me to give back something meaningful.”

— DANIEL BEERS

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FAC U LT Y individual performance achievement — an improvement on the current practice where, most often, instrumental music students are assessed in groups.

“Faculty and students are leveraging their extensive expertise in human-computer interaction — making this platform practical and engaging for students and teachers,” Stringham explained. “It will be more than just an application or a Stewart research project — it will become an indispensable resource in music education.”

“An example of JMU’s commitment to the Stringham liberal arts, the cross-disciplinary work between computer science and music paves the way for students to have full access to diverse and unique music,” Stewart said.

The project has been presented at the university, state, national and international levels.

MusicCPR is supported by the College of Visual and Performing Arts, College of Integrated Science and Engineering, individual donors, Madison Trust, 4-VA and the National Association for Music Education.

Charles W. S. “Zig” Ziegenfus

MATHEMATICS, BIOLOGY The late Ziegenfus, professor emeritus of mathematics and biology, received the Virginia Society of Ornithology’s 2023 Mitchell A. Byrd Award in

“Ziegenfus’ encouragement, effort and generosity in sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm was a gift to birders in the Shenandoah Valley and across the commonwealth.”

March. Ziegenfus, whose study of birds spanned more than 50 years, taught a popular field ornithology class at JMU. Dan Cristol, chancellor professor of biology at the College of William and Mary, nominated Ziegenfus. Cristol praised him as a mentor and as a “major contributor to the seminal research on reproductive biology and evolution of [darkeyed juncos] that was carried out by Ellen Ketterson and Val Nolan of Indiana University at Mountain Lake Biological Station.” Supporting this nomination were letters from Elizabeth Ihle, long-time VSO and Rockingham Bird Club member; Diane Lepkowski, longtime friend, Rockingham Bird Club vice president and current VSO vice president; and Clair Mellinger, professor emeritus of Eastern Mennonite University and bander of saw-whet owls at Highland Retreat, Virginia.

Ziegenfus was tireless in his field research with juncos at Mountain Lake, Virginia, and as a founding member of the Rockingham Bird Club. A true educator, he promoted bird conservation, and installed and maintained countless nest boxes benefiting bluebirds, tree swallows and kestrels.

Ziegenfus assisted with VSO’s American kestrel conservation project in Highland County, Virginia.

Ziegenfus’ generosity in sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm was a gift to birders in the Shenandoah Valley and across Virginia. He inspired many of his students to pursue ornithological or conservation-related careers, or to embrace birding as an avocation.

Paul E. Mabrey III

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Ziegenfus

F O C US

Mabrey (’17Ph.D.), assistant professor of communication studies, was selected to lead JMU’s

Student Success and Enrollment Analytics team and continues to be a champion for equitable student success and retention.

A key initiative of this position is the Early Student Success System, the JMU Quality Enhancement Plan, which was recently endorsed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ OnSite Visiting Committee during the university’s successful reaffirmation of accreditation.

Mabrey served as the director for initial development of the QEP, a multiyear effort to close the student achievement equity gaps and improve overall retention at JMU by creating a data-informed, formal, proactive feedback system. The initiative is designed to receive and send notificaMabrey tions about targeted student segments to JMU practitioners, who are then empowered to act, support and intervene.

The Early Student Success System is a collaborative effort involving all divisions of the university, with leadership provided primarily by Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. The seven-year initiative is made up of two phases: The first two years comprise the design phase, and the final five years are for implementation. May 2023 represented the completion of the first phase, thus a natural milestone in the project to transition the director role and formalize it as the director of Student Success and Enrollment Analytics.

Mabrey shared that he is “thrilled to work with Rudy M. Molina Jr., Hollie Hall, Jonathan Stewart (’17Ph.D.) and colleagues across the university who are deeply committed to the success of JMU students.

Throughout the QEP, we heard regularly from students, faculty, advisers and staff about the importance of transforming our institutional processes, culture and systems to be more equitable, pro-active, positive and asset-based. I am excited to continue this collaborative work and be an advocate for equitable student success.”

Mabrey previously served as the Communication Center coordinator in The Learning Centers and first-year adviser for the College of Health and Behavioral Studies’ Nursing program. His research has focused on argumentation and advocacy education, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and student success, including more than $100,000 in grant funding.

Jori Erdman

ART, DESIGN AND ART HISTORY Erdman, professor of architecture, received a 2023 Graham Foundation Grant for the ongoing film project Witness: Design of the Tougaloo Center for Racial Justice and Equity. The Chicago, Illinoisbased Graham-Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts has been awarding grants for nearly 80 years, producing various exhibitions, projects and more while fostering growth, development and exchange of ideas in the field of architecture. Erdman was one of 65 individuals who received grants.

Erdman shared details about the project on the Graham Foun- Erdman dation website: “Witness tells the story of a remarkable process and place that led to the creation and design of the Tougaloo Center for Racial Justice and Equity, a unique partnership between the Episcopal Church and the Jackson, Mississippi-based Tougaloo College, a historically Black college and university.”

B E E R S A N D ST R I N G H A M PH OTO G R A PH S BY CO DY T R OY E R ; ST E WA RT BY ST E V E A D E RTO N ( ’ 1 9); E R D M A N BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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JMU debuts renovated Convocation Center

ames Madison University Athletics ushered in a new ball (capacity 1,118 and expandable) with an alternate configuration era with the completed renovation of the Convoca- for three practice courts, as well as training space for indoor track and tion Center in August. field. In addition, the Convo has been outfitted with locker rooms, “We’re excited for this new opportunity for our coaches’ offices, academic advising, sports medicine, strength and student-athletes with the renovation of the Convoca- conditioning, equipment services, and meeting rooms for cross countion Center,” said Jeff Bourne, director of Athletics. try, field hockey, lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and “The building has transformed from one that served 30 basketball indoor/outdoor track and field . student-athletes to 200 athletes across eight sport programs while The new volleyball competition venue saw its first action of the 2023 meeting all of their needs for their success at JMU. I’d like to thank season when the Dukes hosted the LD&B Insurance Invitational Aug. everyone involved with this project and the university for its support. 25-27. Admission to all home volleyball matches in the Convo is free.

The Convo has been an important part of our past for 40 years, Friday and Saturday matches are also available for viewing on ESPN+. and I look forward to it being an important part of our future.”

Previously, JMU volleyball competed in Sinclair Gymnasium in GodThe Convo, as it’s known around camwin Hall, which also held the locker rooms and pus, housed the department’s men’s and “The building has trans- coaches’ offices for each of the listed sports, women’s basketball programs from 1982 formed from one that with the exception of cross country and track until those sports moved to the Atlantic field coaches’ offices, which were previserved 30 basketball and Union Bank Center in 2020. Renovations ously located under Bridgeforth Stadium. The were announced in March 2022 and com- student-athletes to 200 updates placed each sport in closer proximity, pleted this past summer. athletes across eight and with improved access, to its competition The renovations transformed the strucvenue (soccer, lacrosse, and track and field at sport programs.” ture of more than 110,000 square feet into Sentara Park; field hockey at the Field Hockey the new varsity competition space for volleyComplex on East Campus).

— JEFF BOURNE, director of Athletics

The renovated Convocation Center has varsity competition space for volleyball and meet­ing rooms for other sports.

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(L-R): Demitri Turner, Carissa Tambroni, Kayleigh Reinke

JMU SAAC leaders attend Sun Belt Summer Student-Athlete Summit

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BY MAYA WAID

h re e Ja me s Mad i son student-athletes attended the Sun Belt Summer Student-Athlete Summit in July, including Demitri Turner, president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. It was Turner’s second time attending the summit.

“By attending these conferences, you can tell how much the Sun Belt wants to be the best conference in the country and how much it wants its student-athletes to excel in their sports,” said Turner, a midfielder in men’s soccer. “It was interesting to see how those two are interconnected at this level.”

Going into the experience, Turner focused on absorbing ideas from other Sun Belt representatives and thinking of ways he could implement the same programs and messages within JMU Athletics. “Knowing the cul-

ture at JMU and how our student-athletes behave is important, so I can understand how to make the messages and ideas apply specifically to us,” Turner said.

Turner served as the community relations chair for SAAC for two years before becoming the organization’s president. He believes SAAC serves as a “good representation of our student body” and wants to improve its outreach moving forward.

“If we can improve the culture of SAAC and get more people involved who have a passion to lead by example within the community, it would filter through the general student-athlete body,” Turner said. “That way we become stronger and more connected going into the conference.”

Turner attended the conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, alongside SAAC Vice President Carissa Tambroni of field hockey

and Kayleigh Reinke of women’s golf. “It was a good experience for us to bond and get closer. Since we will be working a lot together throughout the year, building that good relationship as friends can help us be on the same page as we’re trying to change the SAAC community and help our studentathletes at JMU,” Turner said.

He believes JMU has “the opportunity and capability to be a leading school in this conference.”

Attending the summit helped Turner feel prepared for the “real world” and what life may look like after graduation. “Learning to network, put your name out there, connect with people, speak in front of a crowd and create new ideas on the fly is so important,” he said. “These conferences give you a glimpse into the professional world and what it’s like to be a leader at the next level.”

NEW FACES

JMU Athletics welcomed three new coaches heading into the 2023-24 year.

TOP HONORS 2022-23 PETE MCFADDEN Head Coach, Track & Field

TYSON THOMAS Head Coach, Women’s Tennis

PAYTON YOUNG Head Coach, Cheerleading

JMU Intercol­ (L-R): Todd Centeio, Male Athlete of the Year; Isabella Peterson, Female Athlete of the Year; legiate Athletics concluded a very Holden Koons, Casey Carter Male ScholarAthlete of the Year; top female accolades successful 2022shared by Kylie Moulin and Katelyn Morgan 23 com­pe­titive year by hon­or­ing its top student-­athletes with its annual James Mad­i­son Athletics Awards.

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2022-23 HIGHLIGHTS .655 winning percentage

across all sports

147th in Learfield Director’s Cup

final standings, third in Sun Belt

7

All-Americans

92% NCAA graduation success rate 11 of 17

programs achieved perfect 1,000 single-year APR

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All programs hit department goal of 960

or higher in multiyear academic progress rate

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conference Players of the Year

993 department 731

student-athletes achieved a 3.0 semester GPA in at least one semester (includes duplications)

133 graduates

(Winter 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023)

72% department federal success rate

conference regular-season titles

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College Sports Communicators Academic All-District

91 president’s list and 195 dean’s list student-athletes

single-year APR

conference Coaches of the Year

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3.184

department GPA

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4

6

NCAA appearances

student-athletes drafted by professional sports teams, while 11 additional former student-athletes had their first professional opportunities

6,352

department hours of community service,

which was 25th of 100-plus Division I Helper schools and fifth in the Sun Belt

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JMU launches broadcast control room for ESPN+

MU Athletics has long emphasized live broadcasts as a remaining production team of producer, director, graphics, replay tool for sharing the achievements of its student-athletes and audio preside over the control room. with its constituents. That priority took another leap Athletics, in partnership with the Sun Belt Conference, conthis fall with the launch of a new broadcast control tracted with Alpha Video out of Minnesota to complete the project. room located in the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

JMU Director of Live Productions Kelly Bowmaster serves as the The new control room allows the department lead operator of the new setup, overseeing a team of support personto meet the standards set forth for ESPN+ live productions while nel largely consisting of JMU student volunteers. The department allowing its JMU Sports Network broadcast team to elevate the also contracts with Telemedia Productions to crew its football and quality of production. “Our broadcasts are so key to spreading our basketball broadcasts. brand, connecting with alumni and donors, reaching our fans, and “So many entities worked together to contribute to this project,” appealing to prospective student-athletes,” said Jeff Bourne, director said Kevin Warner, assistant athletics director for communications. of Athletics. “This control room is a huge step forward in remaining “We’re extremely grateful to Alpha Video, the Sun Belt, JMU Teleon the leading edge of the world of broadcast in college sports.” com, Facilities Management, Athletics Facilities and Event OperaThe configuration connects the centions, and so many other folks who tral operation to JMU’s various athletic “This control room is a huge worked together to bring a complicated, venues across campus via fiber networkvision to reality. step forward in remaining lofty“College ing. As a result, productions for most sports have evolved so much on the leading edge of sports originate from the AUBC, reducover time, but the great constant of sports ing the impact of constant setup and remains the appeal of watching a live the world of broadcast tear-down at various venues. Only camgame,” Warner said. “Thanks to this in college sports.” era operators and broadcast talent work investment by JMU, we can ensure the from the applicable venue, while the future quality of our live productions.”

— JEFF BOURNE, director of Athletics

PH OTO G R A PH CO U RT E SY O F J M U AT H LE T I C S

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Bright Lights Head above the clouds JMU Hall of Fame wrestler-turned film actor admires the view of a 35-year career doing the work he loves

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BY JOSETTE KEELOR

n the fall of 2022, Atlanta-based actor Brian Kurlander (’89) “I went to India to work with children who were infected or climbed about 18,000 feet to a Mount Everest base camp. “It affected by AIDS,” Kurlander said. “We played games, laughed and was extraordinary,” he said. “You’re in one of the most inhos- sang songs. When I came home to my own children, I knew I had to pitable, stunning natural settings.” But for the people who live be a better father, a better husband. I knew I had to do more in my there, he said, “that’s just life.” own community.”

Halfway around the world from where he had built a four-year Years later, hiking in Nepal with a group that included his college wrestling career, gone on to compete at the U.S. Olympic and sister affirmed and built on those previous experiences. It’s one Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and real- thing to hear or read about people who live around the world, he ized a passion for acting, Kurlander forged some unexpected perspectives explained. “But when there’s an actual human standing in front amid the clear mountain air of Nepal. There of you — walking with you, talking with are some obvious differences between Eastern “[Visiting India] was you, breaking bread with you — those and Western cultures, he said, but more than take on a new, multifaceted dimenthe first experience of issues that was the paradox of experiencing “the prosionality. That makes all the difference. real transformation found humanity and generosity of others” in an “When we open ourselves up to the prootherwise hostile landscape. found humanity that surrounds us at all of what it’s like to be “We encountered a mudslide and had times, the depths of our compassion, undera real global citizen standing and acceptance is limitless,” he said. to backtrack for hours in the middle of the ... an understanding “Then to experience the history, beauty and night,” he recalled. “We knocked on a few doors. Pretty quickly someone turned on a vibrancy of the culture, you can’t help but be that the phrase light, opened their door and gave 10 of us shel‘that’s not my prob- transformed.” ter and a bed, at 3 a.m. no less. In the mornIn 1986, when the top six wrestlers in lem’ wasn’t going to the country in each weight class went to ing, they provided a wonderful breakfast and presented each of us with a prayer shawl.” the Olympic training center in Colorado cut it anymore.”

Other tea-hut owners also gave his group Springs, Kurlander was chosen as a wild prayer shawls to ensure they had a safe and successful trek. “Spiritual- card in his weight class. A collegiate wrestler, he wasn’t wellity in those places is just really a necessity, because you’re at the mercy known on the national stage.“I had an advantage, because they of nature,” Kurlander said. “It’s a beautiful ritual.” didn’t know who I was,” he recalled. As the wild card, he was Having previously visited India, he said, “that was the first experi- No. 7 and needed to beat the winner of the other six challengers’ ence of real transformation of what it’s like to be a real global citizen.” matches, and then face the No. 1 Greco-Roman National ChamIt was a new level of clarity, “an understanding that the phrase ‘that’s pion twice. “And that’s what I did.” Later, Kurlander’s top comnot my problem’ wasn’t going to cut it anymore. petitor became his biggest cheerleader, he said, demonstrating the

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Brian Kurlander (’89) has found success pursuing his passions in collegiate and national wrestling, acting and mountain climbing.

The Atlanta-based actor recently starred in the film Black Balsam (2022) and The Ritual Killer (2023). He’s also in a production of Fiddler on the Roof with City Springs Theatre Company in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

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type of camaraderie and brotherhood Kurlander found in the sport.

He made the 1986 USA Men’s GrecoRoman (Espoir) World Team and competed for Team USA in the World Championships in Colorado Springs, placing in the top 10.

The following year, he became JMU’s first NCAA Division I All-American in wrestling.

In 2018 he was inducted into the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Those achievements alone might have been enough to last a lifetime, but Kurlander was only getting started. “I did the world championships and then I got pretty injured, and then found acting,” he said.

After completing his four years of eligibility without taking a red-shirt year, he still needed a fifth year at JMU to graduate with a degree in communications, in part because he’d spent so much time on his sport. But, without wrestling to fill his schedule anymore, he sought other interests, discovering a love of acting after someone heard him singing at a party and asked if he would audition for a school musical.

In 1989, he joined the Screen Actors Guild — and following graduate school for theater, some stints at Shakespeare festivals and regional theaters, and several guest-starring roles over the years — Kurlander was cast as the lead of the 2022 thriller Black Balsam opposite Josie Davis, and will appear in the upcoming action thriller Hard Matter with Harvey Keitel that wrapped filming in 2022.

Also cast as a psychopathic British billionaire for this year’s The Ritual Killer, alongside Yellowstone actor Cole Hauser as Detective Lucas Boyd, Kurlander had everyone on set convinced that he was British. “I stayed in dialect on set, because they didn’t have a dialect coach,” he said. When asked where he had traveled from, he recalled telling someone that he had grown up in Brighton (near Rochester, New York), though he figured they might have concluded he meant the southern English seaside city.

(Left): Brian Kurlander (’89) walks the red carpet with his co-star Emily Topper at the Atlanta, Georgia, premiere of Black Balsam.

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PH OTO G R A PH S CO U RT E SY O F B R I A N K U R L A N D E R ( ’ 89)

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(Above): Brian Kurlander (’89) is featured in the movie poster for Black Balsam. (Left): Kurlander poses with fel­low actors from Nis­san’s “Whodunnit” TV commercial. Scan the QR Code to view the commercial.

Modeling his accent on British entrepreneur Richard Branson’s voice, Kurlander said, “I wanted a man who came from somewhere.” Kurlander played a rich villain, and he researched various traits of CEOs to help develop his character’s particular psychosis.

The filming experience also gave him the chance to work on his improv and writing skills, particularly when he and co-star Vernon Davis, retired Washington Commanders tight end, rewrote a scene that would have their characters connecting near the Roman Colosseum. “That’s part of the process, taking ownership of the work,” Kurlander said.

Working with legendary actor Morgan Freeman on the film was “amazing, incredible,” he said. “That’s a lot of how you learn is either watching the work of the greats or working with them side by side, and seeing how they approach it.”

Though Kurlander had roles in two recent movie premieres, including The Ritual Killer, and The Wonder Years television show reboot, this year has also thrown some curveballs, in particular the Writers Guild of America strike, which started May 2, and then the SAG-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ strike, which

began July 14. As of Sept. 24, the WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers; how­ever, the SAG-AFTRA strike is ongoing. Among the various sticking points for both groups are the possibility of artificial intelligence taking jobs from writers and actors, and the rise in streaming platforms not allowing for the residuals that writers and actors previously received for full-season runs and syndication.

Where writers might previously have earned their living from a 22-episode season over the course of a year, Kurlander said, they’ve

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recently had to settle for a couple of months of work “People are angry advances and Wall Street Kurlander, seated for a six- or eight-episode limited series that runs continues to dominate in the Conant Performing Arts Cen­ and fed up and once and doesn’t allow for residuals. Actors, too, how resources are allo- ter at Oglethorpe have seen their residuals dry up because of stream- want a fair shake, cated by corporations, University, has been adjunct profesing platforms. Furthermore, Kurlander said he and and I don’t think it makes it tough on the an his colleagues fear the loss of jobs if studios can little guy. … People are sor at the school since 2013. what’s happenrecord an actor’s voice and then translate that to an angry and fed up and ing [on the picket want a fair shake, and I don’t think what’s hapAI to provide free, voice-over work.

Kurlander said it’s been a challenge convincing pening [on the picket lines] is asking too much.” lines] is asking those on the outside why the strikes are necessary, Kurlander likened the strikes to broader too much.” and that, despite misconceptions, not all film and issues of labor in America that, particularly TV actors are millionaires. “This doesn’t affect celebrities,” Kurlander since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have included employsaid of the SAG-AFTRA strike. “It affects the journeyman like me.” ees’ demands for companies to allow more remote work, raise the Though he said he’s had high call-sheet placement in recent minimum wage, and solve the problem of “tipflation” at restaurant years, he hasn’t been seeing the kind of revenue that’s possible in and fast-food locations. “There’s a certain complacency and lack of Hollywood — “and none of my colleagues are as well.” understanding that it’s not like these massive corporations are going “Like so many people in labor right now, there is a consolidation out of their way to help the little guy,” Kurlander said. “It’s a little of wealth that isn’t really trickling down to people,” he said. “As tech maddening, and that’s why we are where we are.”

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Kurlander speculates that (Counter clockwise from right): once studios start losing money, On the set of The Ritual Killer, Brian Kurlander (’89) poses they’ll be more willing to for a photo with Morgan Freenegotiate.“They won’t have any man, joins Cole Hauser and content to put out, and overseas rehearses a scene with Vernon Davis (center). markets will start to surpass us,” he said. “It’ll be an opportunity to come back to the table.”

Recently celebrating his “Heinz 57” birthday, the Atlanta-based actor said he’s been busy these days “making my secret sauce.” He has his sights on his next climb, tentatively slated for next year in Machu Picchu, Peru. He also stays involved in his community, teaching, acting on stage, and writing screenplays and stage plays.

He’s been a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, a professional union for stage actors, since 1995. Though currently striking with SAG-AFTR A, Kurlander said that union rules allow members to still perform on stage — just not in film or TV projects connected to the tech-streaming and legacy media companies that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Kurlander recently ran for a seat on the Atlanta SAG-AFTRA board and as Atlanta delegate for the SAG-AFTRA National Convention, and he was elected to both positions for a two-year term.

In September, he started rehearsals for a production of Fiddler on the Roof, directed

by Tony Award-winner Shuler Hensley.

He’s also served as an adjunct professor at Oglethorpe University since 2013 and is teaching there again this fall.

Though thrillers have been his go-to acting gig in recent years, Kurlander said he would like to pursue more sci-fi roles in the future, as well as some genres he hasn’t tried yet. “I’ve always wanted to do a Western,” he said.

PH OTO G R A PH S CO U RT E SY O F B R I A N K U R L A N D E R ( ’ 89)

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Illustration by David Plunkert

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Harnessing the potential of AI

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By Philip L. Frana

t’s a common refrain in media portrayals — the idea that artificial intelligence will take our jobs.

As the field of AI makes significant progress and achieves landmarks of historic importance, its potential to spark fear and confusion can easily overshadow its potential for improving lives.

The so-called “lump of labor” fallacy — the notion that there is a fixed amount of work to do and that AI will inevitably lessen demand for human employment — is one of many ways in which AI is being misunderstood. Despite the rapid uptake of AI by a broad swath of industries and subfields, there remains considerable media fearmongering about AI. It has become a scapegoat for nearly every cultural anxiety, from inequality to apathy. Some commentators even suggest the dislocations between humans and their jobs will be so great that we will need to implement a universal basic income for vulnerable people.

This is one of many reasons it’s important to educate on the topic of AI. To prepare students for a changing world, we must foster truth and dispel unfounded fears.

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HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF AI

FAST TRACK TO THE FUTURE

AI is having a very busy year, with significant growth occurring along many of its branches. Most notable are achievements in the subfield of generative AI, which uses artificial neural networks to identify patterns and structures within collections of information, as well as train machine learning models and create artificially generated text, code, art, music or video. These machine learning models are rapidly becoming the engines for addressing real-world problems. Dozens of companies and nonprofits are launching a wide range of applications with generative AI, from question-answering services and conversational chatbots to text-to-image generators and computational creativity tools.

In only two months this past spring, ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users — an astonishing show of how quickly large language models can transition from blackboard concepts to practical applications.

Today, much of the alarm surrounding AI perpetuates sensational narratives, unrealistic predictions and past overpromising. The bugaboos of AI — given ominous labels like “unfriendly AI” and the “control problem,” “paperclip maximizers” and “gray goo,” “artilects” and “terminators” — bear striking resemblances to our most ancient fears of fiendish monsters and apocalyptic catastrophes.

Besides the threat of lost jobs, superintelligence has been a hotly debated topic in the media, perpetuating a fringe scientific notion about machines becoming conscious and outwitting humanity. Regrettably, the most sensational claims about AI as some kind of “final invention” of humankind have spread like wildfire. Elon Musk famously likened AI to “summoning the demon,” while Stephen Hawking once warned it “could spell the end of the human race.” For now, however, creating an AI that reaches general human intelligence, let alone superintelligence, remains out of reach.

For more than a century, Americans have worried about automating themselves out of jobs and similar robotinduced indignities. However, the great majority of AI developers offer a more optimistic and hopeful message. They argue that AI will create new job opportunities, increase human productivity and lead to growth in traditional and creative industries.

Will jobs disappear? Yes. McKinsey & Co. estimates that 400 million to 800 million jobs are at stake in the current round of workplace automation around the world. History shows that technology has led to substantial changes in employment and industries, but also creates new sources of labor demand. College graduates are landing entry-level

To prepare students for a changing world, we must foster truth and dispel unfounded fears.

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jobs as labelers who train AI to understand data sets by categorizing source information and as fairness auditors who provide feedback on machine learning architectures to reduce the likelihood of biased outcomes. Additionally, prompt engineering involves designing and testing prompts for virtual assistants and other generative AI tools. Prompt engineering is so new that, as recently as this summer, OpenAI’s famous generative pre-training transformer chatbot, which scours the internet for information that will answer user questions, knew nothing about it.

A HISTORY OF AI

Taking the long view is crucial when evaluating the usefulness of AI. No fewer than three generations of AI researchers have come and gone since John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester and Claude Shannon convened the first workshop on AI in the 1950s.

In several ways, the first generation bears the closest intellectual kinship to the current

crop of researchers. They were the pioneers who hoped to simulate the brain’s organic processes and neural pathways, but they had limited computational power to achieve their ambitions. The second generation coded ingenious symbolic and statistical AI systems.

These engineers of knowledge-based expert systems had success in narrow specialties.

FR A N A PH OTO G R A PH BY J U LI A W E AV E R (’ 2 1 ); DA RT M O U T H PH OTO G R A PH BY M A RG A R E T M I N S K Y

The Constitutional Convention of AI: The Dartmouth Conference of 1956 invited experts in cybernetics, automata and information theory, operations research, and game theory to the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover, New Hampshire.

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But companies founded in the 1980s failed to make money, and enthusiasm dwindled.

Today’s generation of developers, having abundant computing resources and massive pools of public and private data at its fingertips, has revived neural network models reminiscent of those in AI’s earliest conception.

Great leaps are being made in deep learning, a particular branch of machine learning that involves training interconnected layers of artificial neurons that mimic the agile and adaptable architecture of the human brain.

The large learning models and transformer architectures prominently featured in popular media represent just one of the many breakthroughs in generative AI.

WORKING TOWARD PROGRESS

The declared purpose of AI is to support human capabilities by building software and hardware tools that can imitate human cognition and behavior. AI programs are already embedded in various common technologies, and AI developers are constantly focused on identifying patterns in the world and making models that are useful to accomplishing difficult tasks.

Consumer AI software can play competitive chess or translate languages. Helpful virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant depend on AI algorithms, as do personalized recommender systems in video streaming apps, such as Netflix and YouTube.

Some applications, like fraud-detection software, medical image tumor detection (radiomics) and continuous glucose-monitoring systems, exemplify vital technologies by playing mission-critical or life-preserving roles.

In research labs, AI is being adapted to make anti-terror surveillance cameras, turn smart TVs and mobile devices into personalized digital advertising ecosystems (LensAI, Equativ), and aid in the decoding of ancient languages (Ugaritic and Linear B) and animal communication (Earth Species Project, Project CETI).

PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, estimates that within the next seven years, AI technologies alone could contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economic bottom line.

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Yet, for all that AI can do, there’s still a lot that we don’t know how to facilitate yet. The dream of some research groups and companies is to use deep learning to create artificial general intelligence, the sort of adaptable, meaning-making intelligence possessed by humans. Smart robots are getting better at running assembly lines and sorting packages, but the most optimistic timetables for AI innovation have not been achieved.

For instance, predictions of full autonomy for cars and trucks on the open road by the 2020s remain unrealized. Instead, we are seeing more semi-autonomous technologies in human-monitored environments, such as sidewalk delivery robots, geofenced taxi services and automatic coal trains.

Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Netflix and YouTube use AI algorithms to help users get personalized feedback.

Giving AIs the ability to seamlessly move among us and interact effortlessly, like androids do in science fiction, is going to be difficult. For now, it’s been useful for programmers to focus on ways that AI can excel in our current society and how people can benefit most from AI assistance.

There is a growing consensus that the kinds of work people perceive as easy — or imagine is very hard — may be exactly the right tasks to automate with AI. The sweet spot in the future of work is where artificial and natural intelligence, creativity and compassion, harmoniously intersect — such as occupations like counseling, social work, nursing, peacemaking and environmental conservation. In a world with ubiquitous AI, those who dedicate their lives to helping people and nature will become ever more invaluable.

AI’S CRITICAL IMPORTANCE

As the world urgently needs smarter technologies, AI is becoming increasingly crucial. The human need to efficiently analyze vast troves of data has never been greater, and AI can play a significant role in managing our information-based society by generating valuable insights and enhancing decision-making capabilities. AI technology also holds the potential to improve our judgment at critical moments and support us in thinking more strategically, even when we lack the bandwidth to do so.

Additionally, AI can address some of the shortcomings of smartphone and internet use. It can find important patterns in data we cannot see or hold in our heads when we passively scroll through websites and social media posts. Imagine if an electronic helpmate observed what we say and do, then whispered in our ear and gave us great advice.

Despite its many benefits, AI will have disproportionate impact in some areas, like in sustainability, entrepreneurship and education. It can help environmentalists apply smart technologies to create an ecologically sensitive circular economy, allowing AI to identify intricate patterns of material and energy f low in complex systems of production and suggest action plans for eco-conscious resource extraction, materials use, recycling and nature restoration.

In business, collaborative robots (“cobots”) are working with humans to handle highvolume and tedious tasks, improve quality control, and predict maintenance schedules and inventory bottlenecks.

Smart computing in agribusiness is optimizing crop yields, reducing water and chemical usage, and improving market delivery schedules. Machine intelligence is being used to create a marketplace for behavioral prediction products that analyze human attention and engagement, anticipate human behavior, and design personalized goods and services.

We can also expect to see major changes in how organizations manage human resources, customer support, and budgeting and visioning in the age of AI.

HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF AI

Historically, the technical feasibility of automating education has been low and for good reason. Education is one of the most human of endeavors; it certainly involves more than assignments, testing and grading. Good learning — the kind that sticks with us and shapes our character — requires social interaction, adaptation and development of future-proof skills like critical thinking, empathy and ethics. Until recently, it was assumed that no machine could teach strategies for conceptual thinking, creativity or judgment. And, as of 2021, an EDUCAUSE quick poll of institutional leaders, IT professionals and other staff found that only 12% had contemplated the use of intelligent-teaching systems in their work.

adaptive “intelligent education” platforms like ALEKS, Squirrel, MATHia, Duolingo and Toppr.

Perhaps even more radically, AI will change the way we close access and completion gaps, make higher education affordable, and promote global awareness. This past summer, Emad Mostaque, a prominent figure in open-source AI, announced a project aimed at training adaptive learning models for use as “intelligent tutors” for children in Malawi, where rates of literacy and numeracy remain stubbornly low.

Imagine if an electronic helpmate observed what we say and do, then whispered in our ear and gave us great advice.

However, the landscape of education has shifted, and the impact of AI on learning could exceed that of every other service sector. There are immediate opportunities for using AI chatbots in higher education admissions, advising, tutoring and mental health support. Certainly, homework will never be the same. Today, tens of millions of students are learning to use personalized and

ETHICAL AND CIVIL OBLIGATIONS

AI technology should not be viewed as a herald of bliss or portent of doom. More

JMU Dining uses Starship Technologies’ self-driving robots to deliver food.

They are contactless, fast and low cost.

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probable is a middle path of moderately accelerated transition, innovation and change. The development of AI is also not like the making of the atom bomb; it is fundamentally different in nature, purpose and contextual circumstances. The scientists of the Manhattan Project determined that their efforts were necessary to turn the tide of World War II and identified some of the ethical questions related to its devastating power. Scarcely could they imagine that their work would unleash human productivity, and only later did political leaders fully recognize the potential of “atoms for peace.”

This is not to say there are no moral or existential implications of AI. Among the

concerns are implausible visions of postscarcity societies, simulated realities, artificial oracles and a technological singularity that fundamentally alters the material basis of civilization. In the near future, the chief dangers of AI technology are pervasive but subtle risks like bias, misinformation, overoptimization, weaponization, practical deskilling and harm to human uniqueness, privacy and accountability. We need to reflect and make changes now to ensure a successful future with AI. What could AI mean for democracy, economic well-being and civic engagement?

The application of AI in the creation of more responsive and stakeholder-centered governance could become a hallmark of our national development plans. An emphasis

on serving the public interest ensures that AI solutions will align with people’s needs.

Public-private collaboration focused on combining AI resources, expertise and other capabilities will safeguard the nation’s adaptability as economic, political and intellectual marketplaces continue to change. Universities will need to work closely with the private sector to meet the state’s specific needs for AI infrastructure, workforce development, startup culture and technology adoption.

AI’s value lies in empowering humanity with tools that extend physical and mental capabilities while mitigating risks and hazardous situations. They can improve quality of life, promote economic prosperity and cultivate eco-friendly habits. Americans should consider embracing the most remarkable

JMU Fueled is a collaborative, student-run food truck initiative that uses a ”farmbot,” purchased by the X-Labs in 2018, to automate parts of the farming process, such as planting seeds and removing weeds.

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aspects of artificial intelligence as a paradigm-shifting “cultural technology” — a novel set of powerful, creative tools for transmitting our collective wisdom, expressing civil liberties and advancing prosperity.

AI for Good — a recent call to action for teachers, students, entrepreneurs and public officials — requires a multidisciplinary human effort. AI draws knowledge and inspiration from mathematics, computer science, psychology, biology, economics, education, political science, linguistics and philosophy. Creative AI initiatives worldwide are fostering collaborations across an even more diverse range of fields and vocations. These initiatives will offer

our society and economy too brittle by excessive streamlining, endangering our lives through military aggression, and creating attention-grabbing platforms for mass distraction that prioritize profit over human fulfillment.

Ultimately, AI is a mirror ref lecting human nature. When we worry about positive and negative AI outcomes, we are really thinking about our own redeeming and destructive capabilities. When we ask if an AI is intelligent, creative or dangerous, we are really asking those things of ourselves.

AI’s value lies in empowering humanity with tools that extend physical and mental capabilities while mitigating risks and hazardous situations. meaningful opportunities for people keen to comprehend the problems, patterns, and complexities of cities and regions. In this way, everyone can become producers, consumers and users of new AI technologies.

Human beings should worry less about an “AI takeover” and instead address the immediate consequences of AI, which have everything to do with ordinary human tendencies — like making

What could AI mean for democracy, economic well-being and civic engagement? As the institution named for James Madison and a recognized leader in civic engagement, JMU is poised to help answer this question.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Philip L. Frana is professor of interdisciplinary liberal studies and Independent Scholars at JMU. Independent Scholars provides students with the opportunity to pursue individualized academic pathways custom-tailored to their interests. His current scholarly interests focus on the social and cultural aspects of artificial intelligence and information technology. Areas of expertise include software and information studies, computing and culture, futures studies, and creativity, as well as individualized and interdisciplinary education.

VOT I N G PH OTO G R A PH S BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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Can AI alleviate ‘wicked’ world problems?

Math professor illuminates the role of artificial intelligence in pandemics, poverty and gender disparity By Amy Crockett (’10)

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s a child, Hala Nelson lost her hair in a missile explosion and survived the Lebanese Civil War while landmines lurked underfoot.

Experiencing the dark side of humanity at a young age shaped her interest in human behavior and the nature of intelligence.

Nelson also developed a passion for mathematics. Her father taught her math at home until she graduated from high school, practicing problems with her from a thick book written in French. “It was ingrained in me from my father that I have a ‘clean brain,’” she said. According to him, math was “the one clean science.”

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(Above): Hotels in Beirut, Lebanon, during the first phase of the Lebanese Civil War, Dec. 15, 1975; (Left): Hala Nelson with her Lebanese father and siblings, c. 1984

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From 2002-05, Nelson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics, but she felt this foundation had little to do with real life and her career goals. “I knew that if I stayed on the path of algebra and abstractness, I would never be able to use my brain to solve worldwide problems,” said Nelson, now an associate professor of mathematics at JMU. The nature of conflict, and how humans use their resources, thoughts and emotions, still fascinated her.

Her soul-searching guided her pursuit of a doctorate in mathematics from New York University and postdoctoral teaching and research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, but discontentment lingered.

She yearned to use mathematical modeling to address a specific problem and make an immediate impact. Further exploration opened Nelson’s eyes to the worlds of data science, machine learning and AI — effectively striking a balance between math and the humanities.

She soon felt called to build a bridge between the two realms, and to educate others on the benefits of AI. Before she could teach the curriculum to JMU students

“If our data is correctly represented and clean of biases, then AI will help remove gender disparities, because then decisions will be really based on qualifications.”

— HALA NELSON, professor of mathematics

and assign the text, she needed to produce the subject matter. Nelson’s first book, Essential Math for AI: Next-Level Mathematics for Efficient and Successful AI Systems, unifies and grounds AI in math.

This past winter, through the Center for Global Engagement, Nelson shared her expertise abroad at an international student conference in Bandung, Indonesia, leading a workshop on “A New World With COVID: Can AI Help?”

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a lot of weaknesses in the global supply chain of very essential resources,” she said. “AI can assist with these logistics and in the field of operations research.”

AI can also help directly model the spread of disease, Nelson said, taking into account more factors and data than previous models and predictions. “Maybe the whole population doesn’t have to sit at home and be isolated,” she said. “The whole economy does not have to stop, and then the next 10 years we’re trying to recover from that because everybody had to be locked down.”

A global pandemic is an example of a wicked problem — a phrase coined by design theorists in the 1970s. “Wicked problems are phenomena that are so complex that it’s hard to even define them and almost impossible to solve them,” said Seán

(Below): In January 2023, Hala Nelson was invited to participate in an international student conference, Inclusivity and Accessibility to Welfare and Sustainable Living After the Pandemic, in Bandung, Indonesia. Nelson held a workshop on “A New World With Covid: Can AI Help?” (Right): Nelson with a student participant

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McCarthy, professor of writing, rhetoric and technical communication and director of the Cohen Center for the Humanities. “It’s a term that helps us think about problems beyond a simple cause-and-solution sort of scenario, where these problems are constantly changing. It’s hard to get a handle on what they are; they’re slippery.”

Nelson said COVID-19 illuminated another wicked problem — poverty. Lower income people were the most affected by the virus, in sickness, access to vaccines and job losses. AI has a useful role in combining locational and human information to more precisely pinpoint vulnerable groups, she said.

To further support less advantaged populations, AI holds the potential to increase access to education when demand for teachers is high. In agriculture, AI has the capability to examine crops and find new species of plants that grow in different soils. To protect crops and avoid hunger, the technol-

(Top): Hala Nelson with family; (Bottom): Nelson helps her father empty an urn of olive oil. “We grew up making our own olive oil from the olive trees on our land,” she said. “Some of the best memories.”

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ogy can also simulate weather patterns to forecast an incoming cold front. “If you give people access to better health, education and food, AI can facilitate all of this and counteract the effects of poverty,” Nelson said.

When studying the wicked problem of gender inequality through the lens of AI, Nelson said the most important factor is the quality of the data. If the data entered into an algorithm is gendered, it can affect whether a person receives a loan or a job. “We have to be careful that we don’t reduce our whole humanity into walking, talking vectors that we feed into algorithms that make decisions based on numbers or scores documented by data companies,” she explained. “If our data is correctly represented and clean of biases, then AI will help remove gender disparities, because then decisions will be really based on qualifications.”

In the male-dominated fields of math and science, Nelson is closing the gender gap. She credits her father for her aspirations and accomplishments. “I never thought that I could not do it, or I never felt like I needed to prove myself to anyone,” she said.

“He did me the favor of confidence.”

This semester, alongside political science professor Bernie Kaussler, Nelson and McCarthy are co-teaching Hacking for Diplomacy. The innovative course challenges student teams to solve specific problems posed by U.S. government agencies related to business, logistics, technology or human resources. The class takes an interdisciplinary approach, mixing social science, communication and math.

“I’m lucky that I get to do this program with really smart professors who are really good teachers and are able to work on highly complex problems that the next generation of leaders who we are teaching will need to know how to solve,” McCarthy said. “Hala is amazing at inspiring students to take their theoretical and technical understanding of mathematical concepts and apply them to the real world.”

Nelson is working on her next book, Foundations of AI and Data, which is set to release in 2025. In the preface, she writes, “The challenges facing humanity are the same as ever:

sustainable energy, food supply, clean water, access to education and health care, security and defense, and climate change.”

She estimates that climate change is the biggest dilemma. However, the difference in analyzing climate change today compared to past decades is that now more than 8 billion people live in an interconnected, global society. AI has the computational power to address and model a wicked problem of this scale.

“We’re not going to scare people and say we’re all going to die in 2035, right? We’re not gonna do that,” Nelson said. “Countries can sit down now and look at their data — this is exactly how much resources we have, and this is what we can do with them.”

Nelson maintains a bright outlook on harnessing AI to serve the public good — if smart and effective design policies are developed.

“Every jump in human society has happened when humans were able to automate a process,” she said. “The more advanced we become, the more problems we’re able to solve and the more we’re able to help people and elevate their standard of living.”

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At the JMU X-Labs, professors Hala Nelson, Seán McCarthy (below, left) and Bernie Kaussler (below, right) co-teach Hacking for Diplomacy, an interdisciplinary, problem-solving course supported by the Colleges of Arts and Letters and Science and Mathematics.

“Wicked problems are phenomena that are so complex that it’s hard to even define them and almost impossible to solve them.”

— SEÁN McCARTHY, professor of writing, rhetoric and technical communication and director of the Cohen Center for the Humanities

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The power of AI in the classroom

ISAT program preparing students for the latest in machine-learning technology

By Josette Keelor

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laire Timmins (’22) was working with artificial intelligence kind of want to veer it in a different way than the curriculum asks you in her third year at JMU when she felt her education level to, and you’re totally allowed to if you incorporate those classes,” she up. Having switched from an Engineering major to a major said. “That’s what really made my education experience at JMU epic.” in Integrated Science and Technology, Timmins recalled John Fellenbaum Jr. (’21), of Haymarket, Virginia, researched the program being a better fit for her interests. But school his capstone project during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was still just school until Tony Teate, professor of ISAT and director opting to partner with his cousin, Garrett Jackson (’21), of Vienna, of Madison’s Data Science and Applied Machine Learning Labora- Virginia, on a machine-learning model that could identify if a person tory, challenged her to switch capstone projects. was wearing a mask using image classification, then send an electrical She moved from an environmental-based team project to a coding pulse to a servo motor to open the door. project with classmate Noah Munis (’22). Timmins said she thought The two ISAT majors taught their model through the ML platthe challenge could offer a bigger opportunity and open more doors form TensorFlow Lite, using more than 3,000 images of themselves after graduation. “That was the first time I ever felt passionate about with and without masks, achieving a response time of no longer than school,” Timmins recalled. “It 3 milliseconds before the model made me realize, wow, I’ve never felt would send an electrical pulse to this way about a project or about a the servo motor that would open or class, where I was unconditionally close the door as well as turn on a focused, determined.” light to indicate whether a subject With Teate’s support, Timmins was or wasn’t wearing a mask. and Munis developed and imple“With any kind of technology, mented an automated computer it’s rare that everything just works — CLAIRE TIMMINS (’22) vision-driven sorter, and she recalled perfectly the first time. It’s always them working day and night to teach exciting once it’s actually working their algorithm to recognize different types of packaged hard candies properly,” Fellenbaum said. “Getting the light to turn on for the from more than 100 photos. After months of research and testing, they first time, that was a rush. That felt good, ’cause that took a while. It were excited when everything clicked into place. “When we finally got was the simplest thing, and most of the time it is the simplest thing.” the camera to recognize our images, it was the best feeling,” she said.

Another favorite lesson was a lab that involved speech recognition, Timmins, who now works in Arlington, Virginia, as a technology in which the students recorded themselves speaking and the model consultant on Oracle Services and Energy Services with the accounting named which emotion they were using. “It would use the soundwaves firm Ernst & Young, appreciates that the ISAT program allowed her of your audio and run that through the model,” Fellenbaum said. to tailor her degree to her interests. “You may like something but then “Once that actually finally worked out, it was pretty cool.”

“That was the first time I ever felt passionate about school ... where I was unconditionally focused, determined.”

(L-R): Noah Munis (’22) and Claire Timmins (’22) work on their capstone project; John Fellenbaum Jr.’s (’21) capstone project (center, right); Fellenbaum used a Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2 to take a video of himself on a Raspberry Pi 7-Inch Touch Screen Display.

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ST U D E N TS PH OTO CO U RT E SY O F T I M M I N S ( ’ 22); PROJ EC T PH OTOS CO U RT E SY O F FE LLE N BAU M ( ’ 2 1 )

Fellenbaum, who chose a degree program in ISAT with a concentration in Information and Knowledge Management, switched from computer science in his second year.

Though ISAT was a better fit, he recalled his interest growing as he took more upper-level courses. “It more than met my expectations,” he said. “It was just really cool stuff.”

For fourth-year student Aarushi Sharma, discovering the applications of AI and ML have made all the difference in her studies, particularly in Teate’s Machine Learning and Data Science class, which focuses on the technical aspects of the subject matter. “In

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my other AI classes, the focus was on what could be created, but this class focused on the how,” the Aldie, Virginia, resident said.

The class covers a common issue of working with AI called the black box problem, which Sharma said refers to “the inability to completely understand what happens in [an] ML model, the black box, when a decision is being made.” Students can provide the model with input and receive output, but it isn’t clear how the AI reaches its decision.

She said Teate is skilled at breaking down the steps that different algorithms take to arrive at their decisions. “By explaining

(L-R): Fourth-year student Aarushi Sharma and ISAT professor Tony Teate in JMU’s Data Science and Applied Machine Learning Laboratory, where Teate teaches about artificial intelligence.

complex subjects in a digestible manner and encouraging students to do the work of AI by hand, we are able to understand how a model should work,” Sharma said. “This class really helped me demystify the workings of AI and also gave me perspective on the reliability of it.”

Another project, by Virginia Beach resident Joy Williams (’19), was to develop an Android

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app that used ML to train an algorithm using about 25,000 medical images to determine whether skin anomalies were cancerous or benign. During the 2018-19 academic year, nothing was readily available in the Google Play store, she said. Her app’s accuracy was about 70%, and Teate said the project was a “big undertaking” and hinted at the larger world of concerns that AI can help with.

Williams was one of JMU’s first ISAT students to work with AI in a capstone project. She recalled having heard about AI and ML in the media, but it all sounded like the stuff of science fiction until she started taking classes with a concentration in Information and Knowledge Management.

She recalled Teate asking her and some other data-science students if they would want to take a course like that in their fourth year if he created one. “It was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Williams said. Teate then thought up the idea for the app, and Williams worked with him to create one.

Now a software engineer at Mutual of Omaha and a previous software developer for Freddie Mac, Williams said she’s learned since leaving JMU that the corporate world is a little slow to adopt new technologies. “It’s kind of this abstract idea,” she said. “I don’t even feel like AI and ML have been at the forefront of their minds.” But she’s looking forward to when it will be. When that happens, she said, “hopefully I can be at the forefront.”

In 2016, very few JMU professors were working in AI, Teate said. At that time, he began to develop a series of courses in the Applied Computing concentration within the ISAT program to teach students the fundamentals of ML and data science. Students chose a capstone project, conducted the research, wrote a thesis, gave a presentation to their colleagues and invited guests as the culmination of their ISAT degree.

Though designed years ago, these courses

have successfully prepared students for the latest in ML technology, Teate said. “[Implementing AI] needs to be done at all levels of education now,” he said. “It makes me feel good that I got a head start on it.”

ISAT students declare a concentration in one of six areas: Applied Biotechnology, Applied Computing, Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, and Public Inter-

institutions that only offer similar courses at the graduate level.

Teate, who holds a doctorate in engineering and physics, co-chaired this task force, whose efforts culminated in the formation of a search committee that hired a cohort of seven new faculty members to develop and teach a new Environmental Data Science major.

In addition to his service on the Data Science Task Force and search committees, Teate has also been active in AI research himself. One of his recent efforts has been the development of ML models for the design of new semiconductor materials. The purpose of these materials is to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and to use the hydrogen in fuel cells as a clean energy source.

His research approach has evolved to use AI, which delivers much better results than any of the methods he had previously used.

He recalled that when he gave a talk on the subject at the Applied Machine Learning Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Spring 2019 semester, attendees were impressed with his novel approach to discovering new materials. “I would love to see that kind of research being pervasive,” Teate said.

With the fields of AI and ML changing so fast, Teate said his courses evolve each year as different technologies become available. Recent changes include new ML techniques and datasets from areas such as medicine and social science, giving students a base of understanding for their chosen career paths. “I curate those datasets, which is the hardest part,” Teate said.

This year, he added prompt engineering to his Emerging Topics course, including ChatGPT and Bard — large language models that can facilitate the development of deep learning models in the classroom.

“This is an emerging topic that is not only exciting but is going to be quite useful,” Teate said.

As JMU becomes more research-oriented, he said, “we need professors who understand generative AI and how to prompt these models to get the best responses.”

“It was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.”

For more JMU AI stories, see the October edition of the Madison app. Scan the QR code to download.

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— JOY WILLIAMS (’19)

est Technology and Science. These choices have given students a broad range of areas in which to be impactful in society, Teate said — “empowering students to help make the world a better place.”

More recently, course additions have allowed students to begin research on their capstone projects at the beginning of their third year instead of waiting until the second semester of that year, allowing them two full years to learn more about AI and ML technology while at JMU. ISAT now has a course developed by Teate called Emerging Topics in Applied Data Science, allowing students to explore advanced technologies such as deep ML and generative AI (such as ChatGPT). Another ISAT program, Intelligence Analysis, also offers courses in AI and how it can provide decision support for the U.S. Intelligence Community.

AI is the wave of the future, Teate said, and he wants to prepare his students for how it will impact their career paths. “The cat is out of the bag now, and there’s just no way to put it back in.”

The increase of AI-related courses at JMU has been part of a recent push to include more data-science topics in the university curriculum. Toward the end of the Spring 2018 semester, the Office of the Provost charged a task force with creating a modern, undergraduate data-science major at the university, allowing JMU to stand out among

He also sees prompt design and prompt engineering contributing to a new, competitive job market in the near future. “When you’re really good at prompt engineering, it’s anticipated that those jobs will pay well,” he said, with a starting annual salary of $100,000 that will extend upward of $300,000. “That really is an emerging field. It’s really important, so we need to be on top of that.”

Williams said AI can be “kind of scary for a lot of people, especially if they’re not in the tech industry,” But she’s convinced that, through research, people will “find compelling evidence that it’s definitely a beneficial tool that we can use in our everyday lives.”

She and Fellenbaum urge people not to accept fear-based explanations of AI in the

media but to conduct their own research on how it can work for them. “They shouldn’t be afraid of it or afraid to use it,” Fellenbaum said. “In regards to autonomous vehicles, AI eliminates the human error. It’s not going to text and drive.”

Working from her Ballston, Virginia, apartment, Timmins implements databases for clients, configuring the systems for their preferences, so her clients and their customers can start and stop utility services with the push of a button.

“AI is designed to think as we do, so it’s programmed by people to think like people,” Timmins said. AI can assess a problem like a burst or leaking pipe and, within seconds, make a rational decision on what to do with

the information. “It can think exactly how we do but much quicker,” she said, which “saves a lot of time and a lot of money for a lot of companies.”

But as much as AI can do, Sharma cautioned that its abilities only extend as far as its programming allows. “With the emergence of AI to the general public, I think it’s really important that individuals are aware of the lack of reliability with AI,” she said.

“Although models can be trained to have accuracy ratings as high as 99.99%, there is always a chance for error. Because AI obtains information from preexisting content, it is also able to obtain biased or wrong information ... It’s always good to take AI response with a grain of salt.”

(L-R): Tony Teate and fourth-year student Aarushi Sharma discuss machine-learning models that his ISAT classes have been using. Teate helps students better understand how models should work by explaining complex subjects in a digestible manner and encouraging students to work with AI by hand, Sharma said. “This class really helped me demystify the workings of AI.” PH OTO G R A PH BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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The promise and the pitfalls of AI JMU proceeding with caution By Jim Heffernan (’96, ’17M)

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ame-changing new technologies inevitably raise red flags.

For every touted advancement in knowledge, efficiencies and quality of life, concerns follow about the loss of privacy, security and jobs.

At JMU, the promise of artificial intelligence systems — in the classroom, in our community and in the world beyond campus — is being carefully weighed against the potential pitfalls.

President Jonathan R. Alger has created the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, which is meant to inform and expand on current conversations around generative AI. The task force is comprised of four working groups that will assess the current landscape and develop local policies and practices in the areas of scholarship, the student experience, societal impact and administrative applications.

“With the help and guidance of these working groups, JMU will be able to address both short-term and long-term generative AI impacts, increase our responsiveness to recent technological and social developments, and be better prepared to support the faculty, staff and students of JMU as this technology continues to evolve and change,” Alger said in an email to faculty and staff.

As ChatGPT and other generative AI tools become more common, professors at JMU and across the country are raising concerns about academic integrity.

This past spring, the Chronicle of Higher Education, a leading trade publication, asked faculty members at colleges and universities to share their experiences with ChatGPT. According to the results, which were published in June in the article “Caught Off Guard by AI,” some considered any use of AI to be cheating. Others reported having embraced

ChatGPT in their teaching, arguing that they need to prepare their students for an AI-infused world. “Many faculty, though,” the article stated, “remain uncertain — willing to consider ways in which these programs could be of some value, but only if students fully understand how they operate.”

In August, a group of nine faculty researchers in the College of Education surveyed more than 25,000 JMU employees and students about their understanding of generative AI tools and their impact on teaching and learning. The survey covered a wide range of topics, including ethical awareness, concerns and the integration of generative AI tools in educational settings. Of the 129 faculty members who completed the survey, 26% reported being “very familiar” with generative AI, compared with 33% of the 227 student respondents.

About an equal percentage of faculty members and students — 46% and 47% respectively — were “somewhat familiar” with the technology. More than half of the faculty and teaching staff (61%) indicated they would have a generative AI policy or guidance in their syllabus for the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semester.

Over the summer, the interdisciplinary research team produced a set of guidelines for CoE faculty on implementing the technology in the classroom. “In addition to providing an introduction to generative AI and a recommended syllabus statement, we recognized the importance of creating a platform for our faculty members to exchange ideas and activities related to demonstrating the use of generative AI with students during their classes,” said Chelsey Bollinger, lead researcher. “We were aware that many outstanding educators within our college were already employing generative AI in

“... JMU will be able to address both short-term and long-term generative AI impacts, increase our responsiveness to technological and social developments and be better prepared to support the faculty, staff and students.”

— JONATHAN R. ALGER, president

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innovative ways, and we were eager to learn from their experiences and insights.”

The goal, according to Bollinger, an associate professor of Early, Elementary and Reading Education, is to prepare future educators ethically.

“I have already initiated discussions in my courses regarding the ethical considerations surrounding AI, fostering critical thinking and evaluation skills, assessing the inclusivity and accessibility of AI-enhanced learning, and providing a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI,” Bollinger said. “I firmly believe in the importance of setting a responsible example of AI use for my students.”

When ChatGPT launched last year, Jonathan Jones, an assistant professor of history, admitted to feeling a “knee-jerk impulse to ban it and forget about it.” How can we meaningfully teach historical skills like writing and argumentation, if our students can have ChatGPT draft an essay for them in seconds, he wondered. And how can we assess our students’ understanding of course content, if ChatGPT can conjure up instant answers to essay prompts with no learning required?

“Like many of my colleagues, I was deeply worried about its potential for academic dishonesty, and I still am,” Jones said. “But it was obvious that AI is here to stay.”

Rather than give in to his concerns, Jones, then teaching at the Virginia Military Institute, created a classroom experiment to test ChatGPT’s ability to generate authentic, accurate historical essays. He asked it to write an essay on Frederick Douglass and the Civil War. (See sidebar on Page 51.) He then shared the essay with students in his upper-level undergraduate history class, Frederick Douglass’ America, and asked them to review and edit it, and identify any factual errors.

The exercise proved “a smash hit, with terrific student engagement and clear payoff,” Jones wrote for Perspectives on History, the news magazine of the American Historical Association. “Students jumped at the chance to showcase the knowledge they had learned in class to fact-check the essay. Ultimately, they made a few deletions, some additions,

College of Education faculty researchers surveyed more than 25,000 JMU employees and students about their understanding of generative AI tools and their impact on teaching and learning.

26% 33% 61% of faculty “very familiar” with generative AI

of students “very familiar” with generative AI

of faculty to have a generative AI policy in syllabus

A L L DATA C O L L E C T I O N I S O N G O I N G

and, most importantly, used their higherorder thinking skills to evaluate the essay and add much-needed context to its key points.”

JMU is currently exploring how AI can be integrated into some of its administrative functions, including its proposed Early Student Success System, part of the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan for the next decade. The system, which will involve data collection and analytics, is designed to

(Clockwise from top left): JMU faculty members Jonathan Jones (History), Chelsey Bollinger (Early, Elementary and Reading Education), Christian Early (Ethical Reasoning in Action), Sarah Cheverton (College of Business)

improve overall student success and retention while closing the gaps that exist among firstgeneration and other disadvantaged student groups. One of the ideas on the table is a brief check-in survey during Week 2 through Week 4 of the academic semester to assess students’ basic needs, well-being, academics and sense of belonging. Working groups are thinking through the survey, as well as its administration, campus resource capacities, data workflow, and a communications plan for how students can opt in and out of data collection.

In August, more than 5,000 incoming JMU first-year and transfer students considered the following fictional scenario as part of It’s Complicated, JMU’s pioneering orientation program that provides a framework for ethical decision-making: Should a university provide student access to an artificially intelligent chatbot app, AI-Care, to supplement the growing demand for mental health services on campus?

The scenario was conceived by Christian Early, director of Ethical Reasoning in Action, following a tragic series of events in the JMU community in 2022, including the loss of a student-athlete to suicide and a non-student who jumped to their death from a parking garage on campus. “At the time, there was a big push for additional mental health resources in our community,” he said.

Early was especially interested in a solution that would lessen the demands on human counselors. “One of the only things I could think of was AI,” he said.

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The Ethical Reasoning in Action staff produced a video to accompany the scenario that offered different perspectives on the issue using actors in the roles of administrators, professors, students and parents. This was prior to OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, which stoked public fears about AI and its role in our daily lives. Suddenly, the idea of a chatbot counseling system on a college campus wasn’t so far-fetched.

“My mind went to, how do we generate scenarios in which an implementation of AI could conceivably make a big difference,” Early said, “and what kinds of questions should we ask ourselves before we consider that decision? I wasn’t thinking of students writing papers.

I was thinking of industry.

Where would AI make a difference? And how do we go about thinking about that? Do we really want this change? Do we want students to be dependent on an app to feel better about themselves?”

Early also wondered about the long-term consequences of such an app. “Let’s say you implement it, and it solves the problem of access to resources,” he said. “Does that then mean that in-person counseling is for the rich?” And would it further marginalize a subset of underprivileged students who may not have access to personal devices?

In fact, the chatbot counselor scenario checked all the boxes for Ethical Reasoning in Action’s Eight Key Questions, a decisionmaking strategy that students can use to evaluate the ethical dimensions of a dilemma: fairness, outcomes, responsibilities, character, liberty, empathy, authority and rights.

The scenario was piloted in January with incoming transfer students in-person before moving to an online learning module with first-year students in August. After studying the 8KQ, participants were asked to evaluate the ethical dimensions of making chatbot counselors available to students.

Sarah Cheverton, state authorization and compliance officer for online and distance learning at JMU and a lecturer in the College

of Business, has made ethical scenarios and the 8KQ a part of her Computer Information Systems class for the past few years. She asks students to consider whether, as members of a company’s board of directors, they should require that employees have a microchip the size of a grain of rice inserted in their hand to add value to the business process.

“You can imagine the concerns that raises for some people,” Cheverton said. “What’s interesting is that the vast majority of them, when they think about the Eight Key Questions and fairness and liberty and outcomes, will say, ‘Hmm, I don't think this is a good idea. Too risky. You’re taking people’s liberty away.’ But I always have somebody who’s

AI will stay out of the writers room, Rooker said. “But I don’t see that being a definitive option. Hollywood studios, I think, are going to see the effects that the writers strike is having, and they’re going to lean into AI rather than simply stop making movies. One of the policy alternatives I explored is writers using AI not as a crutch so much as a supporting element.”

In his first semester at JMU, Rooker, an Honors student, took a course with professor Philip Frana that posed ethical questions related to AI. He wrote a paper on the feasibility of electing an artificially intelligent member of Congress. “That was a wild one,” he admitted. “A lot of the other students were opposed to the idea. But even the more conservative side of the issue asks, should we allow AI personhood rights?”

Last year, as a member of JMU’s speech team, Rooker delivered an analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a lens for AI. “It was a way to get the message out that maybe there is an opportunity here to empathize with a creature that we may not necessarily think of as AI, but that is ultimately an extension of humanity that is intelligent.” The speech earned Rooker the title of Novice Grand Champion at the American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament in Santa Ana, California, in April.

Rooker is co-writing a book chapter with Frana, his research adviser, for the Museum of Science Fiction’s publishing arm, and has started another research project exploring whether the Starship delivery robots on campus impact how students view AI. Rooker believes AI will play an increasingly significant role in his education at JMU. “I think right now JMU is in a transition period with AI,” he said. “And I think more than ever, I’m going to get exposed to more of those ideas in my classes. And it’s not just going to be specialized courses, like with Dr. Frana. I really hope to bring some of that into the skills that I develop to take into the workforce with me.”

“How do we generate scenarios in which an implementation of AI could conceivably make a big difference, and what kinds of questions should we ask ourselves before we consider that decision?”

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— CHRISTIAN EARLY, director, Ethical Reasoning in Action

like, ‘Yeah, I’m about making money. And that’s what we’re going to do.’”

Sam Rooker, a sophomore Intelligence Analysis major and Public Policy and Administration minor, presented at the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum conference at JMU in early October on “The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Filmmaking: A New Tool or the Death of Creativity?” His presentation focused on policy alternatives to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and how AI can be used in filmmaking.

In May, Adobe Inc. announced it would integrate generative AI into its editing software and some of its filmmaking suites.

“I found that the editing it was doing was flawless,” said Rooker, a cinema buff with an appreciation for filmmaking technology.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America are hoping that

F

Frederick Douglass’ life, work and contributions to the Civil War

rederick Douglass is one of the most important figures in the history of the United States, known for his work as an abolitionist, orator, and writer. He was a prominent voice in the movement to end slavery in the United States and played a significant role in the Civil War. In this essay, we will explore the life and work of Frederick Douglass, and examine his contributions to the Civil War. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. He escaped slavery in 1838 and went on to become one of the most prominent abolitionists of his time. Douglass was a gifted orator and writer, and his speeches and writings helped to change public opinion about slavery in the United States.

He argued that slavery was not only morally wrong but also economically and socially harmful to both black and white Americans As the Civil War approached, Douglass became an advocate for the Union cause. He believed that the war was necessary to end slavery and bring about true equality for all Americans. He urged African Americans to join the Union army and fight for their freedom. Douglass saw the war as a chance to prove that African Americans were not inferior to whites and deserved the same rights and opportunities.

Douglass also played a significant role in shaping President Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery and emancipation.

In 1862, he met with Lincoln to discuss the issue of black soldiers in the Union army. Douglass argued that allowing African Americans to fight for the Union would help to end slavery and boost the morale of black Americans. Lincoln

was initially hesitant to allow black soldiers, but Douglass’s arguments convinced him to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared that all slaves in Confederate territory were to be freed.

After the Emancipation Proclamation, Douglass continued to advocate for the rights of African Americans. He argued that freedom was not enough and that true equality required education, economic opportunities, and political rights. He supported the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to African Americans, and guaranteed them the right to vote.

Despite the progress made during the Civil War and Reconstruction, Douglass recognized that much work remained to be done to achieve true equality for African Americans. He continued to speak out against racism and discrimination until his death in 1895. His legacy inspired generations of activists who fought for civil rights in the United States.

In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was a pivotal figure in the fight to end slavery in the United States and bring about true equality for all Americans. His work as an abolitionist, orator, and writer helped to change public opinion and shape the course of the Civil War. His influence on President Lincoln’s views on slavery and emancipation was significant, and his advocacy for the rights of African Americans continued long after the war ended. Douglass’s legacy is a reminder of the importance of standing up for what is right and fighting for justice and equality for all.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay was written by ChatGPT. Last year, JMU Assistant Professor of History Jonathan S. Jones, then teaching at the Virginia Military Institute, prompted the AI-powered platform to write an essay on Frederick Douglass and the Civil War. He then shared the essay with students in one of his upper-level undergraduate history courses and asked them, in groups, to review it, edit it and identify any factual errors. Jones recently shared the results of the class experiment with the American Historical Association.

D O U G L A S S PH OTO G R A PH BY SA M U E L J . M I LLE R

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A library of the future

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Carrier undergoing extensive renovation and expansion

By Andy Perrine (’86)

how of hands: Who among our more than 160,000 living JMU alumni does not have a fond memory of Carrier Library?

At some point, all of us have passed through this venerable building and contemplative space, which has served as the intellectual and cultural crossroads of campus since 1939.

Bethany Nowviskie, dean of JMU Libraries, described this intersection as, “People, ideas, disciplines, fields — the past and the future all come together in Carrier in really exciting ways.”

While Carrier has undergone many modifications throughout

the years, including a major addition in the early ’80s, the time has come to fully renovate and further expand the building for many reasons, most especially because of its heavy usage. “The libraries on JMU’s campus are some of our most heavily trafficked places. They’re always lively and busy, and I think that’s because students love to be in spaces that inspire them to focus on their work,” Nowviskie said.

Dean of Libraries Bethany Nowviskie joined JMU in 2019.

(Clockwise from left): A 1927 view of the library in the Students’ Building (now Harrison Hall); another view of the same library in 1931; rendering of the future grand reading room on the third floor of the renovated Carrier Library

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Plus, how we consume, interbringing together everybody’s pret and disseminate knowlhopes, desires and expertise into edge changes almost daily; something really fabulous and this renovation and expansion new for JMU, as we come on the project will transform Carrier stage as a national university.” into a library of the future. The Concerns about accessibilproject is well-timed with the ity and compliance under the — BETHANY NOWVISKIE, dean of JMU Libraries evolution of JMU overall. Our Americans with Disabilities Act new Carnegie classification as a are driving the design, as are high research doctoral institution and rise to “There’s been tremendous energy and crowding, safety and overall navigability of the national rankings requires facilities that goodwill feeding into the design of the the aging facility. Universal design princimatch the institution’s profile. building — the ways in which students, fac- ples, which are defined as creating “an enviTo that point, Nowviskie said, “This is a ulty and administrators have come together ronment that can be accessed, understood once-in-a-generation opportunity for all of to outline what it is that we need,” she said. and used to the greatest extent possible by all us at JMU to build the academic library that “Our library faculty and staff, which include people regardless of their age, size, ability or this campus needs and deserves, and that librarians, but also educational technologists disability,” guided the remodeling. befits its status as a national university. So and instructional designers, have had a hand The new Carrier Library will have many feawe’re all really invested in getting this right. in the design of this building. And so it’s tures, including a 24-hour student study space;

“We conducted really interesting student focus groups that helped us identify what’s most important for them in these spaces.”

(Clockwise from left): A 1967 Bluestone photo of a student in Madison Memorial Library (now Carrier Library); a crowded reading room in 1978; rendering of the future Carrier Library as seen from Grace Street; students gather at an information desk in Madison Memorial Library.

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large, beautiful, bookcompletion in December lined reading rooms; out2025. But it will take sevdoor terraces; consultation eral months to move the and group study rooms; collections, equipment, and expanded facilities furnishings and offices for library instruction, back inside, and to prepare — BETHANY NOWVISKIE, dean of JMU Libraries innovative educational the building for students. A technology, digital scholgrand re-opening is schedarship, distinctive collections and more. The and how we can predict what the next genera- uled for Fall 2026. Much of the building will be renovated building will also house a café and tion of students will be than our JMU students gleaming and open, and a new, outdoor plaza the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the nation’s right now. So we engaged our Student Advi- will be created by the expansion on the north first academic center dedicated to Black poetry. sory Board, which gave input all along the way. side of the building, which faces Grace Street.

Student feedback in the early phases of The Student Government Association played As for maintaining the historic feeling of Carrier, design was also foundational. “Student input a key role, and, together with our architects, alumni will be happy to hear that much of the was so important to us,” Nowviskie said. “And we conducted really interesting student focus building’s original character will be highlighted you know, we’re designing a library for JMU groups that helped us identify what’s most and incorporated into the new design. students far into the future. And there’s no bet- important for them in these spaces.”

“We know that Carrier is beloved by our ter set of experts on what students need now Renovations and expansion are scheduled for alumni. Our faculty care a great deal about

“We know that Carrier is beloved by our alumni ... So it’s been really fun to think of ways to bring [it] back to its former glory.”

Rendering of a future entrance to Carrier Library, looking north from D-Hall; (Inset): rendering of new open study space in renovated historic Carrier

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Carrier, and our students love that historic feel of the 1930s portion of the building,” Nowviskie said. “So it’s been really fun to think of ways to bring [it] back to its former glory. The building was added on to in the ’60s, and again in the ’80s and the ’90s. But a lot of those prior expansions obscured some of the nicer historic features of the building.

So as we’ve been undertaking this process of renovation, we’ve uncovered features of Carrier Library that have been hidden for years.

One of my favorites of those is a set of beautiful column capitals in the reference room that have been hidden underneath a drop ceiling for decades. Nobody that I’ve talked to has seen them, and they have beautiful, intricate scrolls that we’re going to be able to restore and bring back to their former glory.”

(Above): Rendering of the new second-floor reading room in the north-facing expansion of Carrier Library; (Below): rendering of future open study space on the first floor of the expansion

Scan the QR code to watch a video about the Carrier renovation.

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Alumni Life for

Chapter Spotlight Highlights from several alumni chapters

The MetroDukes Alumni Chap­ ter teed up for a good cause with the first MetroDukes Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the event supported the MetroDukes’ Scholarship Fund. (Left): The Atlanta Dukes embodied Being the Change in their community by participating in a cleanup service project at Grant Park, Georgia.

The newly relaunched Charlottesville Dukes welcomed JMU Nation to Charlottesville, Vir­ ginia, for the UVA vs. JMU football game. The chapter hosted a pregame party at Random Row Brewing, a local brewery owned by Kevin McElroy (’03). More than 100 Dukes gathered there before heading over to Scott Stadium for the big game.

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(Above): Twenty students from the School of Media Arts and Design gathered in Los Angeles, California, for a mixer with local alumni and business professionals.

These students spent their summer in L.A. completing internships and broadening their network in the video/ film industry. (Left): The Dallas/Fort Worth Alumni Chapter welcomed new Dukes to the area and wished local JMU students a great sem­e­ ster with their Summer Send Off event.

Take me out to the ballgame! Several alumni chapters enjoyed local baseball this summer. (Top): Khalil Garriott (’04) (second from left) and fellow MetroDukes at the Nationals game, the Charlotte Dukes at the Charlotte Knights game and the Philadelphia Dukes at the Phillies game P H OTO G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y O F O F F I C E O F A LU M N I R E L AT I O N S

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Alum directs Boy Scouts National Jamboree

BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96, ’17M)

More than 20,000 Scouts from across the country came together in rural Fayette County, West Virginia, in July for the Boy Scouts of America National Jam­ boree. Held every four years, the 10-day event cele­ brates the adventure and traditions of Scouting. At the helm of this year’s event was Tom Pendleton (’98), a former public-school teacher who began his career with BSA in 2002.

Were you a Scout growing up? I began Scouting in the sec-

ond grade and have been involved since that time. I am an Eagle Scout with three palms and a member of the BSA National Honor Society, known as the Order of the Arrow, and have earned several other honors and awards along the way.

After JMU, you were a public-school teacher in Roanoke, Virginia, which is where you began your career with the Boy Scouts. How did those two pursuits intersect?

Between my third and fourth years of teaching, I spent the summer working at Boy Scout summer camp. As a teacher, I was asked to help develop a new, first-year camper program and help with the curriculum development and program delivery methods. I helped write and implement the program that summer. I also had the opportunity to work alongside some BSA professionals who explained to me what it was like to work for the Boy Scouts full time. With some prompting from them, at the end of my fourth year of teaching I decided to change my career path and begin working for the Boy Scouts.

What are your primar y responsibilities as director of the National Jamboree?

How did your Madison Expe­ rience prepare you for your career? One of the things that

has helped me most was being involved in residence life. As an RA, I learned things about planning programs and staying within a set budget — skills that came in handy in the Jamboree. I learned about conflict resolution and leading my peers. These are all skills that I use on a day-to-day basis.

(Top): Tom Pendleton (’98) (center) with sons Tayden (left) and Tyler (Above): A WOAY-TV, Channel 4, reporter inter­ views Pendleton about the BSA National Jamboree.

My role is to ensure that the Jamboree is safe and manage all aspects of the event. I work alongside volunteers to deliver the promise of Scouting to the youth and adults who attend. I oversee everything on the site, from the logistics of feeding and moving people around the site to what they actually do while in attendance to the medical facil-

“Jamboree brings together Scouts from across the country to learn about one another and have combined experiences, making memories that will last a lifetime.”

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A LU M N I ities and clinics that we put in place. I also provide leadership to the roughly 2,800 staff who lead different aspects of the event.

For those who don’t know, how would you describe the Jamboree?

The National Jamboree is Scouting’s premier event that takes place generally every four years. It is the largest gathering of Scouts and Scouters (adult Scout leaders) in the country. In July, we hosted more than 20,000 people on the Jamboree site at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia.

We became one of the 10 largest cities in the state for those 10 days. Jamboree brings together Scouts from across the country to learn about one another and have combined experiences, making memories that will last a lifetime. Scouts participate in a wide range of activities that are both high-adventure and academic.

What’s something about BSA that people would find surprising? The

BSA has been around since 1910. In February 2019, the Scouts BSA program began welcoming females, with the first female Eagle Scouts in October 2020.

Scouting is for all youth.

What’s the most gratifying part of your job? I enjoy working with volunteers

from across the country. Many of our volunteers are leaders in their fields and still find time to volunteer with the BSA. In addition to that, I truly enjoy seeing the youth having a blast at the Jamboree. Giving a Scout a chance to do something they have never done before in an environment where it is safe to explore and sometimes fail is great.

They know that even if they are not successful, they will be supported by their peers and celebrated for trying. Seeing youth be able to find some activity where they fit in and feel comfortable is the best.

To learn more about Tom Pendleton and the National Jamboree, scan the QR code.

PH OTO G R A PH CO U RT E SY O F T R I PP H U G H E S ( ’ 09)

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How do you engage with JMU? n July, my wife and I welcomed the newest member of our family — and, hopefully, a future Duke. As with many things in my life, JMU played a major role in bringing him safely into the world. Being a proud alumnus, I wore a JMU shirt to the hospital to immortalize JMU along with the first pictures of our son, engraining that Duke Dog pride in him from the outset. This turned out to be a great decision, as our nurse in the labor-and-delivery unit was quick to ask if we had gone to JMU — she was a recent graduate of the School of Nursing. My wife and I knew we were in good hands! We were then surprised and overjoyed to discover three more proud alumni nurses during our hospital stay. They were not only incredibly friendly and helpful, but also enthusiastic about their connections to JMU. In the days after leaving the hospital, I thought about whether and how those nurses were engaged with JMU, and how personal interactions like we had during those few days could lead to improved connections and engagement with JMU and the Alumni Association.

The JMUAA mission is “to cultivate sustained engagement and investment in James Madison University.” Engagement is a common term we use in the JMUAA and across JMU, but what does that mean, and how do our alumni engage with the university? Luckily, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education gives us some guidelines. CASE defines alumni engagement as “activities that are valued by alumni, build enduring and mutually beneficial relationships, inspire loyalty and financial support, strengthen the institution’s reputation, and involve alumni in meaningful activities to advance the institution’s mission.” These activities fall into four categories: volunteer, experiential, philanthropic and communication.

The JMUAA strives to offer meaningful engagement opportunities in all of these areas. For example, you can volunteer with the JMUAA through your local or regional alumni chapter, or serve as an ambassador in an area where there may not be as many alumni. Alumni experiences include events such as the Metro Dukes’ Crabfest or returning to campus for Homecoming. Although the JMUAA is not a part of the Office of Annual Giving, philanthropic opportunities are available to give to an alumni chapter scholarship or support community-service projects through a chapter.

Finally, perhaps the biggest opportunity for JMUAA engagement is through com­mu­nication.

The association regularly publishes the Madison Update email with cur­rent events in JMUAA and across campus. We are also in a variety of social media channels: Find us on Facebook at JMU Alumni; on Twitter at @JMUAlumni; and on Instagram at @JMUAlumniAssoc. Be sure your email is up to date with the JMUAA and give these social media channels a like or follow, so you can stay informed about the JMUAA and future engagement opportunities.

I am always eager to talk to fellow alumni, such as the hospital nurses, about the JMUAA and ways to stay involved with the university. As the school year kicks off, and students and alumni return to campus, I encourage you to think about how you engage with JMU and how you can get your fellow alumni to join you. What would you like to see from the JMUAA to help us better engage you? Let us know at alumni@jmu.edu.

The JMUAA strives to offer meaningful engagement opportunities.

Go Dukes!

Tripp Hughes (’09)

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Celebrating diversity

The Latinx Alumni Network returns

T

he Latinx Alumni Network expertise with students. It can also help “As Latinx alumni, is relaunching, and it is an create a pipeline of talent that will benefit we have a unique per- the university for years to come. exciting time to be back on campus. The group is open Latinx-based organizations on JMU’s spective and experito all JMU alumni who share campus have grown significantly in recent ence that we can bring years. These organizations aim to provide and support its three-pronged mission: to the table. We want a space for Latinx students to connect with n To diversify the JMU community by increasing the matriculation of Latinx stuto use our collective each other, celebrate their culture and dents and ensuring their continued acashare their experiences. Some of the most voices to make a demic success through mentorship, scholpopular organizations include the Latinx arship and community involvement Student Alliance, Scholars Latino Initiapositive impact on n To connect and engage all JMU Latinx tive Mentors and the Center for MultiJMU’s campus.” alumni through the development of social cultural Student Services. These organi— MARIBEL CASTAÑEDA, and networking opportunities zations provide a safe space for students president of the Latinx Alumni Network n To empower and support the advanceto discuss issues affecting their commument of Latinx people and culture nity and to work together to create positive The group provides alumni with an opportunity to recon- change. They also provide opportunities for students to develop nect with the university and give back to the community. It is leadership skills and create meaningful connections with other a chance for them to share their experiences, knowledge and students who share similar experiences.

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A LU M N I The Latinx A lumni Network looks forward to supporting and amplifying the work of the on-campus organizations.

Through collaboration, the network can also help provide students with access to internships and career guidance, and help connect students with alumni who can offer advice and guidance on navigating life after college.

“As Latinx alumni, we have a unique perspective and experience that we can bring to the table. We want to use our collective voices to make a positive impact on JMU’s campus,” said Maribel Castañeda, president of the Latinx Alumni Network. “We hope to provide opportunities for professional development, mentorship and networking.

We also want to celebrate our culture and heritage through events and initiatives.”

The JMU Latinx Alumni Network’s work has already begun. The network announced its executive team, which will be responsible for leading and guiding the group through various initiatives. Leadership includes: n Maribel Castañeda (’15), president n Pedro Baiza Martinez (’18), vice president n Camila Sandoval (’17), alumni engagement chair n Anthony Rodriguez (’20), student engagement chair n Anayesica Lopez, Latinx Student Alliance representative The network also organized a happy hour in Washington, D.C., to a llow alumni to connect, share their experiences and discuss future goals. Additionally, the network served as a guest speaker at a Latinx Student Alliance general body meeting, where members shared their vision and mission with students.

In the next few months, the JMU Latinx Alumni Network has several exciting initiatives planned, such as creating a website, which will function as a hub for alumni to connect and stay up to date on upcoming events. The website will also provide a platform for highlighting alumni profiles, showcasing the achievements and successes of JMU Latinx alumni. Furthermore, the network will be working on recognitions for recent graduates to honor outstanding

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(Opposite): The Latinx Alumni Network helps members reconnect with the university and give back to their communities. (Above, L-R): Executive team members Camila Sandoval (’17), Pedro Baiza Martinez (’18), Anthony Rodriguez (’20) and Maribel Castaneda (’15)

members of the JMU Latinx community who have made significant contributions to the community and have demonstrated leadership and excellence on campus.

“As someone who did not have a strong professional network growing up, I under-

stand the importance of having a supportive community. That’s why I am proud to be part of the JMU Latinx Alumni Network, which provides a sense of belonging and a platform for us to make a difference,” Castañeda said.

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New kids on the block

JMU Alumni Association welcomes new board members Lorin Phillips (’02)

Phillips graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science and Technology. She returned to JMU for her post-graduate degree and received a Master of Education in Adult Learning and Human Resource Development in 2007.

Phillips lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her dog, Millie, and still drives the same Jeep she drove in college.

Tiffanie Rosier (’95)

Rosier graduated with a Bachelor of A rts in Speech Communications.

Later, she graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1997 with a Master of Arts in Education in Higher Education Administration. She is the program manager at Hotwire, a global communications and marketing consultancy agency. She also manages employment engagement activities, talent acquisition for North America and DEI activities at the agency.

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JMU Alumni Association Board of Directors (L-R, front row): Gina Friend (’92), Lorin Phillips (’02), Katelyn Holbrook (’13), Allison Brown (’92), Carrie Hawes (’04); (second row): Zac Hittie (’06, ’10M), Grace Whitehead (’24), Michelle Tur­enne (’90), Tiffanie Rosier (’95), Tom Rogowski (’84), Ellen Hineman (’89); (third row): Steve Cornwell (’90), Paul Pohto (’14), Dave Urso (’03, ’05M), Dana Gillis (’83), Jim Sheldrake (’72), Mary Trimmer Robinson (’76, ’79M), Tripp Hughes (’09), Adrienne Alberts (’95, ’97M), Bill Luth (’89), Wei Huang (’05), Derek Steel (’84)

Adrienne Alberts (’95, ’97M)

Alberts graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She returned to JMU in 1997 and received a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration. She is one of two children, both of whom attended JMU. Originally from Newport News, Virginia, she now resides in Laurel, Maryland, where she is the chief diversity officer at the American Red Cross and a proud pet parent.

Jim Sheldrake (’72)

She ld r a k e g r a du ate d from Madison College in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the School of Visual and Performing

Arts. After graduating, Sheldrake served as a high school band director for 12 years, followed by stints at Walt Disney World in park operations, Disney Cruise Line and Disney University. After retiring from the Walt Disney Co., he opted to continue full-time work with Aramark dining services on the Florida State University campus.

Dana Gillis (’83)

Gillis graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communications with a concentration in Journalism. Originally from Virginia, he lives in Alabama, where he is the chief executive officer at Village of Promise, a nonprofit organization focusing on raising families out of poverty in Huntsville, Alabama.

PH OTO G R A PH S BY O LI V E SA N TOS ( ’ 20)

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From the ‘Burg to the bench

F

ISAT alumnus sits on the federal bench in Richmond

BY AMY CROCKETT (’10)

or Mark Colombell (’99), choosing Integrated Science On May 10, 2021, Judge Colombell reached a professional mileand Technology as a major was an easy decision. It had stone when he was selected and sworn in as a United States maga diversified curriculum to keep his interest — biology, istrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of chemistry, energy and the environment.

Virginia — Richmond Division. Magistrate judges are nominated “ISAT was kind of novel … [it] focused on all for an eight-year term by federal district judges on the recommenthese different areas, and then you had a concentration, but you dation of a committee composed of lawyers and other citizens. kind of dipped your toes into all of those. That caught my attenIn this role, Judge Colombell works alongside a fellow Duke, the tion,” said Colombell, who describes himself as intellectually Honorable Summer Speight (’06), who was appointed as a United curious. “Just a single area States magistrate judge in of study — I would have March. “I’m so thankful been too easily distracted.” to have Judge Speight as a He was among the first colleague,” Judge ColomDu kes to enrol l in t he bell said. “She has stepped ISAT program in 1995 and right in and done a tremenremembers freshman classes dous job. It’s a tough adjustin trailers by the former ment to go from private Convocation Center. Four practice to the bench.” Prior years later, he received his to her appointment, Judge cap and gown, which coinSpeight was a partner with cided with the completion McGuireWoods LLP in of the ISAT building.

Rich­mond, Virginia.

Even with a concentration Due to the interconnectin Biotechnology, “I always edness of their two chamthought I had a calling to b er s , Jud g e C olomb e l l public service,” said Colomand Judge Speight often bell, whose mother worked depend on one another. in a public school and whose They share responsibilities father spent his entire career including presiding over with the federal government. preliminary proceedings He considered applying his in criminal cases and condegree toward a career in ducting settlement conforensic science but took a U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Colombell (’99), center, with his three ferences in civil disputes. law clerks and courtroom deputy, serves the Richmond Division. serious look at law school as “ We h ave a wond e r f u l his Madison Experience came to a close. Three years later, he earned working relationship. She’s going to do a great job going forhis law degree from the University of Richmond. ward,” Judge Colombell said.

Although Judge Colombell didn’t follow a traditional path to Judge Colombell said the most rewarding part of being a law school, he felt his ISAT classes prepared him well. “Those magistrate judge is presiding over naturalization ceremonies. professors, like [Cindy] Klevickis, had expectations that drilled “When individuals become new U.S. citizens, I get to share in the work ethic of what would be required to succeed in law with them a little bit about my family’s background,” which school,” he said. includes grandparents who emigrated from Ireland and GerJudge Colombell began his legal career as a law clerk for the many. During these ceremonies, “each person gets introduced Honorable Michael C. Allen (Ret.) of the Chesterfield County by name and country of origin, and it’s amazing that you see Circuit Court in Virginia and spent the next 18 years as a civil lit- all of their paths converge on that day. They take the Oath of igator for the Richmond law firm of Thompson McMullan P.C. Allegiance, and it’s a really, really special day.”

PH OTO G R A PH BY A N T H O N Y R U M LE Y

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MixedMedia BOOKS, MUSIC

FILM

Developing and Implementing Promising Practices and Programs for First-Generation College Students CO-EDITED BY KAREN JACKSON (’91) Routledge ISBN-13: 978-1032128085 Karen Foreman Jackson, a Public Administration major, recently co-edited Developing and Implementing Promising Practices and Programs for First-Generation College Students. The book highlights various colleges and their efforts to support first-generation college students. Authors share detailed information on the development, implementation and assessment of first-generation programs at their respective institutions. Programming discussed in the book ranges in funding levels and includes activities such as faculty dinners, study abroad, bridge programs, living learning communities, peer mentoring, intrusive advising and holistic well-being.

Now That Shot Sucked!: Golf’s Mental Game for Duffers

BY BILL RILEY (’79) Page Publishing, Inc ISBN-13: 979-8886543155 Duffers need a different set of mental game strategies than professionals and “low-handicappers,” but most golf psychology books are oriented to golf pros and scratch golfers, because those are the people who pay for sports psychologists’ advice. Some even say that recreational golfers don’t need mental game strategies, just more lessons.

Recreational golfers can benefit greatly from an improved mental game if the strategies are tailored to their needs. Duffers want to optimize their performance, but they also just want to have an enjoyable round, even when their game is less than optimal. Riley — a psychologist, adjunct faculty instructor in the Department of Psychology and recreational golfer — wrote Now That Shot Sucked! for recreational golfers to improve their mental game, play better and enjoy the game more.

The Confession of Hemingway Jones

BY KATHLEEN HANNON (’89) CamCat Books ISBN-13: 979-0744302578 It’s time to raise the dead. Moments after a devastating car accident kills his father, 17-year-old Hemingway Jones takes his father’s body to Lifebank, the cryogenic preservation research center where he interns.

Hijacking the lab in a desperate attempt to reverse the natural order, Hemingway holds police and medics at bay as he works to revive his father. As dawn breaks, the heart monitor beeps, and his father slowly creeps back to life.

Days later, Hemingway arrives at the hospital to learn that his father’s skin has turned ashen gray, he can’t exist in temperatures above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and hydrogen sulfide has become his only source of food. Facing arrest for his reckless actions, Hemingway is offered a proposal by the billionaire owner of the lab: Recreate the experiment he swore he’d never do again or go to prison, leaving his father to die a second time.

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Working With Infertility and Grief: A Practical Guide for Helping Professionals

BY MEGAN CASSIDY HERSCHER (’01) Routledge ISBN-13: 978-1032367927 Working With Infertility and Grief explores issues of grief, including disenfranchised grief and chronic sorrow, related to infertility and reproductive loss. Out of the small handful of books related to this topic, this is the first of its kind geared toward equipping professionals who assist those grieving unrecognized losses. Written through the lens of the literary framework of the hero’s journey, this comprehensive practitioner guide directly targets mental health professionals working with clients, supervis­ ees or students who have experienced infertility, miscarriage or death of an infant.

This book is also for those who experienced it themselves. Readers will learn more about the crisis of infertility and reproductive loss, gain insight into the experience of those suffering, and acquire practical tools and strategies for helping and healing. This text is broad enough to be integrated into a course for a graduate program and specific enough to serve as a shelf reference for those in practice.

Read This and Call Me in the Morning: A Prescription for Teen Substance Use Prevention *With Cartoons*

BY FIONA BROWN (’05) BookBaby ISBN-13: 978-1667887241 Navigating the difficult and sensitive conversations surrounding teen substance use can be daunting, but Read This and Call Me in the Morning offers parents of pre-teens and teenagers a comprehensive, health-focused guide to make this process easier. Written in plain language and with a lighthearted tone by Brown, a Psychology major, this handbook equips parents with the necessary knowledge to better support their teenagers. It covers topics like understanding the growing brain of teens, potential risks they face, how to protect against those risks and ways to communicate effectively. With a focus on mental health, this book helps parents build resilience in their teenagers and cultivate meaningful connections Read This and Call Me in the Morning is well-researched and offers unique perspectives through detailed insight from teen mental health professionals. It serves as an essential resource for any parent who wants to shield their child from early substance misuse yet still allow them the freedom to make healthy decisions during these important years.

The Glorious Forest That Fire Built

BY GINNY NEIL (’84) Amicus Ink ISBN-13: 978-1681529004 A wildfire roars through the forest, leaving nothing but ashes until seeds sprout from deep below. Root by root and seed by seed, the forest rises again. In this lyrical, cumulative, nonfiction story about forest succession, readers will learn that forest fires are critical to forest health and that the end of a tree’s life provides the opportunity for new life. Back matter explains the timeline of the forest cycle in more detail.

Neil is an author, illustrator, award-winning teacher and master naturalist.

When she’s not slogging through a marsh, trying to spot spring peepers or chasing errant sheep across mountains and meadows, she manages an outdoor learning lab, teaches STEM to elementary and middle school students, and writes about all the things and people that make Earth such a fun and fascinating place to live. The Glorious Forest That Fire Built is her first picture book.

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Uncovering the Mystery of an Ordinary Loaf: The Sacred Life of Bread

BY MEGHAN MURPHY-GILL (’02) Broadleaf Books ISBN-13: 978-1506482231 The pursuit of bread, from the time a single grain is planted in the soil to the moment a baked loaf is broken and consumed, satisfies longings not only physical but spiritual. Nearly all the world’s religions count bread-related proverbs and prayers among their sacred scriptures. In the Christian tradition, bread is often referred to as life itself, thanks to its ability to meet the most basic need of all who live: sustaining food.

The life of bread is as ordinary as it is sacred. It offers a path toward understanding the inner workings of the world, ourselves and the relationship between the two. In this 14-recipe book, Murphy-Gill, a Media Arts and Design major, explores the world of bread and its rich meanings — from the exuberant joy of the hot-dog roll to the inactive time as bread slowly rises. Engaging a bread practice is spiritual and process-focused, and bread invites us to community and communion in ongoing, fulfilling and profoundly life-giving ways.

The making and breaking of bread are spiritual practices that reveal deep truths as well as pathways toward meaningful relationships with ourselves, our communities and our environment.

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Ghost Signs

BY SEAN HANRAHAN (’00) Independently published ISBN-13: 979-8393046835 Ghost Signs is a haunting collection of poetry that evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past.

Through vivid descriptions of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, childhood memories and gradual or sudden epiphanies, Hanrahan captures the beauty of fleeting moments and the impact of important decisions.

Fire Safety: Making a Safe Escape

BY JOHN DELANEY (’92) Independently published ISBN-13: 979-8375282060 Fire Safety: Making a Safe Escape, a children’s book written and illustrated by two lifelong firefighters, tells the story of how a family escapes a fire in their singlefamily home. Delaney’s book will give parents the confidence that their children will know what to do and how to act if adults are not home or unable to assist during a fire. His goal is to have parents read, teach and reinforce the importance of fire safety while establishing an escape plan. Through this story, family members will be informed on what to do if this emergency occurs at home, and will gain the knowledge necessary to make the right decisions and choices.

SHOW YOUR JMU PRIDE! DUKE DOG COMIC STRIP BY JOHN ROSE (’86)

JMU license plate sales have pro­vided over $1,000,000 for student scholarships.

To show your Madison pride wherever you drive and sup­port scholar­ships for Vir­ginia stud­ents, visit www.dmvNOW.com to get your JMU plate today.

DUKE DOG COMIC STRIP BY JOHN ROSE (’86); LICENSE PLATE COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

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Class Notes SCHOLARSHIP THANK-YOU’S 68 CELEBRATIONS 69 STAFF EMERITI 73 FACULTY EMERITI 75

A new section of Carrier Library was added in the early 1980s, and the library was renamed for President Ronald E. Carrier. (Inset): Before automation, the library had a card catalog system of organization for books and periodicals.

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Karen Wood Grizzard, a native of Broadway, Virginia, and resident of Richmond, Virginia, was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to a four-year term on the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. Her term began July 1, 2022. Grizzard also serves on the Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services Board, and previously served on the board of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards.

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Robert “Alan” Peterson stays connected to his Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity by throwing an annual party, which started in 1979 when he lived in a tiny house in Hampton, Virginia. Brothers would fly in from all over the country and drive in from all over the region.

They continued that tradition for about eight years until babies, jobs and life got in the way.

Called “The Steve Dog Cold Cold Cold Beer Party” in honor

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The 2023 gathering (L-R): Clyde Findley (’77), Rick Edwards (’74), Dean Richardson (’76), Fred Ripley (’72), Bob Duerr (’75), Vince Bacigalupo (’76), Chris Reed (’75), Robby Powell (’78), Gary Evans (’78), David Hillgrove (’79), Mike Boylan (’77), Joe Zakaib (’74), Alan Peterson (’78), Mark Esposito (’80), Ray Clark (’76), David Israel (’80), Paul Thompson (’79), Mark Elander (’79), Rob Atkins (’78), Randy Castelli (’79)

of their brother, Steve Dougherty (’78), who, in spite of their best efforts, cannot be located, the celebration is held at Peterson’s Virginia Beach home each year on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend. Peterson restarted the tradition roughly eight years ago.

This year, David Israel (’80) traveled the farthest from Las Vegas, Nevada. Most of the gang came from the Shenandoah Valley or Northern Virginia. “JMU is a special place, and nowhere is it more evident than when alumni who shared a bond at JMU gather to relive the past and look to the future,” Peterson said. ■ Ben Lewis reunited with three former JMU trumpeters and a token saxophonist for the first time in 45 years on April 27 in Manakin Sabot, Virginia.

IN MEMORIAM: Gladys Kemp Lisanby (’49), 94,

died July 8 at her home in Arlington, Virginia. Growing up in Luray, Virginia, she played basketball in high school and excelled in academics. She graduated from Madison College with a bachelor’s degree in Education, with a focus on Physical Education and Dance. Gladys taught for 17 years in the public schools of Virginia and California.

She met her late husband, Rear Adm. James Walker Lisanby, in Norfolk, Virginia, when he was on his first ship, the USS Mississippi.

She later told a reporter for Madison, “It seemed like it was just meant to be,” laughing at the coincidence of the ship’s name and their future residence in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Gladys was known as a beloved teacher, mentor and benefactor all her life, supporting the education of JMU students in the arts. In 2011, she and James established the Lisanby Dean’s Scholarship in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Lisanby Art History Scholarship in Museum Studies. She also received the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award for the CVPA. “Through the years, Gladys’ support funded more than 70 students with scholarships in music, dance, theater, art and museum studies,” said Cynthia Cline (’83, ’20P), senior director of the Office of Strategic Gifts. “It’s also worth noting that she named the Theatre Library in the Forbes Center for Performing Arts, and that the James and Gladys Kemp Lisanby Museum was named for the family

by President Emeritus Linwood H. Rose in 2012.”

O P P O S I T E : P H OTO G R A P H S BY J U L I A W E AV E R ( ‘ 2 1 ) A N D J M U P H OTO G R A P H Y S E R V I C E S

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Dukes Pay It Forward Annual Scholarship Dear donors, When I look back at the little 4-year-old girl who had just moved in with her grandparents and then look at who I am now, I cannot believe how far I have come. I would like to thank you for putting your faith in me while simultaneously providing information about me and how much this means to me. My family has never been well, living paycheck to paycheck, yet I have always shown remarkable academic ability. No one in my family has gone to college until me, and even though my family was worried about the financial burden, they still wanted me to go. This scholarship will lessen the burden on my family and all those who believed in me. It means a great deal to me as well. I have had classes with students who made jokes about not needing scholarships, because their family can pay it off. That option was never open for me, so I worked hard. To me, this scholarship proves I did work hard — that all my accomplishments were not unnoticed and that my academic future is not hindered. When I chose James Madison as the university where I wanted to continue my studies, a deciding factor for me were the people. I used the JMYOU website and met so many other students who were all incredibly smart.

This scholarship will allow me to continue to be on par with these intelligent people, because I too can focus on my studies over finances.

Maria Pinto (’27)

Political Science major College of Arts and Letters

Valley Scholars — William B. Holtzman Scholarship Dear donors, I personally want to thank you for donating to such an impressive and well-established program, helping so many students in need, myself included. Valley Scholars has changed my life. I was only in eighth grade when I started this program, but even as a seventh grader, I was thinking about how I would go to a college or university that had what I was looking for. I was thinking “how” because I saw my parents skip the whole college step, so for a while I didn’t know if it was in the cards for me either.

I knew believing in myself would be a big part in changing the mindset I had, but what I really needed was someone else to believe in me. That is when VS showed up and affirmed that I could do it and go anywhere if I just worked hard enough. It gave me hope in myself and prepared me for things my parents never could. Now, so many years later, I am about to start my first semester of college! I bet you are wondering where I ended up, and the answer to that is JMU. I did not choose this solely because of VS, but because it was a good school and VS helped me see that in depth. This scholarship has prepared me for what some of my time here at JMU will look like, and it removes a lot of the stress of student loans and debt. My Madison Experience has been uplifted more than I could have ever imagined, and that is all thanks to you, the donors. So, thank you, thank you for believing in us and giving us hope within ourselves to take this next big step.

Hannah Whitaker (’27)

Nursing major College of Health and Behavioral Studies

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Musicians’ 45-year reunion (L-R): Ben Lewis (’78), Art LaMan, Howard Smith (’81), Kevin Hopun (’81), Gene Fox (’81)

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Bill Riley, who passion for golf by writmajored in Psying a recently published chology and Sociolbook, Now That Shot ogy, retired last year Sucked!: Golf ’s Menafter 17 years with the tal Game for Duffers.

■ Charles Price (’79) died National Institutes of Health, where he served Jan. 7, 2021. as associate director for Bill Riley (’79) Behavioral and Social Jeff Bolander Sciences Research and as direcreceived the tor of the Office of Behavioral Potomac Appalachian Trail and Social Sciences Research.

Club’s Hawksbill Award in recIn that role, Riley contributed ognition for exceptional volunteer to a number of important NIH service. PATC maintains the 240efforts, most recently advising mile Appalachian Trail section on the extensive behavioral and from the south end of Shenansocial aspects of the COVID-19 doah National Park to Pine Grove pandemic.

Furnace, Pennsylvania.

Prior to NIH, he served on the faculty of academic medSteve and Alice (’83) ical schools and as director of Brown celebrated the research at a small research 40th anniversary of their first and development firm. Since date when JMU football played retiring, Riley joined JMU UVA on Sept. 9. Their original as an adjunct faculty memdate was at the JMU vs. UVA ber in the Department of Psygame on Sept. 17, 1983. chology while consulting. He At Madison, Alice was the also combined his expertise student manager of Dukes Grill in behavioral science with his CONTINUED ON PAGE 71 >>>

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4 1 Sophie Vithoulkas (’18) married Sam Mayman (’17) on June 17 at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. They met during JMU’s 2016 summer Semester in London. Vithoulkas was a member of Tri Delta, and Mayman was a member of Exit 245.

More than 30 of the couple’s JMU friends (and JMU Road Dawg!) united to celebrate the nuptials. 2 Mason Wallace Carter, a future Duke, was born on April 12 to Meredith Rose Carter (’13, ’14M) and Cody Carter. 3 Class of 2009 friends reunite to celebrate

Ashley (Smith) Hall’s (’09) upcoming arrival of the 12th future Duke of the group. Spanning the East Coast from New York to Virginia, they have always come together to celebrate milestones with one another! 4 Hunter (’18) and Kayla (Bennett) Etheridge (’17) were married on Aug. 20, and met as first-years living in McGraw-Long Hall. Surrounded by former football teammates, their wedding wouldn’t have been a true celebration without the purple-and-gold streamers.

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6 5 Annie Franks (’18) married Nick Pope (’15) on Oct. 16, 2022, at Riverside on the Potomac in Leesburg, Virginia. As a first-year, Franks had a crush on Pope, a Marching Royal Dukes drum major, but they didn’t start dating until 2017. Billy Crowe (’19) assisted with the wedding photography, and their videographer was Ryan Corey (’13) who owns Compass Studios with Katie Corey (’13).

6 Casey (Coburn) DeLuca (’19), a Biotechnology major, married Joseph DeLuca (’18), an Engineering major, on Oct. 15, 2022.

7 Josh Hoffman (’08) and his roommate for all four years of college, Joe Naughton (’08), have remained good friends since graduating more than 15 years ago. Back in January, Hoffman texted Naughton to let him know that his wife was pregnant and expecting on July 31. Naughton called him shortly thereafter to let him know his wife, Christina Guglielmo (’10), was also pregnant, and the due date was just one week after theirs. When Hoffman’s wife’s water broke two weeks early on July 18, Naughton and Guglielmo drove to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., to provide them with snacks and drinks in anticipation of a long night of labor. Arthur was born around 10 a.m. on July 19. Hoffman texted Naughton some pictures, and Naughton replied a few hours later, asking where he was currently located in the hospital. Hoffman was a bit confused 70

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7 as to why Naughton wanted to know his pre- (L-R): Joe Naughton cise whereabouts, but he told him they were (’08), Lucia, Arthur, in the maternity ward recuperating. Naugh- Josh Hoffman (’08) ton then let him know that Guglielmo had also given birth to Lucia that day, and they had just made it to the maternity ward. Hoffman and Naughton walked out of the doors to their respective hospital rooms and discovered that they were in adjoining rooms. Their children were born three hours apart, delivered by the same doctor. The nurses on the maternity ward told them that this had never happened before. Hoffman and Naughton enjoyed going through their first pregnancies at the same time and sharing the experience together.

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in 1983 and hired Steve They have two chilas a cook, prep guy and dren (one JMU graddishwasher. He told uate) and three grandAlice he was going to children. the JMU vs. UVA football game, and Alice James David asked if she and some Garlow, a Biology friends could ride with Roger Friedmajor, accepted a posiman (’92) him. He agreed, and tion at Syneos Health as they loaded a keg in the back of a senior clinical trial manager. his 1974 Vega. They had a great time, even though JMU lost.

Gen. John B. Morrison Jr. a In the ’80s, they watched the Marketing major, and games from the “Hill” which Harmonie Taddeo (’00), a Social was behind the student secWork major, were inducted into tion in the west end zone. “We the 2023 Fairfax County Public used to roll kegs to the Hill Schools Hall of Fame on April on Saturdays and that’s where 19. Morrison is the deputy chief the loud cheering came from,” of staff, G-6, in the U.S. Army Steve said. and has served in key roles since After the game, they went he was commissioned as a sigto Ciro’s Pizza in Waynesnal officer in JMU ROTC. Tadboro, Virginia, and Steve held deo is the executive director of Alice’s hand on the way back Western Fairfax Christian Minto Harrisonburg. “We’ve been istries, the largest food pantry in together ever since,” he said. western Fairfax County.

Steve and Alice have had season tickets for more than Veronica G. Hennessey, 20 years, coinciding with an Economics major, their move back to Virginia in joined the Institute for Defense March 1998. Their 38th wedAnalyses in January as a senior ding anniversary was June 22. buyer in the Finance Director-

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2023 Fairfax County Public Schools Hall of Fame inductees include Harmonie Taddeo (’00), second from left, and Gen. John B. Morrison Jr. (’86), fourth from left

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ate located at IDA’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters.

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Carl Lewis enjoyed a vacation to Turks and Caicos Islands in February to reconnect and relax with Class of 1992 friends. ■ Roger Friedman, a Mass Communications major, was selected as the 2022 Coach of the Year — Girls Competitive by US Youth Soccer. He was nominated by the parents of the players on his Burke Athletic Club Blast team, winning top coach in Virginia

Turks and Caicos friends (L-R): Van Clayton, Kristin Brenner Mulkerin, Jon Bjork, Matt Gaugler, Phil Reed, Doug Penner, Leigh Wise Penner, Carl Lewis, Kim Tufts Lewis

and then the Southeast Region before being recognized with the top honor at an event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Alumni delegates attend university presidential inaugurations Virginia Peninsula Community College, March 24, Hampton, Va. Gail Pittman (’73, ’77M) represented JMU at the investiture ceremony of President Towuanna Porter Brannon of Virginia Peninsula Community College this past spring.

(Clockwise): President Towuanna Porter Brannon with Gail Pittman (’73, ’77M), Susan Ward (’78, 25P), Faye Pleasants (’66), Steve Crouch (’80)

NOT E S as people. ■ Tee Morris War battlefields, hisco-founded Old Spirtoric theaters and a its Investigations with distillery.

Phil Rossi (’01) during Within their first the COVID-19 panyear, they launched demic. Morris serves Old Spirits on Youas lead investigator for Tube, where their colJames TinsOSI, a small, Virginlected data is presented ley (’92) ia-based paranormal in a “reaction video” group focused on the history format. “We describe what and connections made through we do as the most interactive investigation. form of history, as we are hopMorris and Rossi were ing for history to speak back inspired by the survival-based, to us,” Morris said. Follow OSI horror video game Phasmophoon Instagram at @oldspirits bia, which pits ghost huntinvestigations. ■ James Tinsley ers against malevolent spirits was appointed chief commerand provided a weekly interaccial officer on May 30 for tion during lockdown. As the JER A Americas, the Houspandemic began to approach ton, Texas-based subsidiary its end, Rossi asked Morris, of global energy leader JERA. “So, do you want to try this for Tinsley joins JER A Amerireal?” Since then, the Marchcas from his position as vice ing Royal Dukes trombone president of Natural Gas Supplayers have traveled along the ply and Trading for Calpine East Coast investigating abanEnergy Services. doned mental asylums, Civil CONTINUED ON PAGE 74 >>>

St. John’s College, March 25, Annapolis, Md. Susan Ward (’78, 25P) attended the inauguration of Nora Demleitner, the 25th president of St. John’s College. “It was a fun afternoon filled with interesting people who I otherwise would never have met. Nora is a lovely lady — very accomplished, articulate and focused on broad-reaching ways to change the world,” Ward said. “Interestingly, one of the speakers, Daniel Wubah, president of Millersville University and a close friend of Ms. Demleitner, had been a professor at JMU for a number of years. We had a fun conversation about what a great school JMU is!”

Patrick & Henry Community College, April 14, Martinsville, Va. Faye Pleasants (’66) attended the inauguration of President Greg Hodges at Patrick & Henry Community College in early spring. She thoroughly enjoyed meeting the new president as well as other delegates. “When he realized that I was representing JMU, a fellow delegate shared that his grandson is graduating from JMU this spring. When the grandson enrolled there four years ago, the delegate said he promised to introduce him to President Jonathan R. Alger by the time he graduated,” Pleasants said. “This interaction was another special moment, among many, during this beautiful event.”

Christopher Newport University, Aug. 14, Newport News, Va. Steve Crouch (’80) attended the investiture ceremony of William G. Kelly, the sixth president of Christopher Newport University, on a hot summer day. Crouch mentioned how honored he was to represent President Jonathan R. Alger as JMU’s delegate for this momentous occasion in the commonwealth.

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(L-R): Rhonda Page (’94), Women for Madison founder, with her niece; Alease Johnson (’93); Monyette L.F. Martin (’93); and Patrice Johnson (’93) Woodson (Alease Johnson’s twin sister)

Staff Emeriti Association caps banner year of in-person activities

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BY TINA UPDIKE (’73), SEA Steering Committee chair

he Staff Emeriti Association is a volunteer organization of retired staff emeriti members who join together to maintain ties to James Madison University and promote their current interests. During the 2022-23 academic year, SEA activities and events returned to in-person after the COVID-19 pandemic and supported its mission of being actively engaged with JMU and the community. The association has grown due to its partnership with the Office of Human Resources to increase awareness of the staff emeriti designation across campus. As a result, 306 classified staff retirees have earned the designation, and 30% are active SEA members.

The SEA monthly luncheon series with tours of JMU facilities was reinstated and offered educational opportunities, as well as a chance for members to get to know one another and network with former colleagues. Attendance at events reached an all-time high, averaging 25 members and guests per activity.

The SEA’s premier event is the annual membership luncheon with a “State of the University” address by President Jonathan R. Alger. The event was held May 30 in the Montpelier Room of East Campus Dining Hall, and it began with a reception where 55 attendees could connect with former colleagues and greet new members.

S E A P H OTO G R A P H BY S T E V E A D E R TO N ( ‘ 1 9)

Prior to lunch, which was sponsored by President Jonathan Human Resources, SEA chairperson Christina R. Alger presents the “State of the UniUpdike welcomed members and guests, and versity” during the provided an overview of accomplishments annual SEA memberand initiatives from the past year. She also ship luncheon. gave a midyear update on the SEA’s new volunteer activity, the adoption of The Pantry. SEA support is in the form of monetary donations and needed supplies to help alleviate student food insecurity on campus. So far, the SEA has made 34 gifts totaling $1,500 and 17 pounds of supplies. A fall “Back to School” donation campaign is planned through the end of the year.

After Aramark prepared a delicious meal, Alger provided an overview of JMU’s significant achievements and new developments during the 2022-23 academic year. Following his presentation, attendees enjoyed a lively question-and-answer period. The SEA thanks Alger for his steadfast support of the organization!

For more information about the Staff Emeriti Association and upcoming events, visit https://jmu.edu/staffemeriti or email staffemeriti@jmu.edu.

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In his new role, Tinsley is responsible for all commercial functions, including overseeing commercial development opportunities for existing assets and for future asset portfolios the company may acquire.

During his seven years with Calpine, Tinsley led a naturalgas supply and trading team of more than 20 people, responsible for natural gas trading, scheduling and supply for the largest fleet of natural-gas power facilities in the U.S. He also grew the company’s natural gas commercial activities through the acquisition of new transportation and storage assets.

He started his career in natural gas and electricity with Pace Global Energy, where he helped large industrial companies manage commodity risk, negotiate contracts and lower energy costs.

“JERA Americas is catalyzing the clean energy transition — bringing clean energy projects such as wind and solar in Texas, hydrogen blending to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at natural gas plants, and looking to repurpose exist-

For 28 years, these Class of 1995 graduates have traveled to various destinations to celebrate more than 30 years of friendship, including a 2022 trip to Corolla, North Carolina, during Halloween weekend. (L-R): Lindsay Trout, Allison (Volpe) Washington, Karen (Ramsay) Pazdera, Lani (Tillar) Smith, Maggie (Maslayak) Whitehurst, Melissa (O’Brien) Kates, Nicole (Dobson) Alexander

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B LU E S TO N E R E U N I O N P H OTO G R A P H S BY H A N N A S E A R F O S S ( ’ 2 2 ), S T E V E A D E R TO N ( ’ 1 9) A N D J U L I A W E AV E R ( ’ 2 1 )

M AG A Z I N E

ing infrastructure into clean energy centers that will maintain a reliable supply of energy, as well as facilitating the integration of new offshore wind farms and battery storage in the Northeast,” Tinsley said.

“I am looking forward to joining the company and helping to accelerate the rollout of these technologies.”

Bluestone Reunions SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 18-20, 2024

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Alease R. Johnson, a school counselor at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School in Richmond, Virginia, participated in College and Career Day with fellow Dukes.

■ David Meredith was named “Best CEO 2022” by Comparably for his work at Boomi, in the Largest Company category. The annual ranking derives from 15 million anonymous ratings from employees across 70,000 companies.

In 2022, Comparably also awarded Meredith “Best CEO for Diversity,” and recognized

Bluestone alumni are Dukes who graduated 50 or more years ago. This year, Blue­ stone Reunions will focus on the Class of 1974, our 50th reunion class. Regi­ ster at alumni.jmu.edu/ bluestonereunion.

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(L-R): Tom King, Steve Smith (’71, ’75M), Mary Ellen Lyons, Rosemary King, Carter Lyons, Bob Coakley, Susan Kruck and Suzanne Arthur visited the Virginia Distillery Company in Lovingston, Virginia.

Faculty Emeriti Association news When Steve Smith (’71, ’75M) graduated in 1971, he joined the JMU faculty, working in the Office of Admissions and later the Office of Alumni Relations. After leaving to work at Bridgewater College for several years, Smith returned to JMU in 2001 to work with University Advancement. He found his way back to Admissions before fully retiring in 2019.

Heather Coltman, (left) provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, was the guest speaker at the April 13 FEA Spring Luncheon in E-Hall’s Montpelier Room.

Coltman spoke to 40 attendP H OTO G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y O F F E A

ees about her 2017 journey to JMU, her appreciation of and support for strong academic programs/units, and her visions for inclusion and diversity in student enrollment and faculty and staff appointments. She described JMU’s recent classification of R2 Doctoral University with high research activity through the Carnegie Commission, and she answered questions across a broad range of topics, including expectations for Carrier Library and engaging emeriti faculty and staff in advancement/endowment initiatives.

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Tiffany Peterson Bennett (’98) died on July 14. She was married to Kevin Bennett (’01) for 25 years.

Faculty emeriti socialize and enjoy a delicious meal at the FEA Spring Luncheon on April 13. (Above, counterclockwise from left): Ron Wyan­cko, Ralph Aberico, Cole Welter, Ramona Sanders, Jane Alberico (Left, L-R): Beverly Silver, Virginia Mathie, Shelia Moorman, Helen Moore

Faculty Emeriti Association in memoriam Charles “Zig” Ziegenfus, 88, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, died March 29. He left a rich legacy of countless lives impacted through his gift of teaching mathematics and ornithology.

His career spanned more than half a century at JMU, when he joined the faculty as a math professor in 1961. Years later, he started teaching ornithology, and it became the “favorite class” of many who appreciated the outdoor classroom and birding field trips. Several of his former students attributed this class and his passion for inspiring their careers in ornithology and biology.

Among his math students were all three of his daughters, Erika Z. Byrd (’85), Jennifer Z. Collins (’86) and Karla Jean Z. Scanlan (’88). His many accolades and teaching honors include being named a recipient of the Jaime Escalante Mathematics Teacher Award for motivating math-challenged students to excel.

Ziegenfus also dedicated years of his life to birding research. For his community work in leading many bird counts, involvement in the Rockingham Bird Club and contributions to

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research (including his work at Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia), he was recognized as the 2021 Valley Treasure — an award from the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley.

Robert D. McCashin, 74, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died on Aug. 5. He was professor emeritus of conducting and former director of orchestras.

After retiring from a 43-year career in music education — 24 of which were at JMU — he recently relocated to Chattanooga to be near family.

When McCashin came to JMU for his interview in 1992, the orchestra he rehearsed was fewer than 40 players — that number almost doubled during his tenure. A descendent of the Madison family (of James Madison’s sister, Frances Taylor Madison), McCashin was a recipient of the 201415 College of Visual and Performing Arts Distinguished Teacher Award.

For more information about the faculty emeriti organi­za­tion, contact Jennifer Sommers, assistant director of parent and faculty emeriti relations, at sommerjl@jmu.edu or by phone at 540-568-5255.

Boomi for “Best Company Culture,” “Best Company Career Growth” and “Best Company Happiness.” Meredith previously ranked in the Top 50 for “Best CEO 2020,” also in the Largest Company category, during his tenure as a Nasdaq public company CEO in the Russell 1000 Index.

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Maggie Whitehurst and her JMU friends get together as often as they can to reconnect. They met as first-year, Dingledine Hall suitemates.

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Elizabeth Pierce received promotion to professor of accounting, and is the department chair for Accounting, Law and Finance in the Scott L. Carmona College of Business at Saginaw Valley State University, Michigan. ■ Chris Fortier authored the book The Lawyer’s Guide to Office Automation, published by the American Bar Association in February 2022.

03

Lauren Simon reunited in Miami, Florida, for

PHOTOG R APHS COU RTESY O F FEA ; ZI EG EN FUS COU RTESY O F CHAR LES ZI EG EN FUS; MCCASH I N BY D IAN E ELLI OT T (‘00)

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NOT E S Garcia studied Business Administration at JMU.

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new memories and a three-day cruise with School of Nursing alumni. Although they gather every year, being with each other celebrating 20 years of JMU magic was even more fun, and they ran into JMU alumni on

School of Nursing alumnae (L-R): Lauren Simon (’03), Kasey Saunders (’03, ’12M), Megan Paine (’03), Katie Rodman (’03), Julia Tiede (’03) and Sheila Heller (’03)

the ship. ■ Eric Garcia, director of sales at Sigma Stretch Film, was awarded Supplier of the Year by Jim Dawson (’82), vice president

(L-R): Eric Garcia (‘03), director of sales at Sigma Stretch Film, receives the Supplier of the Year award from Jim Dawson (‘82), vice president of sales at Morrisette Packaging, during Morrisette’s annual meeting at The Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.

of sales at Morrisette Packaging during Morrisette’s annual meeting at The Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.

John Gualdoni, a group product manager at Arthrex, an orthopedic medical device company in Naples, Florida, met three other alumni who work there. One Duke went to physician assistant school and is a clinical specialist of trauma; another runs Arthrex’s wellness center; and another is the director of Arthrex Experience Communications who manages onsite visits with visiting surgeons.

Arthrex is a privately held company that develops and manufactures orthopedic sports medicine medical devices and implants for use in orthopedic surgery. A Health Sciences major, Gualdoni works in new product development, creating surgical tools specializing in hip arthroscopy.

Lauren (Sadler) Riddle (’05), third from left, died June 7. “She was an absolute, beautiful soul,” Jillian Macey Bank (’04) said.

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Brittney Mihalich (’07)

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Yu-Li Alice Shen, a playwright, received a world-premiere production of her original, full-length play,

Magical Thinking, at Bristol Valley Theater in Naples, New York, July 6-15. The play follows a family in the aftermath

NOT E S of an accident that leaves the husband in a coma, and challenges each member’s decision to hang on or move on.

Shen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and earned her Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting from Virginia Tech in 2009. Her plays have won the ATHE/ KCACTF’s Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award and Southeastern Theater Conference’s Charles M. Getchell New Play Award, and her original works have been fully produced in Tallahassee, Florida; New Albany, Indiana; and Evansville, Indiana, where she resides. Shen is an instructor of English at the University of Southern Indiana.

07

Brittney Mihalich, an English major, joined Western New England University as associate director of editorial content in the Divi-

sion of Marketing and External Affairs. She will also teach English Composition I and II at the university.

08

Philip Wilkerson, a History major, received the Margaret C. Howell Outstanding Achievement Award from George Mason University. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilkerson created a Black Male Faculty and Staff employee resource group to support Black men on Mason’s campus.

The award recognizes individuals whose efforts demonstrate the character of its namesake and carry on Howell’s legacy of making a difference. The recipient of this award displays evidence of work that promotes respect, diversity and individual dignity (i.e., providing mentorship for students/staff/faculty, developing programs

S C H O L A R S H I P T H A N K -Y O U L E T T E R S Carroll B. Justis III Memorial Scholarship Dear donors, To put into words how much the scholarship means to me is difficult to say the least. Growing up on the Eastern Shore, not having much money to my name, I watched my single mother work every day to provide for me. Because of her work schedule, my grandparents raised me while my mom tried to give me a life like every other child. My dad had chosen not to be in the picture, and as a child, I dealt with this physically and emotionally. For a very long time, until about a year ago, I was unsure if I would ever be able to finish school. I was worried that I would end up going down the same path as my mom with an unfinished degree, working every day of my life to succeed.

Having this fund to help with school will be a great benefit for me and my family, as I try to finish my education and better my future and my children’s future. I can’t thank donors enough for giving this money to people like me. Everyone doesn’t come from something, but something can come from everyone.

And sometimes just a little push in the right direction is all that we need. So, I thank you, all the donors, not only from me, but for everyone else like me and my family.

(L-R): GMU President Gregory Washington presents the Margaret C. Howell Outstanding Achievement Award to Philip Wilkerson (’08). The award recognizes individuals whose efforts are making a difference at the university.

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Kaylynne Napoleone (‘25)

Kinesiology major College of Health and Behavioral Studies

C L A SS that promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation, resolving problems arising from individual differences, etc.).

09

George Graves, a Finance major, is the founder and managing partner of hyrUP which recently ranked as the fifth fastest-growing company in the mid-Atlantic region by Inc. 5000. The Washington Business Journal also ranked hyrUP as the Best Place to Work in 2022.

10

Sarah Pretorius, co-founder and CEO of SipSteady, a public relations and marketing agency for sober-friendly businesses

NOT E S

and beverages, was feaensemble of 42nd tured in The Wall Street Street Moon’s She Journal for a nonalLoves Me in San Francoholic beer ad in the cisco, California, in Super Bowl spotlightJune. As an undergrading what her company uate, Slater sang Josecalls a “dry economy.” phine in H.M.S. PinThe Kansas City, Mis- Jenny Case afore, Pamina in The (’16) souri-based business Magic Flute and the launched in 2022 in pursuit title role in Iolanthe. While of wellness-minded customat JMU, she also produced, ers. Pretorius majored in Interdirected and starred in Domitnational Affairs with a Spanila, a Brazilian chamber opera ish minor.

by João Guilherme Ripper, which remains her most T’iarra Belcher, a Psychology major, is a counselor educator and licensed professional counselor, providing virtual therapy and support services in Louisiana and Virginia.

rewarding and challenging project to date. In addition, she studied Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication, which she’s applied as a reading and writing educator, technical writer, and Portuguese-English translator.

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Steve Anzuini (’09) and his son, future Duke Clay Anzuini, spent their Memorial Day weekend at Cape Charles Beach, Virginia. Steve was a member of Exit 245 and the Marching Royal Dukes, and is married to Kayla (Reynolds) Anzuini (’10).

Nicole Goldstein, a Media Arts and Design major and double minor in Theatre and Film Studies, is growing her portfolio and offers freelance writing: http://nicolegoldstein.com ■ Jenny Chase studied Inclusive Early Childhood Education and married Michael Chase (’17) after graduating. They started their teaching careers in Harrisonburg and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2021. They enjoyed being a part of the Atlanta JMU Alumni Chapter, and Jenny became an ambassador to plan events and encourage more Atlanta Dukes to join the chapter. She recently decided to leave her job in education and pursue an opportunity with Sotheby’s International Realty - Atlanta Fine Homes. She would love to help Atlanta Dukes find their dream home: jennychase@atlantafinehome.com.

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Monica Rose Slater, a Music major, appeared in the

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600 new preschool slots in Virginia

Previously as director of Early Childhood Initiatives, Maryam Sharifian was able to leverage a $3.6M grant from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation to make more than 600 preschool slots available to children from across the commonwealth facing barriers to formal school entry, at no cost to their families. JMU is the largest recipient of the grant.

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$17,816,353 $22,108,857 $22,912,738 $31,771,193 $34,158,773 M AG A Z I N E

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JMU has seen a significant increase in external grant funding the last five years, totaling $34.1M in FY23. Faculty and staff submissions yielded 202 awards (up from 181 in FY22) for the university to augment its research, teaching and service mission.

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increase in external grant funding

College of Education College of Health and Behavioral Studies

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91.7%

#1

College of Science and Mathematics Research and Scholarship College of Integrated Science and Engineering College of Business College of Arts and Letters Academic Affairs School of Professional and Continuing Education Administration and Finance Student Affairs Access and Enrollment Management College of Visual and Performing Arts

$11.2M $9M $6.1M $3M $1.5M $858.4K $677.8K $616.9K $469.9K $349.9K $82.5K $14.5K $12.7K

PH OTO G R A PH BY CO DY TROY E R ; D E S I G N BY M A D I S O N W H ITLE Y

■ Free membership ■ More than 50

alumni chapters located worldwide

■ Networking

resources

■ Reunion and

Alumni by County

Homecoming programming

1-5 6 - 25 26 - 50

■ Exclusive alumni-only

51 - 200

communications

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To learn more about the JMU Alumni Association, visit alumni.jmu.edu or call 540-568-6234.

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Create more Amethyst Circle MAGIC OUR GOAL: Raise $1 million to support 25 or more Dukes THE MAGIC NUMBER: Your $5,000 helps unlock a college education for a deserving future Duke.

THE MAGIC COMBINATION: Together, everyone’s Amethyst Circle gifts create scholarships that allow students to start and stay at JMU all four years.

Join us today to make magic happen AGAIN!

https://j.mu/amethyst Celebrating Women • Supporting Students • Sustaining JMU

With the help of Amethyst Circle scholarships, Dukes like Eliana Diaz-Aceituno (’25) can pursue their dream degrees. She’s tackling a chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry.

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PURSUING THE Alumna takes on fraud and abuse as Baltimore’s inspector general

I

TRUTH

sabel Mercedes Cumming (’84) had been at JMU for all of three days when she decided to run for student government to help solve the university’s problem of food waste.

Noticing how JMU’s lack of a food policy was prompting students to pile their plates with food they couldn’t finish, she organized a student survey that led to the implementation of the “seconds” policy, saving the university about $600 a year per student. Students could still return for more food, but because many of them didn’t, she said, “it ended up saving so much money.” The cost of tuition even went down because of how Isabel Mercedes much the university was Cumming (’84) was a city auditor and saving on food. state prosecutor It was a “little thing, but before becoming it made a huge difference,” inspector general.

Cumming said. “And that’s what the little things in life — ISABEL MERCEDES assistant state prosecutor who worked high-profile cases of end up doing too.”

CUMMING (’84) elected officials throughout Maryland.

Nearly four decades later, as Part of many firsts, Cumming was the first female and first inspector general for Baltimore, Maryland, Cumming is still Hispanic to be named inspector general of Baltimore. doing the work she started as a Duke, still taking on fraud, Cumming’s office gets about 800 complaints a year from waste and abuse. people who need someone to take on systemic fraud and “I credit it all back to James Madison,” she said, praising the abuse. “Our duty is to pursue the truth with an objective mind, school’s positivity and camaraderie. “When people want to without prejudice and regardless of politics,” she said. “That’s change something, we work together to make it happen.” what an inspector general should do.”

Cumming studied Accounting at JMU, then earned a masIt’s especially rewarding when she hears people ter’s degree in Business Administration say they believe that her office can help. “Many and a law degree, with honors, from the times we’ve heard we’re the last hope,” she said.

University of Baltimore.

“I’m successful because the citizens are behind the She began her professional career in office, and I have an incredible team as well. We 1984 as an auditor in Baltimore. Next she have made real changes by believing we can.” pivoted to a legal career, first as a clerk in See more inspiring stories at — Josette Keelor the U.S. Attorney’s Office and later as an www.jmu.edu/beingthechange

“It was a little thing, but it made a huge difference.”

PH OTO G R A PH BY J I M E LL G R E E N E