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Bourne Dialogue: Sun Belt membership
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BY JEFF BOURNE, director of athletics
MU Nation, I’m excited for the future that sits in front of us as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, and I truly believe that it’s the right fit at the right time for James Madison University. We have evaluated opportunities over a long period of time and have always approached a move to the Football Bowl Subdivision level as one that would be carefully evaluated. In the past, the circumstances have never been perfect. Even heading into the current round of realignment in July 2021, we didn’t know if the ideal scenario was there. But as the Sun Belt emerged in a position of strength with its current group of institutions, particularly in the East Division, we knew this was it—this was JMU’s opportunity. Many individuals put in a lot of work to make this possible. I particularly want to thank JMU President Jonathan R. Alger and Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Charlie King for their commitment to this process and for seeing the value to the entire institution, even beyond athletics. I want to thank our athletics administration, which worked with urgency to review and validate our earlier work. And I particularly want to thank our student-athletes and coaches. It is because of them that JMU was such a desired brand during this round of realignment. There’s so much information I could share in this piece. Instead, I will hit a few key points.
Why the Sun Belt? Many factors are to be considered with a conference move, including perception of the conference, a profile of institutional peers, geography, sponsored sports, revenue sources, media agreements, evidence of success and more. Ultimately, a few key benefits stood out as JMU made this decision.
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Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill (right) was present at the Nov. 6, 2021, news conference announcing a new chapter in the illustrious history of JMU Athletics.
The Sun Belt provides significant competitive opportunities for JMU’s sports programs. While football benefits from the move to FBS level, nearly every sport by association steps into a higher level of visibility and stature. We take pride in our approach to fully fund all 18 sports programs and equip each with the resources to be successful. n As a university, JMU has been on a trajectory to increased national reach, particularly with its expected transition to R2 (high research activity) status in the Carnegie Classification. The Sun Belt is a natural fit to boost such aspirations and thrust our university into the national dialogue. n
n The Sun Belt is composed entirely of like-
minded institutions. While the Colonial Athletic Association is filled with universities of all different sizes, structures and aspirations, the Sun Belt contains large, public institutions with significant athletic investment. n The Sun Belt, and particularly the East Division, offers a natural opportunity to build rivalries within a geographic footprint. College sports are built on rivalries. It infuses energy and passion into games, increases overall interest, boosts ticket sales and more. Several of these institutions were past JMU rivals or frequent opponents, and we’re excited to renew these relationships.
PH OTO G R A PH S BY C AT H Y K U S H N E R ( ’ 87 )
