Madison Magazine: Winter 2017

CoB kicks off Learning Complex campaign #COB2020 P14

Gus Bus receives youth program award at White House ceremony P8

M A D I S O N

THE MAGAZINE OF JAMES MADISON UNIV ERSIT Y

ADVANCING A CU LTU RE OF ME ANING

advancing aculture of meaning At Madison, we embrace the pursuit of fulfillment, not only for ourselves, but for others.

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WINTER 2017

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FULL FRAME

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FULL FRAME

Find your mountain The Steel Wheels, a Harrisonburg-based string band known for creating soulful mountain music, takes the Concert Hall stage at the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts during a Sept. 11 sold-out performance recorded for Mountain Stage with Larry Groce. Other concert headliners included Sean Watkins, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and celebrated guitarist of the Grammy-winning progressive bluegrass trio Nickel Creek; the critically acclaimed bluegrass band The Seldom Scene; The Honeycutters; and Jonatha Brooke.

PHOTOGR A PH BY BOB A DA M E K

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Contents W I N T E R 2 0 17 Vol. 4 0 , No. 1

P48 Geology field experience is just one of many opportunities offered through the JMU General Education Semester in Scotland.

featured: UP FRONT

24 In search of the truth BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96)

A Q&A with CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta (’ 93)

28 Park’s natural beauty belies lost culture BY JANET SMITH (’81) Our national park system through the lens of Shenandoah National Park

32 Master storyteller BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96)

Jason Harris (’93) shows how advertising can be put to work for the common good

34 The heart of the university BY JANET SMITH (’81) Academic and social integration take JMU libraries to a new level

37 Look deeper, think better BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Professor Mark Rankin’s devotion to scholarly research enriches the classroom experience

38 Opera, unexpected BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Alumnae encourage scholarship winner Raiquan Thomas to study classical music

40 Historically human BY SAM ROTH

1 Full Frame

Mountain Stage with Larry Groce at the Forbes Center

4 Letters

Remembering Leslie Gilliam (’82)

6 Contributors 7 Directions

President Jonathan R. Alger shares ways we can bridge the cultural divide.

Professor Rebecca Brannon helps students connect the past to the present

42 How to think, not what to think BY JANET SMITH (’81) Civilian and military realms partner to develop leadership among JMU students

44 Outbreak BY ROB TUCKER

The latest case study in ethical reasoning from The Madison Collaborative

46 A bonding experience BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Honors student Matthew Gurniak combines chemistry and theater into a single project

48 Fostering a liberal arts education abroad BY SAM ROTH A world of new perspectives opens during a semester in Scotland

CONNECT WITH JMU 2

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James Madison University

M AG A Z I N E

JamesMadisonUniversity

ABOUT THE COVER: Alumni, faculty, students and community members: 1 Raiquan Thomas,

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2 Carole Nash,

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3 Jim Acosta, 4 Rebecca Brannon,

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5 Mark Rankin, 6 Jason Harris, 7 Sarah Hussein

@JamesMadisonUniversity

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@JMU

P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F I A N B U C H A N A N ; C O V E R P H O T O G R A P H S O F T H O M A S , H A R R I S , A N D R A N K I N B Y T I F FA N Y S H O WA LT E R ; N A S H , A C O S TA A N D B R A N N O N B Y M I K E M I R I E L L O ( ' 0 9) ; H U S S E I N C O U R T E S Y O F T H E W H I T E H O U S E

CONTENTS

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News & Notes

Gus Bus receives national award at the White House; CISR director Ken Rutherford reflects on the center’s two decades of service; JMU hosts delegation of higher education officials from Kosovo

Recognizing one’s gifts Sean Tobin (’92) establishes a professorship in his mentor’s honor PAGE 18

12 By the Numbers

JMU’s economic impact at a glance

14 New CoB Learning

Complex

Current and former deans discuss the need for a space worthy of the caliber of JMU’s business programs

Military vs. civilian leadership The two realms have more in common than you might think PAGE 42

18 The power of a mentor

First professorship in the new Honors College recognizes former director Joanne Gabbin

New CoB Learning Complex The campaign to renovate and expand Zane Showker Hall is underway P A G E 14

20 JMU Nation

Dukes dominate fall CAA awards; Longtime statistician Gary Michael (’77) misses first home football game since ’79 to qualify for the Boston Marathon

Critical thinking English professor Mark Rankin challenges his students to dig deeper into texts P A G E 37

50 Alumni News

Homecoming 2016 recap; Alumni Association President Heather Hedrick (’00) on the value of the Forbes Center; alumni award winner profiles; Levar Stoney (’04) is the new mayor of Richmond, Virginia

53 The ultimate connector

Scholarship drive recognizes Steve Smith’s (’71, ’75M) impact on JMU

The Gus Bus stops at the White House

56 Class Notes

Beloved mobile literacy program receives a national award

Dave Sanderson (’83) on his role in the movie Sully; Parents Council’s first grandparents Scott and Cathy Nagel; a special reunion for Madison College grads; Staff Emeriti and Faculty Emeriti news

64 Picture This

The Furious Flower Poetry Center presents Throw Your Head Back and Sing: A tribute to Maya Angelou

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Eyes on the prize After knocking off defending champion North Dakota State, JMU sets its sights on an FCS title PAGE 20

GA B B I N A N D TO B I N P H OTO G R A P H BY M I K E M I R I E L LO (’ 0 9 M ) ; R OTC C O U R T E S Y O F C H E R Y L B E V E R LY; # C O B 2 02 0 BY C H A S E M A S Z L E ; R A N K I N BY T I F FA N Y S H O WA LT E R ; FO OT B A L L BY C AT H Y K U S H N E R (’ 8 7 ) ; F I R S T L A DY C O U R T E S Y O F T H E W H I T E H O U S E

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Madison W I N T E R 2 0 17 Vol. 4 0 , No. 1 B OA R D O F V I S I TO R S 2 01 6 –2 017

VANESSA M. EVANS-GREVIOUS ( ’93, ’97M), Rector WA R R E N K . C O L E M A N ( ’ 79, ’81M), Vice Rector M I C H A E L B . B AT T L E ( ’81, ’83M) W I L L I A M T. B O L L I N G J E F F R E Y E . G R A S S ( ’92) M AT T H E W A . G R AY ( ’05) M A R I B E T H D . H E R O D ( ’82) L U C Y H U T C H I N S O N ( ’06) M A R I A D . JA N KO W S K I D E B O R A H T. J O H N S O N ( ’ 78 ) L A R A P. M A J O R ( ’92)

LETTERS

J

ames Madison University lost a great friend Dec. 9 when Leslie Gilliam (’82) passed away peacefully after bravely battling cancer. We served alongside Leslie on the Board of Visitors, for which she chaired the Advancement

Committee. She and her husband, Richard, generously supported the university, and Leslie

E D WA R D R I C E J O H N C . R O T H E N B E R G E R ( ’88 ) M I C H A E L M . T H O M A S ( ’ 76, ’ 77M) C R A I G B . W E L B U R N ( ’96) A DAO M A O K A F O R , Student Member

was instrumental in launching The Madison Trust and

D O N N A L . H A R P E R ( ’ 77, ’81M, ’86ED.S.), Secretary

Women for Madison. It is so

PRESIDENT

J O N AT H A N R . A L G E R S E N I O R A D M I N I S T R AT O R S

A . JERRY BENSON Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs BRIAN CHARETTE Special Assistant to the President, Strategic Planning and Engagement A R T H U R T. D E A N I I ( ’93, ’99M) Executive Director, Campus & Community Programs for Access and Inclusion M AG G I E B U R K H A R T E VA N S Executive Assistant to the President D O N N A L . H A R P E R ( ’ 77, ’81M, ’86ED.S.) Vice President, Access and Enrollment Management CHAR LE S W. KI N G J R .

Senior Vice President, Administration and Finance N I C K L . L A N G R I D G E ( ’00, ’07M, ’14PH.D.) Vice President, University Advancement M A R K J . WA R N E R ( ’ 79, ’81M, ’85ED.S.) Senior Vice President, Student Affairs and University Planning

sad when anyone dies young.

But Leslie, in particular, is an enormous loss for Madison because she embodied everything good about her beloved alma mater: She

SUSAN L . WHEELER University Counsel and Special Assistant Attorney General

loved learning, she was an

VICE PROVOSTS

intensely loyal friend, she was quick to laugh, and she honestly and

M A R I L O U J O H N S O N ( ’80 ) Academic Development L I N DA C A B E H A L P E R N University Programs Y VO N N E R . H A R R I S Research and Scholarship

deeply cared about serving others and her community. While you rest in peace, Leslie, you will live forever in the heart of JMU.

DEANS

CYNTH IA M . BAU E R LE Science and Mathematics JIE CHEN Graduate School

Vanessa Evans-Grevious (’93, ’97M),

M A R Y A . G O WA N Business

Vice Rector 2015-16, Current Rector, Charlottesville, Virginia

DAV I D K . J E F F R E Y Arts and Letters R O B E R T A . KO LVO O R D Integrated Science and Engineering S H A R O N E . L OV E L L ( ’85) Health and Behavioral Studies A DA M L . M U R R AY Libraries and Educational Technologies BRADLEY R . NEWCOMER Honors G E O R G E E . S PA R K S Visual and Performing Arts PHILLIP M. WISHON Education A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N O F F I C E R

H E AT H E R H E D R I C K ( ’00 ), President PA R E N T S C O U N C I L C H A I R S

C H R I S and K I M B I G G E R S H AY E S ( ’14P, ’17P)

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Joseph Damico (’76, ’77M), Rector 2006-09, Libertyville, Illinois

Joseph Funkhouser, Vice Rector 2010-13, Rector 2013-14, Harrisonburg, Virginia

James Hartman (‘70), Vice Rector 2009-10, Rector 2010-12, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Michael Thomas (’76, ’77M), Rector 2014-16, Reston, Virginia

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Relive • Renew • Refresh

Relax • Reunite • Reinvigorate Reinvigo YOUR MADISON EXPERIENCE

WITH WOMEN FOR MADISON AND RALLY AROUND THE MADISON EXPERIENCE FOR TODAY’S STUDENTS

Circle back on May 19 and 20 FOR THE WOMEN FOR MADISON SUMMIT EXECUTIVE COACH, LEADERSHIP SPEAKER AND JMU PHILANTHROPIST AHA Insight CEO and JMU graduate April Armstrong (‘92)

April Armstrong (‘92) “Creating a Life that Counts” Campus tours • Sunrise yoga • Madison en blanc dinner Networking with students and alumni • Breakout sessions• University updates Sleep in a residence hall with your friends or book local accommodations Bring your Madison circle and make it the ultimate weekend getaway www.jmu.edu/womenformadison W I N T E R

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Madison

CONTRIBUTORS

W I N T E R 2 0 17 Vol. 4 0 , No. 1 EXECUTIVE EDITOR

A N D R E W D . P E R R I N E ( ’86)

As director of digital marketing for University Communications and Mar-

S E N I O R E D I T O R -AT- L A R G E

keting, Randy Budnikas has led the effort to bring the Madison reading

PA M B R O C K

experience to smartphones, making it available anytime, anywhere.

SENIOR EDITOR

Before he came to JMU, Budnikas developed and managed software and

JA N G I L L I S ( ’07, ’11P)

websites for companies such as Amazon and Rosetta Stone. If you haven’t

ART DIRECTOR

already checked out the Madison app, visit jmu.edu/madisonmagazine to

BILL THOMPSON

download and start exploring.

EDITORS

J I M H E F F E R N A N ( ’96 ) JA N E T S M I T H ( ’81) S T U D E N T E D I T O R I A L A S S I S TA N T S

CHASE MASZLE SAM ROTH

Tracey L. Kite (’16) joined the JMU Office of Parent Relations in 2007 and now serves as the associate director. Kite focuses on engaging parents and families through enhanced communications, involvement in programming, and through leadership and support of fundraising initia-

D I G I TA L C O N T E N T T E A M

C H R I S M E Y E R S ( ’11, ’15M) JUSTIN ROTH T R E Y S E C R I S T ( ’15) C O DY T R OY E R PHOTOGRAPHERS

C AT H Y K U S H N E R ( ’87) M I C H A E L M I R I E L L O ( ’09M) T I F FA N Y S H O WA LT E R

tives. Read her interview with Parents Council grandparents Scott and Cathy Nagel on Page 59.

University Communications and Marketing Editorial Assistant Sam Roth is a senior communication studies major with a concentration in public relations. She hopes to work in the health care communications field after graduation. Roth’s feature “Historically human” is on Page 40, and her feature about a semester in Scotland is on Page 48.

DESIGNERS

L A U R A D E B U S K ( ’14) S A R A H P. JAC O B S E N ( ’13) LY N DA R A M S E Y RINN SIEGRIST C A R O LY N W I N D M I L L E R ( ’81)

University Communications and Marketing Associate Photographer Tiffany Showalter captured the images of JMU’s Innovation Services in the feature “The heart of the university” on Page 34. Showalter graduated in 2007 from Eastern Mennonite University with degrees in commu-

CONTRIBUTING OFFICES

nications and digital media. Her career began at Rosetta Stone, where

A N D D E PA R T M E N T S

she spent nine years creating visuals for language-learning products.

Alumni Relations, Athletics, Donor Relations, Parent Relations, University Communications and Marketing

Assistant Video Producer Cody Troyer joined University Communica-

F O R A D D R E S S U P D AT E S , E M A I L :

tions and Marketing in February. Troyer is a graduate of Eastern Men-

advancementgr@jmu.edu or call 540-568-2821

nonite University, where he studied photography and digital media. He

C O N TA C T T H E M A D I S O N S TA F F :

(’93) on Page 24. The package also appeared in Madison’s November

Email: madisonmag@jmu.edu or call 540-568-2925 For Class Notes go to www.jmu.edu/alumni Madison magazine, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, JMU, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 Madison is an official publication of JMU and is produced by the Division of University Advancement for alumni, parents of JMU students, faculty, staff and friends of JMU.

produced the video that accompanies our Q&A with CNN’s Jim Acosta digital issue and can be seen online at jmu.edu/madisonmagazine.

An art director for University Communications and Marketing, Carolyn Windmiller (’81) regularly designs Madison’s Alumni News and Class Notes sections as well as feature packages. In addition to her work on the magazine, she serves as JMU’s identity design manager, overseeing the proper presentation of university brand in various communication projects. Windmiller has worked for her alma mater since 1989.

Editorial office: JMU, 127 W. Bruce St., MSC 3610, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION 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 non-discrimination, affirmative action, and anti-harassment. JMU prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment, including sexual assault, and other forms of inter-personal violence.

The responsibility for overall coordination, monitoring and information dissemination about JMU’s program of equal opportunity, non-discrimination, 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: James Robinson, Director and Title IX Coordinator 540-568-6991, www.jmu.edu/oeo, oeo@jmu.edu. (Revised December 2015)

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P H O T O G R A P H S B Y M I K E M I R I E L L O ( ’ 0 9 M ) A N D T I F FA N Y S H O WA LT E R

DIRECTIONS

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Bridging the cultural divide

t was around 5 p.m. on the first Wednesday of November, and I was filing out of Memorial Hall Auditorium amidst a throng of JMU students, faculty, staff and community members who had filled the seats to watch a debate on national security hosted by the Madison Vision Series. I was struck by how uplifted everyone around me seemed as they talked enthusiastically about the debate. You would have thought we were all leaving a movie theater after seeing an entertaining film with a happy ending, rather than a policy debate.

Both debaters, Josh Zive (senior counsel for Bracewell Law) and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies), are skilled orators, with deep expertise in national and foreign policy. In the spirit of civil discourse, they respectfully sparred for over an hour about whether radical change is necessary to confront terrorism. As we left the auditorium, I asked a few attendees what they thought about the debate, and universally they responded by describing how refreshing it was to watch two people disagree on an important and complicated issue without yelling or resorting to ad hominem attacks. Their use of facts, logical arguments and persuasive case-making was in stark contrast to what we all were hearing during the election season.

Reflecting further on the event and the audience’s positive response against the backdrop of our fraught national dialogue, I tried to imagine how a people might work together to discover an improved way of life—maybe a new set of activities or rituals that elevate our entire culture and help us all flourish individually and collectively. I’m not suggesting a search for an idealized utopia, because history shows us that is not possible. Rather, I wondered whether we could develop a new, broader and somehow organized national inclination to seek renewed purpose and meaning as a culture.

You will notice that the concept of “culture” is a theme in this edition of Madison.

Whether it’s JMU English professor Mark Rankin’s National Endowment for the Humanities-funded research on William Tyndale, one of the most significant writers of the English Renaissance (Page 37); CNN

‘... we work every day to instill within our community the recognition that we need each other, despite tensions.’

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y D A N I E L H E R T Z B E R G/ i S P O T

senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s (’93) commitment to journalistic principles (Page 24); Integrated Science and Technology professor Carole Nash’s work in Shenandoah National Park during the centennial of our national park system’s founding (Page 28); or the recent tribute to Maya Angelou, presented by the JMU Furious Flower Poetry Center (Page 64)—these manifestations of intellectual accomplishment work to cultivate deeper understandings of our human experience and, in the aggregate, advance culture.

But, let’s consider that inherent in each of these examples—and the many others contained in this issue of Madison—is a search for truth among competing interpretations of reality. The truth is not always clear, and not all of us interpret truth in the same way on any given topic, which creates tension. Searching for the truth is at the heart of making sense of our world collectively as a culture, and nearly all of the stories contained in this edition exhibit tension between interpretations of reality.

Dec. 15, 2016, marked the 225th anniversary of the passage of the Bill of Rights, written by the man for whom we are named. James Madison’s political brilliance is credited with conceiving a system of government that has lasted longer than any other in human history. At the most basic level, Madison’s political genius was to recognize our human shortcomings and design a system that would counterbalance all of our competing interests. It was the healthy tension between citizens’ various interpretations of the truth that would keep any one interpretation from dominating others. Such an arrangement has worked ever since and has seen us through many challenges and crises.

Here at James Madison University, we work every day to instill within our community the recognition that we need each other, despite tensions. For the system of government conceived by Madison to survive, we must educate our students to understand that as citizens, we are in this together. And if we truly understand and respect that our individual rights come with the responsibility that we accept the rights of others—and the inherent tensions between us—we may indeed survive and thrive as a nation and advance as a culture.

Jonathan R. Alger President, James Madison University

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News&Notes WINTER 2017

The Gus Bus stops at the White House JMU’s longstanding mobile literacy program wins a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award

O

BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

On Nov. 15, JMU’s Reading Road Show/Gus Bus Program received a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, one of 12 U.S. programs the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities recognized for outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs that are transforming the lives of young people throughout America.

The prestigious award recognizes a beloved fixture of Madison’s community engagement efforts. Under the auspices of JMU’s Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services, the Reading Road Show is one of many programs of the Office on Children and Youth, which coordinates services for area youth throughout the Shenandoah Valley.

In 2003, as office staff members, educators and various community organizations analyzed community data on kindergarten readiness, they pinpointed a disturbing trend. “We saw that half of all area kids

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were coming into school not ready to (L-R): Kim Hartzler-Weakley learn for a variety of reasons, includ- and Sarah Hussein accept the award from first lady ing low socioeconomic status and Michelle Obama. Hussein parents whose first language was not frequently visits the Gus English,” says Kim Hartzler-Weak- Bus with her siblings. ley (’00, ’07M), coordinator of Children and Youth Services at JMU. Jane Hubbell, the director of the Office on Children and Youth from its inception in 1998 through 2008, had an innovative idea—take literacy efforts out into the neighborhoods that had the highest need for such services. Pat Kennedy (’77, ’82M) worked with Hubbell to turn the idea into the Reading Road Show, which was essentially a mobile literacy unit. A customized vehicle, the Gus Bus, hit the road, with Kennedy serving as the founding coordinator of the program.

AWA R D P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F T H E W H I T E H O U S E

NEWS & NOTES

While the original focus of the Reading Road Show was on children 5 years old and younger, it soon became apparent that those children were not coming to the Gus Bus by themselves; their older siblings were bringing them. “We realized we needed to have more services and focus on elementary-school-age children,” says Hartzler-Weakley.

Today the program has two buses on the (Above, L-R:) Program staff Maria Longley, road every day of the week, serving neighbor- Kim Hartzler-Weakley, Rachel Gagliardi, hoods where transportation is an issue for Michael Maurice, Jolynne Bartley and residents and parents are often doing shift Becky Lantz. (Right:) Pat Kennedy reads a story at a neighborhood bus stop. work. “We eliminate the barriers for students to engage in quality out-of-school learning,” their homes and after school, sponsors aftersays Michael Maurice (’08, ’13M), the current school enrichment at Stone Spring Elementary and Spotswood Elementary, and partners director of the Office on Children and Youth.

The program partners with area schools to with the Boys & Girls Club for after-school determine neighborhoods where the Gus Bus programming and summer enrichment.

The award provides $10,000 of unreJMU students preparing for careers in can be most effective. “The Reading Road Show distributes schedules and provides posters to the various disciplines—education, health and stricted funds for the Gus Bus. In addition, schools so the information is available to chil- nutrition, nursing, business, social work, the President’s Committee on the Arts and dren and parents as to when the bus is coming,” Spanish—have volunteered on the Gus Bus. the Humanities provided awardees with “They provide important one-on-one time extensive training on applying for even bigsays Jolynne Bartley, program coordinator.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Hussein, who for children. Many kids needing additional ger grants. “They connected us with groups accompanied Hartzler-Weakley to the White support have someone to sit with them and that have money to fund programs like ours.

We’ve already identified a few House to accept the award, is one of many youth who have ‘Through [these] programs, students have good matches that we’ll be for in the upcoming been impacted by the Read… become leaders in their schools and in applying year,” says Hartzler-Weakley. ing Road Show. When Hustheir communities. … Together they’ve Those funds, along with sein and her family arrived in the U.S. as refugees from Iraq learned the power of discipline, of hard increased individual and corcontributions, will help in 2013, she spoke no English. work and teamwork. These are the exact porate solve a big challenge for the “Coming on the Gus Bus twice skills that are critical to success, not just Reading Road Show. “One a week helped her learn Engof our buses was purchased lish,” says Hartzler-Weakley. in the arts, but in everything. ’ in 2003, the other in 2005, “She’s now helping her siblings — F I R ST L A DY M ICH E L L E OBA M A and they have a lot of miles. and younger kids who come on the bus.” In fact, the program’s longevity talk them through assignments, repeat We need to be looking ahead. We need new has created a legacy for many area families. things, clarify things,” says Hartzler-Weak- vehicles. We’d like to expand more fully into Bartley says, “Older children have now grown ley. “JMU students benefit as well. They Page County and ultimately into Shenandoah up with the Gus Bus and frequently bring in can take concepts from their classrooms and County,” says Hartzler-Weakley.

“There’s real innovation to what we’re doing,” apply them in the real world. They get to see their younger siblings.” she says. “Our focus on literacy and the imporThe Gus Bus is more than a mobile library; what life is like when you step off campus.”

The only NAHYP 2016 awardee that is tance of literacy in a meaningful life contributed it serves as a classroom on wheels.

“It’s always staffed with a literacy specialist a humanities program, the Reading Road to receiving the award. … It’s a great example of as well as four to six JMU student volunteers,” Show competed with over 300 applicants for how community engagement can work.” says Hartzler-Weakley. And neighborhood the award. “This was the first time we substops are just one component of the Reading mitted an application,” says Maurice. “Many JMU student volunteers share their Road Show. The program places JMU stu- applicants have tried repeatedly, so we’re very Gus Bus experiences at jmu.edu/ dents as tutors for area children one-on-one in excited about our success.” news/2016/11/gus-bus-student-volunteers.

S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H B Y M I K E M I R I E L L O ( ’ 0 9 M ) ; K E N N E DY B Y C A S E Y T E M P L E T O N ( ’ 0 6)

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NEWS & NOTES

Making a safer world Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2016, the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU is recognized as a global leader in international efforts to combat the effects of landmines and explosive remnants of war, and to rehabilitate post-conflict societies. CISR director Ken Rutherford reflects on the center’s two decades of work to improve lives around the globe.

Madison: Would you provide a brief history of CISR?

Unexploded Ordnance Center of Excellence. The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, the No. 1 jourRutherford: CISR started nal in the world dealing with as the Mine Action Informalandmine and unexploded tion Center in 1996 under ordnance abatement, is prothe leadership of the foundduced here at Madison, and ing director, retired Lt. Col. eight to 10 JMU students Dennis Barlow. At the time, work on the journal each some 80 countries around year. JMU faculty work the world were struggling to with CISR around the world rid themselves of explosive on management training, remnants of war. From its mine education, victims’ infancy, the center acted as assistance and geographic a hub to bring people and information systems mobile agencies together on the technologies to idenissue of landmines, collecttify ordnance to make ing and gathering inforclearance operations mation. Additionally, the more effective. CISR center produced the Journal also produces the State of Humanitarian Demin(Clockwise, top left:) Secretary of State John Kerry; Department’s annual ing, the first professional, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Rutherford and Princess Diana; with landmine survivors in Tajikistan; CISR SMC report on conventional international conversation alumnus Thipasone Soukhathammavong with Presiweapons destruction, on mine action—a journal dent Obama; Emma Atkinson (’09), a former CISR To Walk the Earth in that, in an updated form, student assistant, at International Week symposium.

Safety, which docucirculates in over 160 counEmma Atkinson, now at the State Department, shares her experiences ments U.S. commitment in tries. (In that same year, as a in weapon abatement at jmu.edu/madisonmagazine. this field. co-founder of the Landmine During the past 20 years, CISR has hired almost 400 students Surviors Network, I had the privilege of escorting Princess Diana to to get involved in these efforts; 26 have gone on to work at the visit civilian landmine victims in Bosnia. The Mine Ban Treaty was State Department. We are giving JMU students an awesome signed three months after her funeral.) opportunity to work on real-life problems and global issues.

The name change came in 2009–10, a recognition that landmines were only part of the problem. CISR now embodies the work of both post-conflict and remediation.

Madison: How does CISR educate the campus at large on these important issues?

Madison: Elaborate on the interaction of CISR and JMU in these efforts.

Rutherford: Every spring, we host Post Conflict Recovery Week. We bring speakers, local panelists and international guests to campus. This spring, we will host two individuals from Jordan.

Rutherford: JMU is the center of gravity for mine action inforOne is the leading female Arab human rights lawyer in disability mation. Our work is funded primarily by the Office of Weapons rights and the other is a Palestinian who lost both his legs and Removal and Abatement that works under the State Department’s now works for Jordan’s royal family advocating for human rights.

Bureau of Military Affairs, and by the Department of Defense’s

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PHOTOGR APHS CO U R TESY OF CISR AN D MAR L A R U TH ER FOR D

NEWS & NOTES

‘Casualties have gone from 26,000 a year to 4,000 a year — still 4,000 too many, but JMU has been part of alleviating the negative effects of landmines, and we’re very proud of that.’

— KEN RUTHERFORD, CISR director The week’s activities expose students to pressing global issues.

Madison: How does CISR extend JMU’s reach throughout the world?

from CISR’s efforts in weapons removal and nation building?

Rutherford: The world has come together on this issue. Casualties have gone from 26,000 a year to 4,000 a year—still 4,000 too many, but JMU has been part Rutherford: One example is that of a of alleviating the negative effects of landSenior Management Course alumnus, mines, and we’re very proud of that.

Thipasone Soukhathammavong, director CISR’s engagement with the national of the Lao National Unexploded Ordand global community has nance Programme, which brought recognition to CISR promotes risk education and and JMU alike. In 2008, the clears land for development.

U.S. Senate Appropriations We met at a symposium Subcommittee on Foreign in December 2015. At the Operations deemed JMU time, CISR was launching as one of only 10 Amerithe application process for can universities uniquely the summer SMC Training qualified to support the State at JMU, which, in partnerDepartment. Former Secreship with the College of tary of State Hillary Clinton Business, trains individuals Ken Rutherford has led CISR since 2010. recognized CISR at a State responsible for the removal Department reception in 2011 for producing and abatement of landmines and explosive the 10th annual report on U.S. conventional remnants of war to integrate effective manweapons destruction. Current Secretary of agement and communication skills within State John Kerry recognized CISR at a State the context of post-conflict stabilization.

Department ceremony in 2014. CISR’s sucHe applied, was accepted and spent three cess is a tribute to its role as an impartial arbiweeks at JMU in the summer. trator, bringing people together and deliverHis country, Laos, experienced intense aerial bombing during the Indochina wars of ing tools to help make the right decisions. the 1960s and 1970s, making it the world’s most heavily bombed country per capita.

Madison: After years in this demanding Much of the ordnance remains unexploded, field, would you describe yourself as an contaminating the country. Two months optimist or pessimist? after Thipasone’s visit to Madison, he was hosting the first sitting president in U.S. Rutherford: Being injured by a landmine history to visit Laos. President Obama explosion in Somalia in 1993 changed my life. announced an increased commitment to Ironically, the life that followed that injury clean up the deadly legacy of American ordhas exceeded my dreams. I became a profesnance, a $30 million initiative that will help sor, had a family and now serve as director Thipasone guide his country to peace. of a truly great organization at a wonderful institution. Every step I take is a gift. Every day above ground is a special day.

Madison: What impact have you seen P H OTOGR A P HS BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M)

Helping build a democracy

J

MU welcomed a delegation from Kosovo for a three-day summit in October designed to help universities in the developing European nation create sustainable business practices and support high-quality educational experiences.

The summit brought together the provosts of six public institutions of higher learning in Kosovo, along with the country’s minister of education, Arsim Bajrami, his advisers and national accreditation officers, for a series of meetings with JMU’s senior leadership team and staff.

Michael Stoloff, associate dean of The Graduate School and one of the organizers of the summit, said the Kosovar delegation was particularly interested in Madison’s comprehensive approach to strategic planning, its commitment to student success, professional development opportunities available to JMU faculty and staff, the Office of Institutional Research and additional revenue sources from campus operations. One of Bajrami’s goals as minister of education is to move Kosovar universities’ budgets out of the central ministry.

The summit was a manifestation of an agreement signed in fall 2015 pledging mutual cooperation and collaboration between JMU and universities in Kosovo.

Members of the Kosovo delegation attend a senior leadership meeting at JMU in October.

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than $23 million in health insurance premiums for its employees.

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY 2014-2015

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12

8,400 JOBS JOBS 8,400 8,400 JOBS M A D I S O N

M AG A Z I N E

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Looking back to see the future New CoB Learning Complex will build on the college’s many successes

BY J U DY K I R K L A N D

M

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M AG A Z I N E

renovation of Zane Showker Hall into an expansive Learning Complex, the College of Business is looking to the future while building on its past and its longheld values. To illustrate how vibrantly past and future are coming together, Dean Mary Gowan and former deans Robert Holmes and Robert Reid reflect on the vision and achievements paving the way to this moment in time — the single-largest private fundraising effort for a capital project in JMU’s history.

1970

M A D I S O N

EDITOR’S NOTE: In planning for the

1965

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CoB Dean Mary Gowan (left) guides planning for the new CoB Learning Complex (artist’s rendering, below) that will renovate and double the size of the CoB’s current home, Zane Showker Hall (bottom).

1960

adison College awarded its first business degree in 1958.

By 1972, the program was a full School of Business and experiencing furious growth.

When Robert Holmes became dean in 1983, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and business was being transformed by high interest rates, international competition and deregulation.

“We were changing curriculum to keep pace with both technology and globalization,” Holmes says. “Adding so many faculty and students so rapidly, we also needed to protect JMU’s reputation for selectivity.”

From assisting students with getting internships and jobs, to pursuing national accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Holmes’ leadership was pivotal in helping the school achieve milestones—like being among the nation’s f irst 30 business schools to earn the AACSB accounting program accreditation.

Throughout the 1980s, the business program remained a close-knit community, even with classrooms and faculty offices dispersed across f ive locations, including Harrison Hall and what was then Rockingham Memorial Hospital. “I think the economists were over there,” Holmes recalls.

“They endured quite a few jokes about being in the psych ward.”

Fortunately, by the late 1980s fundraising was underway for what would become Zane Showker Hall. The architect’s initial plans, however, fell short of expectations. Holmes and a group that included Linwood Rose (who later became JMU’s fifth president) took the architect across Virginia and North Car-

P H OTOGR A P HS BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M)

PHILANTHROPY

‘Our vision was to be one of the nation’s best business schools and to be recognized as such.’

— BOB HOLMES, CoB dean, 1983-1995 olina on a whirlwind tour of the day’s leading banks, businesses and business schools. “Afterwards,” Holmes says, “the architect completely rethought the plans to align with our vision.”

Robert Reid was a faculty member when Zane Showker Hall opened in 1991.

He remembers the vibrant celebration of community as faculty and students came together in a space designed expressly for the new approach to business education being pioneered at JMU. Five years later, Reid himself became de a n a nd led t he emergenc e of t he School—and later College—of Business as a nationally recognized leader in giving students an experiential, cross-disciplinary education. “We were way ahead of the curve on this,” Reid says.

This ahead-of-the-curve vision intensified top companies’ interest in recruiting JMU business students. That’s because,

Reid says, “our students were graduating better prepared than grads from business schools that were more siloed and still focused on a single discipline.”

Reid also strengthened the role of alumni. Recognizing that students who had graduated during Dean Holmes’ tenure had reached C-Suite and partner positions in major organizations, Reid created advisory councils and encouraged them to engage in building the future. “This engagement,” he says, “changed the character of what was happening in the business school.”

Craig and Kim Bram (’80, ’13P) are among the alumni who engaged, leading development efforts and serving as Advisory Council members. Kim Bram says their ongoing involvement with JMU comes from the continuing value of the education they received here. “Craig and I are proud of our degrees,” Kim says. “The College of Business is where we learned how to build a learning community and create a cooperative work environment.”

By 2011, despite the continued academic and career success of JMU business students, a 20-year-old Zane Showker Hall was growing crowded and overshadowed by other business schools’ spectacular new facilities. JMU faculty and students found creative ways to use existing space. A lead contribution from Enrico Gaglioti (’94) even made

it possible for the College of Business to build its innovative Capital Markets Lab. The challenge, Reid explains, “was not just that Showker Hall was becoming too small, but that it wasn’t configured in alignment with our integrated, collaborative and experiential approach.”

When Mary Gowan became dean in 2013, Zane Showker Hall was home to

‘We want to level the playing field … and create a home that reflects the caliber of the JMU business education, faculty, students and alumni.’

— MARY GOWAN, CoB dean, 2013-present

Former CoB deans Bob Holmes (center) and Bob Reid (far right) partnered with local businessman Zane Showker, the early entrepreneurial spirit and benefactor of the College of Business and the face of Showker Hall.

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S H O W K E R A N D H O L M E S P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F J M U S P EC I A L C O L L E C T I O N S ; R E I D B Y D I A N E E L L I O T T ( ’ 0 0)

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rigor of programs that give these ethical, hard-working students the theory, tools and practice to be successful the moment they begin their careers. “This is the foundation on which we’re building the future,” she says. And now, she’s envisioning that future playing out in the Learning Complex.

The Brams share Gowan’s vision and were among the first to pledge an investment. Kim also sees the Learning Complex as “an opportunity to engage alumni at a level of philanthropy that ref lects Donors Craig and Kim Bram (‘80, ‘13P) believe the national recognition that now is the time to cultivate alumni philanthropy the leadership, faculty and stuto a level that reflects the college’s reputation. dents themselves continue to more than 5,000 business students— earn for the College of Business.” Jarl twice its design capacity. “We needed and Beth Bliss (’84, ’20P) agree, havto think strategically,” Gowan says, not ing put their belief into action with a just about the physical environment, but leadership gift to the campaign. “The about how to stay relevant and continue great change we hope for,” Jarl says, to provide a high-quality business educa- “is to inf luence fellow alumni. The tion as technology, teaching, business and value of alumni support goes well beyond what we all invest with JMU.” the world are changing so rapidly.

Gaglioti, who has also A Learning Complex that reflects the caliber of JMU’s business program will made a leadership gift to have to be a showpiece. It must be wor- the Learning Complex to thy of a school that—for starters—ranks expand the Capital Maramong America’s top undergraduate and kets L ab he helped to graduate business programs; wins more create in Zane Showker Google Marketing Competition champi- Hall, said their gifts sigonships than any other university in the nal to CoB alumni that world; and boasts the highest pass rate “what we’re doing is serion the CPA exam among programs with ous. This is the right project— a nd at t he more than 20 students.

A s Gowan looked at planning the right time—for JMU,” Learning Complex, two things stood out: he says.

JMU President Jonathe character of JMU students and the

‘Our gifts show alumni that what we’re doing with the project is serious. This is the right project — and at the right time — for JMU.’

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M AG A Z I N E

See the video, explore artist renderings of the future CoB Learning Complex, make your gift and become a CoB2020 Visionary at jmu.edu/cob2020.

Beth and Jarl Bliss (‘84, ‘20P) (top) and Enrico Gaglioti (’94) say they want their gifts to influence other alumni to support the Learning Complex at this — in Dean Gowan’s words — “history-making moment” for the college.

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2010

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2000

— ENRICO GAGLIOTI, (’94)

than Alger and Dean Gowan are encouraged with the campaign’s momentum, seeing more than $7 million raised toward the goal of surpassing $15 million by 2020. “It’s so important,” Gowan says, “to see so many alumni coming together and becoming part of this history-making moment at JMU. It really is our time to make the difference.”

P H O T O G R A P H S B Y H O L LY V E E N I S ; B R A M S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E B R A M S

PHILANTHROPY

JMU LAUNCHES $15 MILLION-PLUS COB LEARNING COMPLEX CAMPAIGN

Rendering of new Learning Complex

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early 90 College of Business community members — including Board of Advisors members, donors, faculty, students and university administrators — gathered at midfield during JMU’s Homecoming football game on Oct. 29 to kick off the campaign to build a new College of Business Learning Complex.

The new learning complex will continue the College of Business’ efforts in innovation, collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship. “As it’s designed, this new complex will be a national showpiece for engaged learning and the team-based approach to business education that will keep our graduates on the leading edge,” said JMU President Jonathan Alger.

The learning complex is currently in the design phase with plans to break ground at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year. The learning complex is slated for opening in time for the 2020-21 academic year.

The new 166,000-square-foot addition and renovation will provide: n

New and refurbished classrooms, including problem-focused classrooms

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Informal student gathering areas

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An expanded Capital Markets Lab

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Space for JMU’s award-winning, industryleading Digital Marketing Program

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Contribute $2,020 and be recognized inside the CoB Learning Complex when it opens in 2020. Sign up for a monthly, quarterly, yearly or all-at-once plan at:

Cutting-edge technology

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Reserved space for recruiters

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A tutoring laboratory

www.jmu.edu/COB2020

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and much more

#CO B2020 P H OTOGR A P H BY CH AS E M ASZL E

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‘Dr. Gabbin will see you now’ Sean Tobin (’92), Joanne Gabbin and the importance of realizing one’s gifts

BY M A RT H A G R A H A M (‘ 0 3 P, ‘ 0 8 P, ‘12 P)

F

“2.3.” or Sean Tobin, the puzzled look he received in response to the question about his GPA should have been a clue.

“You must mean 3.2,” said the administrative assistant.

“Nope. 2.3.”

“Dr. Gabbin will see you now.”

When Tobin sauntered into Joanne Gabbin’s Hillcrest office, he was about to meet someone who would change his life.

“So, Mr. Tobin,” said the director of JMU’s Honors Program. “Tell me about yourself.”

A gentle letdown “I came into JMU like most kids who go from having 400 people in their class to suddenly having 2,500,” Tobin remembers. “I was shell shocked from having to live, eat, get to and from classes without help from my family. But I was fired up for all the experiences that JMU offered. … My first semester, I took five Honors classes and a sixth non-Honors course. I pledged my fraternity and was pledge class president. I helped teach a karate club. … I volunteered on campus, helping adults in the community [with] math and English. … I was constantly busy and did not leave enough time for my studies.”

Tobin struck Gabbin as “a real personality. … Beyond being a good communicator, Sean was one who could sell you anything,” she says. It didn’t take long for the director to realize she was listening to a talented student who was not meeting his potential.

By the time Tobin reached his junior

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Returning the favor

year, Gabbin had to be honest with him— and let him down gently.

“I’m sorry, Sean,” Tobin recalls Gabbin saying, ‘‘but mathematically you simply cannot get your GPA above the required 3.25 level by the time you graduate.’’ He had to leave the Honors Program.

Tobin’s reaction, by his own admission, was nonchalant: “I was a 20-year-old kid, full of false bravado. And [I] shrugged it off with, ‘OK, that’s fine.’ That’s when Dr. Gabbin let me know: ‘No, it is most certainly not fine. Sean, you have real gifts.

You cannot squander them.’”

“Aside from my mom,” Tobin says, “Dr. Gabbin was the first person who ever really said that to me. I thought, ‘I have gifts?’ Her words were important. They made me look at myself in a new light—to demand more of myself, to be more confident in these ‘gifts’ this incredible woman thought I had.”

Inspired by Gabbin, Tobin earned a finance degree from the College of Business and started a successful career with Lehman Brothers. Today he is a managing director of cross rates sales and runs Deutsche Bank’s San Francisco office.

For some students, the story ends here—graduating and never looking back.

“I was one of 10,000 students,” he says, “yet Dr. Gabbin made sure I realized she believed in me. You know how important that is to a young person? To think someone met you, just you … and thinks this highly of you? It blows your mind. But it also sets you up to say, ‘OK, I need to live up to this. I need to succeed—and then I need to give back so that other students know that someone cares about them.’”

For more than a decade, Tobin has generously given his time to the CoB’s Board of Advisors and regularly participates in experiential learning trips for students in San Francisco and New York City. He has mentored more than a dozen students, helping many jumpstart careers, offering some of the same advice he received from Gabbin. He has supported athletics, academics, the faculty, scholarships and the arts.

A program to lift all boats Out of gratitude for Gabbin and his lifechanging experience in and out of the Honors Program, Tobin and his wife, Michele, established a planned gift in her honor. The Dr. Joanne Gabbin Professorship in the Honors College is the first professorship in JMU’s newest college. Tobin hopes the professorship will perpetuate in future faculty members the kind of caring and high expectations that Gabbin exemplifies.

“I hope,” Tobin says, “future students have a ‘Joanne’ in their lives.”

When Gabbin first arrived at JMU to join the English department faculty, the

P H OTOGR A P HS BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M)

PHILANTHROPY

‘I knew right then I had to be better, as a man and a human, because this woman believed in me. And I was not going to let her down.’

— SEAN TOBIN (’92) Honors Program consisted primarily of a senior Honors thesis program.

“I wanted to expand it and to make it a program that was welcoming to freshmen as well as those students who had already matriculated and had the GPA,” says Gabbin, who became the director in 1986.

The program grew and embraced more students. As Gabbin stresses, “[The Honors Program] was prestigious but not elitist—it was one that rewarded students for working hard.”

For Gabbin, the program represented even more than helping students achieve.

It was an opportunity to create a rich and

diverse university community.

One of Gabbin’s first steps was creating an annual fall Honors banquet that featured an outstanding Honors faculty member and gave Honors students, especially those new to JMU, an opportunity to meet and mingle.

She also initiated a brown-bag lecture series.

“If there was any place on the campus that was truly interdisciplinary,” Gabbin says, “it was the Honors Program. It was a program that lifted all boats.”

“The Honors College of today is built on the elements Dr. Gabbin introduced,” says Dean Bradley Newcomer, “like faculty mentorship, interdisciplinary learn-

ing, motivated students who work hard to earn an extraordinary education, integrating Honors into the fabric of everyday life of the university, all while rejecting a culture of elitism. She led us to where we are today and has given us a solid foundation to implement an even more ambitious vision that will help raise the academic prestige of the entire university.”

Now the scholar who changed Sean Tobin’s life and breathed life into Honors will be honored in perpetuity through Tobin’s generosity. “Someone like Joanne needs not only to be remembered,” Tobin says, “but celebrated.”

THE IMPACT OF JOANNE GABBIN lege Language Association Creative “The most important thing you can Scholarship Award. She has received do as a human being,” Joanne Gab40 awards for teaching excellence, bin says, “is practice your humanity.” scholarship and leadership, and in And she has done that all her life—as a 2005 she was inducted into the Interteacher, mentor, poet, scholar, friend. national Literary Hall of Fame for WritGabbin joined the English departers of African Descent. Especially dear ment in 1985, formally bringing the to Gabbin’s heart is the Wintergreen study of African-American literature Women Writers’ Collective, a group she to the university. She built a strong organized nearly 30 years ago to proand vigorous Honors Program, which mote collegial scholarship and support became a college in July. Out of her among African-American writers. work in Honors grew JMU’s renowned Gabbin, however, is quick to Furious Flower conferences, which acknowledge that her own achievehave become grand literary pilgrimments were paved by many individuages for established and emerging als who preceded her and helped her. voices alike—and brought poets like In 1969, she was given a full fellowship Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove and to earn her master’s degree at the Nikki Giovanni to campus. In 2005, Gabbin, center, during a performance at the Furious Flower conference at JMU in 2004.

University of Chicago. “It was a time Gabbin established the Furious Flower when universities … that had not welcomed blacks as students Poetry Center — the first such center at an American universtarted rethinking [admissions policies]. … I was on the shoulsity — and is the center’s executive director. As a part of her ders of a lot of young people who would never get to college … vision as director, the center has an annual reading series, runs and [who] made a place for me.” a summer poetry camp for children, conducts teachers’ seminars and collegiate summits, and creates educational materials to understand and appreciate African-American poetry.

Lakisha Hughes (’07) is one of many students whose lives have Along the way, Gabbin wrote books, including Sterling A. been impacted by Joanne Gabbin. Read her tribute to Gabbin Brown: Building the Black Aesthetic Tradition, winner of the Colonline at Professors You Love, jmu.edu/professorsyoulove.

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ATHLETICS UPDATE

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FOOTBALL JMU advanced to the FCS national championship game under first-year head coach Mike Houston. The Dukes knocked off defending champion North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota, in the semifinal round to punch their ticket to the Jan. 7 title game against Youngstown State. With one of the nation’s most prolific offensive attacks, JMU rolled over New Hampshire and Sam Houston State during playoff wins at Bridgeforth Stadium. The Dukes went 10-1 in the regular season and 8-0

Nation B Y K E V I N WA R N E R ( ’ 0 2 )

in the CAA to capture their fifth league title.

It marked the first backto-back CAA titles in program history—the Dukes shared the crown in 2015—and the team’s first undefeated conference record since 2008.

top honor. He was joined

by CAA Coach of the Year Mike Houston and CA A Special Teams Player of the Year Rashard Davis.

Volleyball’s Janey Goodman repeated as the CA A’s Player of the Year to close out a dominant four-year career with the Dukes. Junior Taylor CAA AWARDS Soccer senior Ashley Austin also grabbed top JMU dominated the CAA Herndon awarded CAA’s major awards in 2015–16 honors as the league’s Player of the Year honor. and carried that success Defensive Specialist of into the fall campaign. A JMU quarterthe Year. JMU also boasted the CAA’s back captured CAA Offensive Player of top performer in women’s soccer, as the Year honors for the second straight senior Ashley Herndon hauled in year, with Bryan Schor claiming the Player of the Year laurels.

The offense breaks off a big play in the Dukes’ 27-17 semifinal victory over the Bison.

(Left): NDSU coach Chris Klieman congratulates JMU coach Mike Houston on the win.

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It’s about time Statistician misses first home game since ’79 to run marathon

VOLLEYBALL In impressive, turnaround fashion, JMU volleyball captured its first CAA championship and its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000. The Dukes ended the first half of the conference slate with a 3-5 record and near the bottom of the standings. However, JMU came on strong in the second half, running the table with eight straight victories over CAA foes to win the regular season.

Madison notched a pair of 3-0 wins in the CAA championship to carry a 10-match winning streak into the NCAA tournament.

F

He has also worked nearly 800 JMU ormer Director of Sports men’s basketball games.

Media Relations Gary On Oct. 29, Michael missed JMU’s Michael (’77) retired in Homecoming football game vs.

2010 after 30 years in Rhode Island. It marked the first the role. He has remained home game he had missed since active as part of JMU’s statistics 1979, a streak of 213 crew for football and consecutive games basketball in addiin Bridgeforth Station to serving as a dium. An avid runner, wealth of knowledge Michael was absent on the history of JMU for good reason — he Athletics. At the time was in the mountains of his retirement, of North Carolina to his 292 consecutive run his 20th career JMU football games marathon. His perforranked in the top 10 Gary Michael shares congratulations with a fellow mance time qualified in the country for runner after a grueling marhim for the 2017 Bosconsecutive-games athon in the mountains of ton Marathon. streaks at one school.

North Carolina in October.

CROSS COUNTRY JMU saw at least three fall teams advance to NCAA postseason competition for the third straight year, as cross country placed second in the CAA and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Regional. The Dukes finished 10th out of 32 squads at the meet, with senior Carol Strock earning All-Region honors with an 18th-place finish. She was one of four All-Conference performers after finishing as the runner-up in All-Conference runthe league meet. ners (L-R) Carol Strock was joined Strock, Nora Raher, Tessa Mundell and on the medal Olivia Viparina. podium by Nora Raher (sixth), Tessa Mundell (ninth) and Olivia Viparina (11th). Strock and the Dukes finished the season strong, capturing individual and team titles at the ECAC Championships in New York.

Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne (right) congratulates Gary Michael for career achievement as JMU’s director of sports media relations.

P H O T O G R A P H S B Y C AT H Y K U S H N E R ( ’ 8 7 ) ; M I C H A E L C O U R T E S Y O F K E V I N WA R N E R ( ’ 0 2)

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advancing aculture of meaning Can education contribute to a meaningful life?

We answer with a resounding “yes.” This issue of Madison showcases alumni, faculty and students who have embraced the pursuit of fulfillment, not only for themselves, but for others. They’re not afraid to think critically. They open themselves to new ideas. Their research informs society. They invest in others. Their creative pursuits benefit the many.

Their experiences demonstrate the heightened purpose and well-being that results from the Madison Experience.

featured: 24 In search of the truth BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96)

A Q&A with CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta (’93)

28 Park’s natural beauty belies lost culture BY JANET SMITH (’81) Seeing our national park system through the lens of Shenandoah National Park

32 Master storyteller BY JIM HEFFERNAN (’96)

Jason Harris (’93) shows how advertising can be put to work for the common good

34 The heart of the university BY JANET SMITH (’81) Academic and social integration take JMU libraries to a new level

37 Look deeper, think better BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Professor Mark Rankin’s devotion to scholarly research enriches the classroom experience

38 Opera, unexpected BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Alumnae encourage scholarship winner Raiquan Thomas to study classical music

40 Historically human BY SAM ROTH

Professor Rebecca Brannon helps students connect the past to the present

42 How to think, not what to think BY JANET SMITH (’81)

Civilian and military realms partner to develop leadership among JMU students

44 Outbreak BY ROB TUCKER

The latest case study in ethical reasoning from The Madison Collaborative

46 A bonding experience BY JAN GILLIS (’07)

Honors student Matthew Gurniak combines chemistry and theater into a single project

48 Fostering a liberal arts education abroad BY SAM ROTH A world of new perspectives opens during a semester in Scotland

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P H O T O - i L L U S T R AT I O N b y S E A N M c C A B E

CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta (’93) covers the Obama administration, presidential press conferences, visits by heads of state and issues impacting the executive branch of the federal government.

As a reporter and substitute anchor for CNN and CBS News, he has covered some of the biggest news events of the past 20 years, including four presidential elections, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq war, the Virginia Tech shootings and Hurricane Katrina. In this interview with Madison, Acosta, who was on campus in March to accept the 2016 Ronald E. Carrier Distinguished Alumni Award, discusses the Obama legacy, the American political landscape, U.S. relations with Cuba and the state of journalism.

in search of the

t ru t h

BY J I M H E F F E R N A N (’ 9 6)

Madison: Have you always been interested in politics?

Acosta: I grew up right outside of Wash-

ington, D.C., in Northern Virginia, like so many students [at JMU]. My very first field trip that I can remember was [when I was] in the first grade [and] we saw the hostages come home from Iran. I remember The Washington Post had a reporter go along with us, and they chronicled our observations and our reactions. …

They put my name in the newspaper, and I was hooked. That was probably the moment, if you were to capture it [and] crystallize it, when I got interested in all of this. I became indoctrinated in “Potomac Fever,” I guess you could say.

Later, I pursued all of those interests at James Madison. I got involved in politics, I got involved in journalism and found all those things fascinating and continue to be fascinated by them.

Madison: As someone who has covered

the Obama presidency, what do you think will be his legacy?

Acosta: First and foremost, he’s the first African-American president and that’s history. So whether you like him or you don’t like him, he’s going to be in the history books [as the] first African-American president. Secondly, he inherited the Great Recession. He came into office in the middle of a great economic upheaval

in this country. Hundreds of thousands of people were losing their jobs every month. … I think a lot of historians agree that he was able to lead the country through the Great Recession and, to a large extent, stop it from becoming [another] Great Depression. Now some people disagree as to whether the recovery has helped everybody from top to bottom and so that part of the Obama history will be debatable.

[The third thing] in the history books, probably in the first or second paragraph when you talk about the Obama presidency, he initiated the mission to kill Osama bin Laden, who was the head of al-Qaida and was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 Americans. … I covered the aftermath of 9/11. What people tend C O N T I N U E D O N PAG E 2 6

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to forget is how totally freaked out we were as a country at that time. … It’s no small thing to take out the leader of the organization who carried out the worst attack on American soil in our country’s history. If there’s a fourth thing, it should be health care reform. But I don’t think the final chapter has been written in terms of what will be the outcome of that part of his presidency.

‘As a journalist, your job is to shine flashlights in dark corners.

You’re there to uncover the truth.’

over the last 10 to 20 years is that slowly going away. I went to Cuba in 2009 when President Obama changed the travel policy for Cuban-Americans going to Madison: This election season has Cuba. Under George W. Bush, you could underscored how divided America has only go once every three years. That become politically. When you survey the was fueled by the anti-Castro forces in political landscape in this country right Miami. When Obama came in, he said to now, what is it that you see? all Cuban-Americans, “You can basically go whenever you want.” That changed Acosta: I see a country that should be on things pretty dramatically. Now you see a the verge of an amazing period in our hislot of Cuban-Americans going back and tory, and we’re still being held back by these divisions that should’ve been settled decades forth, and you have a lot of Cubans moving to this country who want to continue ago. … You would’ve thought that we to go back and forth. They don’t want would have passed that point by now. We to go back to that era of an embargo and continue to be divided along lines of race, being completely isolated sadly, along lines of status, and not being able to visit income level … Previous their relatives. So there’s generations have failed us less opposition to normal—the Baby Boomers, Genizing relations between eration X. It’s really unforthe two countries now tunate. … I think the task because of that policy. for young people will be to … We tried [isolation] show us another way. for 50 years, and it didn’t work. If we tried Social Madison: Under Obama, Security, Medicare —you we’ve seen a thawing of name it—for 50 years relations between the U.S. and it didn’t work, we and Cuba. What have Acosta’s senior picture would have a different been the effects of that polin the 1993 issue of Bluesystem right now. … It’s icy change and, as a Cubanstone. At Madison, Acosta time to sort of let bygones American, are you hopeful pursued his interests in journalism and politics. be bygones. … With the that we’re ushering in a new normalization of relations era of cooperation between with Cuba, my hope is that the Cuban the two countries? government will reciprocate and make some changes on their own. We’re in Acosta: This is a dicey question for uncharted waters now. … We tried the Cuban-Americans. Historically speakembargo, we tried isolation, that didn’t ing, Cuban-Americans have been an work. I think it’s time to give this a try. anti-Castro block, and what you’ve seen Video excerpts of this interview at http://bit.ly/jim-acosta 26

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Madison: The field of journalism has

come under fire. Critics say that there is

no objective reporting anymore and that the 24-hour news cycle emphasizes getting the story first ahead of getting it right.

Cable news, the internet and social media have given people all of these options for getting their news. What is it that you would say to a JMU student who wants to go into journalism to reassure them?

Acosta: You’re there to tell people the truth. That might sound corny. When I was getting into the business, there was this thing called Fox News and then there was this thing called MSNBC, and then as soon as those two things happened, along with the explosion of the internet, everybody could just go and get the news from whichever outlet that was basically echoing their opinion. I’ve always gravitated toward news organizations that sort of don’t give a damn about that. As a journalist, your job is to shine flashlights in dark corners. You’re there to uncover the truth. People who try to go in there and make it all about them, who spin things or color them a certain way, or are biased in a certain direction, I think they end up being their own undoing at some point. … So my advice would be, don’t go down that path. You’re supposed to shine flashlights in dark corners, but you also want to be skeptical of the bright lights too. There’s a lot of reward in this business for the hot take and people who pop off on Twitter and Facebook. I’ve always felt that a more reasoned and fair approach is not necessarily the approach everyone likes, but it’s the best approach. … I’ve had people ask me for years, “Are you a Republican? Are you a Democrat?” I grew up in an apolitical environment with blue-collar parents who didn’t vote … and I think it’s made me a pretty good umpire.

(Top left): Acosta returned to campus in March to accept the 2016 Ronald E. Carrier Distinguished Alumni Award.

(Top right): On location for CNN in Havana, Cuba, in 2009 after President Obama lifted restrictions on Cuban-Americans traveling to and from the island nation.

(Center): Asking Obama a question during a presidential press conference. (Left): Reporting live from outside the White House.

S IT T I N G P O R T R A IT P H OTOGR A P H BY M I KE M I R I EL LO’09 M); CU BA A N D T EL E V IS I O N CL I P CO U R T ESY CN N; W H I T E H O U S E P R E S S C O N F E R E N C E B Y J A C Q U E LY N M A R T I N /A P P H O T O

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par k ’ s nat ur a l

park’s natural beauty belies

b eau t y b e l i e sl

os t

l os t cu lt ur e Part of the National Park Service that is observing its 100th anniversary, Shenandoah National Park offers a lens for considering the national parks’ establishment, value and future.

BY JA N E T S M I T H (’81)

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‘There were people doing things and living in these places and things had to happen to them for this park to be established.’

S

— C A R O L E N A S H ( ’ 8 3 ) , professor of integrated science and technolog y and director of the SNP Environmental Archaeolog y Program

lowing down along the Skyline Drive, it is easy to view the majestic mountain ridges, lofty overlooks and rugged outcroppings and feel as if you are above the world in an untamed landscape—a true wilderness.

But the land that predates the founding of Shenandoah National Park was far from untrammeled by humans.

Before the 1916 establishment of the NPS and the transfer of Yosemite Valley in California to the new system, “The area that became Shenandoah was already known as a recreational getaway,” says Carole Nash (’83), a professor of integrated science and technology and director of the SNP Environmental Archaeology Program. Skyland, then a private retreat, dates to 1888, and a Shenandoah Valley travel organization was already established when the park system was in its infancy. A few years later, President Herbert Hoover was enjoying his rustic retreat, Rapidan Camp.

“This is a really interesting time in American history,” Nash says. “After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the economy had finally been re-established and an urban middle class was emerging. The automobile was introduced and all of a sudden there is a kind of mobility that had never been experienced before. People who had rural roots and had moved to the city were expressing a desire on the part of the American public

President Herbert Hoover fishes in Mill Prong at his Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park on Aug. 20, 1932. Also known as “Camp Hoover,” the 164-acre camp was built by the Marine Corps as a presidential retreat for Hoover and his wife.

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to have access to beautiful, natural places.”

Part of the National Park Service that is observing its 100th anniversary, SNP offers a lens for considering the national parks’ establishment, value and future.

“Early NPS administrators recognized the need for there to be parks in striking distance of heavily populated areas,” Nash says, and thus SNP was authorized as an eastern park 80 years ago.

But in order for the public to have that access, approximately 470 families were moved out of the area designated for the new park. Other forced movements occurred to establish other national parks, Nash says.

“I think as the Park Service is coming of age, one of the stories that it’s ready to tell is not, ‘Look at this beautiful, pristine wilderness that we have saved for you,’ but rather, these were all cultural places,” she says. “There were people doing things and living in these places, and things had to happen to them for this park to be established. Those stories are different with every park.”

While some local residents were agreeable with leaving the mountain, many were not, Nash says. They were making their livelihoods by timbering, milling and farming. Archaeological evidence on the sites of former homesteads indicates these residents were connected to modern consumer goods of their time, refuting an early narrative that mountain people were isolated and poor.

The idea of SNP as a wilderness also discounts the fact that the land had been lived in for thousands of years. Excavate about a foot down in the soil, and evidence of Native occupation emerges. “You have to recognize the power of the human presence and you have to recognize that different cultures leave us different signatures over time,” Nash says.

Parks are part of our cultural heritage for their history and for what they can teach us today. As more children are raised indoors, Nash says, basic outdoor skills—compass reading, map reading, even how to dress for altitude differences—are being lost. “One of the ways the parks are relevant for us is that they reinforce how important this knowledge was for us as a country and how important it is today.”

Several hundred family cemeteries anchor people to the area. Finding cemeteries is one of the SNP jobs of Nash and her archaeology students. The cemeteries are left undisturbed. “They’re there,” she says.

JMU has had a memorandum of understanding with the park since 1999. “The beautiful thing about this relationship is that it has allowed us to build a 17-year history of research in the park.”

“If you never experience the natural world beyond your neighborhood, you’re not going to truly understand what those connections mean,” Nash says. “These lands can teach us about how nature works and how human-environment interactions shape what we recognize as natural. There’s never been a time, I don’t think, when we have needed that information more.”

People who do engage with the natural world can leave unintended traces. “In some places, Shenandoah is being loved to death,” says Nash. On some trails in

Shenandoah, especially those that are easy to access, the footsteps of many visitors have widened them as hikers walk around rocks instead of over them. It seems a small encroachment, but over time the landscape changes.

Trash and vandalism, such as carvings in trees, are also threats. People are building closer to the park, sometimes compromising the viewsheds of both sides of the narrow park. The possibility of fire in and outside the park is increasing with more dead and downed trees showing the effects

H OOV ER P H OTOGR A P H BY A P; N AS H W IT H S T U D EN TS A N D CEM E T ERY BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M)

of climate change. “Lack of funding is the greatest threat,” Nash says, pointing to a backlog of maintenance projects many parks have left undone.

“People sacrificed for America to have its parks,” Nash says. “It’s important for us today to avoid taking them for granted.”

SNP Oral History Collection, 19641999, is a rich collection of more than 130 interviews with former residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The collection is housed in Special Collections at JMU’s Carrier Library.

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Advertising executive using his creative powers for good

Master

A

BY J I M H E F F E R N A N (’ 9 6)

storyteller

s a child, Jason Harris (’93) was captivated by television commercials—what he called “the little stories between the shows.” By the time he was 12, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in advertising.

“It sunk in that someone was making a living making those stories,” he says. “I just had to figure out how to get a job doing that.”

After an uninspiring freshman year at a university in the Northeast, the Springfield, Virginia, native transferred to JMU. “I felt very welcome and comfortable here right from the start,” he says. “You didn’t feel like you were a number. It felt like a place where you could make a difference.”

Harris majored in economics, completing his course work in the newly built Zane Showker Hall. But it was an art history class—an elective within the General Education Program—which he counts among his favorites at Madison. “I was coming from the College of Business, which was statistics and accounting and finance, but that class was visual. For someone who was interested in advertising, it was great. … I always looked forward to it, and I learned a lot.”

The day after graduation, Harris packed up his car and drove to California to follow his passion. He waited tables and bartended for a time before landing an entry-level position at a design firm in Los Angeles.

Eventually he worked his way into advertising and moved to San Francisco, where he and a few friends started their own agency in 2006.

Today, the award-winning firm, Mekanism, has offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Seattle. It consists of an agency, a production studio for creating content and a social media company. Harris, who relocated to New York City three years ago, serves as president and CEO. The employees of Mekanism all believe in the power of storytelling. “The way to connect with an audience is by telling stories,” Harris says. “With the rise of content-based [advertising] platforms, storytelling is more important than ever. There’s an attention war going on, and stories are what people remember.”

“We can no longer interrupt what people are interested in,” he adds. “We have to be what people are interested in.”

The company, whose corporate clients include PepsiCo, MillerCoors, Charles Schwab, Ben & Jerry’s and The North Face, also believes in finding—and selling—the truth behind a brand. Truth in advertising

is especially important in capturing millennials, who Harris says are savvy consumers and tend to dismiss messages that lack authenticity.

Mekanism encourages its clients to find their story, stick with their story and then let others tell that story. The medium, he says, is important, but technology should always be employed in service to the story.

Under Harris’ leadership, Mekanism has won numerous industry awards, including Effie, Addy and Webby honors, and has been named a “Small Agency of the Year” by Advertising Age. Mekanism has also made Advertising Age’s “Agency A-List” and Creativity’s “Creative 50.” The firm’s methods have been the subject of case studies at Harvard Business School.

Mekanism is also the creative force behind It’s on Us, the White House initiative to end sexual assault on college campuses. In addition to enlisting celebrities to appear in television commercials and spreading the word through social media, the campaign, now in its third year, includes a website with scripts and a template for colleges and universities to shoot their own spots. To date, nearly 450 schools have signed on to participate.

“We wanted to come up with a social good campaign that we could launch almost like a brand,” Harris explains, “and not just preach to the 4 percent of the college audience committing sexual assault, but rather to the 96 percent who aren’t. We needed to frame it as a problem that all of us have to solve.”

These days Harris is focused on Mekanism’s social good campaigns, like It’s on Us and helping the United Nations achieve Sustainable Development Goals for its member countries within the next 15 years.

He also co-chairs the Creative Alliance, a group of 20 of the top creative and technology agencies in the country that are seeking to raise awareness and engage the public in tackling societal challenges.

“We’re finding that we can use our advertising powers for good, that we don’t just have to sell soft drinks and financial advice, but we can help make the world a better place,” Harris says. “As I get older, that’s something I care more and more about.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jason Harris (’93) returned to campus in early September to participate in the College of Business’ C-Suite Speaker Series. He also took the time to share stories and insights with an advertising and corporate communications class in the School of Media Arts and Design.

‘we’re finding that we can use our advertising powers for good, that we don’t just have to sell soft drinks and financial advice, but we can help make the world a better place.’

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M AG A Z I N E

BY JAN E T S M IT H (’81)

O

Once upon a time … “the academic library was a way stop,” says Adam Murray, dean of Libraries and Educational Technologies. “You came in and got what you needed and left.”

Today, instead of counting volumes, librarians focus on door counts, square footage and how many full-time students can be seated in a library at any given time.

“Now, the library becomes a destination spot. It’s a place that people opt to go to. They voluntarily choose to be here, and while they’re here, they’re engaging in a wide spectrum of activities that range from solitary work all the way up through very highly collaborative work that is loud, noisy and messy, and not at all what you think of as part of the traditional quiet library.”

The changing landscape of the physical library ref lects ‘The academic library, at any university, is of very few and, more importantly, supports the changing nature of university scholarship on the that is specifically designed for places on the parts of students and faculty members. Through its indi[academic integration and social integration].’ vidual sites—Carrier Library, Rose Library and the Music Library—and its comprehensive online services, LET is providing the space patrons need now as well as looking to the future for more changes.

“Scholarship is not just writing a paper anymore,” Murray says. “Elements of digital scholarship, such as including designs or including data from a geographic information systems project, are filtering their way into scholarship at all levels. We need to be ready to work with faculty as they teach this process and expect their students to know how to ‘do’ scholarship.”

To help faculty and students engage in newer scholarship opportunities, LET recently fine-tuned the focus of the Center for Instructional Technology. Now known as Innovation Services, the area seeks to support the uniBoth Carrier Library and Rose Library provide versity’s Innovation-Collaboration-Creation-Entrepreneurship customized spaces and equipment, such as 3-D commitment by providing space and expertise for faculty and printers, for student collaboration to meet the needs of modern academic scholarship. students as they pursue creative endeavors requiring 3-D printers, a virtual reality lab, and a design and video-editing lab.

For JMU’s more than 21,000 students, the libraries are crucial for more than just their academic integration. Research supports that academic integration, coupled with social integration, is key to student retention, Murray says.

“The academic library, at any university, is one of very few places on the campus that is specifically designed for both of these [academic integration and social integration],” he says. “It is specifically designed to help students to feel integrated with their curriculum—to give them the resources they need to complete their assignments and their research.

one

campus

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Students engage in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from solitary work all the way up through highly collaborative work that is loud and noisy. “[It’s] not at all what you think of as part of the traditional quiet library,” says Dean Adam Murray.

“But it is also, because it is a destination, a place that is fostering collaboration. Students can be exposed to diversity, too. They can be exposed to people from different cultures, backgrounds and experiences. That can really help students feel more plugged into the social environment of the university.”

LET sponsors events and programs within its community of buildings to strengthen that sense of connection. De-stressing events before final exams and sessions with JMU nursing faculty members to answer students’ medical questions are among the academic and social integration-building activities.

Librarians, who are university faculty members, are committed to ensuring that their colleagues have the resources they need to engage in teaching and scholarship.

“Technology enables us now to use a just-in-time delivery model,” Murray says. Instead of educated guessing on which resources will be needed, librarians can provide materials to faculty and students via interlibrary (L-R): Provost Jerry Benson, President Emeritus Ronald Carrier, Dean loans and document Adam Murray, SGA President Matdelivery services. thew Mueller and JMU President E-books, specific arti- Jonathan Alger officially reopen the original front door of Carrier Library cles or chapters of larger during a Sept. 23 ceremony. works can be purchased at the time they are needed rather than the library purchasing resources that may or may not be used. “It lets us be more efficient about how we’re spending money and building the collection,” Murray says.

As library collections and resources are moving to digital formats, concerns emerge on the concept of faculty members’ identity as researchers, the dean says. “We live in a world of linked data in which information can flow across boundaries online much more seamlessly than previously,” Murray says. “Helping faculty have control over their works, the things they’re publishing and their identity as the authors of those items, becomes increasingly more important.”

He points to the expectation for faculty to share not only their research findings but also their research data, a requirement of many agencies granting financial support for research, as an emerging digital-age challenge. JMU librarians are investigating various platforms to make research findings and very large data sets available while making sure faculty members maintain copyright protections on both.

“As professional librarians, we have a charge to support students and faculty as technology changes and to have the best collection possible,” Murray says. “But access to the library is something that never changes.”

Explore Libraries and Educational Technologies’ Innovation Services area at jmu.edu/madisonmagazine

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advancing a culture of meaning A prestigious NEH award offers English professor Mark Rankin further opportunities for intensive scholarly research B Y J A N G I L L I S ( ’ 0 7 )

Look deeper,

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think better

hen JMU English professor Mark Rankin a broader discussion and thought process, fostering the willingness received word that he had been awarded to take a second look. “Showing my students such differences helps a three-year National Endowment for the them get to the bottom of ideas,” he says.

“The study of the humanities reveals that ideas can easily become Humanities grant valued at $335,000, he was gratified, to say the least. “NEH’s program is institutionalized, and people fail to realize their origins—thus, the very competitive,” he says. “It is difficult to get importance of subjecting ideas to scrutiny.

“Going from incorrect bias to truth in terms of what the text actuthis much money for humanities research.”

Rankin will collaborate with professors and staff members at ally tells us promotes analysis in a way that is extremely useful in sociseven colleges and universities to produce scholarly editions of the ety,” Rankin says. “The humanities are ideal for promoting critical works of William Tyndale (1495-1536), one of the most significant reasoning and thinking.”

The challenge of objective analysis in evaluating issues is cenwriters of the English Renaissance. Tyndale is widely recognized for translating the Bible from its original languages into English, but his tral to Rankin’s teaching. Honors student Michael Hartinger, an other writings are not generally available. “Tyndale was a scholar and English and philosophy double major, says, “I chose JMU because an important thinker. His works are valuable because they shaped I wanted to study English, and JMU has fantastic medieval and discussion during the English Renaissance and Reformation on top- Renaissance scholars, such as Drs. Rankin and Bankert. [Dab2015 summer neyThe Bankert, head ofstudy-abroad JMU’s English ics as diverse as education and political trip “Ireland: Text, Image and department, specializes in medieval obedience,” says Rankin. “He is imporNew Media” was co-led by proliterature.]

A professor’s research tant to the English Protestant tradition, fessor Seán McCarthy (far right),is grew upItinillustrates County Clare. verywho beneficial. to students so he is important to us now.” just how vast these subjects are and the The group of scholars will be exammyriad ways you can approach texts.” ining existing copies of Tyndale’s nonRankin welcomes the opportunitranslation books and prefaces to his ties to provoke his students to further translation, an examination that is inquiry. “Seeking wisdom is one of the essential in gaining an accurate undergreat human quests,” he says. “My goal standing of his work. In Tyndale’s time, is to help students become excited by printers might change a book during ideas. I tell them, ‘I have office hours, printing to remove controversial pasbut come anytime you want to talk sages, add new passages or correct about these ideas further.’” mistakes from accidental omissions or Honors student Michael Hartinger relishes Rankin’s Hartinger, who hopes to pursue a errors. “It’s important to look at every tutelage. “These works represent important spheres career in academia, says, “Professor surviving copy of a work in its earliest of expression and human thought,” he says. form to determine the specific nature of a text,” says Rankin. “I am Rankin always says, ‘What you are doing and what I am doing are examining The Practice of Prelates. … We have no Tyndale manu- the same. I’ve just been doing it longer.’ As a budding scholar, to be script of this work, but there are 23 copies of the first printed edition able to see real scholars and learn how they think about these very from 1530. And we’ll be examining at least one copy of all of the early important texts is a preview to a career.”

Rankin sees engaged learning as a way to pierce “the fog of doubt 16th-century editions of Tyndale’s books. Each copy can potentially and confusion to get to more reliable knowledge.” tell us something different.”

“If my students could gain just one thing from their studies, I Rankin’s scholarship is foundational to his classroom teaching.

For example, Rankin’s course Advanced Studies in Textuality and would want them to see the benefit of being willing to put aside our the History of the Book examines printing technology and the biases, to look again, to look deeper to find something more producrelationship between books and ideas in the English and European tive than what we started with,” he says.

“I want them to think better.”

Renaissance. “My research literally provides the examples I show students. I give them photos of pages that were changed—the same EDITOR’S NOTE: Rankin received a second grant ($129,535) to co-direct page from two copies of the same book, but they are not the same. an NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers at the Huntington I’ll challenge my students to find the difference.” The exercise fuels Library in California. Learn more at jmu.edu/english or neh/gov.

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The Madison Experience opened the door to a promising music career for Raiquan Thomas B Y J A N G I L L I S ( ’ 0 7 )

opera ,

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hen 9-year-old Raiquan Thomas sang Boyz 2 Men’s A Song for Mama for a Mother’s Day celebration at his local Boys & Girls Club in Portsmouth, Virginia, he brought the audience to tears.

“I didn’t know I could sing that well. I was shocked,” he says. But the experience didn’t focus him on a serious music career.

That would come later.

Throughout middle school and into high school, Thomas kept singing, played in the band and “learned what music was.” His musical aspirations were tied to thoughts of being a rhythm-and-blues singer.

It was JMU alumna Susan Heely (’75), his high-school chorus teacher, who encouraged Thomas to sing classical music and audition for the Governor’s School for the Arts. “I was scared,” Thomas recalls. The prestigious school attracted young people

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who were totally unlike his neighborhood friends. He remembers going to the audition, looking at the pool of talent and saying to himself, “I’m different from these people.”

The judges saw a difference in Thomas as well, but it was his exceptional talent that caught their attention. His audition won him an immediate invitation to enroll in the school. “They took me in a semester early,” he says. “I didn’t know how big this was—that I was embarking on a crazy journey.”

Thomas admits to being intimidated by the opportunity.

“When the director of the program gave me an opera score, I said, ‘I’m not an opera singer,’ and he told me, ‘Yes, you are.’”

Another Madison alumna, Shelly Milam-Ratliff (’06), was Thomas’ voice teacher at the governor’s school. “Without her, I would not be here,” he says.

“Professor McMillan Impressed by the quality of the gave me some hard repMadison alumnae who had coached ertoire last year,” says and trained him, Thomas was drawn Thomas, “but I did it.”

‘... at jmu there’s an atmosphere of support, a desire for everyone to get opportunities. It has helped me grow as an artist, concentrating on my craft, not on the competition.’ to consider JMU’s undergraduate music program. “When I met [voice professor] Kevin McMillan, it clicked. I’m supposed to be here,” he says.

He credits McMillan with grooming his raw talent for singing. “He has taught me how to sing. We’re constantly working on the voice. He knew what I could do, but I didn’t know what I could do. Today, there’s a big difference in my voice because he taught me how to manage it.”

A typical day for Thomas encompasses classes in music history, theory, piano and opera, and serving as music director of the a cappella group JMU Overtones and as bass scholar at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Harrisonburg.

“At many conservatories, there is an Want to hear Raiquan sing opera? Go to bit.ly/raiquan-thomas

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extremely competitive environment,” he acknowledges. “But at JMU there’s an atmosphere of support, a desire for everyone to get opportunities. It has helped me grow as an artist, concentrating on my craft, not on the competition.”

The first of his family to attend a fouryear college, Thomas is thankful for the scholarship support he has received at Madison. “Having that makes me work 10 times harder. I want to make a difference.

It’s an amazing gift.”

His advice to others: “Work hard, stay humble. You never know what opportunities may come your way.”

Thomas’ opportunities have been lifechanging. “I know where I come from.

Portsmouth. My past. My dad sold drugs, made unnecessary mistakes, and was shot and killed by a police officer in a highspeed chase. … I can’t act out of anger.

I can’t treat it as an excuse. If you let it hold you down, you’ll sit in the same place forever.”

Instead, he pays it forward. “I want to inspire young people in similar situations growing up without a father. When I worked at the Boys & Girls Club, I told kids they could do the same thing. They just had to keep an open mind to get past the struggles.”

After graduation, Thomas plans to go on to graduate school. His dream is to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House one day.

For now, Thomas is thriving in Madison’s vibrant and supportive atmosphere.

“JMU is different. Dukes stick together.

There is always someone to support you.

People will help out whenever they can. It’s like another world.

“People will open the door for you and hold it till you get there.”

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Historical research is about understanding the ‘why’ of an event and engaging in open-ended discussions B Y S A M R O T H

or Rebecca Brannon, a professor of history and interdisciplinary liberal studies, research is about more than reading old texts and learning facts— it’s about studying human beings and finding out how they tick.

Historical research holds a great deal of value.

It helps to connect our present selves to the past and assists in understanding how our nation came to be the way it is today.

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Her primary research interest is the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War, specifically how the Loyalists in South Carolina managed to stay in the United States even after being on the losing side of the conflict. In Fall 2016, Brannon taught a combined upper-level undergraduate and graduate seminar on the American Revolution.

Brannon began her undergraduate experience as a biology major, but quickly realized that she needed to follow her passion. “I’ve always loved history,” she says. “I particularly love the 18th cen-

‘... we’re pretty good at making mistakes again and again.... because we

humans have certain faults ... history connects us with who we are.’

their pasts—and eventually succeeded.

Beyond her recent publication, Brannon is working on two other book projects. The first is a collection of essays that covers the Loyalists from a much broader perspective, from reintegration in the South, to religion, to what happened to the Loyalists who fled to Canada. The second book explores how, in the 18th century, the young men who would create the American Revolution grew up expecting to be honored as old men, only to find that society viewed them as being “used up and done with.”

In Spring 2016, Brannon tury. You can see modernity was a fellow for the Massachuemerge toward the end of setts Historical Society and the the 18th century. They have David Library of the Amerithe same fundamental ways can Revolution, where she of thinking about the world. spent her time reading in the … There’s a sense that archives for new sources for her everybody is an individual.” work on older veterans.

Brannon’s latest book, Brannon considers herself a released in September 2016, humanist. Psychologists and details how the Loyalists In Fall 2016, Brannon taught a combined upper-level undergraduate historians alike are “just tryengaged in careful histori- and graduate seminar on the American Revolution and its aftermath for Patriots and Loyalists. ing to find out what makes us cal manipulation to bury humans tick,” she says. When it comes to the idea of historical For more on Brannon, watch Taking on Tomorrow: Heeding research helping us to avoid making past mistakes, Brannon said, History’s Lessons at bit.ly/rebecca-brannon “I think we’re pretty good at making mistakes again and again.

But maybe that’s because we humans have certain faults … and I Brannon’s book From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of the South Carolina Loyalists is available at amazon.com and other retailers. do think history connects us with who we are.”

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how to think, not what to think

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Civilian and military realms partner to develop leadership among JMU students B Y J A N E T S M I T H ( ’ 8 1 )

hree years ago, two JMU leadership development ROTC curriculum has moved from a command-and-control professionals—one from the military world, the model to a mission-command model. “That’s where a leader comother a civilian—came together to consult on a mis- municates well, expresses their commander’s intent, their vision and what they want accomplished,” Tolman says. “It does not necsion ordered by the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

Lt. Col. Richard Showalter, then head of the uni- essarily include how to do what needs to be done.”

By combining classroom instruction, such as case studies of versity’s Department of Military Science, reached out to his College of Education colleague Cheryl mission-command scenarios, with experiential leadership trainBeverly, a professor of learning, technology and leadership educa- ing in the field, the curriculum is designed for cadets to learn by doing. “We try to learn through history and through tion — and a proud Army brat—to betprogressive leadership development,” Tolman says. ter understand the mission to integrate Cadets learn about strategy by researching battles student-centered learning in the ROTC and tactics, which they then teach to their fellow curriculum. “At JMU, they were already students. Through physical traindoing it,” she says. “It is interesting to ing, field training exercises and observe how we’re doing the same things, team-building activities, cadets take just calling them different things.” responsibility for mentoring younger “So much of what the military does is students to achieve required levels of informed by research and prior experiabilities and endurance. ence, as well as reflecting, deconstructCadet Terrence Smith, Duke Bating, analyzing and evaluating current talion commander, models ROTC experience to prepare for the next mistraining in developing leadership in sion,” Beverly says. “That’s what we want his subordinate company commandin our student teachers. I see the cross- Cheryl Beverly’s interest and dedication to military and civilian leaders. “I explain the why or the purpose overs so much.” ership stems from her Army family. of an order, not just ‘do it,’” he says.

Having pre-service teachers reflect For veterans who enter undergraduate studies at on their performance during field placements, for example, invites critical reflection, Beverly says, by asking questions such JMU, military training and experience—no matter as “What was the goal?” “What did you do that did and did not which branch they served in —affect their college work?” “What would you do differently?”—reflections that, she experience, as well as that of their fellow students says, are similar to the components of an after-action review in and faculty members.

Political science professor Jennifer Taylor, whose military circles.

“Junior leaders have to make decisions to affect the outcome husband is a Navy veteran, has observed that JMU of a mission,” says Lt. Col. Tom Tolman, military science head students who are veterans of military service offer and professor. To prepare them for eventual roles as active-duty “a seasoned perspective” in the classroom. They are soldiers or members of the Reserve or National Guard, the Army often not as quick to jump to a conclusion or a position

‘So much of what the military does is informed by research, prior experience, and evaluating current experienceto prepare for the next mission ... That’s what we want in our student teachers.’

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during class discussion, she says. “I’ve also witnessed a huge sense of personal and civic responsibility pervasive among veterans.”

Indeed, when student veterans—many of whom are older than the average undergraduate student—saw the need for a place on campus to study and meet, they sought administrative support that led to the opening of the Center for Student Veterans in 2015.

Clint Roberts, a senior majoring in psychology, views the center as an important place for veterans to call home between classes and to build connections among themselves. An Army combat medic and now vice president of JMU’s Student Veterans Association, Roberts says the studentmanaged space offers a catalyst for veterans to serve each other as they engage in studying, tutoring sessions and meetings.

Army ROTC cadets plant U.S. flags on the Quad in observance of Veterans Day 2016.

“In the military, we’re very mission oriented,” Roberts says. “Here at JMU, our mission is to set the example as both a model leader and student.”

Beyond supporting each other, Roberts believes student veterans are helpful classmates for JMU students in general. “We’re an example of leadership in the classroom,” he says. “We tend to speak up more, and this practice enriches the college experience by starting conversations in the classroom.”

Nick Swayne, executive director of 4-VA, a professor of learning, technology and leadership education, and military science head and professor from 2001 to 2006, served for 26 years in the Army. He concurs with Roberts that veterans’ rich life experiences are an asset for fellow students and faculty members.

In the academic arena, there is a tendency to teach the theory of leadership as a behav-

B E V E R LY P H O T O G R A P H B Y T I F FA N Y S H O WA LT E R ; F L A G S B Y M I K E M I R I E L L O ( ’ 0 9 M )

ioral science, he says. The military’s more hands-on approach “is possible to integrate in an academic setting, but you have to work at it,” Swayne says.

In teaching a leadership and organizations course, Swayne struggled with incorporating a hands-on experience.

He introduced FIRST LEGO League as that component by assigning students to coordinate specific functional areas for the competition that draws 4,000 people annually to campus. “They are doing what they’ve been taught,” he says of his students’ engagement.

“The military does a really good job of teaching you how to see, how to problemsolve and how to adapt as you’re going,” Beverly says. “Those skills that build confidence, resilience and communication are important for professional development, no matter what your role in life is.”

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outbreak

The latest case study in ethical reasoning from The Madison Collaborative asks freshmen to decide which groups should receive a vaccine to help contain a meningitis B outbreak B Y R O B T U C K E R

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o one saw this coming. When it hit the East Coast, it hit hard, creating anxiety and panic, and intellectual, logistical and ethical challenges. Symptoms of headache, light sensitivity and uncontrollable fever point to an outbreak of meningitis B, a disease that resists medical treatment and can lead to disability or death. Early reports indicate five regional outbreaks, which will require vaccinations to prevent the rapid spread of this highly contagious disease.

Emergency response needs to be lightning-quick and precisely targeted. Unfortunately, the vaccine supply is limited with only enough quantity to treat two of the outbreaks, which include:

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■

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military bases in Virginia and New Jersey inner-city youth in Baltimore, Maryland ■ two doctors who traveled to an international conference in Kentucky ■ environmental activists who returned to Atlanta from a research trip to Appalachia ■ high-school students in New England As a member of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, you are summoned to Washington, D.C., to lead the effort to prevent an epidemic and minimize human suffering. Your task: decide who gets the vaccine in this complex, nuanced scenario, made even more plausible in an age of global concerns over diseases such as Ebola and Zika.

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hat was the scenario faced by 4,400 freshman JMU students during a late summer orientation exercise designed to teach them ethical reasoning skills.

Contagion was developed by the Madison Collaborative as the centerpiece of It’s Complicated, the innovative program introducing students to JMU’s ethical reasoning framework.

As one of more than 150 volunteer facilitators, I was trained on how to familiarize students with JMU’s Eight Key Questions, which can be used to evaluate the ethical dimensions of a problem, and begin to develop a structured thought process.

I met a group of 25 students who had watched a video outlining the scenario in advance of our 75-minute session in the EnGeo Building.

After prefacing the exercise with an overview of why ethical reasoning skills are important and why respectful discourse is essential in our society, we watched the Contagion video together and began a guided discussion to determine which of the Eight Key Questions were most relevant to the Contagion circumstances.

Discussion started slowly but gained in volume when disagreements arose. Forceful rebuttals and counter-arguments increased as the exercise progressed to the decisionmaking phase: Who gets the vaccine? Who gets left out? Why? Another facilitator, Diane Foucar-Szocki, experienced a similar dynamic. FoucarSzocki works in JMU’s Department of Learning, Technology and Leadership Education, and was in her fourth year of facilitating.

“Once students get over their initial hesitation,” she said, “they bring their minds and experiences to the case and begin to wrestle with its complexities. In this year’s all-female group, internet shaming connected the case to their daily experiences. They had quite a discussion about what response their decisions might solicit on the internet.

“The ethical reasoning questions of responsibility, fairness, empathy and character took on new depth and dimension when considered through the very real and public nature of today’s internet discourse,” she added. “They lost track of time and

forgot this was an orientation experience.

They were engaged and learning together.

“I could see in their eyes and in the animation of their conversation that this was becoming more than just exercise; they were moving fully into their higher education. What a wonderful way to spend an hour with our future leaders!”

Several students in my group questioned the scenario itself, citing a lack of certain information and clarity that made the decision more difficult.

“Just like real life,” I said, “where you will find yourself forced to make a decision without having all the facts. But now you have a process that helps you make the best decision you can, based on what you do know.”

Fletcher Linder, a professor of anthropology and director and professor of interdisciplinary liberal studies, encountered a similar teachable moment with his group of students.

“I was perhaps most impressed with the

questions students asked regarding the Contagion scenario,” Linder said. “For example, students wanted to know the incubation period of the pathogen, the chances of people dying from it, the ease with which it spreads, the multiple means through which it spreads, how much it costs to generate vaccines, the adequacy of manufacturing capacity to generate enough vaccines to cover estimated needs, the ability of cities to quarantine citizens, etc.

“Students asked these and other questions in order to engage in informed deliberations about appropriate courses of action, and I came away from the discussion with a positive impression of our incoming students’ desire for knowledge-based civic action.”

I would echo the words of my colleagues as to how rewarding it was to witness a new generation of JMU students energetically engaging in a complex, thought-provoking mind game with no easy answers, and no clear “right” solution.

Skill sharing

Now in its fourth year, JMU’s ethical reasoning program continues its mission to prepare students to apply ethical reasoning in their personal, professional and civic lives. Awareness of the program is growing beyond the borders of campus, as corporations, government agencies and other universities have consulted with JMU for advice on how to equip their personnel with ethical-reasoning skills.

the eight key questions: Fairness How can I act equitably and balance legitimate interests?

Outcomes What achieves the best short- and long-term outcomes for me and all others?

Responsibilities What duties and/or obligations apply?

Character What action best reflects who I am and the person I want to become?

Liberty How does respect for freedom, personal autonomy or consent apply?

Empathy What would I do if I cared deeply about those involved?

Authority What do legitimate authorities (e.g. experts, law, my religion/god) expect of me?

Rights What rights (e.g. innate, legal, social) apply?

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G U R N IA K P H OTOGR A P H BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M); BON DED CO U R T ESY O F G U R N IA K

Honors student Matthew Gurniak artfully combines two seemingly disparate passions — chemistry and theater — to create an original musical comedy B Y J A N G I L L I S ( ’ 0 7 )

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onors student Matthew Gurniak came to JMU with a passion for chemistry and theater. “I knew I wanted to double major, and I liked the flexibility I would have at JMU. And I was attracted to Madison’s program because it was competitive and auditionbased,” he says.

Faced with the need to choose a subject for his Honors thesis, Gurniak was unwilling to forsake one interest in favor of the other. His solution? Combine the two seemingly disparate subjects into a single project that would allow him to explore both disciplines in a new, engaging way.

The dissimilarity in the subject matter intrigued Gurniak. “I decided to write, compose and direct an educational chemistry musical,” he says. “My goal was to explore how antithetical fields can inform each other in new, exciting, unexpected and potentially beneficial ways. I wanted to communicate fundamental topics in chemistry to both chemistry-literate and [chemistry]illiterate audiences through creative music and storytelling.”

Bonded: The Musical was born.

Gurniak says his musical Gurniak developed his idea, became a major learning researched how to write a play opportunity for the cast as well as the audience. and how to teach chemistry, and “They had to understand figured out a plot and music. His the concepts, and I got to application for a College of Visual play the role of professor.” and Performing Arts Undergraduate Student Research Grant was approved. “I was able to get music writing and playwriting software, which really helped,” he says.

He faced the challenge of devising a plot that would appeal to audiences and keep the material accessible. “Audiences don’t want to be preached to,” he says. Gurniak’s solution was to focus the plot on faculty members. He says, “What better way to write an educational play on chemistry than to focus on professors?”

Gurniak describes Bonded: The Musical as a short chemical comedy. “It tells the story of Dr. Newt Adams, an established university chemistry professor, and Dr. Ann Iona, a new hire in the department. Things go awry when Dr. Constance Planck, the department head, assigns the two to co-teach Chemistry 101. The two eventually form an unlikely bond over their mutual love of chemistry.”

Gurniak says his Honors thesis reflected Madison’s engaged learning focus. “The project brought multiple people together to create a single product,” he says. The collaboration went beyond the staged reading. “My friend Rachel Jones used the production as the basis for her media arts and design film project,” he says. The short film, directed, produced and edited by Jones (’16), Nicole Goldstein (’16) and media arts and design major Chris Strunk, was recently shown at the Global Impact Film Festival in Washington.

Gurniak, a recipient of the Mary Latimer Cordner Scholarship for demonstrated excellence in academic and practical theater work, says his entire academic career informed his endeavor.

“At JMU we’re exposed to all aspects of theater and have the opportunity to explore them in depth—lighting, scenery, costuming, playwriting, directing,” he says. “And classes outside of your major inform your work in so many ways. Psychology and sociology are hugely important in acting.”

His post-graduation life is looming on the near horizon, and Gurniak will bring his Honors thesis along on the journey. “There’s been some interest in expanding the film to feature length, so I’m working on expanding the script in the near future,” he says. Gurniak was the assistant director for the Mainstage Serpentine Pink production in October—an opportunity to sit down with the guest director, Ricky J. Martinez, and get his guidance on expanding the play.

Stay tuned, the bonding experience may not be over.

Chemically illiterate?

Gurniak provided some insight into the name selections for the characters in his musical:

Newt Adams— atoms are the building blocks of nature; Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician.

Ann iona— anions are atoms that have gained electrons; Ann wants

to give all her love to Adams.

Constance Planck— the Planck Constant is an important quantity in quantum physics.

Student laura Hess— Hess’ Law of Constant Heat Summation is named for Russian chemist Germain Hess.

Student Charles Boyle— Boyle’s law describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas.

Student Addie van der Waal— van der Waals forces are weak attractive forces between electrically neutral atoms and molecules.

kelvin the waiter— Kelvin is a scale of thermodynamic temperature measured from absolute zero.

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At the University of St. Andrews, students gain geology field experience, explore historic buildings and attend sporting events. The eight-week program is helping to enhance and support a liberal arts education abroad while introducing JMU students to Scottish culture.

‘Study abroad was a really good way to see different views, dive deeper into the history and really get a lot out of the courses we were taking.’

– K R I S T I N A O V E R H O LT, athletic training major 48

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fosteringa liberal arts education abroad

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BY SAM ROTH

world of new perspectives opens for JMU sopho- Students are given the opportunity to explore the locations in Scotmores during the General Education Semester in land where the literature they are reading took place or was written.

Scotland Program, providing first-hand experi- “We were able to take field trips to visit the Scottish Writers’ Museum and take tours of the Royal Mile in order to see what these writers ences into the rich culture of another country.

The program takes JMU students on an experi- were actually seeing and talking about in their stories,” says Kristina ential learning trip through two of the oldest and Overholt, an athletic training major who attended the Summer 2016 most prestigious universities in the United King- program. “Without the chance to study abroad, I would have missed dom—Edinburgh and St. Andrews, Scotland. The Semester in Scot- out on these wonderful cultural aspects woven deep into these novels.”

For the second half of the summer semester, students attend the land began with the first cohort in Summer 2013. Approximately University of St. Andrews, where they two dozen rising sophomores attend the complete a global politics course and semester program every summer, giving gain field experience through a geology many students an upfront and personal class. Will McCarthy, director of the experience into another culture abroad. field academy at St. Andrews, joined the During the summer program, stuJMU program in 2015. “The module dents complete 13 credit hours toward and philosophy at St. Andrews is based their General Education requirements, around critical thinking skills,” he says. the core academic program at JMU in “We want students to come into the which they come to understand how disclassroom and challenge their lecturer tinct disciplines look at the world from and ask questions.” different vantage points. They study in Making the transition to learning the areas of arts and humanities, the natural world, social and cultural processes, Summer 2016 Semester in Scotland participants. from another country’s academic model can be a culture shock for some students. and individuals in the human commu- The General Education study abroad program attracts about two dozen students every year.

“The module we offer is challenging for nity, while being exposed to the culture students who arrive,” says McCarthy. “But my experience over the of Scotland outside of the classroom over an eight-week period.

“The central idea of General Education is to teach all of our students past two years is that Madison students adapt to our style of teaching how different disciplines look at the world around us from different very quickly and do very well.”

Universities in the U.K. do not have a liberal arts or General Eduperspectives and use different measurements in their respective analyses,” says political science professor Bernd Kaussler, director of the cation program. Students who attend Edinburgh or St. Andrews Semester in Scotland. “Students are being equipped with an academic are taught only in their chosen discipline. The Semester in Scotland is helping to enhance and support a liberal arts education abroad, toolbox from which they can assess the realities of today’s world.”

The Semester in Scotland allows students whose major programs where professors are teaching JMU students from all different majors may not give them the option to study abroad an opportunity to do so, and backgrounds.

“This is an opportunity for our lecturers to interact with the next while also completing a large sum of their GenEd requirements. “The Semester in Scotland takes [students] on a journey of how best to rec- generation who are not going to be going into science. They have chooncile their own ideas and practices with the cultural, political, legal, sen a career path in the arts, for example, and want an insight into how science works,” says McCarthy. “It’s exciting to deal with students economic and geostrategic realities of today’s world,” says Kaussler.

At the University of Edinburgh, students complete a Scottish lit- from other departments. Fresh eyes, fresh set of mind is beneficial for erature course and microsociology course over a period of four weeks. us as much as them.”

PHOTOGR APHS CO U R TESY OF IAN BU CHANAN

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Alumni News

From T-shirts to tailgates, Homecoming had it all

BY J O L I E K L E I N , DA I LY D U K E I N T E R N

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omecoming is a beautiful time of the year, and not solely because of the fall colors on campus. Students, alumni, faculty and staff came together Oct. 24­–29 to celebrate what we all have in common—a deep love for JMU. The week’s festivities began Monday with the firstever Homecoming Kickoff Party. Godwin Field was filled with music and glow lights to get the party started. Students celebrated with free food, giveaways and plenty of great dance moves. Following the Kickoff Party, JMU hosted various events throughout the week to keep the spirit alive. On Tuesday, students followed a series of clues to find the giant purple-and-gold JMU letters around campus. And on Wednesday, the 14th annual Purple Out Pep Rally took place in Bridgeforth Stadium, with 5,000 “I bleed purple” T-shirts given out to students. Members of the football team, cheerleading squad, dance team and Marching Royal Dukes were in attendance to get everyone excited for Saturday’s game against Rhode Island.

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(Clockwise from top): Students pose with the letters from the “Find the JMU Letters” game and Pep My Ride at the D-Hub tailgate; Gary James Downey (’74) shows off his 2010 Plum Crazy Challenger RT car to President Alger; Class of 2006 women cele­ brate their 10-year reunion and display their Purple Pride; JMU alums enjoy listening to the country-rock band Justified while tailgating before the football game at Homecoming Headquarters on Godwin Field.

The weekend was fully underway on Friday with Fight Song T-shirt Day. Campus was covered with the famous upside-down fight song T-shirts that all students receive during orientation from the Student Alumni Association. The icing on the JMU cake came Saturday, as campus quickly filled with tailgates hosted by JMU fans from near and far. All major tailgating lots and plots were packed with Purple Pride to show support for our Dukes. And in case you missed it, the football team put on quite a show, winning 84-7.

As always, it was a great time to be a Duke.

P H OTO G R A P H S BY M A D E L I N E J O H N S O N , M I K E M I R I E L LO (’0 9 M) A N D T I F FA N Y S H OWA LT E R

Alumni Association News

A testament to JMU’s commitment to the arts

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BY H E AT H E R H E D R I C K (’ 0 0), president , JMU Alumni A ssociation

’ve recently had the pleasure of attending performances at two arts are also a passion for many of our alumni. A gift from longexceptional locations. One was a venue that I’m sure many are time JMU supporters Bruce and Lois J. Cardarella Forbes (’64) familiar with—Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where named the center. Richard D. and Shirley Hanson Roberts (’56) I saw the famous Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. The second named the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Perforvenue is one you may not be as familiar with, even though it is mance. Ed and Susan Estes named the theater and dance facililikely much closer to “home” for you. James Madison Univer- ties at the Forbes Center in memory of Estes’ late wife, Dorothy sity’s own Forbes Center for the Performing Arts is a world-class Thomasson Estes (’45). And the JMU Alumni Association’s gift named the Alumni Association Arts Courtfacility for the arts, and one we are lucky to ‘It is a jewel for our yard at the center. have in our own backyard.

Each time I have the opportunity to visit I had already had the experience of attendstudents, the greater the Forbes Center, I’m not only impressed ing performances in the Forbes Center’s Mainstage Theatre, and before Homecom- Harrisonburg commu- by the facility and the quality performances ing I had the opportunity to attend a pernity and our alumni.’ that occur there, but also by the fact that our JMU students learn in that same formance of the Milk Carton Kids facility every day. It is a jewel for in the center’s 600-seat Concert our students, the greater HarrisonHall. This most recent performburg community and our alumni. ance was an especially powerful If you have not visited the Forbes reminder to me of the importance Center, I would encourage you to of the arts in our everyday lives. I consider a performance during your had not heard of the performers next visit or simply “visit” the facilbefore this show, and I wasn’t even ity online at jmu.edu/forbescenter. sure that I liked folk music. HowWho knows, this inspiring facility ever, at the end of the two-hour may even rekindle your own love show, which seemingly passed in of the arts!

10 minutes, I couldn’t recall a show or a venue that I had (Left, clockwise): The Alumni enjoyed more.

Association Arts Courtyard in The Forbes Center stands front of the Forbes Center for a s a testa ment to JM U ’s the Performing Arts; JMU's Contemporary Dance Ensemcommitment to the arts, an ble performs in the Mainstage essential component of the Theatre; and the JMU Chorale curriculum at Madison. The sings in the Concert Hall.

50th reunion Class of 1968 volunteers needed If you are interested in serving on the planning committee for your class’s 50th reunion, please contact Stephanie Whitson, 540-568-8821 or whitsosh@jmu.edu.

H E D R I C K P H OTO G R A P H BY M I K E M I R I E L LO (’0 9 M); FO R B E S C E N T E R BY R O B E R T B E N S O N P H OTO G R A P H Y; CO N T E M P O R A RY DA N C E E N S E M B L E BY R I C H A R D F I N K E L S T E I N; J M U C H O R A L E BY B O B A DA M E K

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Alumni News Distinguished contributors JMU honors alumni award winners

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he Alumni Association honors the achievements of notable alumni and faculty at its annual awards banquet. In this column, we’re continuing to give our readers a closer look at some of the 2016 award winners, the exceptional people who help make JMU great and help create a better world for us all.

Timothy Persons (’93) Distinguished Alumni, College of Science and Mathematics

Timothy M. Persons was appointed the chief scientist of the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2008. As the chief scientist, he is an expert adviser and chief consultant to the GAO, Congress and other federal agencies and government programs on cutting-edge science and technology, key highly specialized complex systems, engineering policies and best practices, and original research in the field of engineering, computer and the physical and biological sciences to ensure strategic and effective use of science and technology in the federal sector.

Persons has testified as an expert witness before Congress on topics such as the Zika virus outbreak, counterfeit electronic part risk to the weapons systems supply chains, and the strategic opportunities and implications of nanotechnology’s effusion into the manufacturing sector, among others.

Persons was selected as the JMU Physics Alumnus of 2007.

He is an internationally recognized speaker on data analytics, science and technology policy, and public sector foresight.

Persons earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from JMU, a master’s degree in nuclear physics from Emory University in 1995, a master’s degree in computer science from Wake Forest University in 2000 and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2001. He lives in Severn, Maryland, with his wife, Gena, and children, Leah and Timmy.

Enrico Gaglioti (’94) Distinguished Alumni, College of Business Enrico Gaglioti is CEO of Chiron Investment Management and a co-founder of GPS Investment Partners. He was formerly a partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he served as the global head of equity sales and most recently served as an advisory director of Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division. Gaglioti started at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in 1998 and was named managing director in 2001 and partner in 2002. He served on the firm’s Business Standards Committee, and the Securities Division’s Executive and Operating committees as well as the Hedge Fund/Private Equity Screening Committee.

Gaglioti is vice chairman of the board of trustees at Don Bosco Prep High School, and he serves as a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

In 1994, Gaglioti earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from JMU. As a student, Gaglioti was a member of the men’s soccer team and a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He continues to stay involved with JMU as a member of the board of advisers for the College of Business and the JMU Foundation board.

Gaglioti resides in Ridgewood, New Jersey, with his wife, Dani­elle, and their children.

You are invited to the 2017 Alumni Awards Celebrate the accomplishments of our alumni, recognize career achievement and service to the university

Friday, March 17, 2017, 7 p.m.

Festival Conference and Student Center $40 per person $280 per table Distinguished Alumni Awards (by college) Roop Alumni Service Award Ronald E. Carrier Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award

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P E R S O N S P H O T O G R A P H B Y H O L LY V E E N I S ; G A G L I O T I B Y M I K E M I R I E L LO (’0 9 M)

Stephen Geyer (’96) Distinguished Alumni, College of Education Stephen Geyer has worked with Goochland County (Virginia) Public Schools since 2011, and is now the assistant superintendent of instruction. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from JMU and went on to earn a Master of Education and Doctor of Education in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia. Geyer’s responsibilities center around pre-K12 instructional programming for the division. He also serves as an adjunct instructor for the Curry School of Education in U.Va.’s education leadership program.

Prior to joining the team in Goochland, he was an elementaryschool principal in Northern Virginia for more than a decade.

There he established an instructional literacy framework recognized by the McGuffey Reading Center as “one of the most comprehensive and effectively designed approaches in the state.” In 2013, the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development recognized Geyer as Virginia’s Curriculum Leader of the Year. He began his career as a secondary-school English teacher.

Stephen Geyer (’96) celebrates with his wife and children at the 2016 alumni awards banquet.

Geyer is a brother of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and served as a resident adviser and student ambassador while at JMU. He and his wife, Emily (’98M), and their children, Alexandra and William, live in Goochland, Virginia.

‘The ultimate connector’

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A scholarship built by friends

never saw it coming,” says Steve Smith, a man rarely at a loss for words, when he learned that a lifetime’s worth of friends banded together to fund a scholarship to celebrate the impact of his career on JMU. By the time friends gathered to celebrate Smith’s retirement, they were halfway to their goal of endowing the Charles Steven Smith (’71, ’75M) Legacy Scholarship, which will fund an annual award for a deserving student with a direct alumni legacy. “When they announced how much they had already received, I was speechless,” he says.

The convivial Smith began accumulating friends when he enrolled at then-Madison College in 1967 and joined Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“When I started at Madison, I would have been the last person to be in a fraternity, but I got into one. I made a lot of wonderful friendships with my fraternity brothers, many of whom I keep up with.”

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in history and later a master’s in counselor education. After graduating, he worked in Madison’s admissions office. “I was a road runner,” he says. “I went out and talked to high-school kids about coming to JMU. I had hair down to my shoulders and could relate to the kids. We got a lot of good prospective students.”

In 1985, Smith became director of the JMU Alumni Association, a position that suited his bent for connecting people. In 1990, he took a hiatus from the university to work at another college and then in industry, but he returned in 2001, joining the development office. “I missed it,” he says. “I felt like I always belonged at JMU.” In 2004, Smith became associate vice president for constituent relations.

G E Y E R P H O T O G R A P H B Y H O L LY V E E N I S ; S M I T H B Y M I K E M I R I E L LO (’0 9 M)

BY M A R T H A G R A H A M (’ 0 3 P, ’ 0 8 P, ’ 12 P)

“Steve Smith is the ultimate connector—he knows everyone ! ” says Ashley Privott (’15M), current alumni director. “This scholarship is a testament to all those friendships. The fact that it will be awarded to legacy students is fitting because one of Steve’s great joys is seeing generations of JMU families attending Madison. It has been so wonderful to see so many JMU friends honor Steve and his dedication to his alma mater.”

One of those friends is Larry Caudle (’82), a fraternity brother, partner in the law firm Kraftson Caudle and lead donor for the Smith scholarship initiative. “Steve is responsible for reconnecting more alumni to JMU than anyone I know,” Caudle says. “He cherishes his own Madison Experience and understands that is the driving force behind any alum’s decision to invest their time, treasures and talents in the university. More importantly, Steve believes that our collective Madison Experiences do not have to end at graduation, and he is a master at reuniting alumni with long-lost friends, roommates and teammates. My wife, Barbara (’81), and I are extremely proud to be part of this effort to recognize Steve’s legacy because we believe nobody has opened more doors at Madison.”

Smith’s Madison career has come full circle. Reprising his first recruiting role, he’s now working part time in Admissions. “I work with alumni families who have kids interested in coming to JMU.” The scholarship, which reached $40,560 at press time, ensures Smith’s legacy will reach far into the future. He looks forward to meeting the student recipients. “I’ll probably know some of their families.” You can help push this scholarship to the $50,000 endowment mark at bit.ly/AlumSmithLegacy.

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Alumni News

MixedMedia

B O O K S M U S I C &F I L M

Clear Vision

BY BETH MATTHEW (’85)

Beth Matthew, who majored in finance at JMU, is a Christian recording artist, singersongwriter, pianist and speaker. She recorded her debut album Clear Vision in 2014. In October of this year, Matthew performed at the 47th Annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow Matthew at bethmatthew.com.

The Ethics of “Conditional” Confidentiality: A Practice Model for Mental Health Professionals NEW YORK, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

BY MARY ALICE FISHER (’60) I S B N13: 978- 019 9752201

Fisher specializes in confidentiality ethics with a focus on the ethical complications of “conditional” confidentiality, the only level of confidentiality that mental health clinicians are now legally free to offer.

Her Ethical Practice Model for ensuring the protection of clients’ confidentiality rights provides a fresh perspective on this complicated topic.

Confidentiality Limits in Psychotherapy: Ethics Checklists for Mental Health Professionals WASHINGTON, D.C., AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION I S B N13: 978-143 382189 9

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A Semester in the Sandbox: A Marine Reservist’s Iraq War Journal

Bending Your Ear: A collection of essays on the issues of our times

BY ADAM DAVIDSON (’06) MCFARLAND PUBLISHING PRINT ISBN: 978-1-4766-6569-6

BY DREW NICKELL (’81) AMAZON.COM I S B N : 978-1- 6 3 393-29 0 - 6

Davidson’s war journal of an en­listed U.S. Marine provides an unglamorized narrative of a common reservist’s deployment to Iraq, from notification of mobilization to final trip home. The visceral experiences of combat are all described in candid detail, along with hazards of homesickness, boredom and loss. Davidson works in the financial industry and lives with his family in Denver, Colorado.

Nickell delves into the political issues facing America at a crucial moment in the country’s history.

“We find ourselves struggling with our national identity and the direction in which we are headed. … We need to be reminded that ‘we the people’ have the ability to think for ourselves,” says Nickell.

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Stephie Jones art WWW.STEPHIEJONES.COM

After eight years of running her own graphic design business, Finch Creative (cleverfinch.com), Stephanie Hammack Jones (’02) is now transitioning into fine art full time. Her first original painting collection released in August (featuring original paintings and limited-edition prints).

New collections of paintings will release about every 60 days. Jones was a marketing major with an art minor at JMU.

Kingdom of Dreams

O’Coffey, who was an art major/ English minor at JMU.

BY KEVIN O’COFFEY (’96) WWW.INKSHARES.COM/ BOOKS/KINGDOM-OF-DREAMS

Love Warrior: A Memoir

O’Coffey’s 200-page fantasy book will allow kids to choose their own ethnicity during the pre-order and, in turn, get to have the version of the story that best represents themselves inside its pages. “My book needs national support from my fellow alumni if it’s to be published!” says

Author of the New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior, Melton’s highly anticipated new memoir tells the story of her journey of self-discovery after the implosion of her marriage. Love Warrior: A Memoir is an Oprah Book Club 2016 Selection.

BY GLENNON DOYLE MELTON (’99) FLATIRON BOOKS I S B N -10 : 125 01285 4 4

C L E A R V I S I O N A L B U M P H OTO G R A P H BY M E LO D I E P U R C E L L , A N G E L W I N GS P H OTO G R A P H Y, N A S H V I L L E , T E N N E S S E E

Madison Events MARCH 17

Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet MARCH 18

Women in Leadership Conference APRIL 8

The Big Event APRIL 27–29

Bluestone Reunions APRIL 28

Senior Candlelighting

NewRec Recreation center renovated for 20th -anniversary celebration

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niversity Recreation Center’s renovation /add ition project is complete ! At 278,515 squ a re feet, U R EC is t he l a r g e s t bu i ld i n g on c a mpus—and one of the busiest. There are 600,000-plus visits to UREC every year; and during the fall and spring semesters, a busy day will see more than 5,000 vis-

its to the facility. During UREC Grand Reopening festivities Oct. 7-9, alumni enjoyed a weekend full of events including tours, a donor brunch, tailgate and a block of seats at the football game.

UREC alumni donors, the “96ers,” presented a check for more than $60,000 to fund the first UREC Student Employee Scholarship.

‘The finished #newREC has exceeded our expectations, and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch the way our students have embraced it.’

— ERIC NICKEL, director of University Recreation

MAYOR LEVAR STONEY (’04) Congratulations to JMU alumnus Levar Stoney (’04), the new mayor of Richmond, Virginia.

Civic engagement has been a constant theme in Stoney’s career. The first African-American man to lead student government at JMU, Stoney went on to serve as executive director of Virginia’s Democratic Party, one of the youngest state Democratic Party executive directors at the time, and later was Virginia’s first African-American secretary of the commonwealth.

In December 2014, Stoney returned to JMU’s campus as commencement speaker, encouraging graduates to “make your voice heard” and “make a difference in the lives of others.”

U R EC P H OTO G R A P H BY T I F FA N Y S H OWA LT E R ; S TO N E Y CO U R T E S Y O F M AT T CO R R I D O N I

M AY 1 9 —2 0

Women for Madison Summit alumni/jmu.edu/events jmu.edu/JMUArts JMUSports.com For more information and to register for all Alumni events, please visit alumni.jmu.edu/events

THREE GREAT THINGS ALL ALUMNI DO: 1

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2017

UPDATE THEIR INFO

MAKE A GIFT

ATTEND ALUMNI EVENTS

Mark your calendar now for April 27–29 to attend

Bluestone Reunion Weekend 2017 Highlights include tours, presentations and the Bluestone Society induction for the Class of 1967

The Madison Collection hugokohl.com/madison-collection

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Class Notes STAFF EMERITI NOTES: 61

The Elegba Folklore Society from Richmond, Virginia, performs a traditional African dance with drums for a Grafton-Stovall Theatre audience during International Week in 2005.

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FACULTY EMERITI NOTES: 62

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 62

CELEBRATIONS: 63

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

In the cockpit of the movie Sully

BY DAV E S A N D E R S O N (’ 8 3)

I (L-R): Sorority sisters Lucy Peterson Kilby (’50) and Sarah Jane Dill Haney (’50) enjoy reminiscing with their Madison College memorabilia. By chance, they both now reside in the same assisted-living community in Greenville, South Carolina.

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ferent city and state was shared by Gladys Kemp Lisanby the Fox TV affiliate in Greenville. returned to JMU in October to celebrate the Forbes Center for Mary Alice the Performing Arts’ Varner production of ChilFisher, founding dren of Eden, which is director of The Cenbased on a concept by ter for Ethical Pracher late brother-intice in Charlotlaw, Charles Lisanby. tesville, Virginia, She also attended a received the Outluncheon where she standing Alumni met and visited with Gladys Kemp Human Services eight arts students who Lisanby (’49) Practitioner Award have benefited from the scholarin 2015 from the University ships she and her late husband, of Virginia’s Curry School of James Lisanby, created.

Education Foundation and the Outstanding Contributions to Ethics EduMadison Colcation in Psychology lege graduates Award in 2016 from Sarah Jane Dill Haney the American Psyand Lucy Peterson chological AssociaKilby were friends and tion Ethics Commitsorority sisters of Pi tee. Learn about her Kappa Sigma, which recent publications is now Sigma Kappa. in Mixed Media on They were part of a Madison story in 2006 Mary Alice Varner Page 54. on Pi Kappa Sigmas. Fisher (’60) Though they lost touch in recent Denny Ryman is dean years, they recently reconnected of the School of Health at the Woodlands at Furman in Sciences at The State University Greenville, South Carolina. The of New York at Farmingdale. story of two graduates and friends reconnecting 66 years after colGeoff LeSueur retired lege graduation in an entirely diffrom Chesterfield

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t has been seven years since Jan. 15, 2009. I’ve had an unbelievable experience leaving the corporate world, starting my own business and speaking to over 800 audiences around the world.

I have met many people who I probably would never have met and reconnected with many friends.

One of my most memorable experiences was being invited to be a part of the movie Sully, the incredible true story of how pilot Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger made an emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River. I was among a number of passengers on that flight invited to shoot some scenes for the movie. When it was our time to shoot, director Clint Eastwood spoke with us. He was very grateful and warm — but told us he only does one take — then smiled and walked away.

We shot five scenes and each of us had the opportunity to say two words in the taping. Unfortunately, my two words didn’t make the final cut, but I had three cameos in the final scene.

It was very emotional to relive the experience and see myself on the big screen. I was even more grateful knowing what the captain, crew and other passengers did that day to turn a tragedy into a miracle and realized that all the moments in our lives do matter.

‘Director Clint Eastwood … told us he only does one take.’

About the author: Sanderson was the last passenger off the back of the plane on that fateful day. His book Moments Matter details his close encounter with death and how one defining moment can create a lifetime of purpose.

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Dave Sanderson (’83) (right) shakes hands with director Clint Eastwood on the set of the movie Sully.

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Visit alumni.jmu.edu to sign up and start sharing your news.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L W E E K P H O T O G R A P H B Y P H I L D E J O N G ( ’ 0 5) ; S U L LY S E T C O U R T E S Y O F D AV E S A N D E R S O N ( ’ 8 3)

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Class Notes

SUBMIT @ ALUMNI.JMU.EDU

Carolina University’s first director of intercultural affairs.

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Deborah Coe Woo and her husband recently established their second business, clothedwithtruth.com, a webbased Christian apparel and jewelry company.

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Todd Davis became the associate general counsel at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro after serving for four years in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the General Counsel.

(L-R): Tyler Hansen (’16), Chloe Gay (’16), Dylan Gay, Dax Gay (’91) and Jeannie Bunch (’89) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“Chloe and Tyler were both student ambassadors, and Dylan is a freshman. Dax and I are the proud parents of Chloe and Dylan,” says Bunch.

from the Association of School Business Officials International. The award recognizes those who have exhibited outstanding and visionary leadership in school business management.

County (Virginia) Schools after 34 years as a physical education teacher. He finished his track-andfield coaching career with 58 straight dualmeet wins.

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Lisa K. Zicke- Lisa K. Zickefoose Frye (’82) foose Frye received the International Eagle Kathryn M. Kenyon, Award for Lifetime Achievement a partner at the

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(L-R): Corey Hummerston (’10), Andrew Lanzarotta (’94) and Carole Jones (’02) work with The Book of Mormon on Broadway.

“I am a very proud graduate and was thrilled to meet these two brilliant professional actors from the JMU School of Theatre and Dance,” says Lanzarotta. “GO DUKES!” 58

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Michael C. Boblitz, vice president of planning and business development for Gwinnett Health System in Lawrenceville, Georgia, received the Becker’s Hospital Review Rising Star Award, yon (’95) which recognized 50 health care leaders under 40.

Kirsten and Chris Moore’s business The David A. Hub, a coBrownworking space in ing (’01M) is Harrisonburg, vice president was presented for adminiswith a Virginia tration and Main Street finance at BarMerit Award for ton College Deborah Coe Woo (’97) and Outstanding in Wilson, Rhett Woo Business. The North Caroaward recognized the business lina. Browning oversees the colas an outstanding new lege operations for peror existing downtown sonnel, business and business that has had a finance, and physisignificant impact on cal plant. He earned downtown Harrisonhis Master of Science burg by strengthening degree in accounting. the business mix in the ✱ Randi Clarke Lendistrict, displaying an non is a director at authentic and attractive CBS This Morning. storefront, or demonErin Cooper (’05) strating exceptional downtown Erin Cooper is the civic and promotional participanew director of the tion. ✱ Wanda D. Tyler is East Continued on Page 60

Pittsburgh-based law firm Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, has been appointed to a threeyear term as a hearing committee member serving the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Kathryn M. KenPennsylvania.

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Some grandparental advice

BY T R AC E Y K I T E (’ 1 6)

Retiring JMU Parents Council members Scott and Cathy Nagel were the first grandparents to ever serve on the council. They share how they and their grandson, Christian Embrey (’16), made the most of his Madison Experience.

Why did you choose to serve on JMU’s Parents Council?

Excited as we were that Christian had chosen JMU, we were beginning to dread “the empty nest” thing. We saw the Parents Council as a way to stay involved in his college experience. The Parents Council members we met at Choices and the local Send-off Picnic were welcoming, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

We thought joining would be a great way to give back to JMU. Why Madison?

Christian had been accepted at several schools and had narrowed his decision to two when we attended Choices during Spring Break 2012. In his words, “Beautiful campus, wonderful people. Choices gave me goose bumps, and that was the deciding factor.”

Describe Christian’s Madison Experience.

Christian has made the most of his JMU experience, becoming involved in everything he could squeeze on his plate! He was a Centennial Scholar, FrOG, resident adviser, and he was actively involved in intramural sports and clubs in both leadership and membership roles. His volunteerism with the kids at Second Home made a great impression on him.

What impressed you about his experience outside the classroom?

We were all impressed with the friendliness and openness of everyone at the university! Christian has been able to converse and he feels comfortable with President Alger, his professors and administrative

‘Due to a great deal of planning and organization

by Parent Relations staff and our hard-working chairs, we have been fortunate to have met a number of folks from almost every department of the university.’

— SCOTT AND CATHY NAGEL P H OTOGR A P H BY F R A DA M EK M ED IA

The Nagels with their grandson, Christian Embrey (’16). Scott and Cathy Nagel say involvement is key to a successful Madison Experience — for all members of the family.

staff. Christian’s peers whom we have met over the years have been intelligent, outgoing and just downright nice kids.

college fairs and getting to know President Alger and his family. We got so much more than we gave!

What are his plans for the future?

Christian is excited that he has a job starting in February 2017 with Deloitte in the D.C. area. He has obtained degrees in economics and finance with a minor in business analytics. He has had great internships and an externship over the past three summers. His plans are to ultimately start his own business, but not sure yet of the type of business. We are comfortable that he will open the door when he feels it is the right one.

Would you recommend JMU to prospective students and their parents?

Most definitely! The campus provides academic excellence with every opportunity to hone interpersonal skills and become successful in the future. JMU is known as the school that “opens doors for you.” The Nana here feels JMU is the school that hugs and envelops everyone!

What are some of the things you did while serving on the council?

We most enjoyed the interaction with Parent Relations and other Parents Council members, getting to know them, and in many cases, their students. We all went through the experience together and were kept abreast of activities, accomplishments and objectives of the university in small group meetings. Christian actually spent part of a Maymester at Stanford because of information offered at one of those meetings. We enjoyed dinners and field trips, participating in Choices and Send-Off events, working

Any bits of advice you’d like to share?

To students: Work hard and play hard!

This will be the most rewarding and enjoyable time in your entire life. Organize your time wisely so studies come first, but make time to enjoy your friends. To parents: Get involved! This can be as much a great experience for you as it is for your student. Be there for them — when they want you. Let them make their own mistakes; don’t be judgmental, be helpful. Get season tickets to football. If you can, throw a tailgate, meet your son’s or daughter’s friends in a neutral social environment (and have them invite their parents). And, above all, enjoy the time you have with them! It goes so quickly!

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from her time with the Million Dollar Band in addition to her 15 years of work with drum majors all across the country through the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy. … She is energetic, personable, organized and truly interested in coming specifically to MU, which was really impressive.”

(L-R): On Memorial Day, Jessica Savoie, Sadie Albert, Mary Ruth Walter, Julia Posey and Veronica DeOrnellas, all members of the Class of 2014, got together in Duck, North Carolina, to kick off the start of summer.

Marching Mizzou, and the first female band director at the University of Missouri. Missouri’s director of the School of Music, Julia Gaines, says, “I think she offers some valuable experience

07

After receiving her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business in May, Heather Luciano recently accepted the position of publisher at Elsevier, a leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. ✱ Mary Napier was recently sworn in for her second term as treasurer of the Chesterfield Bar Association.

College of Napier has served Business on the Chesterfield alumna Kaitlin Berry (Virginia) Bar Assowas appointed internciation’s Executive ship placement coorCommittee since dinator in Falk Col2013. She is a partlege’s Department of ner in the law firm Sport Management at of BoykoNapier in Syracuse University.

In this role, she advises Kaitlin Berry (’06) Richmond, Virginia. students, helps students secure internships and works with Ted Goshorn has comseniors throughout the cappleted and received the stone process.

Master of Divinity degree from

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Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

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Ally Kachman Levine earned a Certified Meeting Professional designation from the Convention Industry Council in February 2014. The certification is recognized globally as the badge of excellence in the meeting, convention, exhibition and event industry.

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Rachel Keane was recognized with a 2016 Excellence Award for her extra­ ordinary efforts as an Rachel Keane elementary(’12) school teacher Continued on Page 62

Alumni disc jockeys and station managers, along with current students, gathered in Harrisonburg to celebrate WXJM’s 25th anniversary April 2–3. Alumni served as guest DJs for the day and attended a picnic and studio open house at the station. The anniversary celebration was held the same weekend as MACRoCk, the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, so alums could attend.

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Back in the ’Burg for a special reunion (Top): David Grimm (’74), development director for the College of Business, leads a campus tour. (Above, L–R): Gary Thompson (’71), Charlie Wymer (’71, ’85M), Mike Way (’70, ’74M) and Steve Smith (’71, ’75M) reminisce at the reception.

During the weekend of May 20–22, more than 80 graduates from the late 1960s and early 1970s gathered on campus for a reunion.

A reception in the Great Room of the Leeolou Alumni Center and a campus tour that included the Bridgeforth Stadium Club Level and the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts highlighted this special event.

STAFF EMERITI ASSOCIATION NOTES The JMU Staff Emeriti Association is a multifaceted organization open to all retired full-time classified employees who have been granted emerita or emeritus status by the JMU president.

The organization provides an opportunity for retired staff to continue association with colleagues and to maintain ties to the university. This professional and social organization encourages the interaction of staff emeriti through a wide variety of activities. To date, more than 120 retired staff members have received the staff emeriti designation and are involved with the SEA. For more information, visit jmu.edu/staffemeriti or email staffemeriti@jmu.edu.

Members of the Staff Emeriti Association welcomed employees at the start of a new academic year during the 2016 Faculty/Staff picnic in August. Staff emeritae (L-R) Gail May, Tina Updike and Nancy Dove share a moment with President Alger.

You’re invited to the Alumni Online Community.

Join the Alumni Online Community, an exclusive benefit for JMU alumni. Sign up to gain access to the alumni directory, make registering for events even easier, keep your contact information current and share your news and accomplishments with Class Notes.

It’s easy to sign up. Go to alumni.jmu.edu/howtosignup to learn more.

R E U N I O N P H O T O G R A P H S B Y PAT R I C K M C L A U G H L I N ( ’ 7 2) A N D B U D DY H A R L O W

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Class Notes

SUBMIT @ ALUMNI.JMU.EDU

career and was very involved in Alpha Epsilon Pi. Eve was a founding mother of Alpha Delta Pi. We could not be prouder to represent JMU at our wedding with the two best colors: purple and gold. Our wedding date is set for Sept. 3, 2017, and we can’t wait to start our lives together.”

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Cory Speicher (’13) and Eve Rodrigues (’13)

at Success Academy Charter Schools, the largest and highest-performing network of public charter schools in New York City.

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“Eve Rodrigues and I got engaged on Nov. 21, 2015, in New York City,” says Cory Speicher. “I was a proud member of the Marching Royal Dukes for all four years of my college

Calleigh Fangmeyer has joined the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets as a certified athletic trainer. Fangmeyer is an employee of Carilion Clinic’s sports medicine program and a donated service provider to the corps. She will provide consulting and assistance to cadets, work with the cadet emergency medical technician group and advise the staff.

15 Calleigh Fangmeyer (’14)

Abigail Dorman is a fourth-grade teacher in Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools.

Class of 2015 Dukes Aaron Humphreys, Joe Barletta and Kyle Blackburn were spotted at Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FutureDukes 2000s Jenny Hill Buffa (’01) and Matt, a daughter, Madeline Jane, 2/22/16 ✱ Elizabeth Sibert (’02) and Chadd, a daughter, Clara Margaret, 11/01/15 ✱ Heather Yeager (’01) and Kyle (’03), a son, Graham Thomas,

8/07/16 ✱ Jessica Steinhoff Sorem (’04) and Justin (’03), a daughter, Amelia Kate, 7/12/16 ✱ Diane Wetzel Mahoney (’05) and Tom (’03), a daughter, Olivia Grace, 3/18/16 ✱ Meredith Collins McDonald (’07) and Paul (’05), a daughter, Eleanor Mae, 4/11/16.

FACULTY EMERITI NOTES AND FORMER FACULTY NEWS The JMU Faculty Emeriti Association is a multifaceted organization open to all faculty and administrative personnel who have been granted emerita or emeritus status by the JMU Board of Visitors. The organization provides an opportunity for retired faculty to continue association with colleagues and to maintain ties to the university community.

More than 200 retired faculty and administrative professional staff members are actively involved with the JMU Faculty Emeriti Association through meetings, special interest groups and cultural-themed trips. For more information, please contact Faculty Emeriti President Violet Allain at allainvl@jmu.edu or Sherry King, director of parent and faculty emeriti relations, at kingsf@jmu.edu or by phone at 540–568–8064.

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Faculty Emeriti Association treasurer William H. Ingham, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy, donated his professional papers to JMU Special Collections in October 2013 after retiring in 2010.

On Nov. 9, Ingham was on campus as part of JMU’s Special Collections Speaker Series. During his lecture, “Please Don’t Vanish Without a Trace,” he discussed the process of placing his papers in Special Collections. “To thoroughly research the history of James Madison University and tell its story, institutional historians need access to information that is only available

through papers donated by JMU faculty members,” he said.

Sidney Bland, professor emeritus of history, was a major consultant and “talking head” on a recently completed video by the South Carolina Educational Television Network. The program honored Susan Pringle Frost, one of two persons recently named to the South Carolina Hall of Fame and subject of Bland’s earlier biography.

CONNECT All former professors are encouraged to submit an “Emeriti Note” at madisonmag@jmu.edu.

I N G H A M A N D B L A N D P H O T O G R A P H S B Y D I A N E E L L I O T T ( ’ 0 0)

Celebrations & weddings (Above): When Ashley Wilson (’13) petitioned Mark Warner, senior vice president of student affairs and university planning, to have her wedding ceremony in front of Cleveland Hall, she said, “It’s where our story began. Nothing could be more ‘us’ than James Madison University.” Her wish was granted. On June 25, 2016, she and Timothy Nguyen (’13) celebrated their nuptials on campus, followed by a reception at the Festival Conference and Student Center.

(Clockwise): Anna Marie Carta (’10) and Nicholas Passero (’09) were married on May 21, 2016, in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, surrounded by JMU alumni, including the bride’s twin brother, Julian, the groom’s twin brother, Matthew, and Road Dawg. Go Dukes!

Kayla Reynolds (’10) and Steve Azuini (’09) were married on Sept. 26, 2015, at Old Trail Golf Club’s Restoration Hall in Crozet, Virginia.

Lisa Winn Bryan (’90, ’93M) married Richard George Bryan on July 4, 2016, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. “It was a JMU reunion of Contemporary Gospel Singers, Black Alumni Chapter and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. alumni!”

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PICTURE THIS

JMU salutes an American icon When reciting poems and telling stories, Maya Angelou (1928–2014) often punctuated them with song, giving equal measure to favorite spirituals, hymn tunes and bluesy ballads. On Sept. 29, JMU honored the legacy of this remarkable woman with a performance of Throw Your Head Back & Sing: A Tribute to Maya Angelou. The program, presented by the Furious Flower Poetry Center in collaboration with the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, featured more than 40 performers who read her poetry and excerpts from her memoirs, played and sang music, and performed step, tap and modern dance.

“At a time of trouble and uncertainty in the nation and around the globe,” JMU President Jonathan Alger said, Angelou’s voice “encourages and inspires the better angels of our nature.”

For more, visit jmu.edu/ madisonmagazine

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P H OTOGR A P HS BY M I KE M I R I EL LO ('09 M)

JM_ Al _mni

All that’s missing is

You’re invited to the Alumni Online Community.

u!

Join the Alumni Online Community, an exclusive benefit for JMU alumni. Sign up to gain access to the alumni directory, make registering for events even easier, keep your contact information current and share your news and accomplishments with Class Notes.

It’s easy to sign up. Go to alumni.jmu.edu/howtosignup to learn more.

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You’ll need your alumni identification code to register. The code is the 10-digit number located above your name on the mailing label. Or, check your email inbox for an email invitation from JMU to join the online community that includes the code. You can also email alumni@jmu.edu or call 540-568–6234 for more information.

Do you have what it takes?

judge

p

Availability to judge innovation pitches in person on May 12, 2017

p

Boldness to invest $5,000 or more in JMU innovations

p

Willingness to help pre-select the day’s top presenters

p Savvy to collaborate face-to-face with other top thinkers and doers p

Wisdom to identify and invest in potentially life-changing innovations

p Desire to leave your philanthropic legacy at Madison

Create impact you can see jmu.edu/madison-trust/investors Contact: Carrie Combs, Madison Trust program director, teicheca@jmu.edu, 540-568-2633

Join faculty and staff innovators and investors on May 12, 2017

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Advocating for ‘the best possible you’ “I tell high-school students that you’re only going to college one time. Make it worthwhile. Make sure you’re getting the best value for your tuition dollar that you can,” says Honors College Advisory Council member Anne Collins (’67, ’78M). The Honors and history scholarship donor spends her free time visiting public schools along the Eastern Shore of Maryland to speak with excelling students about JMU. “My job … is to talk to [Advanced Placement] kids who I know are capable,” says Collins. “You’ve got to go somewhere that they’re going to make you the best possible you. This is a great place to do that. … This is a place I am proud to tell students about.”

P H OTOGR A P H BY M I KE M I R I EL LO (’09 M)

Be the Change for a brighter future! www.jmu.edu/BetheChange

WINTER 2017

Come! Play! Learn! Join!

Community Calendar Spring forward to sights and sounds, song and dance Edith J. Carrier Arboretum

April events

February events

A Walk You’ll Remember. Dedicated to Bar-

Valentine’s Day Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides. Romantic horse-drawn carriages leave from the Frances Plecker Education Center by moonlight. Advance reservations recommended.

Miniature Landscape Workshop. Landscapes

bara Louwers. Sigma Kappa and Tau Kappa Epsilon co-sponsor an annual 5k benefit for the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the American Alzheimer’s Association on the arboretum grounds. Runners cool down and enjoy coffee, decaf, tea and water served free.

In Miniature business owner Pam Shank demonstrates and guides participants through the process of creating a miniature landscape decor piece for patio, home or office. Online registration opens 30 days before event.

Mother’s Day Carriage Rides. Carriages leave from the Frances Plecker Education Center. Give a special mom a memorable celebration with a carriage ride through the natural beauty of the arboretum. Costs vary per person for adults and children, and per private carriage.

St. Patrick’s Highland Strains.

Wonderwater Workshop. Take a peek into the microscopic world of aquatic bacteria. Be a child scientist for the day with JMU biology professor Dr. Morgan Steffen and collect and then examine water samples from the arboretum pond and stream. Elementary-school-age children will learn how to use a microscope to view and identify the bacteria that live in the water.

This educational children’s workshop is free. A parent or caregiver is welcome to attend with their child.

Arbor Day Trees and Native Plant Sale. In the prime time of spring, the arboretum offers a wide selection of wildflowers, contrasting foliage plants like native ferns, with unusual shrubs and trees that can make home and business landscaping ecofriendly and lovely. All city and county public-school teachers receive 10 percent off tree purchases.

Demonstration by an executive pastry sous chef. Valerie and Pat Lowry from Back Creek Farms in Highland County, Virginia, speak on maple syrup production and the history of maple sugaring in the Allegheny Highlands.

Butterfly Release with facilitator Gail Napora.

Held during the Spring Celebration Plant Sale, admission to the butterfly release is free and no registration is needed.

Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, VNPS Member. Learn about the Virginia native wild­ flowers in bloom that are found at the arboretum.

Guided Bird Walk. Led by birding expert Greg

In partnership with the Rockingham Bird Club, Diane Lepkowski lectures on songbirds to raptors, giving an annual spring lecture and forum discussion.

This workshop partners with guided birding trail walks in April or May.

Moyers in partnership with the Rockingham Bird Club.

children is sponsored by the Theta Nu Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta. Most suitable for children ages 6 and under. Pre-registration required.

Wine and Cheese on the Ernst Terrace.

Wildflower Walk with The Virginia Native Plant Society. Led by Betty Rosson-Forrest,

Birding Workshop.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Egg hunt for young

The arboretum celebrates with a tour on Virginia Arbor Day starting at the Frances Plecker Education Center. Arboretum grounds are open free to the public, dawn to dusk. Tour will be led

by Jan Sievers Mahon, arboretum director, and will focus on the arboretum’s bulb collection, wildflowers and flowering shrubs and trees.

May events

March events Dress for the forecast and bring lawn chairs or a blanket and a carry-in, nonalcoholic picnic dinner for a live performance of Highland Celtic music performed by JMU music students.

Tour Celebrating Historic Garden Week.

All event dates and times will be announced online approximately one month ahead. Learn more at www.jmu.edu/arboretum

John C. Wells Planetarium, Miller Hall 1103 Free planetarium shows every Saturday from September through June.

Family Shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Family shows are designed for families with young children (ages 4 to 8) in mind, but all are welcome.

Feature Shows at 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Feature shows are great for middle- and highschool students and adults.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIFFANY SHOWALTER, LANE MALONEY (’14), BUDDY HARLOW AND SAM LEONETTI (’14).

Learn more at www.jmu.edu/planetarium/ saturday-show-schedule.shtml

Forbes Center for the Performing Arts upcoming events Theatre

Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado Featuring the JMU Opera Theater

The Bockety World of Henry & Bucket

Thursday and Friday, April 13 and 14, 8 p.m.

Concert Hall The Mikado is one of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur

By Sarah Argent In collaboration with Barnstorm Theatre Company Sunday, Feb. 5, 2 p.m., Concert Hall Poetic, humorous and rich in visual antics, this play by Ireland’s Barnstorm Theatre Company explores the friendship and shared adventures of best pals Henry and Bucket as they transform their world into a place of wonder. Suitable for ages 4+. One hour without intermission.

Guys and Dolls A Musical Fable of Broadway

Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Tuesday–Friday, Feb. 21­–24, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m.

Mainstage Theatre This classic Broadway musical favorite features high-rolling gambler “guys,” well-meaning missionary “dolls” and brassy-voiced showgirls in a fun and romantic fable. Features JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance students.

Sullivan’s comic opera masterpieces.

Dance Doug Varone and Dancers Wednesday, March 15, 8 p.m.

Mainstage Theatre The New York-based contemporary dance company will perform pieces by the internationally acclaimed choreographer Doug Varone.

New Voices in Dance

Featuring JMU’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble Thursday–Saturday, March 30–April 1, 8 p.m.

Sunday, April 2, 2 p.m.

Mainstage Theatre This concert features works by selected JMU dance majors and dances by world-renowned choreographer Doug Varone, up-and-coming New York-based Nadia Tykulsker, and faculty artist Shane O’Hara.

Jelly, Rags & Monk Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m.

Cyrus Chestnut Concert Hall The Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet teams up with extraordinary jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut to present a new program that embraces a range of composers from Jelly Roll Morton to Thelonious Monk.

Music

Visual Arts Exhibitions

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

The Wise Build Bridges: West African Masking Traditions

Volodymyr Sirenko, artistic director and conductor Theodore Kuchar, principal guest conductor

Friday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

Alexei Grynyuk Concert Hall The Grammy-nominated National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is one of the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe. Featuring Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Op. 92, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, Op. 47, and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26, featuring guest piano virtuoso Alexei Grynyuk.

Walnut Street Theatre Last of the Red Hot Lovers

By Neil Simon

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1, 8 p.m.

Mainstage Theatre In this freshly conceived production of Neil Simon’s classic by the acclaimed Walnut Creek Theatre, true comedy ensues when a modern man faced with a midlife crisis looks for some­ thing new and different, but ends up finding himself in the same situation, again and again!

Turtle Island Quartet with Cyrus Chestnut

God Save the Queens A Salute to Rock Royalty Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m., Concert Hall Two esteemed vocal ensembles from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., will sing new arrangements of music by rock legends Elvis, Queen, Prince, Madonna, Adele and more! This evening benefits the Valley AIDS Network.

March 13–April 27 Lisanby Museum Festival Conference and Student Center A Nigerian proverb says, “In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.” These words of wisdom are illustrated in West African masking traditions that span the distance between the worlds of mankind and nature, as well as life and death. Free admission.

Painting the Valley: Works by Andrei Kushnir

Plein Air Oil Painting May 1–June 23 Duke Hall Gallery Kushnir is a Washington, D.C.-based artist who has been painting American landscapes outdoors for more than 30 years. This exhibition is the result of Kushnir’s project begun in 2004 to explore the natural and cultural landscapes of the Shenandoah Valley. His paintings depict popular landmarks as well as lesser-known places treasured by local residents, and represent a broad sampling of the Valley. Free admission.

For more information on exhibitions and Forbes Center events, visit www.jmuforbescenter.com.

BOCKETY PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WWW.HOLDENARTS.ORG; GUYS AND DOLLS ART BY RICH HILLIARD; RED HOT LOVERS BY MARK GARVIN; DOUG VARONE BY GRANT HALVERSON © THE AMERICAN DANCE FESTIVAL; NEW VOICES BY RICHARD FINKELSTEIN; GRYNYUK COURTESY OF WWW.DELF.LT; GMCW BY EMILY CHASTAIN; TURTLE ISLAND BY JATI LINDSAY; CHESTNUT COURTESY OF WWW.BAYLINARTISTS.COM.