Personal Reflections From President Rose
News
Dear JMU Community:
Yesterday I was in Edinburg, Texas to lead a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation team for the University of Texas — Pan American. Like you I watched the horrific events at Virginia Tech unfold throughout the day. At such times we have mixed emotions. On the one hand we want to reach out to help and provide comfort to those whose lives are now forever changed, and on the other we know that we are virtually powerless to make much of a difference in the immediate situation.
It is impossible for us to fully appreciate the pain and grief of the families, the students, the faculty and the staff who have so personally experienced the anguish and remorse associated with yesterday. Nevertheless, we should all come together in our prayers and support for the Virginia Tech community. I have asked Charles King, our Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance, who is familiar with a number of Virginia Tech officials, and whose son attended Virginia Tech, to represent me and the entire Madison community at the convocation in Blacksburg today.
I urge you to reach out to those individuals that you may know at Tech. Console them, visit with them, share your compassion and listen to the verbal expression of their grief. That is what I personally plan to do and I encourage you to make your response personal as well. As an institution, we will obviously offer any support and assistance to Virginia Tech that they may need.
Like colleges and universities all over the country, people at JMU work selflessly in service to others to ensure that our campus environment is a nurturing one in which its members feel safe and secure. But, as yesterday's tragic shootings demonstrated, none of us are completely protected from the acts of apparent random violence that have become all too frequent in our society. In the coming weeks and months we will double our efforts to keep our campus safe and again, like every other university in the country, we will examine all of our crisis response protocols so that in the face of calamity we will be as prepared as possible. I have asked Mark Warner, our Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and University Planning, to be in touch with you to offer some reminders about matters of personal responsibility for safety on campus. Please act on his suggestions.
Finally, I encourage you to join in the vigil this evening. I know from a similar experience after 911 that such gatherings, while only a beginning, do provide an opportunity for personal reflection within the context of the comfort of the JMU family. My thoughts will be with you tonight and in the days ahead.
Sincerely,
Linwood H. Rose
President
