What is the Professors in Residence Program?
The Professors-In-Residence program (PIR) is a James Madison University (JMU) educational outreach to promote postsecondary attainment and college aspirations of economically challenged and underrepresented students at Virginia’s middle and high schools.
The defining characteristic of a PIR-supported school is that 50% or more of students qualify for the Free and Reduced-priced Lunch program. Each participating Virginia public school in the program is assigned a JMU faculty member who visits weekly to work with counselors, administrators, and students on issues determined by the partner school.
Approved as a 2003 JMU presidential initiative, the PIR program is integral to and consistent with the university′s mission and core community engagement values
Program Objectives
The PIR program is designed to provide academic support to a select number of participating Virginia Middle and High Schools. Host schools are usually broadly diverse, with 50% or more students who qualify for Free and Reduced-priced Lunch program.
The intent of the PIR program is twofold.
- To academically empower Virginia high schools through the sharing of university technologies, research-based information, and personnel resources to address the educational and social challenges facing underrepresented middle and high school students, their families, and communities
See link here: Mindfulness Training for Students - To increase the number of economically challenged and underrepresented Virginia high school students who enroll at Virginia colleges and universities.
To this end, JMU faculty members are assigned to specific schools to sustain relations with the participating schools. Each faculty member meets weekly with students, administrators, counselors, and/or teachers at the assigned school.
If you want to tour the campus virtually, watch a walking tour of JMU!
If you want to learn more about specific initiatives the PIR faculty has prepared, please click on the following links to the public speaker series organized by our PIR Waynesboro faculty and the Wayne Theater.
- Freshwater Mussel
- "Life Underwater: Aquatic Insects and their Feeding Habits in the South River”, Dr. Joe Keiper, Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History
- “Beneath Vernal Pools: Documenting Life in Temporary Ponds”, Steven David Johnson, Professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Eastern Mennonite University
- “Developing Diverse Trout Fishing Opportunities In South River: A Thirty-Year Journey”, Steve Reeser, Regional Fisheries Manager at VA Department of Wildlife Resources
Faculty members in the PIR program sign a two to three-year contract. Faculty participation counts as service and will receive a summer stipend. PIR faculty must travel to an assigned school once per week during the K-12 public school year, from September to June. Those interested in the program must reach out to Dr. David Owusu-Ansah (owusuadx@jmu.edu).
Professors and Partner Schools:
JMU has many dedicated professors and graduate students from across campus who are instrumental for the success of the PIR program. They spend at least one day per week visiting the assigned school.
The partner schools are as follows:
Middle Schools
Thomas Harrison Middle School http://web.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/thms/
Skyline Middle School http://web.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/skms/
Lucille Brown Middle School https://www.rvaschools.net/LBMS
Lucy Addison Middle School Addison.rcps.info
Prince Edward County pecps.k12.va.us
High Schools
Harrisonburg High http://web.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/hhs/
Waynesboro High http://www.whs.waynesboro.k12.va.us/
Richmond High School for the Arts https://rhsa.rvaschools.net
Huguenot High https://www.rvaschools.net/HHS
William Fleming High fleming.rcps.info
Prince Edward County High pecps.k12.va.us
Affiliate Schools—These are former PIR schools at which there are no PIR faculty currently assigned. However, the PIR program maintains links by which the affiliate schools may make occasional PIR program requests. Affiliate schools include Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Washington Lee High School and Wakefield High School both in Arlington.
Additional Information:
For additional information you can contact Dr. David Owusu-Ansah, Professor of History and Executive Director, Access and Educational Outreach, at owusuadx@jmu.edu
