We are an inclusive academic community committed to excellence in the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. We advance intellectual and creative discovery through transformative learning experiences that positively impact our lives and communities.
Dr. Bob Kolvoord
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
A Message from the Interim Provost
Dear Colleagues,
The flowers springing from the ground and the trees budding remind us of the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and the ephemeral nature of our work – the spring semester (and the academic year) is starting to approach its crescendo. Thanks for your efforts in keeping our students focused as the distractions mount.
- Dr. Kenn Barron, professor in the Department of Psychology, and colleagues at UVA’s Motivate Lab created the Resilient Mindsets in Medicine program. They partnered with the Association American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to help rethink medical education to improve student motivation, well-being and success. You can read their recent publication in the Journal of American Medical Association Network Online on a large scale national study they conducted of recent Osteopathic Medical students on their motivation and well-being in medical school.
- If you see him, give your congratulations to associate professor of Music Theory Dr. Gui Hwan Lee. He recently published his first peer-reviewed essay since joining the faculty in 2023. The article, “How Forests Think,” addresses Australian composer Liza Lim and her timbral techniques and is available in Context: Journal of Music Research.
- Assistant professor in the Department of Biology Dr. Lee Brown leads a group of undergraduate students who monitor bluebird nest box trails across the state and collect data. Their experience using a subset of the data to detect relationships between land cover characteristics and nest box use or success, Unboxing Bluebird Nestbox Success, is summarized in the latest Birdbox, the newsletter for the Virginia Bluebird Society.
- Faculty in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science just hosted a successful meeting of the Geological Society of America Southeastern Section for 710+ attendees – including 304 students - representing 130 organizations. The conference offered 412 presentations, with 26 of those presented by our GES faculty and students.
- You can now pre-order SPCE Director of Noncredit Professional Development Dr. Amanda Kellogg’s co-authored chapter, “Wasps and Falcons: Figurative Language and Teaching Shakespeare’s Women.” Part of the new collection Shakespeare in the Age of Mass Incarceration, the chapter draws on her experience teaching in jails and prisons; the co-author of this piece is a student who participated in one of those classes.
Reviewing my messages for items to include in this email is one of my weekly highlights, so thanks for continuing to send them. Keep sending those teaching and scholarship highlights, awards, and other accomplishments for you and your colleagues to provost@jmu.edu.
Sincerely,
Bob
Have Question for the Provost?
Academic Affairs faculty and staff can use the options below to contact the provost directly.
This is an open line of communication allowing faculty and staff to ask questions, but it is not a substitute from the crucial interactions they have with their academic unit head, department head and dean.
Students should contact AcademicQuestions@jmu.edu with questions.
