Over the past three decades, Kolvoord has worn many hats at JMU. Initially hired to help grow the then-new Integrated Science and Technology program, Kolvoord was an integral faculty member in graduating its first class. His contributions have been vast and varied, from helping to develop the Intelligence Analysis major to co-creating the Environmental Management and Sustainability MS with the University of Malta. He also served as the interim Director of the School of Engineering and was instrumental in founding CISE.

Kolvoord, along with former ISAT and CS department heads Eric Maslen and Sharon Simmons, was inspired by a desire to create a focused, coherent structure that would support the applied STEM focus of its units. They envisioned a college that could grow and prosper with a clear vision and dedicated leadership. This vision led to the formation of CISE, a college that would nurture innovation and support high-quality teaching and faculty scholarship. “Our vision was to create a lean and compact administrative structure that would support faculty and student work and spur innovation,” Kolvoord recalled. “We emphasized high-quality teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level and supported faculty scholarship, especially student projects. We also focused on building our relationship with business and industry.”

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