April 2017 Board of Visitors Summary of Actions and Discussions

The James Madison University Board of Visitors met Friday, April 7, 2017, in the Board Room of Madison’s Festival Conference and Student Center. 

The following is a summary of actions taken by the board and key areas of discussion at the board meeting;

• Approved the Jan. 13, 2017, Board of Visitors meeting minutes;

• Approved committee reports from the Advancement, Athletics, Audit, Education & Student Life, and Finance & Physical Development committees;

• Received a report on the Engagement Fellows program at JMU presented by Dr. Rhonda Zingraff, associate dean and director of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services and Engagement Fellows Claudia Salvador and Madeleine Ross;

• Received a General Assembly update presented by Charles King, senior vice president for Administration & Finance;

• Approved 2017 – 18 undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees:

• Approved the transition of the athletic training major from a bachelor of science to a master of science degree;

• Met in closed session;

• Approved the following real estate purchases:

  • 593 University Boulevard for $1,519,383

Was told by President Alger during his President’s Report:

• Dr. Chris Arndt, associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters, will serve as interim dean of the College of Arts and Letters until a national search is completed for the position to be vacated by the retiring Dean David Jeffrey;

• May commencement exercises will be held May 4 – 6.  Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats (’12) will provide the commencement address.  Dick Roberts, a longtime friend and supporter of JMU, will be presented an honorary degree;

• Renovations of Madison Hall, the former RMH Cancer Center, are now complete.  Admissions, the Graduate School, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Title IX, Valley Scholars, the Center for Global Engagement (formerly the Office of International Programs), and Physics will be housed within the new space;

• An art exhibit of Ben Shahn’s works in Duke Hall just concluded;

• JMU played host to the Cultivating the Globally Sustainable Self Summit, a multiyear initiative focused on transformative teaching and learning in research and practice;

• JMU hosted a delegation of Kosovo government and higher education officials as part of an ongoing effort to help rebuild and reform the higher education system in Kosovo;

• JMU will host Drita Kadriu, director of the Department of Higher Education in the Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, as an ACE Fellow during the 2017-18 academic year;

• Princeton scholar Aly Remtulla presented a major address on campus titled “Islam in America;”

• Cybersecurity expert Mary Ellen Callahan presented a Madison Vision Series lecture on cybersecurity and privacy;

• JMU is meeting with SRI International, Harrisonburg and Rockingham County about future collaborations;

• JMU hosted a statewide conference, attended by the governor, on drone technology linking business and higher education curriculum;

• Blue Vigil, a tether power system for drones founded at JMU, was named a top 40 “Best University Startup of 2017” by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer;

• JMU offered a Hacking4Defense class where faculty from seven different areas worked together to solve problems identified by the Department of Defense;

• The GOVirginia Regional Council, a collaboration between higher education, government and the business community, met for the first time this week;

• JMU has developed a civic action plan as part of our commitment at the national level to community and civic engagement through Campus Compact;

• A proposal has been developed for the creation of a new Campus Compact for Virginia.