President King welcomes faculty and staff

Dear JMU faculty and staff,

I trust you all have had an enjoyable summer and found time to relax before gearing up for an exciting academic year at James Madison University! For those of you I have not yet met, I’m Charlie King and I have the honor of serving as interim president.

As I reflected on my 46 years in higher education, I am most enthusiastic about the start of this year at JMU. I hope to share that same excitement as we welcome students along with new and returning faculty and staff while preparing for a historic year full of promise and opportunity. Over the next few days, we will move in first-year students and host their families on campus as they begin their JMU experience — an experience that will touch each aspect of the university.

It takes significant time and effort to prepare campus for our students, faculty, staff and families. I assure you, the summer has been busy! Below are a few campus-related updates:

• Construction has progressed on Carrier Library, and I look forward to the renovation and expansion of this historic building. It is scheduled to re-open for the Fall 2026 semester.
• Our new residence hall that will replace Ikenberry Hall will be ready to welcome students in Fall 2025.
• JMU is actively pursuing state support for potential future capital projects, such as a renovation to Johnston Hall and the expansion of the College of Health and Behavioral Studies building. Our capital projects happen due to the collaboration and partnership between the university and leaders of the Commonwealth advocating for and supporting JMU.
• Preparation is well underway to host our first nationally-televised Thursday night football game. The operational plans for a successful event were made possible through a collaborative effort among faculty, staff and administrators.
• We have worked with the JMU Police Department and other divisions to better align campus policies and protocols to ensure safety across our campus. A new public safety app will soon be introduced, so be on the lookout for a message from Chief Tony Matos that will also include other safety reminders.
• The Reengineering Madison initiative is moving ahead, and you’ll soon see improvements and additions to our enterprise technology. This initiative will include implementing new platforms such as an enterprise constituent relationship management (CRM) tool and new data solutions.
• Additional updates are available by watching the "University Welcome," that took place earlier this week.

As you may have heard me previously say, I will work to keep JMU’s many trains on schedule; however, as president, my goals extend beyond monitoring the time.

My vision is to be a proactive leader in providing exceptional and welcoming collegiate experiences for all students; the success of this vision will rely on key partnerships across our campus. Our shared success includes teaching and learning in the classroom, ensuring payroll is met, maintaining our beautiful facilities and grounds, supporting our students as we navigate the federal financial aid challenges, providing support to students through our health and counseling centers, and so much more to create the JMU experience our students expect from us.

It takes us all, and I am very proud to be standing with you as we prepare for a great year. Together, we can create the JMU experience that truly transforms lives, and we will continue to make this place special as our teaching, learning, research and athletics are elevated to the national stage.

I wish you all a successful academic year, and I look forward to seeing you around campus.

All the best,

Charlie King
President