Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting

Hotel and Conference Center Update

Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting – June 10, 2016

One Step Closer to Hotel Madison and the Shenandoah Valley Conference Center! On June 10 the JMU Foundation board voted unanimously to approve moving ahead with this exciting new venture. The project, a public/private partnership, with participants including the Foundation, the City of Harrisonburg and its Industrial Development Authority, the University, and dpM Partners is scheduled to break ground in late summer with the opening planned for spring, 2018. 

JMU visitors, alumni and friends will soon have access to a new full-service 230 bed hotel located on the campus proper and within walking distance of many University facilities and programs. The conference center will address the many meeting needs of the University and the local community while also attracting tourists and new visitors to the area. The University requested that the JMU Foundation assist with the financing of the conference center and the trustees have now responded affirmatively. Tom Schaeffer, CEO of the Foundation, stated "we are excited about supporting the continued development of the university, while simultaneously enriching the quality of life in Harrisonburg and the surrounding area."