The Madison Family Newsletter is created each month by the Office of Parent Relations in partnership with many members of the JMU community. For more family resources, visit our website.
A Letter from Dr. Tim Miller
Hello JMU Parents,
Thank you all for your support over this past year. I hope to get to see many of you when you come to pick up your student for move out or attend commencement. Last year I provided some advice for you to share with your student so I’ve updated it for this year. They listen to you more than you realize and you have been living in the real world longer than them.
To the Class of 2022—this is the first class that I have known all four years since I came here as Vice President for Student Affairs in 2018. You will always hold a special place in my heart. We have shared our highs and lows, successes and challenges hand in hand over the last four years together. As you move into the next phase of your life, hold tight to the spirit of JMU. Hold doors for others, live life passionately, and stay in touch with those who have made a difference in your life. When you see someone wearing a JMU shirt or hat, give them a “Go Dukes!” You can meet some great people that way. Be sure to come back to visit and know that you always have a home here in Harrisonburg. You are a Duke today, a Duke tomorrow, and a Duke forever!
To the Class of 2023—get ready for the final lap in your JMU journey! Next year will go by incredibly fast so be sure to savor each moment. If you haven’t already, I want to encourage you to get to know your faculty members and the staff who are around you every day. These connections and relationships will help you in finding your lifelong friends, your career, growing personally and professionally, and staying connected to JMU. Your senior year should be a time of incredible memories, warm days on the quad, sledding and snowball fights in the winter, beautiful sunsets on East campus, and friendships that will last a lifetime.
To the Class of 2024—you’re now halfway through your undergrad career. Most of you are into your majors so you can work on building relationships with your faculty and getting deeper into your academic passion! You will also begin to see many of your fellow Dukes in multiple classes so take the time to get to know them so you can work together and start building your JMU network. Refocus if needed, set your sights on your goals, and make this next year the best year so far! Remember that you are building toward your best life, after JMU.
To the Class of 2025—congratulations on completing your first year! I hope it was everything you hoped it would be. But if it wasn’t, please know there’s plenty of time for things to come together and if you faced struggles both in and out of the classroom you are not alone, and we are here to support you. Your first couple of years are a time of transition, which gives you the opportunity to start figuring out who you want to be and what you want to do. And don’t stress if you don’t know yet, most of us take a while before we figure out our path. Just be sure you enjoy the journey as you go.
To the Class of 2026—welcome home! You are joining an amazing community full of excitement, school spirit, support and learning. JMU is a special place and we offer so much to help you find your place and build your best life. It will be important that you step into this community ready to engage with what’s in front of you and get out of your comfort zone to experience new and different things here at JMU. I look forward to seeing all of you at Summer Springboard Orientation in a few short weeks as we help you and your family embrace this new chapter in your life. As you prepare to join us this fall I wanted to encourage you to start learning some basic skills including doing your own laundry, waking up on your own, cooking a couple basic meals (making macaroni and cheese requires water!), reading all of your JMU emails and getting a planner to start managing your time and your to-do list. This summer is a great opportunity to start preparing for the transition to JMU and remember that we are here with you every step of the way!
To our Graduate students—congratulations on completing this important next step in your life journey. We are so proud of your success and wish the best of luck for those of you leaving JMU to take on the world with greater education and experience. I can’t wait to see you at graduation and remember that you will always be a treasured member of this community and you are always welcome back home. For those of you who just completed your first year of grad school, we’re looking forward to seeing you continue to grow in the new school year.
To all parents—regardless of what year your student is, your role will continue to evolve. As always, I am a resource for all students and parents and you are all encouraged to reach out to me and the many others on campus dedicated to their success. I see parents as partners in this journey and we want the same thing – safety, success and a bright future for your child. Thank you for entrusting us with the most precious thing in your life, your child, and thank you for believing in JMU and the experiences and opportunities we provide to all of our students. Have a great summer.
Go Dukes!
Dr. Tim Miller
Vice President of Student Affairs
Vpstudentaffairs@jmu.edu
@jmutimmiller on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Alumnae Hall room 106 (top of the Quad)
Submitted by Sydney Arnold, Social Media and Marketing Manager, Office of Residence Life
Move out is upon us! We hate to see our residents pack up and head home but it is that time of year! You should plan to be out of your residence hall 24 hours after your last exam but the latest time to leave is Friday, May 13 at noon.
If you have a reason for needing to stay after this time you must fill out the late stay form on the Online Housing System under "forms".
We hope everyone had a great year and look forward to keeping in touch over the summer!
Submitted by Sydney Arnold, Social Media and Marketing Manager, Office of Residence Life
From all of us at The Office of Residence Life; you should all be so proud of all of your accomplishments. We hope you keep a piece of JMU in your heart no matter where you go!
Graduation ceremonies will be occurring Thursday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. until Saturday, May 14 at 5:00 p.m. Traffic will be heavy throughout the area but expect more delays in the Skyline Area.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Submitted by: Jessica Hopkins, Assistant Director of Compliance, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
All students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to receive financial aid. Federal regulations require each institution to have a SAP policy, which establishes the minimum academic standards for financial aid eligibility. Academic progress is measured once per year (after spring grades have posted) and there are three components of the evaluation process that must be met:
• GPA – GPA standards mirror the university’s academic suspension policy
• Pace – Students must earn credit for at least 67% of the hours they have attempted. This calculation is performed by dividing the number of credit hours earned by the number of credit hours attempted.
• Maximum Time – Students may not receive financial aid for more than 150 attempted hours.
If a program(s) requires more than 150 hours, an appeal may be submitted for review. If a student is unable to meet SAP requirements, their eligibility for federal financial aid, including loans (both student and parent) will be lost. An email regarding the area(s) of noncompliance will be sent to the student and a reminder will appear on the “To-Do” list in MyMadison. Students may appeal the SAP denial if they experienced extenuating circumstances.
2022-23 SAP Appeal Deadlines
• Summer 2022 – July 5, 2022
• Fall 2022 – September 5, 2022
• Spring 2023 – January 30, 2023
For a description of JMU’s requirements, as well as more information regarding the appeal process and to use the online estimator, visit our website.
Submitted by Sydney Arnold, Social Media and Marketing Manager, Office of Residence Life
Check out some of the benefits:
- Salary based position
- Increased room rent reduction: $1,500 off per semester, totaling more than 50% off your room rent overall
- Loyalty raises
- New meal plan options
- Laundry Stipends
- And more to come for the upcoming year!
Submitted by: Mollie Zenz, Marketing and Web Coordinator, Orientation
Congratulations to all our new JMU family members! Orientation is excited to see that your students have completed many of their One Book steps so far. If your student has not received their physical copy yet, they can use the identical virtual copy on our website until it arrives. Your student's One Book will be their guide to a checklist of steps they should start working through to become a full-fledged Duke. We hope you'll encourage them to do all their steps by the stated deadlines. Some of the steps will affect their reserved Springboard date and class enrollment for fall. Please feel free to reach out via email (orientation@jmu.edu) if you have questions about our processes along the way!
JMU Jargon to Know!
Submitted by: Mollie Zenz, Marketing and Web Coordinator, Orientation
As we welcome new members to the JMU community, this is a great opportunity to share some commonly used words, phrases and acronyms that may assist you in understanding your student's transition to Madison. We'll have you talking like a Duke before you know it!
D-Hall is an all-you-care-to-eat dining facility, near the Quad.
Dukes, that’s us! Our mascot, Duke Dog, honors former JMU President Samuel Page Duke.
E-Hall is the all-you-care-to-eat dining facility on the east side of campus.
GenEd is JMU's General Education Program, foundational to the academic journey.
JACard is the JMU Access Card, which allows entrance into dining halls, sporting events and more.
LSI is Learning Strategies Instruction, an individualized academic coaching program.
ODS is the Office of Disability Services, supporting students who need accommodations.
SSC is the Student Success Center. This building is full of resources to support students with space to study, collaborate and learn.
UREC is the University Recreation Center, a facility designed to meet fitness and adventure goals.
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