After Spring Break Update - March 2015

Dear Students,

Welcome back from spring break. I want to take a few moments to share news and achievements from a very busy semester to date.

• Campus safety
• General Assembly budget/compensation update
• Employee compensation
• Title IX and sexual assault
• Madison Magazine for tablets
• Madison Vision Series
• 2015 May commencement news
• Athletics updates
• Recent recognitions
• Additional updates

Campus safety

It has been a challenging winter, and the staff members in Facilities Management, Dining Services, and Public Safety work tirelessly on snow days. We appreciate their dedication to keeping sidewalks and parking lots safe, and everyone on campus well fed. Please say “thanks” to everyone who has kept our campus safe during a challenging winter if you have a chance.

Madison week

James Madison’s birthday is this week, and there are events all across campus to commemorate the legacy of the man for whom we are named. Be proud of the Father of the U.S. Constitution by participating. 

General Assembly and budget/compensation update

The 2015 General Assembly concluded at the end of February. Among other things, actions that would have a direct impact on JMU and other institutions of higher education include the budget (including compensation), and several bills on sexual assault (see section below on Title IX and sexual assault). Legislation now goes to the Governor for review.

Employee compensation

I am very pleased that salary increases for state employees were a top priority during the session and that the positive revenue outlook allowed for increased investments in higher education. JMU faculty and staff will receive raises this year, helping to assure we retain all the good people who deliver your Madison Experience.

Title IX and Sexual Assault

The General Assembly passed several bills regarding sexual assault during its recent session. The JMU Title IX Task Force is currently reviewing all of these bills to determine future action, pending action by the Governor. Links to each bill can be found below.

• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+SB1193S3
• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+HB1785S1
• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+HB1930H3
• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+SB712S3

There have been no new developments in the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights’ (“OCR”) Title IX investigation. Complaints have now been filed against 100+ institutions nationwide. The complainant recently filed a civil lawsuit against the university, involving the same allegations. While the university does not discuss the details of pending litigation, a brief statement has been released in response to the lawsuit (see the JMU statement).

Madison magazine for tablets

A beta version of the new Madison magazine app is available now for Apple and Android tablets. The print edition of Madison will still publish on its regular schedule. But now, digital editions will publish to the app store with increased frequency. Visit the Madison magazine website to download. 

Madison Vision Series

Dr. Michael Signer delivered a superb lecture to a full house last month, sharing his thoughts on a young James Madison as outlined in his new book, Becoming Madison: The Extraordinary Origins of the Least Likely Founding Father. The spring 2015 lecture series continues with two more speakers scheduled to visit JMU.

On March 25 we welcome  attorney Dr. Riane Eisler, President of the Center for Partnership Studies and internationally known as a systems scientist, attorney working for the human rights of women and children, and author of groundbreaking books such as The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future. 

Lawrence Lessig, Professor at Harvard Law School and Director of the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard—a renowned expert on cyberspace and intellectual property—will join us on April 13.  

2015 May Commencement News

James Madison University alumna Lindsay Czarniak ('00) will speak to the class of 2015 and their guests at the university’s May undergraduate commencement ceremony. Czarniak, who graduated from JMU in 2000 with a major in journalism and a minor in studio art, currently works for ESPN as co-anchor with John Anderson of the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter.

JMU will hold its inaugural Grad Fair—intended to Take the HASSLE out of the TASSLE— at which graduating students can get help with renting caps and gowns, confirm name pronunciations, get professional head shot photographs, and take advantage of a variety of other related services.

Check the commencement website for up-to-date schedules and ceremony locations.

Athletics Updates

Women’s basketball (29-3) defeated Hofstra 62-56 last Sunday to win its second consecutive CAA championship, and the Dukes have tied the school record for victories in a season. Junior forward Jazmon Gwathmey scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the title game and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row. Junior guard Precious Hall was named CAA Player of the Year last week prior to the tournament, and senior center Lauren Okafor joined Hall on the All-CAA First Team.  Junior guard Angela Mickens was named to the All-CAA Second Team and Gwathmey was selected to the third team.  Okafor also received the CAA’s prestigious Dean Ehlers Leadership Award and was named to the league’s All-Academic Team. The Ehlers award, named for the former JMU athletic director, is particularly meaningful for a JMU player to receive. The Dukes play Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C., with the winner to face either North Carolina or Liberty on Monday, also in Chapel Hill.

Men’s basketball (19-14) finished its season with a 73-72 loss last night at South Carolina Upstate in the Collegeinsider.com postseason tournament. JMU earned a share of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular-season title this year. This marks the first time since the 1999-2000 season that the Dukes finished the regular season in at least a tie for first place, and the seventh time that JMU has shared or won outright the regular season conference title. Several Dukes won all-conference honors: Junior point guard Ron Curry was named to the All-CAA Second Team, sophomore forward Yohanny Dalembert was named to the All-CAA Third Team and the All-Defensive Team, and sophomore forward Dimitrije Cabarkapa was named to the CAA All-Academic Team.

Women's lacrosse (7-1) now stands as the 12th-ranked team in the nation. Senior midfielder Alison Curwin and redshirt-senior defender Kaci Starkloff have been named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, after the Dukes extended their win streak to seven with a 13-12 victory over then-No. 9 Penn State on the road and a 19-14 win over Rutgers. The streak is the second-longest for the Dukes since 2007.

The spring championship sports are getting into full swing right now. I want to wish the best of luck to these teams in their pursuit of CAA Championships!

Recent recognitions

Here are just a few recent recognitions among many that reflect JMU's vision to be the national model of the engaged university:

• JMU was named one of the country's ten best BA in theatre programs by the well-respected theatre publication OnStage. The publication identifies JMU's program as one with "benefits geared toward performers," citing its wide-ranging performance opportunities and high production values. Of emphasis is the Forbes Center's five performance venues, which OnStage characterizes as "one of the [most] spectacular theatre facilities in the country."
• NASA's Space Place, a public education and outreach program, recognized JMU’s John C. Wells Planetarium for its valuable contributions to its community in the areas of science, technology education and inspiration.
• JMU was selected for inclusion on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2015. The Corporation for National and Community Service has selected JMU each year since the Honor Roll’s inception in 2006. 

Additional Updates

I recently had the great honor of visiting Hose Company No. 4 to tour the facility and interact with firefighters. I was pleased to learn that approximately a third of the volunteer firefighters at the station are JMU students. These students receive hundreds of hours of training, and make time in their busy academic schedules to save lives and property. This is an extraordinary example of engagement between the university and the local community. We have many other students, faculty and staff who serve as volunteers in similar life-saving positions in the city and county, and we should all be extremely proud of, and grateful for, their public service.