No one embodies the All Together One spirit more than Kristin Muncy. This is her 21st year at James Madison University and it is exciting to recognize her publicly for the impact she has had on countless students, young professionals, faculty and peers at the university.
Kristin started at JMU as the Greek Life Coordinator where she worked with fraternities and sororities for many years. She currently oversees and is the Associate Director for Student Activities and Involvement in University Unions. Student Activities and Involvement is responsible for over 350+ clubs and organizations that serve as a hallmark of JMU. She also has and is presently working with 1787 August Orientation, Leadership U, Student Government Association, Greek Life and more.
A member of the Student Activities and Involvement office says “Kristin not only invited me in as a part of her office, but invited me in as a part of her family. Since working with her in Student Activities, she has invited me over for dinner, I've formed relationships with her family, I've walked her dog, we've celebrated holidays today, she attended my wedding, and more. Kristin is fiercely loyal to her people, and I consider myself lucky to be one of her people.”
She created the Make Your Mark on Madison program when she saw a need for JMU students to begin their leadership journey early on. Coined as a “springboard into authentic involvement at JMU,” MYMOM provides student applicants with insight into values, diversity, and effective communication necessary for positive involvement and close interaction with upperclassmen. As a participant myself in the MYMOM program, I can proudly say I gained a new understanding of myself and my future at JMU because of Kristin’s creation.
A past student coordinator for MYMOM says “Kristin has dedicated so much to the betterment of students at JMU, she spends countless hours working with students to assist with personal issues, organizational issues and academic issues anytime they need it whether it be Monday to Friday 9-5, or 2 am on a Sunday night, because she cares so much. For me, she has really made JMU feel like a home away for home.”
As if Kristin has any spare time! But when she does, she manages to fill it helping countless other organizations on campus. She is often asked to make a presentation about risk management, and works tirelessly with the Greek community at JMU. Having been an Alpha Phi during her undergraduate career at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, she has maintained a close relationship with the women of the Alpha Phi chapter at JMU. She often comes to meetings and serves as a mentor for the group’s leaders. An Alpha Phi sister says, “Kristin has been the mastermind behind many integral experiences of her college career, including MYMOM and PLA, among others. Even more so, she has supported me and shared her passion with me both in my role as a leader and as a student at JMU. She is a gift to our community and has been a great blessing to me in my time at JMU.”
On top of all this, Kristin also serves as the advisor for the brothers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. For the past eight years, she has worked with them through set-backs and was able to help them regain their charter at JMU. In January 2014, Sig Ep won the Outstanding Fraternity of the Year at the FSL awards, and Kristin won the Outstanding Advisor of the Year for Fraternities. As Paula Polglase wrote in her nomination, “I have no doubt in my mind that these gentlemen would not be winning awards or regaining their charter if not for the guidance that Kristin has provided to these men. It takes a special educator - a special woman - to work as a fraternity advisor.” Kristin is truly one of a kind.
A Sigma Phi Epsilon brother says, “The number of hours Kristin has put into helping our organization succeed is uncountable. The influence she has had on our brothers is immeasurable. Kristin goes above and beyond compared not just to any advisor I know, but compared to any person I’ve ever met. She is a professional mentor and a personal friend. We wouldn’t be the same organization and I wouldn’t be the same person without Kristin.”
To say that Kristin Radcliffe Muncy has made an impact at JMU would be an understatement. She is a mother, wife, teacher, leader, friend and role model for so many people.
The current president of Sig Ep wrote, “Kristin is a unique individual with an open heart. She has dedicated herself to working with students on this campus to encourage them to become leaders and to make a difference in their lives and more importantly, in others as well. Without her guidance and support, much of what I have been successful in would not be true to this day. Although her simple motto, “Don’t Do Dumb Things”, may sound vague, living by it has the potential to change your life. She is a blessing to James Madison University and to every student she has worked with, both personally and through others word of mouth. I am extremely happy to call her my mentor, my friend and more importantly, my JMU mother.”
I am excited to have worked with this award and have been able to recognize Kristin for all that she has done for the JMU and Harrisonburg community. Myself and other students can proudly say that our college experiences would not have been the same if it wasn’t for Kristin and the work she does every day. Congratulations Kristin!! Will you please come forward!
Written by: Emily Leclerc