Dr. Linwood H. Rose, president emeritus of James Madison University, served as the fifth president in the University's 103-year history. During his tenure, he led the University to a position of national prominence. He began his professional career with JMU in 1975 and his assignments have included responsibilities in every division of the University. He was appointed president in 1998 and retired from that position in June 2012.
Under Dr. Rose's leadership as President, the University’s budget more than doubled, more than 20 new academic programs were implemented, 25 major buildings were constructed, and 2.4 million square feet were added to the campus. Enrollment grew by 37 percent, a Phi Beta Kappa chapter was installed, the University’s first capital campaign was completed at 40 percent over goal, and the number of admissions applicants grew to more than 26,000 per year.
JMU was identified by U.S. News & World Reports as one of the number one public comprehensive university in the South during each year of Rose’s presidency. The university was regularly listed among the top fifty in the country as a "Best Value" by Kiplinger’s and The Princeton Review.
Asked of what he is most proud, he will tell you: reducing the student-faculty ratio from over 19:1 to under 16:1, a graduation rate that ranked among the top ten in the country among public universities, and student overall satisfaction rates routinely above ninety percent.
Rose currently serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia, and as a member of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. While president, Rose represented the University and higher education in a number of leadership capacities. He served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council that makes recommendations to the President of the United States regarding the security of the cyber systems and the physical infrastructure of the Nation, He served as the chair of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the regional accrediting agency for eleven Southern states, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the NCAA.
In May 2010, Governor McDonnell appointed Dr. Rose to the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment. He was a member and served as Chair of the Council of Presidents, an organization of the presidents of Virginia's senior colleges and universities. Rose also served on the Boards of Directors of the Virginia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA) and the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology (CIT). He was a Director of the Chesapeake Crescent Innovation Alliance, and was a member of the Board of Trustees of GenEdge Alliance. Dr. Rose has also served as chair of the United Way and of the Rockingham Memorial Hospital Board in Harrisonburg.
Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Dr. Rose grew up in Staunton, Virginia. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Virginia Tech, his master's degree in educational administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee, and his doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Virginia.
Professional Experience
September 1998 - June 2012 - President, James Madison University
July 1997 - January 1998 - Acting President, JMU
December 1995 - August 1998 - Chief Operating Officer, JMU
May 1994 - August 1998 - Executive Vice President, JMU
June 1991 - May 1994 - Senior Vice President, JMU
May 1987 - June 1991 - Vice President for Administration and Finance, JMU
May 1986 - May 1987 - Vice President for Administration, JMU
January 1986 - May 1986 - Executive Assistant to the President, JMU
August 1985 - January 1986 - Deputy Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia
May 1985 - August 1985 - Executive Assistant to the President, JMU
May 1984 - May 1985 - Assistant Vice President for University Relations, JMU
August 1982 - April 1984 - Assistant to the President and Director of Special Projects, JMU
September 1981 - July 1982 - Educational Leave
June 1979 - August 1981 - Director of Residence Halls and Commuting Student Services, JMU
July 1976 - May 1979 - Associate Director of Residence Halls and Commuting Student Services, JMU
August 1975 - June 1976 - Assistant Director of Residence Halls, JMU
February 1974 - July 1975 - Residence Hall Director, University of Tennessee
