8/6/24

Faculty and staff, 

For the first time, James Madison University will host a nationally televised football game on Thursday, Oct. 10, against Coastal Carolina University at 7:30 p.m. 

As an institution that prioritizes academic excellence and a positive student experience, we have been carefully planning to ensure a safe and successful event. Some plans are still underway, and we want to share the current information that has been finalized by a group of faculty, staff and administrators to ensure all employees have ample time to plan accordingly. 

Traffic and Closures

Traffic will be impacted significantly for the university community; therefore, the following measures will be taken to decrease congestion:

Class Meetings

Parking

We want to acknowledge those designated staff members, who will work well beyond the 3 p.m. closure. We extend our appreciation for all you do to keep our campus operating and looking its very best. 

Please keep in mind this is a historic moment for our campus as JMU has never hosted a Thursday night football game of this caliber. The event offers another exciting opportunity for James Madison university to be highlighted as a national institution, and that is something we should all be proud of! 

More information will be shared as details are finalized and always available online. 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and collaboration. 

Sincerely,

Charlie King, Interim President

Matt Roan, Director of Athletics

Malika Carter-Hoyt, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

David Kirkpatrick, Vice President and Chief of Staff

Bob Kolvoord, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Nick Langridge, Vice President for Advancement

Tim Miller, Vice President for Student Affairs

Towana Moore, Vice President for Administration and Finance

Melinda Wood, Vice President for Enrollment Management

Anthony Tongen, Vice President and Chief Research Officer for Division of Research, Economic Development Innovation

8/7/24

As part of the Sun Belt Conference’s media rights agreement with ESPN, select football games can be scheduled in midweek primetime television slots as an opportunity to highlight the league on a national stage with increased visibility. James Madison will host its first such game as a member of the Sun Belt when it welcomes Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 10 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2. 

The nature of a Thursday night game impacts campus operations for the university in a significantly different manner than the typical Saturday contest. As such, James Madison University developed operational plans that best prioritize the university’s core mission of the educational experience of its students while also maximizing the opportunity to showcase the university on a national stage. 

The full campus announcement is available at jmu.edu. Highlights of the announcement with impact for those attending the football game include:

• Game day parking (reserved and general lots) begins at 4:30 p.m., including the R1 designated student lot.
• Administrative offices will close at 3 p.m. to allow time for staff to exit campus and reduce vehicular traffic of staff exiting campus overlapping with game attendees entering.
• Access for faculty, staff and students to reserved football parking lots (staff, commuter and residential) will be restricted starting at 1 p.m. and must be cleared by 3 p.m.
• General game day parking lots remain accessible to faculty, staff and students throughout the day with no restrictions. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., these lots are also available for general game day parking.
• Shuttles from Ballard Parking Deck to central campus will begin at 7 a.m. and continue throughout the day for any staff looking to park and not have to move a vehicle during the afternoon.
• RV Parking (R10 Lot) will not begin until Thursday, Oct. 10 unlike most games when RVs can arrive the day before. However, RVs are permitted to stay in R10 following the game.
• All parking lots must be cleared one hour postgame. (typical policy is two hours)
• In line with typical game day operation, the breezeway between Bridgeforth Stadium and Godwin Hall will close to pedestrian traffic four hours prior to kickoff (3:30 p.m.).
• Stadium gates open the typical 90 minutes prior to kickoff (6 p.m.).

More information is posted on the university website. 

8/7/24

Dear Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff – 

The campus community will soon receive an email from the interim president and fellow senior leaders with information related to an on-campus football game we are hosting on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. This is our first home weekday football game and one of many new characteristics of JMU’s growing national reputation, which includes higher-visibility athletics as well as increased prominence in teaching, research and scholarship. I write to give you advance notice with hopes that learning about this change earlier may assist with any needed adjustments to your class schedule and provide ample time to ask additional questions. 

As always, academics remains our core priority, and we will take this opportunity to support all our students. 

Accommodations for the event are primarily borne by other divisions on campus, and I appreciate the collaborative nature of the university’s planning, which included a committee with Academic Affairs leadership and faculty representation. The game will lead to increased traffic and congestion, so we have developed plans to accommodate faculty and student needs. 

The university will officially close at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, to permit faculty and staff time to close offices and leave campus to minimize traffic and parking issues. All classes ending prior to 3:35 p.m. should meet as usual. 

Instructors holding on-campus classes on Thursday that begin after or extend past 3:35 p.m. may choose an alternative instructional method, such as those listed below, or may choose to continue with class as scheduled. Those teaching in Godwin Hall, Hartman Hall, Lakeview Hall, Showker Hall or Sonner Hall should anticipate increased noise and distractions and should plan accordingly. How class meetings will be held is ultimately the decision of the instructor, and recommendations are provided below to illustrate various options. 

Additionally, any faculty or staff who park in the parking lots adjacent to Godwin Hall, Hartman Hall, Lakeview Hall, Showker Hall or Sonner Hall are encouraged to pay particular attention to the Parking Impact details below. 

Rose Library will remain open to students and faculty as usual, with full Canvas and classroom technology support available. The following services will remain open for their normal weekday hours: JMU Dining, UREC, Rose Library, JMU Counseling Center, University Health Center, Student Success Center Festival and The Union. 

With administrative offices closing at 3 p.m., the university will largely follow our procedures for authorized closings; however, we recognize there will likely be some unique circumstances for immediate supervisors to review and consider. 

Additional planning details are below, with more details to be posted online as they are determined. I will also update you if any additional major modifications are made. 

I appreciate your assistance in working with our campus partners to make this event successful, limiting disruptions to our academic mission and supporting our students. 

Thank you –

Bob

Class Meeting Options

Instructors holding on-campus classes beginning or ending after 3:35 p.m. may choose to continue with class as scheduled or may consider an alternative option, such as:

• Incorporating the course content missed on that day into other classes throughout the semester.
• Holding class online using Zoom or Teams during the regularly scheduled class time.
• Holding class at a time different to the regularly scheduled class time that is acceptable to all class members, with the location to be arranged by the academic unit.
• Preparing an asynchronous class to take the place of the in-person class.
• Providing students with alternate assignments that can be completed through electronic means.
• Relocating classes scheduled in Godwin Hall, Hartman Hall, Lakeview Hall, Showker Hall or Sonner Hall to alternate places, with the location to be arranged by the academic unit.

Building Closings

Godwin Hall, Hartman Hall, Lakeview Hall, Showker Hall and Sonner Hall (and likely others) will be locked by 4 p.m. to restrict public access. The JMU Libraries Express location on South Main St. will be closed after 3 p.m.

Parking Impact

• All non-gameday parking lots will be available for faculty, staff and student parking without limitation. These general lots include the Ballard, Grace Street, Mason Street, Cantrell and Warsaw parking decks; D3, Cl2, R4and RS; all designated parking on the Bluestone section of campus; and all designated parking west of South Main Street and Memorial Hall.
• All gameday reserved parking lots must be cleared by 3 p.m.
• Access to all gameday reserved lots by faculty, staff and students will be restricted beginning at 1 p.m.
• To access campus parking after 1 p.m., faculty and staff will be encouraged to park in campus non-gameday general parking lots, as outlined in the first bulleted point.

Bob Kolvoord, Ph.D.

Professor and Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

James Madison University