The James Madison University Board of Visitors met Friday, January 15, 2016, in the Board Room of the Festival Conference and Student Center.

The following is a summary of actions taken by the board and key areas of discussion at the board meeting:

• Approved the minutes of the October 9, 2015 full board meeting;
• Accepted committee reports from the Advancement, Athletics, Audit, Education & Student Life, and Finance & Physical Development committees;
• Approved the creation of the Honors College;
• Approved tuition and fees for summer 2016:

• Received a presentation on JMU’s University Innovation Fellows by students Chris Ashley, Michael Zurn and Emily Pratt;
• Received an update on the strategic plan by Dr. Mark Warner, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs & University Planning, and Dr. Brian Charette, Associate Vice President for University Planning;
• Received an update on the governor’s budget proposal to the General Assembly by Mr. Charles King, Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance.
   

During his president’s report, President Jonathan Alger reported:

• Almost 900 students graduated at the December commencement in the Convocation Center where opera singer Denyce Graves was the featured speaker;
• An expansion of the University Recreation facility is complete. The expanded facility opened at the beginning of the semester.  On its first day, the facility logged 5,552 visits, surpassing the previous high attendance of 4,200 in one day;
• Students Tara Hill, Sierra Carlson and Emily Mangan will participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional festival in South Carolina;
• Physics Professor Chris Hughes has earned the state’s highest award for faculty as a winner of the Outstanding Faculty Award presented by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia;
• President Jonathan Alger presented on the national Post-Collegiate Outcomes Initiative at the Higher Education Government Relations Conference in December;
• JMU Asian Studies program is hosting the 55^th Annual Meeting of the Southeast Conference of the Association of Asian Studies;
• JMU will host a Year of Service Summit on Feb. 9 in conjunction with other Virginia colleges and universities;
• JMU hosted a Go Virginia event in December to bring together government, business and educational leaders to discuss collaborative approaches to economic development;
• Drs. Herb Amato and Keston Fulcher visited Kosovo in November 2015 to begin assisting Kosovo’s education ministry with institutional and program accreditation, standards of quality practice, and university fiscal management;
• ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast live from JMU on Oct. 24.  The broadcast garnered national exposure and engaged many with the university;
• There were many athletic achievements this fall including football, field hockey and volley sharing or winning their regular season titles.  Five student-athletes were named All-Americans;
• Dominick Richards, a senior football player, was named an FCS Athletics Director Association Academic All-Star, only the second JMU player to garner this award;
• JMU Athletics was awarded the Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Shenandoah Valley Association of Fundraising Professionals;
• A number of access, inclusion and diversity conversations were held during the fall semester with student leaders, community members and national organizations;
• The Nov. 13 Madison Trust event successfully matched innovative faculty and staff ideas with investors to help make their ideas a reality;
• JMU’s first Giving Day will be held on March 15;
• The Faculty Senate recently awarded 12 Madison Vision Mini Grants to members of the faculty.