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

Approved the November 19, 2021 Board of Visitors meeting minutes and the personnel action update;

Accepted committee reports from the Academic Excellence, Advancement and Engagement, Athletics, Audit, Governance, Finance and Physical Development, and Student Affairs;

President Alger and Heather Coltman, provost, provided an update on the National University Status;

An update on the General Assembly was provided by Caitlyn Read, director of Government Relations;

Tim Miller, vice president for Student Affairs led an update to COVID-19; 

Paul Mabrey, Communications Center coordinator, provided an update on the Quality Enhancement Plan; 

A racial equity and diversity, equity and inclusion update was provided by Jennifer PeeksMease, associate professor in Communications and Art Dean, executive director for Access and Inclusion;

President Alger shared during his President’s Report:

• An update was provided on Admissions to include first-year applicants are at 31,633 (44% increase), with early action applicants at 18,590 (41% increase);
• A new Center for First-Generation Students is being created, which will be located next to the Centennial Scholars Office;
• SCHEV surveyed undergraduates and received responses from more than 15,000 undergraduate alumni of Virginia public institutions, who graduated between 2007 and 2018. More than 900 JMU alumni responded with a high percentage being satisfied with several career and life outcomes;
• JMU has continued to support the Bridgewater College community following the tradgedy on their campus and hosted the memorial services in the Atlantic Union Bank Center;
• There has been a significant increase in resources to support the mental health of students and continue working on ways to fulfill this need;
• There are currently searches for the following leadership positions: Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics; and Dean for the Honors College;
• SCHEV approved a new Information Technology major that will begin in Fall 2022;
• JMU hosted Black female mayors from across the nation this week as part of the Madison Vision Series and the next speaker will be Farah Pandith, appointed as the first representative to Muslim Countries, on April 18 in Wilson Auditorium;
• Softball ranked #25 and their season begins this weekend, lacrosse ranked #13 and will join the AAC; and JMU will transition to FBS in 2022;
• Lauren K. Alleyne, professor of English and assistant director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, and Erica Lewis, associate professor in the School of Nursing, were both awarded with the SCHEV Outstanding Faculty award;
• Several submissions were awarded with education digital marketing awards;
• A $2 million grant over the next four years was given to support the work of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, which is an important partnership between the College of Arts and Letters and JMU Libraries;
• The university was honored with the Guarasci Award for Institutional Transformation by Campus Compact to an institution that has “successfully implemented institution-wide efforts to address issues of public concern by aligning teaching, research, practice and values in service of the common good;” and
• JMU will transition to R2 Doctoral University with high research activity by the Carnegie Classification.