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James Madison University

Encyclopedia : J : JA : JAM : James Madison University

JMU is also the abbreviation for John Moores University in Liverpool, England

Wilson Hall, centerpiece of the JMU quad.
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Wilson Hall, centerpiece of the JMU quad.
James Madison University (also known as JMU), located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA, was founded in 1908 as a state normal and industrial school for women. Since its founding in 1908, JMU has grown to today's coeducational comprehensive public university with an enrollment of approximately 16,000. The university is in the Shenandoah Valley, with the campus quad located on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. The campus originally fit between South Main Street and Interstate 81, but has since expanded across the Interstate with the addition of The College of Integrated Science and Technology (CISAT), the University Recreation Center (UREC), the College Center Conference/Dining facility, the Leeolou Alumni Center, several residence halls, and athletic fields since the late-1990's. The Physics/Chemistry Building is the most recently added building to the east side of JMU's campus. The university is also home to the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, the only active publicly-oriented arboretum on a Virginia state-supported university campus, to the student run radio station WXJM as well as National Public Radio station WMRA, and the annual Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (MACRoCk).

Contents

History

The university was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg. In 1914, the name of the university was changed to the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg. Authorization to award bachelor's degrees was granted in 1916. During this initial period of development, the campus plan was established and six buildings were constructed.

Aerial view of campus, 1937
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Aerial view of campus, 1937

The university became the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg in 1924 and continued under that name until 1938, when it was named Madison College in honor of the fourth president of the United States. In 1976 the university's name was changed to James Madison University.

The first president of the university was Julian Ashby Burruss. The university opened its doors to its first student body in 1909 with an enrollment of 209 students and a faculty of 15. Its first 20 graduates received diplomas in 1911.

Dr. Samuel Page Duke became the second president of the university in 1919 upon the resignation of Burruss, who became president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. During Duke's administration, nine major buildings were constructed.

In 1946 men were first enrolled as regular day students. Dr. G. Tyler Miller became the third president of the university in 1949, following the retirement of Duke. During Miller's administration, from 1949 to 1970, the campus was enlarged by 240 acres (1 km²) and 19 buildings were constructed. Major curriculum changes were made and the university was authorized to grant master's degrees in 1954.

In 1966, by action of the Virginia General Assembly, the university became a coeducational institution. Dr. Ronald E. Carrier, JMU's fourth president, headed the institution from 1971 to 1998. During Carrier's administration, student enrollment and the number of faculty and staff tripled, doctoral programs were authorized, more than 20 major campus buildings were constructed and the university was recognized repeatedly by national publications as one of the finest institutions of its type in America.

In the 2000's, the university continued to expand, not only through new construction east of Interstate 81, but also on the west side of campus. In early 2005, JMU purchased the Rockingham Memorial Hospital building north of the main campus. JMU is expected to occupy the building following the hospital's move to its new location. [link] Additionally, the university has expanded across South High Street with the finalizing of the purchase of the former Harrisonburg High School building after intially leasing it for a year, operating as Memorial Hall. [link]

Academics

James Madison University is comprised of seven colleges and 78 academic programs.

Colleges

On June 24, 2005, the Board of Visitors approved the Madison College Proposal, which created the College of Visual and Performing Arts out of the College of Arts and Letters. The new College of Visual and Performing Arts includes the School of Art and Art History, the School of Music, the School of Theatre and Dance, and the Madison Art Collection.

Administration

James Madison University Logo
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James Madison University Logo

Dr. Linwood H. Rose has been JMU's President since September 1998. He is only the fifth President in the University's long history. Before being named President, Rose served as a member of the institution's administration for 23 years, including service as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Presidents of JMU

JMU and Harrisonburg

JMU has recently experienced a sour relationship with the residents of surrounding Harrisonburg. The University’s rapid expansion has created tension in the city-university relationship with issues such as growth planning. [link] The Board of Visitors recently approved the invocation of eminent domain against a neighboring business to make way for the school’s new Performing Arts Center which is slated for groundbreaking in 2007. In the May 2006 city election, incumbent mayor Larry Rogers (who also serves on JMU’s Board of Visitors) lost his bid for reelection at the hands of a disenchanted electorate while other anti-JMU growth candidates won. [link] In the 2005 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Harrisonburg is described as "not embracing the college." JMU has nearly doubled in size the last 20 years [link]. JMU recently purchased the former Harrisonburg High School [link] building and promised to keep some of the important features intact for the benefit of the community.

JMU students are generally regarded by Harrisonburg residents as "snobby." This reputation is occasionally reinforced by students, such as in an editorial for the school's student-run newspaper, The Breeze, which stated that, "Wal-Mart didn’t build two SuperCenters within a five-mile radius of the Quad for the farmers and the mountain people." [link]

Athletics

Duke Dog Athletics Identity.
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Duke Dog Athletics Identity.

James Madison University's athletic teams use the name "Dukes" in competition, with the Duke Dog, a gray bulldog dressed in a purple cape and crown, as the school's mascot. "Dukes" is in honor of Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. Madison competes in the NCAA's Division I, (Division I-AA for football), the Colonial Athletic Association, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and the Atlantic 10 Conference for football. Students compete in football, basketball, soccer, swimming, diving, archery, fencing, gymnastics, women's volleyball, wrestling, baseball, women's lacrosse, field hockey, track and field, and softball. JMU Football won their first NCAA Division 1-AA National title in 2004. [link]

Notable alumni

School of Music

The JMU Brass Band is one of only a few collegiate brass bands in the United States. Formed in the Fall of 2000, the band has twice been named the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Honors Section Champion (2004, 2005) and is currently the 2006 NABBA Champion Section Runner-up [link]. The group maintains an active performance schedule throughout the academic year, performing regularly both on and off campus. Most recently, the band was a featured ensemble at the 2004 Virginia Music Educators Conference in Norfolk, Virginia and the 2006 Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, Kentucky. The ensemble has been host to a number of guest artists including euphonium virtuoso Steven Mead, YBS Band solo horn Sheona White and trumpet soloists Vince DiMartino and Allen Vizzutti. The band has also worked with prominent brass band conductors Stephen Bulla, James Curnow and Douglas Yeo.

The JMU Jazz Ensemble is one of only a handful of college groups to be invited to the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

The School of Music became an All-Steinway School in 2005. [link]

The School of Music is also home to seven distinguished a cappella groups. The student-run groups have garnered numerous awards and frequently travel to universities and competitions throughout the United States. The a cappella groups at JMU include Exit 245, The Madison Project, The Bluestones, Noteoriety, N2Hymn, The Overtones and Low Key.

External links

 

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