Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this week, I attended service recognition ceremonies, held to honor JMU faculty and staff for their years of service to the university. Within Academic Affairs, 275 faculty and staff were recognized, and I appreciate being able to celebrate not just years of service, but the relationships and accomplishments made possible by the people we were celebrating. Thank you all for helping create a place where students, and all of us, learn, grow and succeed.

Please keep reading for a sample of the good works being done by your colleagues.

• Faculty in the College of Education are advancing educator development by focusing on strategies that foster rich classroom discourse and innovative science learning at the K-12 and university levels. Dr. Jim Bywater, associate professor; Dr. Joi Merritt, professor and AUH for Early, Elementary and Reading Education; and Dr. Alexis Rutt, assistant professor, received a $400,000 grant for their project Co-Designing Science Teaching Simulations to Support Pre-Service Teacher Talk Moves. This three-year Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) project is designed to strengthen the development of teacher “talk moves.” The approach involves asking purposeful questions or using specific verbal strategies to better engage students in science education.
  
  
• Dr. Christina Kilby, Associate Professor of Religion and Executive Director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, has published her first monograph. Buddhism and Displacement: An Analysis at the Intersection of Religion, Humanitarianism and Law analyzes Buddhist perspectives on the human experience of displacement and on the ethics of resettlement, humanitarian aid and protection for displaced communities. The text provides an account of Buddhism’s contributions to an urgent, global humanitarian challenge and is informed by Dr. Kilby’s experience consulting for the International Committee of the Red Cross on the project Religion and Humanitarian Principles.
  
  
• The Institute of International Education awarded Dr. Jennifer Coffman, professor in the School of Integrated Sciences and Carol Lena Miller, program manager for CISE and INSW, a $494,446 grant as part of The Flagship Language program. The Flagship community is comprised of 19 Flagship programs at 14 institutions of higher education, and seven Overseas Flagship Centers. This grant-funded work will focus on Swahili instruction and the study of human-environment interaction in East Africa.
  
  
• Ohio State University Press published a new book by Dr. Mary Thompson, professor of English and coordinator of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program: Ordinary Abortion: Reproductive Choice in Twenty First Century Women’s Writing. Drawing on American poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir and dystopian writing, Ordinary Abortion examines how ideas about abortion circulate through literature and how literary forms, in turn, shape readers’ understandings of reproduction and politics. 
  
  
• In her role as chair of the JMU Native American and Indigenous Working Group, School of Integrated Sciences professor Dr. Carole Nash was an invited speaker at the 2026 Sovereign Nations of Virginia Conference, themed “Ancestral Wisdom Guides Today's Paths.”  Her presentation, “An Archaeology of Reciprocity,” focused on building relationships based on both mutual sharing and understanding and benefit, while moving beyond extractive research models.  The annual conference, organized by the Rappahannock Indian Tribe, brings together Tribal, state and local leaders; organizational partners; professors; Tribal citizens; and community supporters for a day of education, dialogue and understanding.  This year's meeting featured Senator Tim Kaine and Carly Fiorina, CEO of Colonial Williamsburg and JMU Board of Visitors member.
  
  
• Congratulations go to Dr. Debbie Sturm, professor of Graduate Psychology. She received the 2026 Counseling Vision and Innovation Award from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). The award recognizes faculty for their preparation of future counselors, counselor educators and counseling supervisors. In addition, Dr. Sturm was awarded the 2026 Robert Frank Outstanding Counselor Education Program Award by ACES for the Counseling and Supervision doctoral program. This award honors a counselor education program that exemplifies excellence through standards and innovation.

I look forward to hearing more about what you and your colleagues are working on. Send your accomplishments to provost@jmu.edu.

Sincerely,

Fletcher

Academic Affairs faculty and staff can email to contact the provost directly.

This is an open line of communication allowing faculty and staff to ask questions, but it is not a substitute from the crucial interactions they have with their academic unit head, department head and dean.

Students should contact AcademicQuestions@jmu.edu with questions.