Message from the President

 

 

On Election Day, Virginia voters delivered a clear and emphatic message: Quality public higher education remains a high priority in this state.

 

It was not a great surprise that the voters approved $900.5 million in general obligation bonds for construction, renovation and repairs at higher educational facilities. Polls had indicated voters would approve the referendum.

 

The pleasant surprise, however, was the overwhelmingly majority of victory for the bond issue. Final results showed that 73 percent of the voters - nearly three out of every four people - voted in favor of the bond issue. The high percentage of favorable votes was especially meaningful in a time when the state economy is temporarily sluggish.

 

One must interpret the vote as an unmistakable message that Virginians care deeply about the quality of higher education in this state. Many important issues currently face the Commonwealth but our elected leaders must recognize that the citizens of Virginia have made it abundantly clear that higher education is extremely high on their priority list.

 

Members of the James Madison University Community throughout the state rallied to help educate the public about the bond issue and to push for its passage. My thanks go out to the many people with JMU connections who helped in explaining the importance of the bond issue to higher education in general and JMU in particular.

 

Here in Harrisonburg a group of faculty, administrators and students formed the JMU steering committee for the bond issue and did an outstanding job in educating our campus community on the bonds. Many civic leaders volunteered their time to speak to area clubs and organizations about the bond issue.

 

In all parts of Virginia, alumni and parents of students did their part to promote the importance of the bond issue. Special thanks go out for the leadership role played in this effort by the Alumni Association board, the local alumni chapter officers and the JMU Parents Council.

 

JMU will benefit more from the bond issue than any other college or university in Virginia. That bond issue will provide $99.9 million in funds for new construction, renovation and infrastructure work at JMU - almost 10 percent of the state total.

 

Many Virginia colleges will add facilities through the bond issue to allow additional enrollment. This is not the case at JMU. Our enrollment increased by 3,500 students in the late 1990s and these bond projects will be used to meet the needs of our current student body, not to expand enrollment.

 

At JMU and throughout the rest of the state, the bond projects will be spread out over the next six years. About $250 million in bond projects will be authorized in January with additional projects authorized each year after that.

 

Each college has been asked to update the governor's office on the status of its bond projects. After reviewing the status updates, the governor's staff will determine which projects should receive part of the $250 million in bonds to be sold in January. If a project comes in over budget and exceeds the amount authorized in the bond issue, the college must cover the additional costs.

 

Planning has been virtually completed on the Harrison Hall renovation, which will be the first bond project at JMU. Harrison and its annex will undergo a complete renovation and a 22,205-square-foot addition will be constructed.

 

It is hoped that the project can go out for bids in the spring with construction beginning shortly after the end of spring semester. The project will take about a year and a half to complete.

 

When the $9.7 million renovation is completed, Harrison will house the School of Media Arts and Design, the School of Communication Studies, the Institute for Technical and Scientific Communication, the University Writing Program and the dean's office for the College of Arts and Letters.

 

It has not been determined yet where the offices and classes currently housed in Harrison Hall will be located during the renovation. A decision on these plans will be made shortly.

 

A project to improve the heating systems at JMU is also likely to be one of the first bond projects authorized. This $4 million project will connect JMU's two central heating plants and replace two old boilers in the University Power Plant on the original campus.

 

We could also begin fairly soon on the $1.8 million project to improve handicapped accessibility throughout campus.

 

It is my hope that the two major arts facilities would be next for JMU. These include a $29.8 million Center for the Arts and a $20.9 million Music Recital Hall. In addition to the funds authorized by the bond issue, JMU is raising $5 million in private funds for each project.

 

These projects are essential for the support of our outstanding programs in the arts. The two new buildings will be constructed on Main Street across from the original campus.

 

Other projects authorized by the bond issue include a $19.8 million library for the east campus and a $13.9 million renovation of Miller Hall. Both of these projects will follow the completion of the chemistry-physics building now under construction on the east campus.

 

Linwood H. Rose

President, James Madison University