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July 2005 |
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 ALUMNI NEWS
MADISON MUSIC TO FILL KENNEDY CENTER CONCERT HALLS IN 2005-06
The musical bright lights of Madison will shine on the Potomac in the nation's capital in the next academic year. Faculty from JMU's School of Music will give a series of three concerts at the Kennedy Center, the Washington, D.C., site
of performances by many of the nation's greatest artists. The first concert, a
duet by Associate Professor Wanchi Huang on violin and Assistant Professor Gabriel Dobner on piano, will be a gala event that will feature the world premiere of a work by faculty composer Jason Haney and an official announcement by JMU President Linwood H. Rose of a major gift to JMU and the School of Music. Attendees may also view the plans for JMU's new performing arts center. A special reception for alumni and friends in attendance is being planned. Two additional Madison concerts will take place
in spring 2006 at the Kennedy Center, Feb. 1 and March 15. Tickets will be available through the Kennedy Center. Look for details in coming months of this exciting series in "Brightening the Lights of Madison," the JMU Web and Madison magazine.  |
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MAGAZINE MAKEOVER: NEW UNIVERSITY PUB HITS STANDS SOON
Montpelier, JMU's popular University magazine, will be all new this fall.
Reaching back to its roots for a familiar name and ahead to the future with a redesigned and expanded format, the new magazine will be called Madison. In September, Madison will bring it all to you often in your own words (so, if you've got an interesting story to tell, Madison wants to publish it). Look for your redesigned and expanded University magazine, Madison, in September. Here's a small sampling of what's coming in the first issue:
- Can children heal after the devastation of the tsunami? Graduate psychology Professor Anne Stewart writes of her work in Sri Lanka.
- How do great souls express themselves? Foreign languages department Head Giuliana Fazzion offers the answer.
- There's more than one way to start a family. Former Breeze writer and Northern Virginia Daily education and outreach coordinator Donna Dunn ('94) shares hers.
- The obesity epidemic has reached the Sesame Street crowd. Author and registered dietitian Lisa Tartamella Kimmel ('94) offers parents prevention how-to's.
- What's My Madison all about? Elizabeth Rudd ('58) writes of the friendship that has bonded the Class of 1958's dining hall nine for almost 50 years.
- Plus campus and alumni association news updates and features.
The redesign is the magazine's first since it changed from tabloid to magazine format in 1997. The magazine has implemented many changes since then, and has outgrown its original design. The staff includes editor Pam Brock, assistant editor Michelle Hite (Class of '88), art director Bill Thompson and several student interns. The Division of University Advancement's Communications and Marketing department publishes the magazine. |
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AND...IT PAYS TO READ JMU'S MAGAZINE
Eleven readers won prizes for updating their Madison profiles through a promotion in the winter issue of Montpelier. Prize winners are:
Set of two 2005 football season tickets Mindy Aitken Green (Class of 94) of Arlington
Collection of JMU football NCAA Division I-AA Championship merchandise
Jennifer Butt (02) of Ruckersville
Collection of JMU football NCAA Division I-AA Championship merchandise
Marybeth Murphy Connolly (89M) of Hudson, Ohio
JMU Football National Championship poster, signed by Coach Mickey Matthews and players
David Laun (99) of Fairfax
One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook, signed by the author, Carole Baldwin ('81)
Mary-Ellen Cross (86) of Alachua, Fla.
Encyclopedia of Presidential Campaigns, Slogans, Issues, and Platforms, signed by the authors, JMU political science professors Bob Roberts and Scott Hammond
Sherry E. Parker (07P) of Bel Air, Md.
Hall of Mirrors: Power, Witchcraft, and Caste in Colonial Mexico, signed by the author, JMU anthropology Associate Professor Laura A. Lewis Ronald Wilmer (80) of Verona
The Bachelorette Party, signed by the author, Karen Lutz (88) Johanna Hopkins (91) of Hillsboro, Ore.
Furious Flower 2005 conference poster
J. David Black (85) of Winchester
Furious Flower: African American Poetry from the Black Arts Movement to the Present, signed by the author, JMU English professor Joanne Gabbin
Deborah Miller Knachel (87) of Richmond
I Bet She Called Me Sugar Plum, signed by the author, JMU English Professor Joanne Gabbin Maureen McGovern McCuen (93) of Paris, Texas.
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UPCOMING ALUMNI CHAPTER EVENTS
Metro D.C. Dukes: Alumni in Northern Virginia can learn to be the best networker you can be Wednesday, July 13, at a networking luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. at Jammin' Java in Vienna. Gary Golman, a leading expert in the field of memory development, will share his techniques for developing instant-recall memory that has helped thousands of professionals, executives, students and educators. Registration and event details are available online at http://www.jmuapn.com/calendarevents.html.
Richmond Chapter: Crab Fest, Aug. 6, contact Doug Krohn at RichmondChpt@alumni.jmu.edu, or visit the website, Richmond Dukes. Metro D.C. Dukes: Crab Fest at Fort Belvoir's Castle Park, Sept. 24, noon to dusk, MetroDukes.
For more detailed information on the listed events, call the JMU Office of Alumni Relations, toll free, at 1-888-JMU-ALUM.
For a complete listing of regional alumni chapters/clubs and their activities, visit the Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/alumni chapters. |
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| HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? |
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| Want to know what will be going on at JMU in the next year, especially those events that focus on alumni? Check out the Alumni Calendar. |
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| UNIVERSITY NEWS |
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BOARD OF VISITORS OKS 2005-06 BUDGET, NEW ARTS COLLEGE
During their regular quarterly meeting June 24, JMU's Board of Visitors approved a $296.2 million operating budget for 2005-06 for the University. The new budget represents a 10.2 percent, or $27.3 million, increase over the 2004-05 budget of $268.9 million.
The largest portion of the budget, $158 million, will go for educational and general programs, those directly or indirectly involving academic programs. Another $99 million will go toward auxiliary enterprises, the self-supported functions that provide a variety of services for students.
The board also approved the naming of the new College of Visual and Performing Arts, which will be comprised of the School of Art and Art History, the School of Music, the School of Theatre and Dance and the Madison Art Collection. The board also passed a resolution directing the University to pursue acquisition of properties vital to the development of the University's planned center for the performing arts.
President Linwood H. Rose reported to the board that Madison had met all management standards for solid financial practices, proper audits, correct financial reporting standards and attainment of standards for accounts receivable and accounts payable established for state colleges and universities. |
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MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION PROJECT WITH JMU
In a June 28 press release, the Microsoft corporation announced a collaboration with James Madison University for "promoting educational excellence and preparing knowledgeable, skilled and caring teachers who are devoted to helping all children succeed," as well as grants to 11 institutions to enhance education through technology.
The JMU project, with the United Nations Association of the United States of America, will implement a rigorous and self-sustaining program of performance certification relative to the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers among pre-K-12 teachers across Virginia. The joint effort with UNA-USA will launch a cutting-edge, interactive Web site for the organization's groundbreaking Global Classrooms program, which brings the Model United Nations experience to urban U.S. public schools, according to the press release.
"With Microsoft's generous support, JMU plans to grow a vibrant and dynamic virtual community of professional educators for promoting educational excellence and preparing knowledgeable, skilled and caring teachers who are devoted to helping all children succeed," said Phil Wishon, dean of JMU's College of Education.
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BUSH MENTIONS MADISON'S BIODIESEL RESEARCH PROGRAMS IN SPEECH
President George W. Bush, in a speech on alternative fuels delivered May 16 at the Virginia BioDiesel Refinery in West Point, Va., included James Madison University and its use of biodiesel in his remarks.
The section of the speech that notes JMU:
"...More Americans are realizing the benefits of biodiesel every year. In 1999, biodiesel producers sold about 500,000 gallons of fuel for the year. Last year, biodiesel sales totaled 30 million gallons. That's a sixtyfold increase in five years. (Applause.) More than 500 operators of major vehicle fleets now use biodiesel, including the Department of Defense and the National Park Service and James Madison University. The County of Arlington, Virginia, has converted its fleet of school buses to biodiesel. And Harrisonburg is using biodiesel in its city transit buses. ..."
The complete text of the president's speech is available on the White House Web site at The White House. |
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LOW-PACED SUMMER? NOT FOR MANY ON
JMU'S CAMPUS
Think that JMU slows down in the summer? Well, compared to the fall and spring semesters, when the campus has a full contigent of faculty, students and staff going full throttle, the campus does operate on at a slower pace during the dog days. But there is still a multitude of activities on campus and summer programs are reaching out to citizens and communities well beyond the Quad. Here's a sampling:
The only university named for the "Father of the U.S. Constitution" is bringing to JMU's campus this summer schoolteachers from throughout Virginia and around the country for the professional development program, "We the People." The weeklong, intensive seminars prepare teachers to deliver in-depth lessons on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to their students. The first group of teachers, 30 individuals from across the United States, participated June 20-28 in the "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Elementary Institute I." Their program included activities such as a field trip to Montpelier, the Orange County, Va., historic home of James and Dolley Madison. The fifth annual Virginia Summer Institute will be held July 16-22 on the JMU campus, with classes on the U.S. Constitution, lesson demonstrations and simulated Congressional hearings. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/wtp/state/index.shtml.
The Summer Art Education Program held classes in JMU's Studio Center for three age groups of local children 6-to-8, 9-to-12 and grades seven and eight in June. Under the guidance of certified art educators, children studied Greece, "Mother Earth," ancient civilizations, mask making, wearable dress and jewelry, mosaics, printmaking, painting, found-object art, mixed-media painting or art from the Americas, acrylic painting, paper making and watercolor.
Camp Jumpstart, a summer camp designed to help improve the academic skills of students entering grades six through nine who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, will be held over two weeks in August in the Health and Human Services Building at JMU. The annual camp is hosted by JMU's Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center. Children learn note-taking, test-taking, study techniques and organization to give them a "jumpstart" on the coming school year. "The impairments associated with ADHD create serious problems socially and academically and have an impact upon both adolescent functioning and later adult success," said camp Director Sheryle Moore.
The Furious Flower Poetry Center will hold a free, three-day, poetry workshop for disadvantaged children, ages 9-12, in early August in Warren Hall. Local children will learn to read, write and perform poetry with literacy and poetry experts. Children will be exposed to ethnically diverse poetry and will have an opportunity to translate their personal experiences and interests into poems and performance in a playful environment. This workshop is made possible through a grant from the Arts Council of the Valley.
The School of Theatre and Dance once again offered a delightful summer season of three plays for local community children in Theatre II. This year JMU's Children's Playshop performed "Pinocchio," "Androcles and the Lion," and concludes the season with "The Princess and the Pea," July 14-24.
A five-week, international program for top-level, landmine-action program staff began June 20 and continues through July 22 at James Madison University. Hosted by the Mine Action Information Center at JMU, the second annual Senior Managers Course, is designed to combine the best theoretical approaches in the study of management with real-life case studies and scenarios in mine action. It is sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme. This year's class is comprised of 25 selected participants, drawn from various mine-action programs worldwide, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. The attendees will learn about mine-action programs around the world and new techniques and technologies for ridding the world of dangerous landmines. |
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| MOVING-IN DAYS FOR SCIENTISTS |
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| Classrooms and laboratories are in use and offices are getting organized in the new Physics and Chemistry Building on JMU's East Campus. The two departments began moving from Miller Hall the week after May graduation, and while there's still work to do, the shift has gone pretty well, said Dr. Donna Amenta, head of the chemistry department. Amenta said it could be sometime in the fall before all of the department's instruments are fully functioning again, but teachers already are getting settled into their new offices and students are doing research in the new labs. Dr. Steve Whisnant, head of the physics department, also said the move has gone well, although there is still some "sorting and stocking" to be done. "The stock room looks like chaos," he said. A building dedication ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Homecoming weekend, Saturday, Oct. 29. More photos and floor plans of the new building are available at the Web sites for Chemistry and Physics. Chemistry and physics are not the only departments on the move this summer. The School of Media Arts and Design, the School of Communication Studies, the Institute of Technical and Scientific Communication, the Writing Program and the dean's office for the College of Arts and Letters will be moving into the newly renovated Harrison Hall in mid-July. |
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JMU JobLink SIMPLIFIES JOB SEEKING AT JMU
Human Resources rolled out its new Web-based employment application system, JMUJobLink, July 1 for staff, faculty and students. Using JMUJobLink, applicants will be able to apply for positions online from any computer with Internet access. Once a job applicant creates a userID and password, he or she can manage applications to apply for a specific job or multiple jobs. Applicants will no longer be required to recreate the application each time a new position becomes available, said Yohna Cone, director of Human Resources. Instead, applicants will be able to customize their applications when applying for specific positions. Cone said applicants will also be able to check the status of their job applications.The JMUJobLink site is located at Joblink. |
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| ATHLETICS NEWS |
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CAA TO SPONSOR I-AA FOOTBALL IN
2007 SEASON
President Linwood H. Rose told JMU's Board of Visitors June 24 that the CAA will sponsor Division I-AA football in the 2007 season. Members of the new conference will include the current 12 members of the Atlantic-10 Football Conference. Those 12 teams will continue their affiliation with the A-10 through the 2006 season.  |
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GRAD STUDENT NAMED TO ACADEMIC
ALL-AMERICA TEAM
JMU's Kelly Baker of Fayetteville, Pa., was named to the 2005 Academic All-America Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Second Team. A graduate student in technical and scientific communication, Baker graduated summa cum laude from JMU in May 2004. She currently has a graduate grade-point average of 3.8, and her undergraduate GPA as a modern foreign languages major was 3.976. Baker is the 20th JMU athlete to receive the prestigious Academic All-America award since 1974. She is only the second women's track and field athlete to win the honor, following Laurie Johnson, who was chosen in 1988. Fifteen athletes were named to the first, second team and third teams. Baker is a four-time Academic All-District honoree and the first athlete in school history to receive that award four times. She was named to the first team in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and to the second team in 2002. |
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RIGHT ON TARGET: MADISON ARCHER TAKES GOLD
JMU archer Braden Gellenthien helped lead Team USA to a compound-bow gold medal at the 43rd Archery World Outdoor Championships June 26 in Madrid, Spain. Gellenthien, a rising sophomore, teamed with fellow Americans Dave Cousins, Kevin Polish and Dee Wilde to take home top honors. On its way to victory Team USA outshot Finland 261-246, Mexico 260-252, Denmark 253-250 and Norway 251-226 in the final. In the individual mens compound competition, Gellenthien finished 13th overall, but took top honors for the United States in the individual mens compound competition, with Cousins finishing 21st, Polish 23rd and Wilde 34th. The U.S. mens compound team was the only team to win gold for the United States. |
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JMU'S SHORE NAMED TO WOMEN'S LACROSSE NATIONAL HONOR ROLL
James Madison lacrosse player Natalie Shore of Elkins Park, Pa., has been named to the 2005 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association National Honor Roll. Shore was among 152 student-athletes honored. Eligible athletes are juniors and seniors who achieved a grade-point average of at least 3.2 for the 2005 spring semester. Shore completed her senior season in 2005. She majored in interdisciplinary liberal studies with a minor in middle-school education. |
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THREE WOMEN'S GOLFERS NAMED TO ALL-CAA TEAM
The James Madison University women's golf team placed multiple players on the All-CAA team for the third consecutive year. Senior Carol Green was named a first team performer for the third time in the school's three years in the conference. Sophomore Kiley Bishop, who helped lead JMU to its third consecutive CAA crown and first NCAA bid by winning the 2005 individual title, was the squad's other first team selection. Earning a second team selection was sophomore Diana Meza. Head coach Paul Gooden was named CAA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Dukes to their third straight CAA title. |
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| Take a look at JMU's new Plecker Athletic Performance Center. The $9.8 million facility houses an academic support area for all student-athletes, a sports medicine complex, a strength training area, a new football locker room, meeting rooms and coaches' offices. |
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MADISON HEADLINERS
From: National Geographic News
June 8, 2005
"What makes Priscilla's Homecoming so special, and likely not to be repeated, is that Thomalind can trace her ancestry literally from the day the slave ship left Sierra Leone on April 9, 1756, to the present moment," said Joseph Opala, a historian at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. "We're dealing with a 249-year paper trail."
That paper trail includes correspondence, a ship log, financial accounts, and plantation records.
"For an African-American family to have all of these records forming an unbroken chain is probably unique," said Opala, who is working on a documentary about Priscilla's story. "It's like lightning striking twice in the same place."The link to the full article, "Slave Girl's Story Revealed Through Rare Records," by Hillary Mayell, is at: National Geographic.
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PUTTING YOUR PRIDE
WHERE IT COUNTS
Virginians can support JMU students by purchasing a state JMU license plate. Of the $25 annual fee for the tag, $15 is transferred to JMU for scholarships. Last year, $28,035 was generated for legacy scholarships. The new commemorative JMU Seal plate is available. Plant one on your car bumper today. |
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Meghan Bell (Class of '08) jumped in on her first dayon campus to support the license plate scholarship program. Bell is a Legacy Scholarship winner and daughter of Paul ('83) and Lisa Peters Bell ('84). The Centennial Duke will graduate in 2008, when JMU turns 100.
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Lucille Jones Smead ('28) drew the winners' names while celebrating her 77th class reunion during Reunion Weekend's Madison Confessionals on April 22.
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FROM MADISON SCHOLAR
PROF ASKS, ANSWERS: IS IT RAPE?
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James Madison's new online research magazine, Madison Scholar, featured in June a study by psychology Professor Arnold S. Kahn that explains why more than half of all women who are sexually assaulted don't report it to law enforcement officials. When a crime occurs, the victim is usually immediately aware of it. This isn't always true, however, when rape is the crime. More than half of all women who are sexually assaulted don't recognize that they've been victimized and, therefore, don't report the crime. Dr. Kahn, together with his colleagues and students, has spent the past 15 years examining what determines whether a woman labels her sexual assault experience as rape, and he recently completed an exhaustive study that provides new insight into what is, unfortunately, an old problem with roots in misguided and antiquated notions of sex, relationships and criminal behavior. To read the complete story and past research stories, go to the Madison Scholar Web site at Madison Scholar.
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JMU has already set a record for season ticket sales. Football fans who haven't yet ordered their tickets for the 2005 season of the I-AA National Champion Dukes may do so at the Web site at Football Tickets.
The 2005 schedule is available at 2005 Football Schedule. |
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