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August 2005 |
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 ALUMNI NEWS |
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| SIX NEW DIRECTORS ADDED TO ALUMNI BOARD |
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 Elaine Hinsdale |
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Elaine Hinsdale (Class of '85) took the helm of the Board of Directors of the JMU Alumni Association in June, after serving as president-elect for two years. Hinsdale is director of communications for Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Fla., where she won the 2004 NOVA award, the corporation's highest recognition, presented for her efforts in the redesign of the company's Web site. New members of the board in 2005 include Dawn Smith-Barnes ('93), Sean Harrington ('98), Sam Jones ('91), Margot Haliday Knight ('74), Nancy Bowman Lantz ('71) and Jamie Jones Miller ('99). Alumni board members involve alumni and current students in supporting the mission and goals of the University by providing quality, comprehensive programs to support educational, cultural, service and socially diverse opportunities. The Alumni Board of Directors is a corporate board with the responsibility of directing the JMU Alumni Association. Board members include: 12 at-large members; an executive committee including a president, president-elect, past president and executive director; and a representative from the JMU Student Ambassadors, the student alumni association. The board represents the interests of all Madison graduates by reviewing and setting the strategy for the association. All active members of the Alumni Association are eligible to serve as directors.  |
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| IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL |
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| Disneyland marked the 50th anniversary of its official opening July 18, and among the celebrants on the special day were JMU alumni who are also alumni of Disney college bands. Six former Dukes flew or drove to California to participate in the All-American College Band Reunion at Disneyland and to play a special set in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Greeting them, in addition to Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, et al., was fellow Duke, Bethany Joy Diehl, a 2003 JMU graduate who now works as a stage manager in Guest Talent Programs for Disneyland Entertainment; Diehl reports that a rousing round of the JMU Fight Song was sung when the Dukes banded together. College students compete in auditions to be in Disney's All-American College Band, and those who make the cut spend a summer performing in one of Disney's theme parks and studying under well-known clinicians. The Marching Royal Dukes' own director, Dr. J. Patrick Rooney, was once the All-American College Band leader at DisneyWorld in Florida . |
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Brett Dodson ('04), Kevin Tyser ('99), William Brockmann (attended JMU 1999 and 2001), Renee Kingan ('97), Michael DiIorio ('95, '00), Kristyn Snyder Woldow ('94) and Disneyland employee Bethany Joy Diehl ('03) . |
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MADISON-STYLE SONATAS TO FILL KENNEDY CENTER HALL |
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The JMU School of Music will present September Sonatas Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The program will feature JMU faculty Wanchi Huang on violin and Gabriel Dobner on piano. A special highlight of the concert will be the world premiere of Rant , written by faculty composer Jason Haney, to be performed by Huang. Tickets are $25 for the 7:30 p.m. concert, or $50 for the performance plus a 6 p.m. reception with hors d'oeuvres and open bar just across the street at the Watergate Hotel. For tickets and information, call the JMU Alumni Association at 888-JMU-ALUM. Reservations are required by Sept. 19. |
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Jason Haney, Wanchi Huang, Gabriel Dobner |
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BUSH'S PERSONNEL DIRECTOR
President George W. Bush announced July 18 that he has named JMU alumna Liza Wright as assistant to the president for presidential personnel. Since 2003, Wright, who earned her bachelor's degree at JMU, has served as special assistant to the president for presidential personnel. During her tenure, she has been responsible for making recommendations to the president for key positions throughout the departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, Commerce, Transportation and many other regulatory agencies. "Liza Wright has been a trusted member of my team, helping to fill key positions throughout my administration," said President Bush in a White House statement. "She has a keen sense of judgment and a great ability to recognize and find talented individuals to serve the American people. I appreciate her continued service." Prior to joining the administration, Wright was a principal at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search company. Earlier in her career, Wright was an executive recruiter at Capital One Financial Corp.
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SEPT. 17 GOLF TOURNEY FUNDS SCHOLARSHIP HONORING ALUMNUS KILLED IN WTC
The Craig Blass Memorial Golf Tournament, open to all JMU alumni, friends and families, takes place Saturday, Sept. 17, in Chantilly, Va. Tournament proceeds will go directly to benefit the Craig Blass Memorial Scholarship at JMU. Visit the tournament Web site at http://www.collegetransit.com/blass/event.html. Blass attended Madison in 1992-96, where he was an active member of Theta Chi fraternity and an avid athlete. After graduating with a finance degree, he returned to New York to pursue his dream of being a stock trader at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center, where he was tragically killed Sept. 11, 2001. The Craig Blass Memorial Scholarship was founded in November 2001 by his friends to honor his memory. Thanks to the efforts of his family, friends, JMU alumni and other caring individuals, more than $90,000 has been raised for the scholarship. |
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SAVE THE DATE
Alumni, mark your calendars: Homecoming Weekend is Oct. 28-30.
Register online and see others who will be attending Homecoming 2005.
And, here are a few other events slated for the fall semester:
Aug. 6: Richmond Chapter Crab Fest
Sept. 3: Open House, Robert & Frances Plecker Athletic Center
Sept. 16-17: Alumni Board of Directors meets
Sept. 17: Founders Society reception
Sept. 24: Metro DC Crab Fest at Fort Belvoir's Castle Park
Sept. 28: School of Music Performance at Kennedy Center
Oct. 7-8: Parents Council meets
Oct. 7-9: Family Weekend
Oct. 20: Greater Madison Fall Banquet
Oct. 28: Homecoming Reception & Gala
Oct. 29: Dedication of Chemistry-Physics Building (A3A).
And for information on away-game tailgating and golf tourneys this fall, see the story in Athletics News below. |
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| UNIVERSITY NEWS |
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JMU SCHOLARS DRAW $21 MILLION IN GRANTS
JMU faculty and staff acquired more than $21 million in external funding for 2004-05 for curriculum development, laboratory enhancement, instrumentation purchases, and scholarly and creative endeavors. Grants were awarded from such diverse public and private agencies as NASA Langley Research Center, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Department for the Aging, National Science Foundation, ESPN, Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Dreyfus Foundation, DuPont Crop Protection, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and U.S. Small Business Administration. External funding allows students to attain a quality education working with faculty mentors on challenging projects, and provides faculty with state-of-the-art technology for instructional innovation and excellence in teaching. Topping $21 million for the second year, the amount caps 11 consecutive years of growth in external funding at JMU. You may view a copy of Sponsored Programs' July 2005 newsletter, which includes a complete listing of external funding at JMU in FY 2005 (pgs. 3-8). |
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HISTORICAL HARRISON HALL'S MAKEOVER DONE
People, equipment and furniture from four academic areas moved into Harrison Hall and its annex in July after a two-year renovation project to enlarge and modernize the structure, which dates to 1915. Originally named Students' Building and home to a combination dining hall/auditorium, kitchen and campus post office, Harrison Hall now accommodates students, faculty and staff from the schools of Communication Studies and Media Arts and Design, the Institute of Technical and Scientific Communication and the Writing Program, as well as the dean's office of the College of Arts and Letters. The major renovation includes 23,000 square feet of new space bringing the building's total space to 81,226 square feet. Funded as part of monies approved by Virginia voters in the 2002 higher-education bond referendum, the Harrison project received a $9.7 million appropriation. The renovated building includes two auditorium-style classrooms with capacities for 159 and 166 people. Seventeen smaller classrooms, some with seating for 22 students and some for 36, and seven computer labs are also now in Harrison. The increased square footage was achieved by building new "bump-out" offices for faculty on the sides and south end of the Harrison Annex. The link between the main building and the annex also is new. Harrison is registered as a historical building and its character was maintained through numerous design reviews with the state historical department. The shell and all of the structure of Harrison Hall remains the same, but was brought up to code with air conditioning, new electrical service, sprinklers and other life-safety systems, new plumbing and some new interior walls and paint added. Some old details are retained now in interior walls; arches and bluestone blocks that were part of the original building's exterior are now architectural accents in renovated interior walls. One incomplete area is the television studio and control room, which will not be ready until spring 2006. Until then, television production will continue in the WVPT-TV studio. Among the "finds" during the renovations: Workers uncovered an arched window and a fireplace from the original construction that had been blocked during subsequent renovations. Pictures of Harrison, past and present, may be viewed here. Pictures of the Harrison Renovation |
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HERE COMES THE CLASS OF 2009
A new fall semester at James Madison begins Aug. 29 — a date that, for 3,000-plus Madison freshmen and their parents, marks the transitional turning point from home-bound high-schooler to campus-dwelling college student. As part of a process of easing both student and parent through this period of change, each summer the JMU Parents Council and the Parent Relations Office hold a series of Freshman Send-Off picnics to welcome to the fold the newest members of the Madison family. The picnics are held in or near the soon-to-be students' hometowns, allowing the freshmen to meet others from their areas who also are heading to JMU in the fall. It's also a chance for parents and students to ask last-minute questions of staff as well as current JMU students and parents attending the picnics. This summer, for instance, in late July and in August there are picnics for Virginians in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Tidewater, Richmond, Fairfax and Prince William counties, and for out-of-staters, in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania/northern Maryland, Columbia, Md., and Medfield, Mass. A picnic will be held this year in Harrisonburg (Aug. 18). For more information, go to the Web site at Freshman Parents, or call the Parent Relations Office at (540) 568-3193. |
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Freshman Picnic in Roanoke. |
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| ATHLETICS NEWS |
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DUKES TO OPEN BASKETBALL SEASON HOSTING HOYAS
Games with Atlantic Coast and Big East conference members Virginia Tech and Georgetown are among 14 home contests on the 2005-06 men's basketball schedule announced July 22. The Dukes, who will be competing during the upcoming season for the second year under coach Dean Keener, will play 27 regular-season games, including their most at home since playing 14 in 2000-01. They have 11 games scheduled on opponents' courts and will play two games in a holiday tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas. JMU will play 18 Colonial Athletic Association games and nine non-conference contests. In addition to hosting Georgetown for the first time and Virginia Tech for the first time since 1989-90, JMU will play non-conference home games against Atlantic 10 Conference member La Salle, Southern Conference member Appalachian State and Big South Conference member Virginia Military Institute. To view the complete schedule, visit JMU Sports - Men's Basketball.  |
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EAST CAROLINA ASSISTANT IS NEW DUKES' SWIMMING COACH
Chris Feaster, formerly an assistant coach at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. , was named the men's swimming head coach at JMU July 12. "JMU has always had a rich tradition of winning in the Colonial Athletic Association, and I'm excited to bring my energy to this program," said Feaster, a native of Jupiter, Fla., who spent six seasons at East Carolina as the top assistant. The ECU Pirates' men's team set school records in 11 of 14 events and the women's team set school marks in 14 of 14 events. Feaster began his coaching career at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., where the Monarchs compiled a 12-0 dual-meet record in 1998 and won the CAA men's title; he also competed for two seasons at ODU and coached the CAA women's swimmer of the year for three straight seasons. Feaster, the sixth coach in the JMU men's swimming program's 33-year history, earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and his master's in education and sports management. |
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THREE FOOTBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO
ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Three JMU football players are included on preseason All-America teams recently named by the news service I-AA.org. Junior offensive tackle Corey Davis of Hampton, Va., and sophomore free safety Tony LeZotte of Augusta, Ga., were first-team selections, and senior offensive guard Matt Magerko of Farnham, Va., was a second-team choice. All three were leading performers on JMU's 2004 team that won the NCAA Division I-AA championship. JMU is among only three teams with two first-team choices and among only eight teams with as many as three overall honorees. JMU's three selections are among 15 honorees from the Atlantic 10, the most of any conference. The Dukes open their 2005 schedule Sept. 3 in a 6 p.m. home game with Lock Haven. |
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GRADUATED GOLFERS NAMED TO SCHOLAR TEAMS
The National Golf Coaches Association Division I All-American Scholar Teams announced July 13 included two graduated JMU golfers, Meg Davies of Roanoke, Va., and Carol Green of Tazewell, Va. Davies and Green helped anchor the Dukes in their senior season as co-captains, leading the squad to their first NCAA tournament berth in school history. Davies graduated with honors in May with a degree in business administration. Green, a public administration major, transitioned into the assistant coach role for the Dukes following her graduation. A total of 199 women's collegiate golfers were recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent of all college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.5 and student-athletes must have competed in at least 66 percent of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year. |
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NETTERS ACE ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM FOR THIRD YEAR
For the third consecutive year, the men's and women's tennis teams were awarded All-Academic Team status by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, a designation open to any ITA program with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.2 or above (on a 4.0 scale). Ten Dukes earned scholar-athlete status for the second straight year. On the women's team, senior Rebecca Vanderelst and junior Ashley Reyher were named scholar athletes for the third consecutive year; first-time recipients were senior Shell Grover, junior Kristin Nordstrom and sophomore Catherine Phillips. On the men's team, junior Bob Allensworth received his third consecutive scholar-athlete award; juniors Michael McGettigan and John Snead, and sophomore Don Davidson earned their second awards, while sophomore Brian Clay earned his first career award. With 10 scholar-athletes, JMU tied five other schools — Arkansas-Little Rock, Georgetown, Western Michigan, Xavier and Yale — for most scholar-athletes nationally. |
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AWAY-GAME TAILGATE, GOLF EVENTS PLANNED
JMU's Duke Club and Alumni Association are co-sponsoring away-game football tailgates and golf tournaments at the following venues:
- Sept. 9 – Golf tournament at Wild Wing Plantation in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
- Sept. 10 – JMU at Coastal Carolina, Pregame Tailgate
- Oct. 1 – JMU at Hofstra, Pregame Tailgate
- Oct. 22 – JMU at Delaware, Pregame Tailgate (2004 vs. 2003 National Champions)
- Nov. 4 – Hampton Roads Duke Club Golf Tournament at Williamsburg National
- Nov. 5 – JMU at William & Mary, Pregame Tailgate
Check the Duke Club Web site for updates on tailgate events and golf outings. To register for a tailgate, contact the JMU Ticket Office at (540)568-DUKE.
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NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS:
By subscribing to this online publication and providing James Madison University with your e-mail address, it is understood that you are directing the University NOT to share your e-mail address with any parties outside the University community.
To unsubscribe from this publication, send an e-mail to: listserv@kookaburra.jmu.edu and type the words – signoff Alumni-L – in the body of the e-mail.
To update or change your e-mail address, go to "e-news" in the left-hand column of the JMU Alumni Association Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/alumni/newsletter/index.html (alumni) or send an e-mail to matthess@jmu.edu (non-alumni).
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Pop Quiz for Alumni
This is a test for Madison alumni: Why is this newsletter called "Brightening the Lights"? OK, here's a hint: Did you sing it or just hum along with the Marching Royal Dukes? The name derives (is lifted, borrowed, stolen) from the "JMU Fight Song."
Here are the words if you never learned them as a student:
Madison, James Madison
We are the Dukes of J-M-U
Madison, James Madison
We are the Dukes of J-M-U
fight for glory, honors won
Brighten the lights of Madison
Madison, James Madison
Show your colors, proud and true
We are the Dukes of J-M-U.
You can hear - and now sing along with - JMU's renowned marching band at JMU Fight Song.
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Meghan Bell (Class of '08) jumped in on her first day on 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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Brochure Series
Here are a few questions you likely don't think about every day: Do the arrangements in your will still match your desires and needs? Have you reviewed your will in the past two years? Have you moved and is your will valid in the state where you reside? Do you even have a will? Perhaps you've heard about living trusts. Have you considered a living trust as a part of your financial and estate plans?
Did you answer "no" or "not sure" to any of these questions? If so, you're not alone. The good news is James Madison University can help – with a new series of complimentary brochures filled with information to help you better think about such things as wills and other financial and estate-planning topics.
To request this brochure series, contact Ted Sudol in University Advancement by email at sudotj@jmu.edu or call him at (540)568-1776 or toll free at (800)296-6162. Or, go to the Web at Gift Planning |
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| Dukes fans can relive the 2004 Division I-AA National Football Championship season again and again via the Football National Champions DVD. How do you get a copy? If you join the JMU Duke Club at the Purple Club level or higher, or, if you purchase 2005 season tickets, you'll receive a complimentary DVD in the mail. Go to the Web at JMU Sports Media. |
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