JMU President Linwood Rose (left) and U.Va. President John Casteen at Madison Day.

James Madison University observed the 256th anniversary of James Madison's birth with lectures by guest scholars John T. Casteen III and David Robarge, a debate tournament for the coveted Madison Cup and other special events March 13-17. The activities commemorated the March 16, 1751, birth of Madison and celebrated JMU's association with Madison and the enormous contributions he made to our society. University of Virginia President Casteen delivered the annual Madison Address, "Liberty and Learning: The Shared Passions of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson," during the March 14 Madison Day program in which student and faculty awards were presented. "JMU does what it's namesake would want," Casteen said. "It builds strong human minds to protect human freedom."

Dr. David Robarge, a historian with the Central Intelligence Agency, presented "Secret Revolution: Intelligence and the American War for Independence," a lecture sponsored by the James Madison Center. Teams representing 18 colleges and universities competed for the Madison Cup, debating the resolution: That our nation needs Affirmative Action now more than ever. JMU President Linwood H. Rose and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Douglas T. Brown presented the trophy to the winning team from Johns Hopkins University. jMubilee, a student-organized festival featuring live music, an illusionist and games, all sponsored by campus and community groups, culminated the week's observance March 17.

President James Madison addresses the gathering Wednesday, March 14 during the annual Madison Day wreath-laying ceremony. President Madison also spoke at the annual Madison Day program in Wilson Hall, where University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III gave the James Madison Lecture. The events signaled the official start of JMU's year-long centennial celebration. To see more photos, click here.

James Madison University began a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary on James Madison Day with a bang — literally. A cannon on the JMU Quadrangle was fired by ROTC cadets on the 99th anniversary of JMU's founding to officially mark the beginning of the celebration. The high point of the celebration will take place next year, on March 14, 2008, when there will be a special Centennial version of the James Madison Day program. It will be held 100 years to the day from the establishment of the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, today's JMU. A number of Centennial features appeared for the first time at this year's Madison Day. Among the items designed especially for the Centennial are six large banners that depict the history of the university in different subject areas, medallions worn in processionals by the president and other key officials, flags which fly in front of Wilson Hall and the ISAT/CS Building and special banners on light poles throughout campus. Special music for the program featured quotes from JMU's five presidents. A Centennial exhibition, "Dressing for Education: JMU in the Founding Years 1909-1929," opened in the historic lobby in the 1939 wing of Carrier Library. The display features photographs, yearbooks and ephemera from the library's Special Collections' JMU Historical Collection and period clothing from the School of Theatre and Dance's Historic Clothing Collection. The exhibition is based on a research project, "Dressing for Education the First Fifty Years: Highlights of the JMU Historic Clothing Collection 1908-1959," by JMU theater Professor Pamela Schuelke Johnson and Sabrina Claire Chapman, a member of the JMU Class of 2005. Details about the Centennial Celebration, along with dozens of fascinating stories from JMU's past, can be found on the official Centennial Web site.

JMU will be considered one of the great universities of this century because of Madison's approach to putting scholarship to work for the good of society, President Linwood H. Rose told scholarship donors and recipients in his remarks at the annual Scholarship Luncheon Wednesday, March 14. " ... the big challenges facing society today — energy, poverty, the environment, health care — will be solved by citizens who have educated minds and innovative spirits as well as compassionate hearts and unrelenting wills," Rose said. "Madison graduates are citizens who care, who embrace a cause and stand behind it, and who understand that the power of knowledge can truly change the world.

"This is the norm at James Madison University," the president said. "I predict that JMU will be the model for other institutions to follow on their journey to become the significant universities of this century. "Your support," Rose told scholarship donors, "ultimately translates into more citizens who will be actively working to find solutions for the big issues facing communities all over the globe.

More than 400 scholarship donors, recipients and Madison friends celebrated scholarship at JMU at the annual Scholarship Luncheon on James Madison Day, Wednesday, March 14. In two years, attendance has more than doubled, underscoring a similar dramatic increase in scholarship giving, says Joanne Carr, senior vice president of University Advancement. Today $700,000 in additional scholarship award money is available because of scholarship gifts given during the Madison Century capital campaign, Carr said. The public phase of that campaign was kicked off exactly one year earlier at the scholarship luncheon.

Ken Bartee ('83), chief executive officer of McDonald Bradley, spoke of the immense value of alumni involvement in JMU. In the luncheon keynote speech, Bartee described his involvement in the College of Business through his chairmanship of the Executive Advisory Council. Council members advise the CoB leadership on curriculum and program innovation, mentor students and support the college financially. As part of the campaign, Bartee announced that he and his wife, Sue, have pledged a $250,000 endowment for faculty support in the College of Business.

Debaters from Johns Hopkins University won the annual James Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizen Forum March 14 and took home the Madison Cup and top prize winnings of $5,000. Teams from 18 universities debated the resolution: That our nation needs Affirmative Action now more than ever. Finals took place in Wilson Hall following the James Madison Day ceremony.

JMU President Linwood H. Rose and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Douglas T. Brown presented the trophy to the Johns Hopkins team. The Madison Cup will reside at Johns Hopkins until next year's James Madison Commemorative Debate. The annual debate is underwritten by John D. VerStandig and M. Belmont VerStandig Inc.

Last year's defending champions, Yale University, won second place and $3,000. The College of William and Mary placed third and won $2,000. Tied for fourth were Towson, Cornell and Brown University; each took home $1,000 in prize money. Also competing were debaters representing Appalachian State, Fordham, George Mason, James Madison, Liberty, Princeton and Wake Forest universities, Kansas City Kansas Community College, and the universities of Mary Washington, Richmond, Vermont and Virginia.

More than 40 World Changers, scholars and other Madison friends made connections, some meeting one another for the first time, at a Be the Change reception after Wednesday's (March 14) James Madison Day Ceremony in Wilson Hall. The event recognized that special something these individuals have in common and the power of the Madison community to Be the Change. "Be the Change" takes its inspiration from James Madison, who exemplified using the power of knowledge to prepare individuals to be educated and enlightened citizens. The endeavor spotlights alumni, professors, students and donors who are making positives changes in the world and the university's encouragement of "world changers."

Several new JMU individuals have joined the company of World Changers at the JMU Be the Change Web page. They are:

• Tom Carr ('84), Technology Alumni Group founder
• Dr. Joann Grayson, psychology professor
• David Grimm ('74), business and community leader
• Debbie Grimm ('74), youth educator
• Mike Hoss ('84), WWL-TV New Orleans news anchor
• Pamela Johnson, associate professor of theatre
• David LaMotte ('90), musician and activist

JMU welcomes nominations for Be the Change. Please go to www.jmu.edu/BeTheChange to find the nominations form and read about JMU's world changers.

In the mail now is the spring issue of Madison, which follows three biology students as they conduct research into the poultry pathogen, Bordetella avium, and their lives outside the lab. The story highlights the rigor and opportunity of JMU's emphasis on undergraduate research, which U.S. News and World Report has recognized as among the best in the country. See these other ways to follow these students' research at JMU: Slideshow; undergraduate research journals; blog.

The Centennial Office at James Madison University has received three MarCom Creative awards for excellent marketing of the university's 2008 Centennial Celebration. The MarCom awards recognize outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals throughout the United States and several foreign countries. Judges from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals considered more than 5,000 entries in 200 categories. JMU was awarded: Gold in the category "writing/feature article" for "Hard Luck Dukes" about JMU's first football game by Fred Hilton, Centennial director, and gold in the category "website/overall site" for the Centennial Web site, which was prepared by Hilton and Debra Long, Centennial assistant director. Hilton and Long also received Honorable Mention in the category "website/homepage" for the Centennial site.

JMU boosted its efforts to reduce petroleum use in January when it started using a 10-percent ethanol blend in all 280 of its gasoline-powered vehicles. Since fall 2003, JMU has been using at least a two-percent biodiesel blend to power its 70-vehicle, diesel-powered fleet, including buses that transport sports teams and other groups. In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush proposed reducing gasoline consumption in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years and urged continued use of and research into biodiesel and ethanol. JMU's department of integrated science and technology is researching both fuels along with other alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power. The university's 280 gasoline-powered vehicles — including police cars, passenger vans, shuttle buses and trucks — use about 100,000 gallons of gasoline a year. A 10-percent decrease would cut that amount to about 90,000 gallons annually.

More than 300 students spent their March 3-11 Spring Break feeding hungry people, tutoring school children, assisting with rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and cleaning up beaches and forest trails. "We experienced incredible interest in this year's Alternative Spring Break," said Lauren Franson, a JMU graduate student working with the program. In addition to the 300 students who are participated in the service trips, another 100 students placed their names on a waiting list for the popular program. Students paid $215 to participate in one of 16 domestic trips and from $800 to $1,400 for one of nine long-distance or international trips. JMU is the only Virginia college featured in the 2005 book, "Colleges With A Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement," published by Random House/Princeton Review Books. Colleges cited in the book were selected for "both an administration committed to social responsibility and a student body actively engaged in serving society." JMU's Alternative Spring Break was named 1999 Program of the Year by Break Away, a national organization that promotes community service by college students.

James Madison University's College of Business has launched a new "Entrepreneur in Residence" program to provide JMU students the opportunity to tap the brainpower and expertise of successful entrepreneurs. John Rothenberger, founder and CEO of Strategic Enterprise Solutions Inc., a company that works with the Department of Homeland Security to provide IT solutions that address the intelligence shortcomings identified by the 9/11 Commission, and a 1988 JMU graduate, is the first Entrepreneur in Residence. He is teaching spring semester courses and maintaining regular office hours on campus, giving students the opportunity to access his insight, experience and business advice. "There is a great opportunity at JMU to foster untapped students who believe they may have entrepreneurial, small business and intrapreneural interests," Rothenberger said. "The College of Business and the Center for Entrepreneurship have great potential to produce some of the best future business leaders in our nation. I want to give the students access to someone like themselves who is successful and knows what it takes to be successful." Prior to starting SE Solutions, Rothenberger founded an IT company named Aspire Technology Group and served as its president from 1993 to early March 2000. Aspire was recognized with numerous growth awards including a 1998 "Forbes" magazine Inc. 500 (No. 334), 1998 Virginia Fantastic 50 (No. 4), a KPMG High-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year nominee and a 1994 Fairfax County New Business of the Year runner up.

Head Coach Kenny Brooks

The JMU women's basketball team will play the University of Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The Dukes earned an at-large bid into the 64-team field on the strength of a 27-5 record. The Dukes are seeded ninth in the region and Pitt is seeded eighth. The winner advances to a second-round game Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. between the winner of the game between top-seeded Tennessee and Drake. Pittsburgh is 23-8 and will be making its first NCAA tournament appearance. The Panthers, who were 10-6 and tied for fifth place in the Big East Conference regular-season race, have established a team record for victories in a season.

Meredith Alexis

Senior center Meredith Alexis (Hanover Township, Pa./Bishop Hoban) has been selected Virginia Player of the Year by Richmond Times-Dispatch women's basketball writer Vic Dorr, Jr. Alexis, who earlier was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, enters the NCAA tournament averaging a team-high 18.6 points and 11.8 rebounds a game. She was named to the All-CAA first team, her fourth All-CAA honor, and is the first JMU player and second player in CAA history to be named All-CAA four times. Alexis has set numerous school records, including career marks for points (1,749) and rebounds (1,306), season records for points (596) and rebounds (376). Alexis was joined on the Richmond Times-Dispatch All-State first team by teammate Tamera Young (Wilmington, N.C./Laney). The junior guard/forward averages 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. This season she has set a school record for career points by a junior with 1,412.

Pierre Curtis

Freshman guard Pierre Curtis (Denver, Colo./East) has been named to the CollegeInsider.com Freshman Mid-Major All-America Basketball Team. The 6-foot-3, 165-pound Curtis is among 16 freshmen nationally named to the squad, and his selection follows him being named to the Colonial Athletic Association's all-rookie team for his play during the 2006-07 season. Curtis started in each of JMU's 30 games during the 2006-07 season and averaged 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and a team-leading 3.7 assists per game. He also led the Dukes in playing time, averaging 35.5 minutes per game, the No. 2 all-time mark for a JMU freshman. Curtis set a JMU freshman record by starting 30 times during the 2006-07 season and his 112 assists are the No. 3 all-time season mark for a JMU freshman. His 124 free throws made and 165 attempted are the No. 2 marks for a JMU freshman and rank seventh on JMU's season lists for all players. Curtis led JMU or tied for the team lead in scoring eight times and in assists 18 times. He scored in double figures 19 times and twice was the CAA's rookie of the week.

The nationally-ranked James Madison (4-1) women's lacrosse team extended its win streak to four games with a 23-15 victory at Virginia Tech (4-4) on Wednesday (March 14). The Dukes entered the game ranked fifth in the coaches poll and seventh by Inside Lacrosse. Senior Kelly Berger (Columbia, Md./Hammond) and junior Emily Haller (Fallston, Md./John Carroll) recorded five goals each in the win. Junior goalkeeper Kelly Wetzel (Catonsville, Md./Mount De Sales) made 11 saves to extend her double-figure saves streak to five games. JMU's next match is a home game on Tuesday, March 20 (2 p.m.) against #9 Dartmouth.