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Julian Ashby Burruss –
President, 1908-1919
Julian Ashby Burruss was named president of the State
Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg in 1908, shortly after
the institution was founded by the Virginia General Assembly. The school
opened its doors to its first student body in 1909 with an enrollment of 150
students and 15 faculty members. The first 20 graduates received
diplomas in 1911. President Burruss’ administration changed the name of
the school to the State Normal School for Women at Harisonburg in 1914 and
the school received authorization to award bachelor’s degrees in 1916.
During this initial development of James Madison University, President
Burruss established the campus plan and oversaw the construction of six
buildings. He left the Normal School in 1919 to become president of
Virginia Tech.
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Dr. Samuel Page Duke – President, 1919-1949
During the 30 years of Dr. Samuel Page Duke’s presidency, enrollment at the
institution grew from 300 to around 1,400. Nine major campus buildings
were constructed during his administration. In 1924, the institution
became the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg and continued under that name
until 1938 when it was named Madison College in honor of James Madison, the
fourth president of the United States. In making his argument for the
name change, President Duke pointed out that no other college honored Mr.
Madison and the name would be appropriate if the institution ever became
coeducational. In 1946, Dr. Duke’s administration admitted men to Madison College as day students in regular sessions. Men had always attended summer
sessions at the school, but this marked the first time men attended regular
session classes.
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Dr. G. Tyler Miller – President, 1949-1971
President G. Tyler Miller successfully
convinced the Virginia General Assembly in 1966 to allow Madison College to build residence halls for men so the institution could become fully
educational. He had first expressed the wish for Madison to become
coeducational in the early 1950s but he was unsuccessful in that effort. Dr.
Miller enlarged the institution’s campus by 240 acres and constructed 19
major buildings. The Miller administration revamped the institution’s
curriculum, developing a full liberal arts program to join the teacher
education program. In 1954, the expanding school received authorization to
award master’s degrees. During Dr. Miller’s presidency, enrollment grew from
1,400 to 4,000.
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Dr. Ronald E. Carrier – President, 1971-1998
During the presidency of Dr. Ronald E.
Carrier, the institution changed from a 4,000-student, predominantly female
teachers college to a major comprehensive university with 14,000 students.
The school changed its name to James Madison University in 1977, following a
unanimous vote of the Virginia General Assembly. During Dr. Carrier’s
presidency, JMU received national acclaim as one of the nation’s finest
comprehensive public universities. The institution received authorization to
offer the educational specialist degree and the doctoral degree. A major
athletic program was developed. The size of the campus was enlarged by more
than 100 acres and the university spread to the east side of Interstate 81.
During Dr. Carrier’s administration, some 40 major buildings with the value
of $210 million were built. Applications for admission rose from 3,800 a
year to 15,000 a year and SAT scores for entering freshmen rose from 987 to
1,174.
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Dr. Linwood H. Rose – President, 1998-Present
Under the leadership of Dr. Linwood H. Rose, JMU has solidified its position of national prominence and established itself as a leader in institutional performance measurement, accountability and assessment of student learning. Some $175 million in new facilities will have been constructed or added to the JMU campus by the end of the first decade of the 21 st Century. In addition to the new construction, JMU purchased the Rockingham Memorial Hospital complex and the old Harrisonburg High School building to help meet current future space needs. Dr. Rose has led an effort to expand JMU's funding sources. In recent years, the University has received 15 private gifts of $1 million or more, established new records for private giving and expanded sponsored program activity to almost $25 million annually. Efforts of Dr. Rose have resulted in JMU aligning itself more closely with the legacy of President James Madison. JMU is the only university in America named for the fourth U.S. president and primary author of the U.S. Constitution. Since Dr. Rose became president in 1998, enrollment has increased from 14,400 to 17,000. |
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