Message from the Executive Director

Five years ago this summer I was appointed executive director of the Office of International Programs at James Madison University. Through this role, I have had the privilege of working with many remarkable students, faculty and staff toward the ambitious and compelling goal of internationalizing the JMU community. With the support of so many – including demonstrable support of the senior administration – we have shared a challenging, exciting and ultimately imperative journey to integrate international experiences and perspectives into all facets of the university at home in Harrisonburg and in literally hundreds of places around the world. And what a journey it has been. In these short five years, the number of students studying, working or serving abroad has soared from 703 to 1,012. Programs continue to flourish. This year alone, new programs include the International Beliefs and Values Institute in India, Cultural History of the Netherlands, International Communications in Europe and the Middle East, British Children’s Literature in England, Intensive Spanish in Alcalá and Art and Culture in Madrid. This year’s new destinations include Guam, Morocco and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. We have established two new graduate programs offered wholly abroad: in Florence, Italy, an M.A. in political science, concentrating on European Union Policy Studies; and in Valletta, Malta, an M.S. in integrated science and technology, focusing on Sustainable Environmental Resources Management. The opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to study abroad are multifaceted and nearly boundless.

International student enrollment has improved after a nadir in 2005 from 182 to 207 this year. Moreover, the number of international faculty has grown by 81% during the last five years. International students and scholars serve as rich resources to the community, bringing a different perspective “to the front of the classroom.” We are fortunate to have them as members of our community.

Today, international programs live at the center of the university community rather than at its margins. Yet what distinguishes our efforts? First, JMU programs are characterized by academic rigor, innovation and a passionate commitment by faculty to the endeavor of internationalization. Most significantly, our international programs provide crucial experiences for our students and faculty that enable them to explore ideas, experiences and customs outside of themselves. Through international opportunities, the interconnected, interdependent and fragile nature of our world – and our place within it – becomes manifest.

Moreover, OIP programs seek to address pressing social concerns including sustainable environmental practices and economic development, poverty and its reduction, ethical practice in business and other professions, HIV/AIDS education, as well as the steadfast human yearnings expressed through art, religion, music and other cultural practices. Through these experiences we see ourselves from a vantage point that is beyond our everyday beliefs and expectations. These experiences push our boundaries, challenge our stereotypes and sometimes even frighten us. But through them, we can become more compassionate, more tolerant and more self-reflective of our own behavior. And in becoming so, we become instruments of peace, justice and equity for all creatures who call this planet home.

The Office of International Programs is dedicated to supporting the James Madison University community throughout the world. Join us in the challenge that is international education. Be the change – and change the world.

Lee Sternberger
Executive Director, Office of International Programs