Partnerships and possibilities

Editor's Note

Partnership, collaboration, teamwork. These are not buzzwords on this campus. They are part of the Madison Experience. JMU professors partner with each other on hundreds of cross-disciplinary programs, not only because it is a smart and thrifty way to approach academics, but also because these programs offer unique cross-curricular experiences for students. Many of these professors go a step further. They create programs that take JMU students and resources into the community to solve problems, to serve the local area and to teach students to be well-rounded citizens who think in a solutions-oriented way.

In this issue you'll read about several partnerships that entwine the local community and the Madison Experience.

On Page 10, read how the JMU Office of Outreach and Engagement is opening doors to nontraditional students and expanding its outreach via distance-learning centers. The office is a community connection to JMU resources, and it addresses the needs of teachers, high-school students, military personnel and veterans. One of the office's 20 partnerships is with Clarke County High School. Clark Hansbarger, a coordinator at the school, says, "I leave meetings at JMU energized by the possibilities and the positive, productive approaches the folks at JMU have in finding creative ways to meet community needs."

The Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services is a campus pioneer in community building. The institute is an alliance of organizations and JMU programs that offer community-based research opportunities, community health care services and real-world student learning experiences. This partnership takes the classroom into the community and vice versa. On Page 12, read about the IIHHS Caregivers Community Network's recent national nod.

On Page 2, see how JMU partnered with Harrisonburg to honor area veterans.

Partner with us. Check out www.jmu.edu and dig deep into the links. You'll see the same kind of in-depth stories about alumni, professors and students that you read in these pages. Partner with fellow alumni by serving a chapter or coming back to JMU to share with students. Partner with Madison. Send us your story ideas, articles and photos, or share the magazine with a prospective student.

Partnerships, possibilities. Are you part of the Madison Experience?

—Michelle Hite ('88) managing editor

Distributed four times a year, Madison magazine is the official magazine of James Madison University. Read the latest issue.