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Summer 2008 Madison
'Something very precious'
Something a donor said stuck with me. I was interviewing Shirley Hanson Roberts ('56) about the gift she and her husband, Dick, made to support the future Performing Arts Center. I had asked what motivated them to give $2.5 million to name the music facilities. Mrs. Roberts' answer goes to the heart of Madison.
"It was apparent to us that there was a very close relationship between the students and the faculty," she says on Page 33. "And this really impressed us -- particularly for a university that has grown as rapidly as JMU. Every time we asked, 'How do you like JMU?' the answer was always, 'we love it, we feel so close to our professors,'" she says.
While memorable, Roberts' answer wasn't unique. She did, however, sum up so well the sentiments that we have heard expressed about JMU throughout the Centennial Celebration and the Madison Century capital campaign.
Alumni returning for their reunions have made the same observations year after year. In fact, some are floored to meet students who remind them so much of themselves and who talk about similarly close experiences with their professors -- 25, 35 and 50 years later.
While alumni speak highly of their academic programs, it is the professors who were the catalysts for their learning experiences who are lauded. As noted on Page 17, the Class of 1958's feelings about their class sponsor, biology professor William Mengebier, are a case in point.
The feelings are reciprocated. Today's young faculty members arrive on campus keen to push the boundaries of their disciplines through scholarly research. Yet, as President Linwood H. Rose notes in the interview on Page 42, they are top faculty members who are enthusiastic about including undergraduates in their research. And they often speak just as earnestly as their students about the joy they feel in working with them.
The president boils these qualities down to Madison culture and character. That, Mrs. Roberts says, is "something very precious -- something that needs continued nurturing."
Pam Brock
Executive Editor
Summer 2008 Madison
Ready for download
Download the pdfs to the Summer 2008 issue of Madison, the university magazine for alumni, parents, friends and the campus community. Find the table of contents on Pages 2 and 3. It’s your guide to the entire issue.