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Fall 2007 Madison
Engaging history and the future
In his forward to Madison Century, the upcoming book about James Madison University, history professor Sidney Bland discusses the aspirations and idealism of the Progressive period, during which the Normal, JMUÕs predecessor, came into being. The belief around the time of JMUÕs founding in 1908 was that Òin education, as in other reforms, the individual could still take charge of his/her destiny and effect personal and societal change. The moment of creation for the future university was a propitious one,Ó Bland writes.
In the midst of this idealistic time, the NormalÕs birth was a practical one. First president Julian A. Burruss set to work with a pragmatic sense of purpose and expectation: To train future public school teachers who, in turn, would educate the people of the commonwealth, which would, in turn, be lifted to a more optimal state of being.
The impulse of the NormalÕs founders to reform the commonwealth still drives JMU today. ItÕs easy to see that the Madison Experience attracts engaged professors, students and alumni. Be the Change (www.jmu.edu/bethechange) tells many of these stories. ItÕs equally obvious, as todayÕs mission statement (We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.) establishes, JMU quite purposefully and deliberately sets out to create them.
This enduring engagement with the public good has become a personality trait of the university, where the teaching, research and service of engaged individuals take on the big problems of society. This mission steers Madison toward the next century when, as President Linwood H. Rose predicts, the university will be recognized as great because of it.
Geoffrey Colvin, senior editor-at-large of Fortune magazine has written that achieving greatness at anything comes from intentional and repeated practice. JMU has taken an innate talent and ability to do something especially well and honed it over the last 99 years.
As we start MadisonÕs centennial year, we pause to recognize this truth and celebrate it. In this issue of Madison youÕll find a calendar of centennial festivities and excerpts from the first chapter of Madison Century, as well as a story on a much-praised business course that engages marketplace practices.
Pam Brock
Executive Editor
Fall 2007 Madison
Ready for download
Download the pdfs to the Fall 2007 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.