JMU PRESIDENT LINWOOD H. ROSE HAS APPOINTED A PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION TO CREATE A BLUEPRINT FOR ENHANCING DIVERSITY AT JMU. "Despite the best of intentions, our past efforts to enhance diversity on our campus have fallen short of the results we desire," says Rose. "We've been only marginally successful in our efforts to further diversify our faculty, staff and student populations."

African-American, Asian, Hispanic and other minorities make up less than 10 percent of JMU's student population. A "diverse community whose members share a common JMU experience" is one of the university's 29 defining characteristics, stresses Rose. "Undertaking this effort now is essential. Our graduates and employees will work and live in diverse settings. The prospects for their success are enhanced by exposure to different perspectives, different interpretations and different points of view."

Daniel A. Wubah, associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and a professor of biology, assumes a one-year appointment as special assistant to the president to chair the Presidential Commission for Diversity in Student Admission and the Employment of Faculty and Staff. "Dr. Wubah has been a champion for diversity at JMU," says Rose. "He understands the benefits of diversity in education for our students
and employees."

The commission is composed of three subcommittees that will review JMU's past efforts to enhance employment and student admission and assess similar efforts within higher education and elsewhere.