Two College of Business programs were ranked among the top 100 business programs in the nation by US News & World Report Online in September. The College of Business management program ranked 52nd in the nation, marking the program's first appearance on the list. The college's business program, which annually makes the list, ranked 98th. In October, Yahoo! Internet Life magazine ranked JMU 53rd in its fifth national Most Wired Colleges Survey. Partnered with Peterson's, a leading provider of educational content, Yahoo! magazine annually surveys 1,300 institutions to gauge how universities have incorporated network technologies into campus life via infrastructure, Web portals, e-learning opportunities, tech support and wireless access.

Gift opens book for literacy center

A proposed university literacy center, which will help Shenandoah Valley schoolchildren with literacy difficulties, got a head start with a lead contribution from the Verizon Foundation.

The JMU Literacy Center will operate a clinic on campus and on-site at tutoring centers in local schools for assessment and instruction of students with reading problems and with reading English as a second language. The Verizon Foundation, which supports community enrichment programs that help create a skilled work force, contributed $50,000 toward the liter- acy center's projected $131,000 budget. The foundation has also contributed more than $485,000 to other JMU programs over the last few years.

Grad school goes to college

The JMU Board of Visitors approved the new College of Graduate and Professional Programs to coordinate graduate and postgraduate education campuswide. The college replaces the Graduate School; and William Walker, assistant vice president for academic affairs, is the interim dean. A permanent dean will be recruited in the 2002-03 academic year.

Science of the mind and the body

The School of Psychology and the School of Kinesiology and Recreation Studies have joined the College of Integrated Science and Technology. "These departments will benefit significantly from a closer relationship with the health, science and technology departments in CISAT," says Douglas Brown, vice president for academic affairs.

And the Ozzie goes to ...

The university magazine Montpelier received an Ozzie Gold design award at the 2001 Folio Show, sponsored by Folio magazine in New York City. The spring 2001 commemorative issue of Montpelier, dedicated to the life and achievements of James Madison, was named "Best Supplement Annual or One-Shot" produced by a nonprofit.

According to Folio magazine, the 15th annual Ozzie program drew more than 1,800 entries in 14 categories, which were judged by a panel of 40 design and magazine industry professionals. Other 2001 Ozzie program award winners included Hemispheres, ESPN magazine, EnRoute, CFO, Real Simple, eCompany, Technology Review and Men's Health.

Health services center formed

In November, JMU opened the Center for Innovation in Health and Human Services. Associate Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Technology Vida Huber is director of the center, which will promote collaboration across campus.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Doug Brown says, "The new center is designed as a catalyst for developing new programs in health and human services that are responsive to the community's needs. This will be the first of a series of cross-disciplinary structures that will become the hallmark for curricular innovation at JMU."