JMU Professor 's Goal: Ease Shortage Of Physics Teachers

It's not uncommon for high-school physics teachers to have little or no background in physics, especially in rural school districts such as those in the Shenandoah Valley.

If you find that alarming, you're not alone.

"There is an extraordinary dearth of physics teachers and physical science teachers in this country and there have been congressional reports lamenting the fact that there aren't enough out there to keep the United States scientifically, technologically competitive in the coming years," said Mark Mattson, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at JMU. — Full Story

Published October 2009

Most people who think about suicide don't really want to die. That's one of the things Jane Wiggins learned during her 18 years as a crisis intervention counselor for Rockingham County Schools.

"They need something. They need a change. They need relief," Wiggins said. — Full Story

Published October 2009

When James Madison University Dining Services surveyed students while developing its master plan last year, they were told a few things were top priorities. One was a service location in Carrier Library. Another was increasing environmental stewardship.

With the opening of a new Starbucks coffee shop on the first floor of Carrier, JMU students can now enjoy the state's first expected LEED-certified Starbucks on a college campus. — Full Story

Published August 2009

There's something special about the opening of a new building on campus, maybe even more so when the new building is a dining facility. College students, after all, can't survive on books alone. Students who live on the east campus should be especially pleased this fall with the debut of the new 700-seat East Campus Dining Hall, which will feature all-you-can eat meals just like D-Hall (the round building on the west campus that's officially named Gibbons Hall) . — Full Story

Published August 2009

James Madison University is located just outside of the blast zone in the event of an attack on the nation's capital.

But much of the work at the university, says JMU Vice Provost John Noftsinger, is very close to the heart of U.S. national security.

Noftsinger, executive director of the JMU Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance, and his team are leading efforts in areas vital to the nation's security, including information security and assurance, critical infrastructure assurance and intelligence analysis. — Full Story

Published May 2009

From isolating bacterial viruses and phages from soil, to annotating and comparing sequenced genomes, to preparing viral DNA for sequencing by using colored dye and electronic waves, JMU freshmen and sophomores are immersing themselves in meaningful research. In the inaugural year of the Science Education Alliance, JMU students are learning the essence of scientific discovery.

"[Experiments] do not always go the way we planned for it to go and that is terrific because that is the scientific process and that is realistic. Students not only see the science, but the process," said Steve Cresawn, an assistant professor of biology who teaches the class with integrated science and technology professor Louise Temple-Rosebrook. "It gives them a flavor for what it is like to do science for a living." — Full Story

Published April 2009

Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, chose JMU as the host for its second-ever Digital boot camp. With JMU’s close proximity to Washington D.C., numerous alumni that work at Edelman and the prestige of the JMU PR program, JMU was an ideal place for the boot camp, said Dr. Corey Hickerson, assistant professor of communication studies.

Edelman Digital 101 spanned the weekend of March 27, led by nine account members of the Edelman Digital Public Affairs team. Two of the presenters, Kate Marshall and Patrick Stinnett, are JMU alumni.

The event introduced students to the expanding world of social media and ways to implement social media successfully into the PR industry. Students separated into seven groups where they worked for mock clients. — Full Story

Published April 2009

Two hundred years to the month after James Madison's inauguration to the presidency of the United States, the university that bears his namesake will celebrate his life and legacy during Madison Week, March 16-20.

The celebration will be highlighted by the release of a new book on Madison's legacy by Phil Bigler ('74, '76M), director of the James Madison Center at JMU, a visit by the C-SPAN Civics Bus, a keynote address by Madison scholar and Cornell University President Emeritus Hunter Rawlings and the eighth annual Madison Cup debate contest. (Full Story)

Published March 2009

Miracle Worker

JMU Alum Dave Sanderson Was in the Right Place for Passengers of Flight 1549

By Dan Armstrong, JMU Public Affairs

Most people would call it bad luck. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A bitter twist of fate.

Sitting aboard U.S. Airways Flight 1549 was probably the last place anyone wanted to be on Jan. 15. But Dave Sanderson ('83) says it was exactly where he was supposed to be. And a lot of the other 154 passengers on board are very glad he was. (Full Story)

Published February 2009

JMU Shines In Student Engagement

By Janet Smith, JMU Public Affairs

For the first two years of her James Madison University undergraduate experience, Hilary Jacobson attended classes, studied diligently, completed assignments and generally focused on academics. Then, halfway through her junior year, the self-described shy Jacobson, seized opportunities related to her studies in biotechnology and the pre-physician assistant concentration that dramatically altered her Madison experience.

Jacobson, confident in her expanding healthcare skills, applied to go on a medical service-learning trip to Mexico and to become a peer adviser in the university's orientation office and joined the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad. Jacobson's engagement outside of the classroom, she says, has transformed her classroom experience. (Full Story)

Program Seeks Students Wanting to Hone Leadership Skills

By Tim O'keefe ('10), JMU Public Affairs

Hanging from a wall in Michael McCleve's office is a picture of a flying eagle with the subscript, "leadership is action, not a position." McCleve, JMU administrator of University Unions, will put those words into practice as he directs a new student leadership program called "Kijiji," a Swahili word meaning "village. (Full Story)

Published February 2009

Marching Royal Dukes Shine In Fall 2008

By Janet Smith
Office of Public Affairs

JMU's outstanding football Dukes weren't the only team to represent the university in fine style on the Bridgeforth Stadium field and in the national arena during the 2008 season. A record-breaking 474 JMU students filled the ranks of the Marching Royal Dukes band to play their hearts out to support the football team and to take their show on the road all the way to New York City.

Band members had to engage in their own form of gridiron competition to earn one of 400 spots in the big halftime show.

"It's the largest band we've ever had," said Scott Rikkers, assistant director of bands and director of the Marching Royal Dukes. The band's history dates to 1972 when JMU established a football program. (Full Story)

Published fall 2008

Musician Sparks Is New Dean For JMU Visual and Performing Arts

By Janet Smith, Office of Public Affairs

While his artistic roots are in the realm of music, Dr. George Sparks, the new dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at James Madison University, considers himself an enthusiastic advocate for all the arts at JMU and beyond.

Sparks is a professional conductor and clarinet player. An opportunity to serve in the faculty senate at Florida Atlantic University, where he worked before joining JMU July 1, whetted his appetite for university administration. Sparks was contentedly serving as the inaugural director of the School of the Arts at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, a role he had filled since fall 2003 within the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, when he was encouraged to apply for the JMU deanship. (Full story)

Published fall 2008

Study Abroad Programs Foster Worldviews

By Dan Armstrong, Office of Public Affairs

Jessica Novak had a busy spring semester last school year. The senior communication studies major's course load included political science, literature, Italian and art history. Outside the classroom, she maintained a personal blog and found time to write articles for "The Breeze" and a local magazine.

Of course, 'local' is relative. Novak's is a great example of the multifaceted collegiate experience students expect at James Madison University, but when one considers that she did it all in Florence, Italy, it takes on a whole new meaning. (Full story)

Published fall 2008