National Recognitions

Updated January 2007

• For the 13th consecutive year and 17th time, James Madison University ranked as the top public, master's-level university in the South in the highly regarded annual poll on academic quality conducted by U.S. News & World Report for its guidebook, 2007 America's Best Colleges. JMU also had the highest graduation rate — 80 percent — among both public and privates colleges in the South.

• JMU's strong emphasis on undergraduate research was recognized in the U.S. News' 2007 America's Best Colleges guidebook. JMU was one of 35 colleges in the nation, and one of only 12 public colleges, listed in the guidebook's "Programs to Look For" section for excellence in "undergraduate research/creative projects" opportunities for students earning bachelor's degrees. The hands-on, learning-by-doing research experiences at James Madison are significant in preparing students for graduate study and research as well as for jobs. James Madison sent 19 undergraduates to the 20th National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April 2006, and hosted the fourth Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate Research Conference, an annual academic event among the 12 schools that compete athletically in the Colonial Athletic Association, in March 2006.

• The U.S. News' 2006 America's Best Colleges guidebook recognized JMU's "First-Year Experiences" in its "Programs to Look For" section. Madison's strong freshman orientation and first-year-in-college academic guidance programs were spotlighted as superior along with programs at 21 other public colleges in the nation.

• JMU placed at No. 21 nationally in The Kiplinger 100, a listing of best values in public colleges — schools selected for "their combination of top-flight academics and affordable costs" — published in the February 2007 issue of "Kiplinger's Personal Finance" magazine. JMU is one of five Virginia public universities ranked in the list's top 25.

• The Princeton Review's 2007 guide, America's Best Value Colleges, also selected JMU as one of the nation's best values for a college education. The guidebook, published in spring 2006, profiles 150 undergraduate institutions that offer excellent academics, generous financial-aid packages and relatively low costs.

• "In the midst of the stunning Shenandoah Valley lies a purple and gold gem" opens the review of JMU in The Insider's Guide to the Colleges 2007. "JMU is incredibly friendly," authors write. "Its social graces tend to alleviate what might otherwise be a stressful academic lifestyle. Additionally, the campus accommodates students' busy schedules exceedingly well." The guidebook highlights "full professors who hold consistent office hours and make themselves extremely accessible." In its "Bottom Line" on JMU, the Insider's Guide concludes: "JMU provides a terrific liberal arts education and continues its history of producing successful alumni today, while fostering an inclusive and high-spirited atmosphere that complements its beautiful area."

• Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of "The New York Times," included JMU in his highly regarded book, "The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2007." It notes that "an emphasis on undergraduate teaching, close student/faculty interaction, and a warm and welcoming climate are business as usual at JMU." The 2007 edition concludes: "Though JMU still has a ways to go before establishing itself as a front-rank national university, it is making considerable progress. The school is growing, but not outgrowing its Southern charm."

• With 54 of its alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in developing countries, JMU ranked 14th in the nation among large colleges (those with more than 15,000 undergraduates) for 2007. JMU had ranked second in the nation among medium-sized colleges and universities for graduates serving as volunteers with the U.S. service program in a 2006 ranking.

• In its second year in the Top 10 of college cuisine, Madison ranked No. 7 in the nation for "great campus food," based on student surveys, in The Princeton Review's annual college guide for 2007, Best 361 Colleges. JMU had ranked sixth in 2006 for its food offerings, 11th in 2005 and 18th in 2004.

• The Princeton Review's 2007 guide, Best 361 Colleges, in its profile of JMU, quotes students as recognizing the school's "welcoming environment," "friendly and outgoing" student body, "well-ranked academics" and ability to deliver "more fun than you can have anywhere else." "Almost all the students you meet are in love with this school," the book quotes a student. JMU faculty are praised for their "willingness to extend learning outside of the classroom" and their "realistic method of teaching to prepare students for real-world job applications."

• Madison ranked second nationally among master's-level institutions for the total number of students who study abroad to expand their educational experience to other cultures, as reported in November 2005 in Open Doors, an annual report published by the Institute of International Education.

• Madison was selected as a "college with a conscience," one of 81 of the nation's best colleges for fostering social responsibility and public service by The Princeton Review and Campus Compact, a national organization committed to civic service in higher education. JMU is the only Virginia college featured in the 2005 book, Colleges With A Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement, published by Random House/Princeton Review Books. Colleges were selected for "both an administration committed to social responsibility and a student body actively engaged in serving society."

• JMU's commitment to world-changing contributions through volunteer service was richly demonstrated in 2005 and 2006 with service trips by the Madison community. Among them: psychology Professor Anne L. Stewart's travel to Sri Lanka in February 2005 to aid young, traumatized tsunami survivors; 16 nursing students and three professors went to the U.S. Gulf Coast shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck there in late August 2005 to aid in the region's recovery, and a team of 54 students, faculty and staff volunteers gave up their Thanksgiving 2005 holiday and a 56-member team returned in May 2006 for hurricane recovery work on the Gulf Coast; 23 student-led teams — more than 300 students total — worked during Spring Break Week on community-service projects in 13 states, the District of Columbia, Mexico and the Caribbean; and, 10 JMU alumni participated in an annual fall alumni service trip to the impoverished Caribbean island of Dominica.

• JMU accounting majors who took the national Certified Public Accountant examination and passed the tough test the first time out were successful enough to rank JMU at No. 25 in the nation for candidates without advanced degrees who pass the CPA exam on the first try. The University of Michigan ranked at No. 1 with a 87 percent pass rate among 46 candidates; other colleges ranked in the top 25 included North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Wisconsin-Madison, Texas A&M, Texas-Austin, Brigham Young, Notre Dame, Auburn, Tennessee, Indiana and UCLA. The University of Virginia, the only other Virginia college in the top 25, recorded a passing rate of 47.8 to tie with Kentucky at No. 22. JMU's 41 candidates had a passing rate of 46.3 percent. The rankings appear in the 2006 edition of "Candidate Performance on the Uniform CPA Examination."

• JMU's Dukes football team won the 2004 Division I-AA National Championship by defeating the Montana Grizzlies, 31-21, in the championship game Dec. 17, 2004, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Head Coach Mickey Matthews was named the national Division I-AA Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association in January 2005.

• JMU's Army ROTC program received the MacArthur Award as the best large battalion in the eastern United States in March 2005. The award is based on the overall performance of cadets in ROTC programs in academic performance, leadership demonstrations, physical conditioning and the collective scores of cadets in various training programs. JMU's Duke Battalion was cited as the best large battalion based on its record of commissioning more than 19 lieutenants after graduation each year. The MacArthur Award is named for Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

• Twenty graduates of JMU's teacher-preparation program are designated "Meritorious New Teacher Candidates" in the first class of an innovative regional program aimed at enhancing teacher quality and at providing teacher-licensing reciprocity among Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Teachers Project, established to acknowledge exceptionally well-prepared, high-performing new teachers, recognized 192 meritorious new teacher candidates in January 2005 at the U.S. Capitol. JMU had the largest number of teacher candidates from a Virginia college.

• President George W. Bush, in a May 16, 2005, speech on alternative fuels, included James Madison University (along with the U.S. Department of Defense and National Park Service) as an operator of major vehicle fleets using biodiesel.

• The JMU Brass Band earned second place in the championship section in the North American Brass Band Championships in Indiana in April 2006. The 30-member band voluntarily moved up to the championship section after winning two straight national championships in the honors-section competition in 2004 and 2005.

• A Madison senior majoring in media arts and design, Casey Templeton, was named the national 2005 College Photographer of the Year, an award that included a 14-week internship at National Geographic magazine. A Madison senior in graphic design, Kristie Kinch, designed a poster that won the grand prize in an international competition, an award that included $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Rome, Italy, for the award ceremonies.

• The Admissions Web site that guides potential students from prospect to applicant at JMU was ranked among the top 10 Web sites in the nation in 2005 by the National Research Center for College & University Admissions.