The Professor-In-Residence Program (PIR) is a James Madison University (JMU) outreach endeavor to promote the educational attainment and college aspirations of Virginia high and middle school students.
The PIR program is focused in high and middle schools with diverse student and high free and reduce lunch populations.Professors and Partner Schools
JMU has many dedicated professors and Graduate students, each representing a different discipline who are instrumental to the program. They spend at least one day per week visiting one of the partner schools. View partnering schools.
The program also has a relationship with middle schools in Virginia, helping students establish a plan for their future.
Middle School Leadership Academy - Now Hiring Counselors!
"Do you want to inspire leadership in a middle schooler? Are you looking for a worthwhile summer working experience? Apply to be a Counselor for the Middle School Leadership Academy! The application can be found here. Contact Jessica Cave at cavejm@jmu.edu for more information."
Programs for the Partner High Schools
Dual Enrollment - General Science Courses
Juniors were able to sign up for GSCI 150 taught by JMU's Dr. Cindy Kelvickis at Hugunot and George Wythe High School Students. The topic is “How Life Works” and students learn about human genetics, cell biology and infectious diseases.
This is a hands-on project-based class. An example of one of the class projects, students conduct research, design, film, edit, and produce video documentaries using Flip cameras and Windows Movie Maker. This is an eight-week course in which students also receive college credit for their work.
James Madison University's Take-A-Look Day
Sponsored by the Admissions Office, Take-A-Look Day is a special event held on campus providing our partner high school students an opportunity to spend the day on campus. Various activities are planned following a welcome and presentation from the Admissions Office. There are program presentations from the office of Financial Aid & Scholarships, The Center for Multicultural Student Services and the Centennial Scholars Program.
The students are taken on tours of the campus which include visiting a typical dorm room and enjoying lunch in one of the dining halls. The day provides an opportunity for them to experience campus life and interact with the JMU students.
Purple & Gold Connection
A new program initiated at the Waynesboro High School whereby freshmen from their school were paired up with JMU freshmen as their mentors. Students from JMU's Social Work department and the Centennial Scholars Program were selected and paired up with these high school students for the year.
With the "Pay it Forward" concept in mind, they will spend time together working through some of the everyday challenges faced by students seeking to enter college. Workshops and presentation on study skills, organization and time management are attended by the mentor/mentee pairs.
"We should all know
that diversity
makes for a rich tapestry,
and we must understand that
all the threads
of the tapestry
are equal in value
no matter what their color."
- Maya Angelou
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy" -MLK Jr.
Program Vision
PIR helps students to appreciate the importance of higher education and to understand that a college degree is possible and achievable. Read more about the program vision.
Programs for the Partner Middle School
Virginia/DC FIRST LEGO League
Students from Lucille Brown and Thompson Middle Schools of Richmond participated in the 2009 FIRST LEGO League.
FLL provides students age 9-14 with an opportunity to challenge their math and science skills in an internationally recognized competitive environment. FLL combines a hands-on, interactive robotics program with a sports-like atmosphere. Teams of up to 10 players focus on team building, problem solving, creativity, and analytical thinking to develop a well thought out solution to a problem currently facing the world - the Challenge.
Each September, a new Challenge is unveiled to FLL teams across the world. Over the ensuing 8 weeks, the teams strategize, design, build, program, test and refine a fully autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMSTM technology. The robots are capable of completing various challenge missions in a "Robot Game". The teams also search the Web, talk to scientists, visit the library and develop compelling presentations based on the FLL "Research Assignment", which relates to the problem identified in the Challenge. In addition to the challenge, the teams are evaluated in two other areas; Teamwork and Robot Design.
