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Julian Ashby Burruss - President, 1908-1919
Julian Ashby Burruss was named president of the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at
Harrisonburg in 1908, shortly after the institution was founded by the Virginia General Assembly.
The school opened its doors to its first student body in 1909 with an enrollment of 209 students
and 15 faculty members. The first 20 graduates received diplomas in 1911. President Burruss'
administration changed the name of the school to the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg
in 1914 and the school received authorization to award bachelor's degrees in 1916. During this initial
development of James Madison University, President Burruss established the campus plan and oversaw the
construction of six buildings. He left the Normal School in 1919 to become President of Virginia Tech.
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Dr. Samuel Page Duke - President, 1919-1949
During the 30 years of Dr. Samuel Page Duke's presidency, enrollment at the institution grew from 300
to around 1,400. Nine major campus buildings were constructed during his administration. In 1924, the
institution became the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg and continued under that name until 1938
when it was named Madison College in honor of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.
In making his argument for the name change, President Duke pointed out that no other college honored
Mr. Madison and the name would be appropriate if the institution ever became coeducational. In 1946,
Dr. Duke's administration admitted men to Madison College as day students in regular sessions. Men had
always attended summer sessions at the school, but this marked the first time men attended regular
session classes.
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Dr. G. Tyler Miller - President, 1949-1971
President G. Tyler Miller successfully convinced the Virginia General Assembly in 1966 to allow Madison
College to build residence halls for men so the institution could become fully educational. He had first
expressed the wish for Madison to become coeducational in the early 1950s but he was unsuccessful in that
effort. Dr. Miller enlarged the institution's campus by 240 acres and constructed 19 major buildings. The
Miller administration revamped the institution's curriculum, developing a full liberal arts program to
join the teacher education program. In 1954, the expanding school received authorization to award master's
degrees. During Dr. Miller's presidency, enrollment grew from 1,400 to 4,000.
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Dr. Ronald E. Carrier - President, 1971-1998
During the presidency of Dr. Ronald E. Carrier, the institution changed from a 4,000-student, predominantly
female teachers college to a major comprehensive university with 14,000 students. The school changed its name
to James Madison University in 1977, following a unanimous vote of the Virginia General Assembly. During Dr.
Carrier's presidency, JMU received national acclaim as one of the nation's finest comprehensive public
universities. The institution received authorization to offer the educational specialist degree and the
doctoral degree. A major athletic program was developed. The size of the campus was enlarged by more than
100 acres and the university spread to the east side of Interstate 81. During Dr. Carrier's administration,
some 40 major buildings with the value of $210 million were built. Applications for admission rose from 3,800
a year to 15,000 a year and SAT scores for entering freshmen rose from 987 to 1,174.
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