Dr. Linwood H. Rose
President, James Madison University
Address to the Faculty
Opening Faculty Meeting
August 24, 2001

Good morning. It is a pleasure to see each of you as we now begin a new academic year.

Welcome to new faculty who are just joining us. To those of you who have been away for the summer, welcome back. To those who never left - as that famous Italian philosopher, Emeril Lagassi, often says: "Bam" and "Let's kick it up a notch!"

Please allow me to add my congratulations and thanks to those members of the faculty who have brought recognition to the University through their own accomplishment. We are proud to know you as our friends and colleagues. Special congratulations to Rich Harris and Carmenza Kline.

My special thanks to the members of the task force, led by Bill Ingham, which successfully mastered a full revision of the Faculty Handbook. We are in your debt.

Dr. Brown recognized the new faculty, but I would like all those who served on search committees to stand. Your work, perhaps as much as anything in the University, determines our future. It appears that you did a marvelous job this year.

I would like those faculty and administrators who worked as discussion leaders in "conversations with faculty" or in the freshman reading program to stand. In what I know is a very busy time for you, you took time to devote to the orientation of our students, and I thank you.

This spring we will be visited by a team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges. They will review our institutional compliance with the accrediting body's criteria and reaffirm our accreditation. Serving as a commissioner in SACS, as the chair of one of the Criteria and Reports Committees and as a frequent participant on visiting teams to other institutions, I am well aware that considerable effort is expended in preparing for SACS.

The bulk of that work is done by a group of volunteers from our faculty and staff. They prepare a self-study of our compliance, offer recommendations or suggestions for improvement, and their document becomes the basis of the visiting teams review. They have not yet finished their work, but I would like to ask the members of the faculty and staff who have worked on this project to stand when I call your name so that we might thank you for your efforts in our behalf: Martha Ross, self-study director; Rob Koslow, steering committee chair; section chairs, Ann Myers, Donna Sundre, Bill Rice, Bill Walker, Karyn Sproles, Jim McConnel, Brad Roof and Daniel Wubah; and advisory members, Frank Doherty, Teresa Gonzalez and Bob Kolvoord, and our all-important editor, Kristi Shackelford. Thank you.

I would also like to recognize a member of this faculty, now retired, whose contributions and professionalism have been an inspiration to many of us for a considerable time. We don't have a faculty hall of fame, but if we did this person would have been voted in her first year of eligibility. You have heard me talk before, and I will again today, about the alignment of personal goals and aspirations with the University's. This individual modeled that behavior for almost 40 years, beginning her work at JMU in 1961. All the while that she grew professionally she also worked to create a great university. Her accomplishments brought distinction to herself and to JMU. Betty retired earlier than she had anticipated due to poor health, and we have all missed her. However, today is a happy day because it is my pleasure to inform you of the creation of the Elizabeth Neatrour Professorship in Language. Please join me in expressing best wishes to Betty.

Last year at this time many of you will recall that the opening address was provided by a good friend of mine, Dr. Aubrey Lucas, the former chancellor of the University of Southern Mississippi. As it turned out, inviting Aubrey may have been one of my best decisions of the year. You will recall that he was both inspiring and humorous. He made all of us feel great about ourselves and our chosen profession. I was tempted to bring him back! But we have few occasions when we are all together and I really wanted to share some thoughts with you as we start this new year.

Because I am convinced that our time is now! Winston Churchill observed, "There comes a special moment in everyone's life, a moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission."