The Graduate School is Moving to Madison Hall

Graduate School
 

SUMMARY: The new office space, along with the student lounge, is part of a strategic plan to elevate the visibility of graduate programs and provide more resources for graduate students. Resources such as travel grants that support graduate students who are presenting at conferences create opportunities for graduate students to have the important experience of sharing their work while also giving others a chance to see JMU graduate student scholarship in action.


TGS Moving to Madison Hall and Graduate Student Lounge

The Graduate School is moving to the newly renovated Madison Hall, tentatively set to open April 2017, to better serve JMU’s graduate students. Currently, TGS staff are spread between two buildings, making collaboration a challenge. Bringing TGS resources under one roof will allow students to get help with a range of services from admissions to transfer credits, assistantship contracts to commencement, all in the same place.

In addition to bringing all TGS staff offices into one building, the new space, located on the fourth floor of Madison Hall (previously part of the hospital complex), will house the new graduate student lounge. The Graduate Student Workroom & Lounge space offers over 1,000 square feet for social gatherings, study sessions, and presentations. It features large windows for plenty of natural light and the design was created with input from officers of the Graduate Student Association to ensure it serves the graduate student body.

The space will be equipped with computers, two large screens for working on presentations, watching videos, or accessing information, and a pay-per-print system, plus tables for group work, quiet areas for individual study, chairs and sofas for social gatherings, and a refrigerator and coffee maker. The primary purpose of the lounge area is to provide a dedicated location for graduate students across departments and programs to connect, collaborate and share ideas, and hold workshops and meetings, such as the activities hosted by the Graduate Student Association.

Located in close proximity to other key offices on campus, the move to the new building will make it easier for graduate students to get their questions answered and take care of other business in a central area of campus. For example, Madison Hall is connected to the new Mason Street parking deck and the Student Success Center, which houses the Business Office, Financial Aid, Health Center, and other services for graduate students. The building is also adjacent to the Hotel Madison & Conference Center, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2018. The location was strategically chosen to facilitate more graduate student specific support between offices and to make these services more accessible.

The new office space, along with the student lounge, is part of a strategic plan to elevate the visibility of graduate programs and provide more resources for graduate students. Resources such as travel grants that support graduate students who are presenting at conferences create opportunities for graduate students to have the important experience of sharing their work while also giving others a chance to see JMU graduate student scholarship in action. Michael Stoloff, Associate Dean of The Graduate School, envisions the new office space and student lounge as a central location for Graduate School staff to coordinate resources and activities designed to meet the unique personal and professional needs of the graduate student body.

The Graduate School will share the fourth floor with the Office of Access and Inclusion, plus Madison Hall will also be home to Undergraduate Admissions. Conference rooms and meeting spaces in Madison Hall will be available for graduate school related gatherings such as the monthly Graduate Council meeting.

During your time as a JMU graduate student, how would you have used the Graduate Student Workroom & Lounge? Share your ideas on The Graduate School Facebook page and connect with other JMU Graduate School Alumni.

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Published: Monday, November 21, 2016

Last Updated: Thursday, November 2, 2023

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