SSIV History

Student Success in Virginia:
A Brief History of the Conference

In 1997-98, James Madison University was implementing a student success initiative based on ideas gathered from across the country and crafted by a steering committee of faculty and staff. Randy Mitchell, Associate Vice President for Student Success at JMU, suggested expanding this knowledge base by holding an annual, statewide drive-in workshop each fall under the heading of "Student Success in Virginia".

Conference themes have included Mapping a New Direction (1998), Building Bridges Between Academic and Student Affairs (1999), Markers and Milestones: Measuring Student Success in Virginia (2000), Redefining Student Success in Virginia (2001), and Preparing Citizens in an Everchanging World (2007). Keynote speakers have included John Gardner, founder of the first Year Experience & Students in Transition program; Charles Schroeder, editor of About Campus magazine and Vice Chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia; Karl Schilling, assessment expert with the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia; and Nancy Schlossberg, University of Maryland-College Park professor and author on margins and mattering.

The conference experienced a hiatus in 2002 due to a state-wide travel freeze. Interest in the topic remained strong, and encouragement from a number of institutions in Virginia helped facilitate the return of the conference in 2007. The sixth Student Success in Virginia in October 2008 is expected to exceed previous figures for both attendees and the number of schools represented.

James Madison University is proud to host this annual conference; we hope to continue to make history with all of you concerned about Student Success in Virginia.