Office of the Provost

The Division of Academic Affairs provides a broad range of services to faculty and staff to promote their professional development and enhance their education.

A Message from the Provost

Dear Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to share with you that David McGraw has agreed to serve as the university Faculty Ombudsperson effective July 1.

At JMU, the ombudsperson supports faculty in understanding and applying university policies, rights and responsibilities. The Faculty Ombudsperson also makes recommendations and offers feedback regarding policies and procedures affecting faculty to the Faculty Senate and relevant university administrators. In David, we have identified a faculty member with highly relevant experience and background as resource for fellow faculty.

David joined JMU in 2001 after a successful career as an attorney in Washington, D.C. Currently a professor in the School of Integrated Sciences, he also serves as associate school director. David has a long history of service to the university, most notably through involvement in Faculty Senate since 2007. He served as Faculty Speaker from 2012-16 and has previously acted as chair of the Academic Policies Committee, Secretary and Treasurer. From 2012-16, he represented JMU in the Faculty Senate of Virginia as president for two years. He has also provided university-level service through involvement on the Compensation Advisory Council, Intellectual Property Committee and chair of the Faculty Handbook Committee.

My thanks go out to Chris Blake for his previous service as ombudsperson. Please join me in welcoming David to this role.

Sincerely,
Heather Coltman