Dear Colleagues,

I hope you’ve had a good start to the new term and your students are settling.  Special thanks to all of you working with our first-year students as they make the transition to JMU. 

A new academic year brings changes to the university and our division, and I’d like to highlight a few things for you now.

• Artificial intelligence continues to be a hot topic as we engage with how AI should be used by faculty, staff and students. I know there is no universal approach for the way we interact with this technology, but JMU can provide some resources and best practices. Look for additional communications from the AI Task Force very soon.
• We have retired LiveSafe and adopted JMU Shield as the official safety app of James Madison University. It is the only app integrated with JMU's safety and security systems. The app will send users important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources. Please consider downloading it - the app is available in both Google Play and the Apple App Store.
• David McGraw has resumed the role of Faculty Ombudsperson for the upcoming year. Faculty members may contact him as an independent and neutral third party with questions about work-related concerns. Please join me in thanking David for his continued service.
• We will host a home football game on Thursday, Oct. 10, and university offices will close at 3 p.m. If your classes end prior to 3:35 p.m. you should meet normally. If your class begins after or extends past 3:35 p.m., you may choose an alternative instructional method. For complete details, refer to my email from Aug. 5, which is also available online. We expect that weekday football games will become a regular feature of the fall term going forward. We’re hoping to learn from this initial experience, so please share any thoughts with your AUH’s and deans.
• With the implementation of a CRM as a part of the Reengineering Madison project, primary communication between advisers and students has moved into MyMadison Connect. All first-year students enrolled Fall 2024 are using MyMadison Connect to manage advising appointments and will continue using this system. Advisers who have not yet begun using the CRM should visit the Academic Advising Resources webpage for details on getting started in the system.

I’m excited about the semester ahead, and I look forward to sharing your successes in and out of the classroom with the division. Please contact me with updates on your activities in teaching and scholarship/creative activity by emailing provost@jmu.edu. Keep an eye out for weekly updates!

Best wishes for a successful semester –

Bob

Academic Affairs faculty and staff can use these feedback features to contact the provost directly about operation of the division.

This is an open line of communication that allows faculty and staff to express their questions, but it is not a substitute from the crucial interactions you have with your academic unit head, department head and dean.

• Submit a Question to the Provost
• Email the Provost

Students should contact AcademicQuestions@jmu.edu with questions.