VA250 Kickoff
James Madison University is celebrating 250 years of America in Virginia by hosting a series of events aimed at helping our campus and community to engage, learn, and inspire our community to form a more perfect union.
Save the date: March 2, 2026
JMU's VA250 celebrations kick off on March 2, 2026, in Wilson Hall auditorium with a showing and panel discussion of Ken Burns' "American Revolution" film. We will be celebrating Civics Education Week with additional faculty and community historian panels about the Shenandoah Valley during the revolutionary war, an art showcase, and a celebration of James Madison's birthday.
Join us for the JMU-VA250 open committee meeting on Wednesday, December 17th at 10am. Email civic@jmu.edu for the Zoom link.
Civic Education Week (March 2-6, 2026)
Join us for a week-long celebration of America's semiquincentennial with the following events:
- Tuesday, March 3rd | Student Government Association Town Hall
6:30pm in Union 256
- Wednesday, March 4th | Deliberating the 250th: What's Next America?
6:00-7:30pm in Union Ballroom
The Madison Center's program, Better Conversations Together, will be holding community deliberative conversations throughout 2026 and 2027 about envisioning together our next 250 years.
Join the Madison Center for Civic Engagement for our campus-wide Day of Deliberation! This event invites JMU students, faculty, and staff to come together in small, facilitated groups to explore important questions about America’s future as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary. Participants will engage in open, respectful conversations across differences, with groups intentionally designed to include a range of perspectives and backgrounds.
Through this interactive forum, you’ll have the chance to share your views, listen to others, and consider how we might collectively envision the next 250 years of American democracy and society. All JMU students, faculty, and staff are welcome!
- Thursday, March 5th | Revolution in the Valley Discussion
- Friday, March 6th | James Madison's Birthday Bash with Madison Historians
- Friday, March 6th | artist(r)evolutions with the Madison Art Collection
