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.

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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

6:00pm in Memorial Hall Auditorium

Come have a conversation with scholars and historians at the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center about the history of the Shenandoah Valley during the American Revolution.

• Friday, March 6th | James Madison's Birthday Bash with Madison Historians

• Friday, March 6th | artist(r)evolutions with the Madison Art Collection