Champions Again

James Madison University has been honored for its efforts to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive campus community. The university has been named a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, one of a select few universities across the nation so honored.

JMU rose to the top from among hundreds of institutions that originally applied for the magazine’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.  Following external review, approximately 80 schools received that recognition. Subsequently, just 14 colleges and universities were ranked in the top tier to earn the distinction of Diversity Champion.

“James Madison University is a visionary leader among campus communities striving for diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity. “As a Diversity Champion school, JMU exceeds everyday expectations and develops successful strategies that serve as models of excellence for other higher education institutions.”

“This recognition validates JMU’s commitment to diversity, access and inclusion,” said Art Dean, Executive Director for Access and Inclusion. “We recognize that there is still much great work to do for inclusivity on our campus, but this award demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction.”

Holly Mendelson from Insight Into Diversity will present President Jonathan Alger with the Diversity Champion Award on Thursday, Sept. 14 at the Madison Vision Lecture Series in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.  The event begins at 3:30 p.m. and features constitutional scholar Linda Monk, whose talk is titled “We the Whole People: Creating a More Perfect Union from Imperfect People.”

Madison Vision Series lectures are free and open to the public.