Campaign Update - March 5, 2020

The following communication was sent to Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University donors on March 5, from Robin Goodman, JMU Class of '83.

Dear Unleashed Donor,

There’s a simple reason for my message today: THANK YOU!

As of this morning, you are among the 53,739 of us who have given to JMU during Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University. That’s a lot of alumni, parents and friends who care about what happens at this university! Together, our gifts total $165.6 million and we are closing in on our goals. In fact, with 28 months remaining in the campaign, we’re well on our way to exceeding our target numbers of 65,000 donors and $200 million. Go Dukes!

As alumni volunteers with the Unleashed campaign steering committee and avid supporters of the faculty at JMU, Clem and I are excited to give you an update on the campaign’s recent impact on learning at JMU:

• Political science professor Bernd Kaussler was recently selected for the inaugural Betty Coe (’64) and Paul J. Cinquegrana Presidential Chair of Faculty Teaching Excellence and Research. Before her death in 2017, Betty Cinquegrana established an estate gift in appreciation for others who had made her Madison Experience possible.  The award will allow Kaussler, known for his innovative and high-impact teaching practices in the classroom, to embark on exciting and important research in his field.
• JMU Libraries and the Furious Flower Poetry Center received a $150,000 planning grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund the development of a partnership model for digital library support.
• All told, the Unleashed campaign goal of Advancing Our Understanding, which focuses on supporting faculty success, student research, entrepreneurship and other programs that directly impact student learning, has received gifts totaling $49.9 million from 13,486 donors thus far.

In addition, construction of two major new facilities — the College of Business Learning Complex and the Atlantic Union Bank Center — offer very visible signs of the campaign’s impact on campus. Both are nearing completion and will open next academic year.

You may have noticed that Virginia Business highlighted JMU's Valley Scholars program this week. Thirty-one students from the first cohort of this innovative program — supported by Unleashed are now first-generation college students!

Truly, every gift, large or small, makes a difference. For several years, ever since President Alger conducted his listening tour in 2012-13, the JMU community has been urging the university to step up to the next level — moving to a new tier of national leadership. That bold step requires that we are successful in the Unleashed campaign, only the second comprehensive campaign we’ve undertaken. And your participation, along with other committed donors, shows that we are ready for the challenge!

Be on the lookout for future emails with updates on Unleashed. And again, thank you!

Warm regards,

Robin ('83) and Clement ('84) Goodman
Unleashed Campaign Steering Committee

P.S. JMU Giving Day is just around the corner on Tuesday, March 24! It’s the perfect time to tell your friends about the important work being done through Unleashed and encourage them to join you in supporting JMU. For details on JMU Giving Day, please visit jmu.edu/givingday.