President Jim touches down in New York City

On Nov. 17, New York City Dukes gathered to greet JMU’s seventh president, Dr. James C. Schmidt, at The National Arts Club, a historically prominent building known for pushing the boundaries of art, culture and access. 

In his second-to-last tour stop of the fall, Schmidt was welcomed by emcee Marc Brookman (‘86), a member of the JMU Foundation Board of Directors and a former member of the Board of Advisors in the College of Business. A financial industry executive, Brookman said, “I always want to get the JMU kids here because they're well-rounded, great teammates, great partners, [and] they have social skills.” 

Schmidt and alumni connected on how soft skills like ethical reasoning and critical thinking set JMU students apart in an AI-powered world. 

“If you're going to use AI,” said Schmidt, “you need to have especially finely attuned critical-thinking skills; you need to be able to look at the answer and say, ‘That's not right.’” He added that top employers of JMU graduates consider them No. 1 when it comes to civil discourse and civic engagement.

“How many of you have learned more from your successes than your failures?” Schmidt asked the audience. “If you're not having any failures, you are not well prepared for what we call the ‘real world.’ You are not as valuable to that first employer or to that business that you want to start unless you've experienced some failure.”

Meg Jarrel (’90) speaks up during an audience question-and-answer session.

Attendee Meg Jarrel (‘90), a Communications major who works at Progressive Insurance, is a testament to JMU’s well-rounded education. “Ethics was one of the very first things I learned,” she recalled. Her first-year advisor's encouragement to take a variety of gen-ed classes led her to take a philosophy course, which shaped the foundation of critical-thinking skills she leverages to this day. 

Schmidt believes the secret to success is revamping JMU’s General Education curriculum. He suggested an innovative proposal — a 12-credit, semester-long freshman course in which  students are put on teams and, regardless of their discipline, are tossed into a pool of community and problem-based learning issues. 

“More than anything,” said Robert Mangone (’82), “your idea regarding critical thinking, I think, is fundamental. To be known for critical thinking would be a really big thing for a public university of our size.”

Earlier in the  day, David Lawn (‘98), vice president of investor relations at Nasdaq, graciously hosted a gathering and tour for the president at the company’s global headquarters. When asked about what qualities he sees in JMU grads that makes them stand out, he said JMU sends students into the corporate world who have astute people skills. Technical skills can be learned, he said, but engaging effectively with colleagues who might have different political views or significant age gaps is harder to come by, and JMU students excel at it.

David Lawn (‘98) and President Jim at Nasdaq headquarters earlier in the day

President Schmidt made clear that he values this generation of students and their competency with technology — and, even more, their ability to put their phones down and to hold the door for strangers. While AI is pervasive, he said, it still can’t replace the soft skills that JMU instills in its graduates.

The president sends a ripple of laughter through the audience of New York City Dukes.

Marc Brookman (‘86) emcee’s the event.

Click here to read other stories about the presidential fall tour, and keep an eye out for additional tour dates in the spring.

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