President Jim gets to know Richmond-area Dukes

At his final Presidential Tour stop of the fall on Nov. 18, JMU President Dr. James C. Schmidt engaged with Richmond-area Dukes about a vision for JMU’s future at the Dominion Club in Glen Allen, Virginia. 

After opening remarks by Richmond native Heather Hedrick (’00) of the Board of Visitors, Schmidt talked about visiting JMU incognito when he was a candidate for president and then dove into his idea for instituting a Madison Promise.

More than a slogan, the Madison Promise could be a shared commitment to ensure that graduates meet their full potential in the workforce, Schmidt said. Ninety-seven percent of Dukes report that the job they took after JMU was part of their career goal, he said. For the 3% of alumni struggling to find their place, Schmidt said he would like JMU to take them back and further develop their “power skills” through additional undergraduate coursework and extra coaching.

He also pledged to re-think and re-densify the campus experience by aiming to house two-thirds of the student body in residence halls. 

“My goal is to plant a few seeds,” Schmidt said, while encouraging feedback and turning the mic over to attendees to “cross-pollinate” new, bold ideas.

Remembering the beginning of her time at JMU, Theatre major and small-business owner Whitney Reid (’14) addressed the “why” behind her Madison Experience. “I don’t think there’s any other education system I could have gone through that would have given me the full spectrum of education and the full support of me as a whole human if I hadn’t gone to JMU,” said Reid, owner of Magic and Merriment, a princess entertainment company.

President Jim meets Whitney Reid (’14), a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. A small-business owner, she operates Magic and Merriment, a princess entertainment company that creates a customized experience for each client and their daughter.

Another alumna engaged in a discussion about imagining what the university will be known for in the year 2035, emphasizing high-impact learning experiences. “Sometimes giving back isn’t monetary, but it is experiential, or making connections, or reaching out and trying to build that success for others,” said Sheri Kaupa (’97, ’24P, ’28P), a preschool teacher and graduate of the College of Health and Behavioral Studies. “How can I give back with experience, or how can I offer JMU my services as an alum?”

“That was a huge thing for my daughter that made a big difference in her life,” Kaupa continued, “and it was just an alum who came back and had a small cohort for maybe two semesters, and it happened to be a great experience for her.”

Sheri Kaupa (’97, ’24P, ’28P), a teacher and CHBS graduate, says that giving back through experiential learning can be more impactful than monetary gifts.

The focus shifted to leveraging JMU’s unique strengths to tackle significant challenges. Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (’04), a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Public Administration, said he would like to see JMU become a leader in literacy.

A volunteer at the Harrisonburg Children’s Museum during his undergraduate years, Stoney encountered children who could not read at grade level and was later exposed to illiteracy across Virginia localities in his public service career. 

“In America today, the average voter can comprehend at an eighth-grade level,” he shared. Further, Stoney believes JMU has a role to play in providing students and others with the tools to combat fake news and misinformation on campus and throughout the commonwealth.

Schmidt also spoke of the need for JMU to distinguish itself in areas such as artificial intelligence competency and civic engagement, and by aspiring to rank among the top-50 public universities. 

Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (’04) believes JMU can be a leader in literacy on campus and across the commonwealth of Virginia.

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For more information on the Presidential Tour and upcoming events, click here.