JMU Board of Visitors endorses The Madison Promise, charting a bold course toward 2032 and 2040

James Madison University's Board of Visitors on Friday formally endorsed "The Madison Promise: JMU 2032 Strategic Plan," a bold, community-driven vision guided by a cornerstone commitment to students and the Commonwealth of Virginia that sets a course for JMU through 2032, with long-term targets extending to 2040.

Since his arrival in July 2025, James Madison University President Jim Schmidt has paved the way toward creating an innovative and forward-facing strategic plan that will see the university through to 2032, with a long-term vision to include 2040 goals.

"The Madison Promise is our now," Schmidt said. "It builds on our public mission, calls upon our strength in innovation and collaboration, and sets a bold course as we step confidently into the future."

To realize the 2040 targets, pillars were identified as the foundation for continued momentum with measurable progress:

1. Enhance the Purpose, Value, and Impact of a JMU Education. Anchored in discovery-driven innovation and real-world application, a JMU education is marked by the distinctive set of skills and knowledge that all graduates develop during their undergraduate career. Additionally, JMU stands behind every graduate through a guaranteed education.
   • The Employment Guarantee: JMU will ensure that every bachelor's degree graduate, starting with the Class of 2030, will achieve a positive career outcome within one year of graduation. Graduates who have not yet reached that milestone will receive personalized support through career coaching, alumni and employer networking, and access to additional education or internship opportunities at no cost.
   • The Employer Guarantee: JMU stands behind the career readiness of every bachelor's degree graduate. If an employer identifies a gap in a graduate's power skills such as critical thinking, communication, or problem-solving within two years of graduation, the university will provide access to coaching services and a personalized recommendation of additional coursework at no cost to the graduate or employer.
2. Invest in Our People. As the university pursues an ambitious strategic vision, JMU will ensure that expectations for innovation and growth are matched with workforce capacity, resources and support. Through strategic investments in recruitment, professional development, compensation, and workload alignment, JMU will strengthen the conditions that allow faculty and staff to thrive.
3. Chart a New Path as a National Research University. JMU will elevate its national prominence by becoming an R1 institution through selective growth in high-impact graduate programs, increased scholarship and external funding, and an unwavering commitment to undergraduate excellence. This plan will not be research at the expense of teaching, but research because of teaching and will pursue a distinctive vision of a modern research university: We will blaze a new path to R1. Our approach positions JMU as a model for the modern public research university: one where teaching and research are not competing priorities, but mutually reinforcing purposes driving discovery, opportunity, and service.
4. Become the Preferred Partner to Meet the Needs of the Commonwealth and Beyond. JMU will be the Shenandoah Valley and Commonwealth of Virginia's most trusted, responsive, innovative and preferred university partner. JMU will link students and faculty with industry, government, and nonprofit collaborators to translate discovery into real-world solutions that fuel entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability and economic development.
5. Create an Innovative Campus Community. To support JMU's vision for the next generation of learning and research, the campus will be sustainability-focused and deeply integrated with its community. The campus will become an anchor and hub for cultural, educational, social and economic collaboration that will generate revenue to allow further investment in the university's mission.
   • JMU will build new residential facilities to house approximately 60 percent of students on campus by 2040. Research shows that on-campus living is associated with improved student outcomes, creating a sense of belonging and community, greater retention and graduation rates, and improved overall student well-being.
   • JMU will develop and execute a strategic enrollment management plan to intentionally manage growth.
   • The university will establish new practices and structures designed to increase community collaboration and maximize facility use.

Additionally, the JMU Board of Visitors has approved the 2027 Campus Master Plan, which translates The Madison Promise (strategic plan) into a physical campus roadmap. While the conceptual maps and drawings do not translate into immediate construction, the goal of advancing campus development is to explore opportunities to create a greater sense of community through increased student housing, develop mixed-use spaces to generate additional revenue streams and best position this rising institution for what's next.

"Putting students and the Commonwealth of Virginia first is our cornerstone value, and every decision we make, including how we build and grow this campus must pass that test," said Schmidt. "When we increase student housing, when we create vibrant spaces where learning, living, and community converge, we are not just building buildings. We are creating the sense of belonging that attracts and keeps our students here, that improves their well-being, and that strengthens our impact across Virginia and beyond. We are opening a bigger door to opportunity, to be a bolder, more future-ready JMU that delivers on its promises to students, to Harrisonburg, and to the commonwealth we proudly serve."

Today marks a significant milestone toward JMU's goal of becoming a distinctive national institution. The next phases of "The Madison Promise" will focus on a more detailed implementation, enrollment and financial plan to support the 2040 vision.