JMU Makes Historic Move to Join the American Conference

Dear faculty, staff and students,

Today is a significant day in JMU’s history, and I want you to hear it from me directly.

James Madison University is joining the American Conference. Our Board of Visitors voted unanimously to apply for and accept an invitation to the conference, effective no later than July 1, 2028.

The conference’s 13 member institutions, including schools like Temple, East Carolina, Tulane, Charlotte, Memphis, Rice and South Florida, stretch from the Northeast corridor to the Gulf Coast, with Army and Navy as football-only members. A full list of member institutions and what this announcement means for JMU Athletics are available in the full announcement.

Seventeen of our 18 athletic programs will compete in the American. Our field hockey program remains in the Mid-American Conference, where it has built an outstanding program and will continue to compete at the highest level. For some of our programs, the American Conference is already home. Our women’s lacrosse program has been an affiliate member since 2022 and has won the last two conference championships. Our swimming and diving program joined as an affiliate this past year. Today’s announcement brings us into a conference where our student athletes have already competed and already won.

This is an extraordinary step forward. The Madison Promise shapes every significant decision we make as an institution, and today’s announcement reflects that commitment. Several factors made this the right decision at the right time:

The American Conference is home to member institutions whose student retention rates, graduation rates, research commitment and institutional ambition align with JMU’s own. They are among our academic peers. All 13 member institutions carry either R1 or R2 Carnegie Research designation, with 11 classified as R1. JMU is on its own path to R1, and our academic metrics already reflect the standards that define this community.

I am also very pleased to share that this transition is funded entirely by people who chose to invest in JMU’s future. Membership in the American Conference requires two fees: an exit fee from the Sun Belt and an entry fee to the American. The exit fee is covered by gifts made specifically for this purpose by our generous supporters, who stepped up because they believe in this university. The entry fee is funded entirely through new agreements with corporate partners who support this move and are proud to be associated with JMU’s future. None of it comes at the expense of student tuition, student fees or state taxpayer funding. Our Athletics program is positioned to grow revenues significantly in the American Conference, and that growth strengthens the entire university.

This decision is also rooted in community. More than 84,000 JMU alumni make their homes within 100 miles of American Conference campuses, from Philadelphia and the Northeast corridor to Charlotte, Tampa and beyond. These are the cities and communities where our graduates live, work and lead. Our student-athletes will compete in cities where our future Dukes and alumni will fill the stands. The Madison Promise is strengthened when we stand alongside member institutions who share our dedication to excellence, access and impact.

I am proud of every championship and every relationship built during our time in the Sun Belt Conference. That chapter made us stronger. This move is not a departure from who we are. It is a declaration of where we are going.

Go Dukes!

President Jim