In This Issue:
- A Letter from Dr. Miller
- 2/16/22 Madison Vision Series
- Submit the 2022-23 FAFSA Before March 1st
- 2/22/22 Dukes 2gether for 24 hours
- Save the Date for Sibs & Kids Day!
- Career Fairs: Jobs/Internships for all JMU Students
- Spring Break Ride Home to PA/NJ/NY
- Introducing the First-Ever JMU Libraries Magazine
- Living Up To the Ideals of Democracy Through Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
- Women for Madison
- The Stakes of Holocaust Commemoration: Some Lessons for the 21st Century
The Madison Family Newsletter is created each month by the Office of Parent Relations in partnership with many members of the JMU community. For more family resources, visit our website.
A Letter from Dr. Tim Miller
Hello JMU Families,
I hope all of you are doing well. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t really have the words to express my feelings about the recent tragedies that have occurred in our community and other campuses, but please know we are here for your students and will continue to work on ways to help all of our students feel connected and supported. I know we’ve been sending a lot of communication lately and we will continue to reach out to our students and provide many options for them to be involved and supported.
I’m sure it has been difficult being away from your students during tough times. My best advice is to keep checking in on them via Facetime, phone calls or texts. You know your students the best so please reach out and if you’re close enough, a trip home or visit from you may be just what they need.
There are a few other things I’d like you to share with your students which may help them academically while it’s still early in the semester. There are many people, programs and offices across campus ready and waiting to help your student succeed.
Academic Support
Encourage your student to connect early with the programs, services and people who provide academic support. They should:
- Check in regularly with their course instructors and Academic Advisor throughout the semester.
- Rebound creates a culture that shares setbacks and failures and uses them as opportunities to grow stronger and wiser.
- Learning Strategies Instruction is an incredible resource provides individualized, student-centered, academic coachingdesigned to increase student success.
- Utilize JMU academic resources, including The Learning Centers. The Learning Centers offer free tutoring and learning assistance by specially trained faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students in five areas.
Jobs and Internships
Throughout February, please remind your student to attend various career fairs where 150+ employers are actively hiring JMU students across all majors for different job and internship opportunities. More details are in the University Career Center’s information in this newsletter.
Getting Involved
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but for any students wanting to get involved in groups or activities on campus, Be Involved is a great way for them to find their place. I would also recommend students try our Find Your Fit program where your student will be able to complete a form outlining their interests and then meet with a staff member as a follow up. Also, encourage them to read the Dukes Weekly email that is sent every Monday at 1 p.m. It’s full of information about events, services, job openings and a lot more.
Stay Informed
If you want to be up to date on notifications and weather closings that JMU sends out, I recommend you download the LiveSafe app. It has many great features for your student to use as well as being part of our emergency notification system so it’s important for them to have it on their phones also.
As always, I and many others are here to support your student and are dedicated to their well-being and academic success. Thank you for your continued support for JMU as we create the best possible experience for your students.
Take care,
Dr. Tim Miller
Vice President for Student Affairs
Submitted by: Michael Davis, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
February 16 — Future of Leadership Challenges: 21st Century Mayors Join us for a virtual panel of Black female current and former mayors who will address the challenges of 21st century leadership.Topics will include crisis communication, the COVID-19 pandemic and strength during a time of social upheaval.
Submit the 2022-23 FAFSA Before March 1st
Submitted by: Jessica Hopkins, Assistant Director of Compliance, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
The 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available now. To ensure your student receives priority consideration for all types of financial assistance, the federal government must receive their 2022-23 FAFSA by March 1, 2022. This is JMU’s priority filing date. In some cases, filing later can reduce the chances of receiving certain types of financial aid, including state grants.
Please note that meeting the priority filing date does not guarantee that a student will receive university or state grant dollars. The number of eligible students and the size of our annual funding allocations are significant factors in determining whether sufficient funds are available to award all those who qualify.
Submitting a FAFSA comes with no strings attached. The application is free and there are two ways it can be completed:
• Online at StudentAid.gov (formerly fafsa.gov)
• Download the myStudentAid app for iOS and Android
Take a moment to view our video on the FAFSA and Priority Filing
For more information, visit the “Apply” section of our website which includes more videos (one with FAFSA tips specifically for parents), Net Price Calculators, Cost of Attendance figures and information about the different types of aid available at JMU.
Tip: Keep up with important dates and deadlines by bookmarking the Academic Calendar
Submitted by: Nora Sutton, Assistant Director, Office of Annual Giving
On February 22, Dukes around the world will come 2gether for 24 hours to support the university. Why? Dukes helping Dukes is a Madison tradition and with your help, we can unleash the full potential of JMU. Mark your calendars and plan to join us online at jmu.edu/givingday! Giving Day is a unique opportunity to support the causes and programs at JMU that mean the most to you. Special challenges mean your gift goes even further on Giving Day. This opportunity to come 2gether only happens once a year!
Save the Date for Sibs and Kids Day on April 23, 2022! This event provides an opportunity for JMU students to invite their 12 to 17-year-old sibling(s) to campus and show them what it’s like to be a Duke. Dining vouchers, a scavenger hunt, free t-shirts and a variety of activities are included in this awesome experience for future Dukes. Registration is required. The full schedule of events will post soon, so check the website often for updates.
Career Fairs: Jobs/Internships for all JMU Students
Submitted by: Tam Nguyen, Communications Coordinator, University Career Center
Spring 2022 Career Fairs & Major Events for JMU students:
JMU Campus-Wide Career Fair:
Tuesday 2/15 & Wed. 2/16, 11am – 3pm on both days, Festival Ballroom
A total of more than 100 employers and organizations across many industries are expected to come to campus to recruit JMU talent! All JMU students across all majors and class years are invited to join and directly connect with employers to find jobs/internships.
Teacher Recruitment Day:
Tuesday 3/1, 10am – 12pm (fair) and 12 – 4pm (interviews), Festival Ballroom
Almost 60 employers: public and private schools as well as educational organizations and institutions, are coming to campus to recruit JMU’s future teachers and educators!
To best support and help all JMU students prepare for these career fairs, the University Career Center team offers weekly career workshops, programs, and resources that cover many important skills and aspects: Writing Resumes and Cover Letters, Practicing for Interviews, Networking, Starting or Improving the Job/Internship Search, Using Handshake to Apply for Jobs/Internships
About Handshake:
In case you are not familiar with Handshake, it is the #1 platform that college students find jobs and internships (2,000+ new jobs/internships for JMU students are posted on a weekly basis). Handshake is widely used by colleges and universities across the U.S. Handshake is also where students can register for the career fairs listed above, sign up for career workshops, and make career advising appointments with our office.
Remind your beloved JMU student to:
- Activate Handshake account: as of Spring 2022, only 46% of JMU students have activated their Handshake account – please do not let your student be in the 54% of the crowd who is missing out on job/internship offers.
- Update student’s profile on Handshake - as a complete and updated profile is 5 times more likely to be contacted by an employer who is hiring
- Take note of the important career fairs’ dates above
- Make a career advising appointment to check in with a JMU Career Advisor to become more career ready.
Students should not wait until junior or senior year to prepare for their career(s) after graduation.
Thank you for always being the supportive advocate for our office’s mission of taking care of our JMU students and empowering all Dukes with the necessary career tools and skills to pursue their career paths.
Spring Break Ride Home to PA/NJ/NY
Submitted by: Amy Sfaelos, President, CollegeTransit
Next month is spring break at JMU, which is the last vacation time your student has to come home before the end of the semester. Just as we did for Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks, our motor coaches depart campus from the bookstore parking lot and drop off in Allentown (PA), Morris Plains (NJ), Teterboro (NJ) and Huntington (NY). We then will return to JMU the Sunday before classes resume. Enjoy the spring semester!
Submitted by: Emily Blake, Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Libraries
The brand new JMU Libraries Magazine celebrates successes from the last two years and recognizes the students, scholars, staff, and donors who worked together to help the JMU Libraries thrive. The magazine features JMU’s community seed library, our work to document Black history in Harrisonburg, and an exciting new partnership with the Furious Flower Poetry Center, made possible by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Submitted by: Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, Associate Director, JMU Civic
The elimination and replacement of the belief and belief system in the false hierarchy of human value are crucial to the well-being and vibrancy of communities and thriving democracies. “If we start creating compassionate ways of understanding and connecting with one another, then we will have the permanent motivation to live up to our espoused and aspirational ideals as a democracy,” says Dr. Gail Christopher, author of the new book RX Racial Healing. Dr. Christopher joins JMU Civic to discuss how we can approach addressing the effects of racism and reimagine more just and equitable economies, societies and democracies.
Submitted by: Cannie Campbell, Associate Vice President for Constituent Engagement & Women for Madison
Through Women for Madison’s Amethyst Circle, Adora Williams (JMU ’95) comes full circle herself: from needing financial aid so she could attend and graduate from JMU, to “thinking big” with other JMU women who are emerging as a major philanthropic force in empowering new students to do the same.
The Stakes of Holocaust Commemoration: Some Lessons for the 21st Century
Submitted by: Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, Associate Director, JMU Civic
Against a global context of rising antisemitism and increasing levels of disinformation and hate speech, Holocaust education and remembrance are more urgent than ever. Dr. Oren Stier, Director of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program and Professor of Religious Studies in the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at Florida International University, joined us for Holocaust Remembrance Week at JMU to discuss "The Stakes of Holocaust Commemoration: Some Lessons for the 21st Century." Watch/Listen to Dr. Stier's impactful keynote public address and other events at JMU here:
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