Letter from the Political Science Alumni Board Chair

Fellow Political Science Alumni:

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of serving as President of the JMU Department of Political Science Alumni Board.  For those unfamiliar, the Board was established in 2011 to facilitate and strengthen relationships among the POSC Department’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni.  The board is non-partisan and consists of 17 departmental graduates, selected from among the three undergraduate majors in political science (POSC), public policy & administration (PPA), and international affairs (INTA).

The alumni board members serve three-year terms and contribute with their diverse career backgrounds.  Together, we strive to foster alumni engagement opportunities, career networking events between current students and graduates, support for the JMU Washington Semester program, as well as fundraising for POSC Department scholarships and endowments.

Our cohort has accomplished a lot and I am happy to share a few highlights from the past academic year:

• In November, the Board hosted its flagship Alumni Day on campus. More than 50 students from the Political Science Department participated in professional learning opportunities, including 1:1 resume reviews, under and upper-class career panels, and a networking session between attending students and alumni.
• The Board had a substantial presence at the JMU Legislative Reception in Richmond, held in conjunction with the Virginia General Assembly session. Board members supported the advocacy of JMU’s Office of State Government Relations and advanced connections with Richmond-based alumni.
• More than 125 individual donors supported the JMU Washington Semester Endowment Fund, contributing nearly $10,000 during 2025 Giving Day. This helped us unlock a generous $25,000 donor match from alumnus Darrell Conner (Class of 1991).  The effort will fund 6 full individual scholarships for the D.C.-based program.
• Many students have expressed concerns about job prospects and career disruptions due to recent policies of the federal administration.  In the Spring, the Board facilitated an in-person and virtual session for students and recently graduated alumni about this subject matter to reassure and provide advice about the current job market.

To get the latest news and engagement opportunities with the board, please follow our accounts @jmuposcboard on all major social networks.  We also encourage you to join our LinkedIn group.

If you are interested in joining the Board, we annually solicit applications for new alumni members over the summer.  The application goes live on our website at www.jmuposcboard.com.

Go Dukes!

Ronny Lau
Class of 2013 (POSC)
President, JMU Political Science Alumni Board