Tim's Letter
Hello everyone,
I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the roller coaster of weather this November. I was about to take down my garden and start winterizing everything and then it almost hit 80 degrees. Back to reality and normal temps soon!!! I have a few things I wanted to send your way as we enter the last few weeks of the semester.
Kognito
This deadline was extended to Nov. 1 but is now overdue so if you haven’t completed the Kognito training please do so. Also, please remind your student staff and any other students you have contact with to complete their trainings also. Even though it’s past the deadline they are still available at the moment so they can be completed before any holds are applied.
VSSC conference
I hope to see you all at the VSSC conference Nov. 9-11 at Wintergreen. It looks like there will be some great sessions so we should all come back with insight and ideas from our counterparts around the state. Thank you to everyone who was part of the planning of this event and especially to Emily Higham who led the conference planning team and kept us on track to having an amazing conference. We will have over 150 people at VSSC this year and I couldn’t be more excited.
Winter Celebration
Join us on Dec. 15, 2-5 p.m. to hang out and enjoy each other's company.
Winter All Staff Meeting
We'll be getting together on Jan. 10, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Click on this survey to share what topics you’re interested in hearing about and to submit a proposal if you’re interested in presenting. The deadline is Nov. 18.
SA Social Media transition
As we announced earlier, we changed the name of the Dr. Tim Miller Facebook page to JMU Student Affairs. This provides us more flexibility as we reply to questions, mostly on the parent pages. You are encouraged to do the same with your departmental pages so you will no longer need to post through your own personal page.
Basketball
Jamie and I have four tickets to every game and we often can’t use them all due to our schedules. If you are interested in tickets for a game please send me an email and we will see what we can do! The men’s game tickets come with a free dinner and free non-alcoholic drinks and the women’s games have free snacks and drinks.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage you to take time to reflect on the year behind us and remember everything in your life for which you are thankful. I know that I am thankful for this opportunity to be at JMU and serve each of you and our students in my dream job at my favorite place. I’m also thankful that Jamie and I will have the opportunity to head to the Outer Banks for Thanksgiving week and get a break together with Duke Dog.
Enjoy these next few weeks while also looking forward to a nice break ahead.
Tim
Updates
Libraries
Carrier Library renovation and expansion, with construction set to begin after graduation in 2023 and end approximately Fall 2026, will benefit JMU and the broader community for decades to come. Check out our new Carrier Library of the Future page for a sneak peek at the plans for the renovated and expanded building.
Achievements
Student Affairs
Congratulations to everyone who received service awards recently:
5 YEARS
Kate Bergey
Jessica Beverly
Stephanie Goetz
Jackie Hieber
Joy Martin
Jordan McCann
Angela Ritchie
Jessica Sampson
Josh Shulruff
Robert Smith
Chloe Thompson
Laura Turner
10 YEARS
Melinda Fox
Brenda Smith
15 YEARS
Travis Bussey
Phyllis Mathews
Erika Sawin
20 YEARS
Betsy Gentry
Heather Reid
25 YEARS
Leslie Bailey
Karen Sampson
30 YEARS
Julie Wallace Carr
Debra Miller
Counseling Center
Please help us congratulate Staff Clinician Jackie Jenkins, who has met the residency requirements and is now a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia!
Student Affairs
The UHC C.A.R.E team recently sponsored a Halloween Day popcorn bar. Staff was able to wear a festive shirt if a donation was brought for the Student Pantry. Staff brought in over 80 items to donate to the Pantry. Way to go!

Special Announcements
Counseling Center
We have had two of our staff members adopt furry friends this month! Please enjoy the following sweet puppy pics:
Katrina Simpson-McCleary's new fluffy addition Milo.

Bridget Smith's pup, Della. Della hopes to join the Therapy Dog staff in the future.

University Recreation Center (UREC)
Congrats to UREC staff members who completed the Harrisonburg Half Marathon on Saturday, October 15!
Pictured left to right: Sonia Doulamis, Daniel “DC” Chandler, Jordan McCann, Steph Nielsen (Not pictured: Kristin Gibson)

Office of Residence Life
Residence Life's Sydney Wood married Chad Wood on September 10 and upon returning from their honeymoon they moved into their newly built home with their dog Wyatt (whose house it really is!)

Conferences and Presentations
UREC
A group of UREC professional staff, graduate assistants and student employees traveled to Winston-Salem, NC, for the NIRSA Region II Conference October 10-12 to attend professional development sessions, facility tours and connect with other recreation professionals in the southeast. Stephanie Nielsen, Assistant Director for Member Services, served on the Region II Conference Program Committee. Alexis Shura, GA for Facilities and Operations, serves as the Region II Student Leader and coordinated the Student Lead On Pre-Conference, a full day program for students and GAs. Tim Groth, GA for Aquatics & Safety, and Brendan English, Operations Supervisor (undergrad) also served on the Student Lead On Planning committee. Cassidy Jimerson, Coordinator for Reservations and Events, served on a New Professionals Panel during the Student Lead On. Kristin Gibson, Associate Director for UREC Services, facilitated the Associate Director’s Roundtable session.
About Community with Ideas
The masterminds behind the scenes.
Community with Ideas is your monthly newsletter.
We welcome all comments and suggestions. Please contact a Community with Ideas committee member to submit content, photographs or announcements. We look forward to hearing from you!
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Angela Ritchie | Chair | Student Affairs Communications and Marketing (SACM) | ritchiac@jmu.edu
Ann Simmons | Student Affairs Communications and Marketing (SACM) | simmonae@jmu.edu
Kylie Formisano | Student Affairs Communications and Marketing (SACM)–GA | formiskx@jmu.edu
REPRESENTATIVES
Brent Lewis | Student Affairs Diversity Council | lewis2be@jmu.edu
Brittany Dioszeghy | Office of Disability Services | dioszebd@jmu.edu
TJ Stafford | Orientation | staffotj@jmu.edu
Deborah Hoover | UHC | hooverdd@jmu.edu
Dylan Sorkin | Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices | sorkindj@jmu.edu
DaNae Peterson | AVP-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and CELT | petersda@jmu.edu
Leslie Bailey | AVP- Health and Well-Being and AVP Student Life and Involvement | baile2la@jmu.edu
Jen Grossman | Student Life | grossmjb@jmu.edu
Carson Lonett | VP Student Affairs | lonettcy@jmu.edu
Dianne Nibblins | CMSS | nibblidk@jmu.edu
Sydney Wood | Office of Residence Life | arnol2se@jmu.edu
Cassidy Angelo | Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Programming | angelocn@jmu.edu
Emily Blake | Library | blakeed@jmu.edu
Jill Staley Wade | Dean of Students | staleycj@jmu.edu
Kristin Gibson | UREC | gibsonkj@jmu.edu
Lindsey Richards | Community Service-Learning | richa2lm@jmu.edu
Moriah Fallon | Counseling Center | fallo3mj@jmu.edu
Tiffany Corbin | University Career Center | corbintt@jmu.edu