(07-18-2023 11:52 PM)JMaddy Wrote:  

(07-18-2023 08:41 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(07-18-2023 05:32 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(07-18-2023 04:36 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(07-18-2023 03:08 PM)PGJMU Wrote:  i graduated before 2000, lets leave it at that. my choice was between jmu & va tech - no brainer in my mind. both schools accepted at equal rates and accepted students were as likely to commit to jmu as they were to va tech. Now, as i understand it, of students accepted to jmu and tech, they get 7, we get 3. sure, we have doubled in size since i graduated and with that our admit rate has gone from 35% to what? 70%. Va Tech admit rate has gone down and their commitment rate has gone up. i live in nova and va tech has elevated in perception while jmu has been stagnant. Va tech is a hot commodity while jmu his viewed as a solid choice.

as a proud jmu alum, that is revolting. dont get me wrong, we have made a ton of progress, & JMU > than VT every day - but JMU is still a sleeping giant in Nova perception. with student growth leveling off and the success of our athletic teams and new facilities, I am hopeful that our gem of a school becomes more widely known and in demand. Increasing applications (i know they have gone up the last 2 years), falling acceptance rates and increasing commitment rates.

commitments > than previous years / expectations - may be the first sign that perceptions are changing.

All good LH, I just thought by now there would have been a bigger perception change in NOVA.

I think your “perception” meter might be in need of an adjustment.

Since you graduated some 20+ years ago, have you spent much time on campus? “Stagnant” is a descriptor that definitely doesn’t apply to JMU.

PG is not entirely wrong regarding public perceptions in the NoVa region.

VT has invested a significant amount in setting up satellite campus graduate programs and partnering with Amazon. Would like to see JMU take similar actions and expand connections here.

IMO JMU should continue to work on expanding its D.C. presence for purposes of placing government and business internships, for both undergraduate and graduate students, however, a full-blown “satellite campus” in NOVA would require the kind of resources better used (and still needed) on JMU’s main campus. You’ve gotta know who and what you are, and play to your strengths. The Amazon NOVA connection to VT is a one-off, unique kind of deal, and has little to no impact on the generation of undergrad applications. People in NOVA easily seduced by the image of VT and what they “perceive” are quality academic programs are entitled to be wrong.

JMU’s undergraduate on-campus experiences and study-abroad opportunities still beat the ever-loving heck out of VT. It’s worth pointing out that JMU (not VT) remains an aspirational model for many similarly oriented institutions, and that JMU does not aspire to become another VT…or UVA, or W&M. Neither is JMU necessarily in competition with just VT for students, or the same kind of student. And that’s a good thing.

All JMU grads should be proud of their Alma mater, and reject the idea that VT has become the best measure of how to gauge JMU’s educational value. Current antidotal evidence in NOVA may sway some people, but in 2019 a study by the Wall Street Journal revealed that JMU was the #1 most recommended university in the country. Stanford was ranked #2, and VT #3. https://www.jmu.edu/news/2018/10/24-wsj-...king.shtml

There’s a reason JMU led that Wall Street Journal ranking. While there are many challenges still left to address in an effort to improve JMU, thoughts that JMU has somehow “stagnated” or slipped behind the competition are misplaced. JMU is better and stronger than ever.

The biggest thing JMU can do to fix the perception problem vs VT is expand our STEM and specifically Engineering programs.

VT offers 15 undergrad engineering programs (UVA has 11): Aerospace Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Building Construction, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Engineering and Management, Electrical Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, and Ocean Engineering.

VT is a top 20 undergrad Engineering school and top 10 in several specialties (Civil, Industrial & Systems and Environmental) and has 11,000 students 9,385 undergrad students and 2,168 graduate students. VT College of Engineering

Conversely we have just a basic Engineering program and as of 21/22 we had 453 students in the program. While our Engineering, ISAT and Science programs are all great, they aren't perceived as being nearly as big a deal or a top choice as some other VA schools, notably VT and UVA. Close that gap and we 'fix' a lot of the perception discrepancies.

I am trying like hell to get JMU to start a program to build tiny research satellites (think 5lbs and 3 liters in size) -- it'd be a great way to merge physics, engineering, and computer science, and depending on the science mission of the satellites, other fields such as astronomy, earth science, and whatever else comes up. it's well within the technical and financial reach of JMU, but it's really hard getting the decisionmakers' attention. Someone PM me if you know anyone at JMU who might be able to help me get that going.

Thanks!