(03-06-2015 04:37 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:32 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 02:57 PM)JMU Wrote:  Interesting info. Begs the question as to why JMU thinks its so academically elite. The whole mantra of "we need to preserve our academics" or "we need to be aligned academically with similar schools" seems to be a crock. We just are not that great. Good but not great.

Today's "good" may be yesterday's "great"...which would support those folks inclined to spin the yarn that JMU's current admit profile has slipped.

Then again, I tend to agree with you...JMU is good, and it remains good, but it's never been great, if you measure or define academic "greatness" by those qualities associated with the Ivy's or major publics. Without a doubt, however, JMU's position in the pecking order of academic quality is generally above that found in the SB, and aspirations to achieve notoriety of academic "greatness" won't be promoted by aligning with institutions like Troy or UL Monroe.

LH,

How does JMU compare to our state academic brethren in the ACC? Excluding the privates, how do we compare against VPISU, Clemson, NC State, FSU, and in the SEC, USC, UA , AU. Not counting their engineering programs and such. How do we compare?

As of today, I'd place JMU's undergraduate experience (as a whole) ahead of all the institutions you list. JMU boasts an extraordinary undergraduate experience, and everyone associated with JMU should take great pride in the fact we do such an outstanding job of it. The strength of individual undergraduate programs vary between institutions, however, which explains why certain programs will always generate a more positive national profile (like JMU's COB and School of Music).

Despite JMU's excellent undergrad rep, however, a university's national rep is really based on the strength and breadth of its graduate programs. In that regard JMU has a long ways to go to equal the insitutions you list (again, give or take a few special programs at JMU).

JMU may date it's beginning to 1908, but in reality, JMU's real birth dates to the early 70's and Ronald Carrier's presidency. Before his arrival JMU was so focused on undergraduate education the idea of building strong graduate and professional programs was a near complete afterthought. Carrier's last major initiative was to create CISAT, which served to break JMU out of its entrenched Liberal Arts/Teacher Ed profile, and as an insitution we're still trying to digest that change.

At this moment I think there may be just 3 or 4 JMU graduate programs that garner the national respect of being ranked within their discipline (Audiology being the top ranked). How JMU addresses the future challenges posed by growing and funding professional and graduate programs of distinction will be every bit as challenging as finding a new athletic conference, and arguably more important to JMU's national academic profile.

(03-06-2015 11:52 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 04:37 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:32 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 02:57 PM)JMU Wrote:  Interesting info. Begs the question as to why JMU thinks its so academically elite. The whole mantra of "we need to preserve our academics" or "we need to be aligned academically with similar schools" seems to be a crock. We just are not that great. Good but not great.

Today's "good" may be yesterday's "great"...which would support those folks inclined to spin the yarn that JMU's current admit profile has slipped.

Then again, I tend to agree with you...JMU is good, and it remains good, but it's never been great, if you measure or define academic "greatness" by those qualities associated with the Ivy's or major publics. Without a doubt, however, JMU's position in the pecking order of academic quality is generally above that found in the SB, and aspirations to achieve notoriety of academic "greatness" won't be promoted by aligning with institutions like Troy or UL Monroe.

LH,

How does JMU compare to our state academic brethren in the ACC? Excluding the privates, how do we compare against VPISU, Clemson, NC State, FSU, and in the SEC, USC, UA , AU. Not counting their engineering programs and such. How do we compare?

As of today, I'd place JMU's undergraduate experience (as a whole) ahead of all the institutions you list. JMU boasts an extraordinary undergraduate experience, and everyone associated with JMU should take great pride in the fact we do such an outstanding job of it. The strength of individual undergraduate programs vary between institutions, however, which explains why certain programs will always generate a more positive national profile (like JMU's COB and School of Music).

Despite JMU's excellent undergrad rep, however, a university's national rep is really based on the strength and breadth of its graduate programs. In that regard JMU has a long ways to go to equal the insitutions you list (again, give or take a few special programs at JMU).

JMU may date it's beginning to 1908, but in reality, JMU's real birth dates to the early 70's and Ronald Carrier's presidency. Before his arrival JMU was so focused on undergraduate education the idea of building strong graduate and professional programs was a near complete afterthought. Carrier's last major initiative was to create CISAT, which served to break JMU out of its entrenched Liberal Arts/Teacher Ed profile, and as an insitution we're still trying to digest that change.

At this moment I think there may be just 3 or 4 JMU graduate programs that garner the national respect of being ranked within their discipline (Audiology being the top ranked). How JMU addresses the future challenges posed by growing and funding professional and graduate programs of distinction will be every bit as challenging as finding a new athletic conference, and arguably more important to JMU's national academic profile.

Not sure how things work in VA but JMU's future national academic vision needs help from the state level. In terms of graduate level, there needs to be a coordinated effort to say UVA and W&M are always going to be upper tier, but JMU and Tech need to be on the same level with different focuses (for example Tech- engineering, math, etc. and JMU- business, IT, etc) so that there isn't competition and cannibalization within the state masters and doctoral programs. There of course needs to be some overlap but JMU should NOT be positioned as a step below Tech (with VCU, Mason, ODU, etc).

Yes, we have a much shorter history and foundation but what Dr. Carrier started was more than enough to position us relative to Tech. It does make me sick to see us overtaken by the likes of South Carolina, Clemson, NC State, Florida State, etc. because our undergraduate "reputation" used to be much stronger. And that's coming from an out of state student who weighed JMU against those schools and more before selecting JMU 20+ years ago.

So to those of you in the know, how does the state view JMU's future from a graduate level perspective?

This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

(03-09-2015 12:53 AM)SWVaJMUfan Wrote:  This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

Appreciate you posting a link. I mentioned the creation of this college in another post, and the article in the Breeze is pretty accurate about the details. It's a good move.

But don't you know this administration isn't doing anything right at all? And that this academic stuff is ok, but it's not enough to lift JMU up and make people West of the Mississippi know our university by name? By gawd, only FBS FB or playing every year in the men's NCAAT basketball can do that!

(03-09-2015 12:53 AM)SWVaJMUfan Wrote:  This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

This is a good thing. A bright spot in an otherwise dim time at JMU.

(03-07-2015 12:16 PM)2Buck Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 11:52 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 04:37 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:32 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 02:57 PM)JMU Wrote:  Interesting info. Begs the question as to why JMU thinks its so academically elite. The whole mantra of "we need to preserve our academics" or "we need to be aligned academically with similar schools" seems to be a crock. We just are not that great. Good but not great.

Today's "good" may be yesterday's "great"...which would support those folks inclined to spin the yarn that JMU's current admit profile has slipped.

Then again, I tend to agree with you...JMU is good, and it remains good, but it's never been great, if you measure or define academic "greatness" by those qualities associated with the Ivy's or major publics. Without a doubt, however, JMU's position in the pecking order of academic quality is generally above that found in the SB, and aspirations to achieve notoriety of academic "greatness" won't be promoted by aligning with institutions like Troy or UL Monroe.

LH,

How does JMU compare to our state academic brethren in the ACC? Excluding the privates, how do we compare against VPISU, Clemson, NC State, FSU, and in the SEC, USC, UA , AU. Not counting their engineering programs and such. How do we compare?

As of today, I'd place JMU's undergraduate experience (as a whole) ahead of all the institutions you list. JMU boasts an extraordinary undergraduate experience, and everyone associated with JMU should take great pride in the fact we do such an outstanding job of it. The strength of individual undergraduate programs vary between institutions, however, which explains why certain programs will always generate a more positive national profile (like JMU's COB and School of Music).

Despite JMU's excellent undergrad rep, however, a university's national rep is really based on the strength and breadth of its graduate programs. In that regard JMU has a long ways to go to equal the insitutions you list (again, give or take a few special programs at JMU).

JMU may date it's beginning to 1908, but in reality, JMU's real birth dates to the early 70's and Ronald Carrier's presidency. Before his arrival JMU was so focused on undergraduate education the idea of building strong graduate and professional programs was a near complete afterthought. Carrier's last major initiative was to create CISAT, which served to break JMU out of its entrenched Liberal Arts/Teacher Ed profile, and as an insitution we're still trying to digest that change.

At this moment I think there may be just 3 or 4 JMU graduate programs that garner the national respect of being ranked within their discipline (Audiology being the top ranked). How JMU addresses the future challenges posed by growing and funding professional and graduate programs of distinction will be every bit as challenging as finding a new athletic conference, and arguably more important to JMU's national academic profile.

Not sure how things work in VA but JMU's future national academic vision needs help from the state level. In terms of graduate level, there needs to be a coordinated effort to say UVA and W&M are always going to be upper tier, but JMU and Tech need to be on the same level with different focuses (for example Tech- engineering, math, etc. and JMU- business, IT, etc) so that there isn't competition and cannibalization within the state masters and doctoral programs. There of course needs to be some overlap but JMU should NOT be positioned as a step below Tech (with VCU, Mason, ODU, etc).

Yes, we have a much shorter history and foundation but what Dr. Carrier started was more than enough to position us relative to Tech. It does make me sick to see us overtaken by the likes of South Carolina, Clemson, NC State, Florida State, etc. because our undergraduate "reputation" used to be much stronger. And that's coming from an out of state student who weighed JMU against those schools and more before selecting JMU 20+ years ago.

So to those of you in the know, how does the state view JMU's future from a graduate level perspective?

When you state there needs to be a "coordinated effort" to anoint W&M and UVA as Virginia's "upper tier" in public higher ed be careful what you ask for.

A designation of established "tiers" in state universities leads to formula funding and hard caps that might just force JMU into a very limited and uncomfortable future. Texas and Ohio have established tiers and formula funding, and if such an effort was applied here, JMU might soon find itself well below not only W&M and UVA, but also Tech, VCU and GMU...and God forbid, even ODU, all because JMU has no significant comittment to graduate or professional school education.

In Texas the top tier consists of Texas and A&M...and Texas Tech as a wannabe step child. Houston and North Texas are fighting like hell to be moved into the tier one category, but schools like Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, and other former "Normal" schools (i.e teacher prep schools) will forever be shackled to their present academic profile.

Thank our lucky stars that such "tier level" thinking has been avoided in VA, and that each school has its own BOV that can lobby on its own behalf and work towards establishing its own vision. The clock is running, and the shoe may drop anytime now...such as the recent effort to limit the intake and use of student fees for varsity athletics. If JMU doesn't carve out a significant (and expanded) range of graduate programs focused on some well-defined areas of need JMU may soon find itself forever pegged as a minor player, both on the court, and in the classroom.

(03-09-2015 11:55 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-07-2015 12:16 PM)2Buck Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 11:52 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 04:37 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:32 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  Today's "good" may be yesterday's "great"...which would support those folks inclined to spin the yarn that JMU's current admit profile has slipped.

Then again, I tend to agree with you...JMU is good, and it remains good, but it's never been great, if you measure or define academic "greatness" by those qualities associated with the Ivy's or major publics. Without a doubt, however, JMU's position in the pecking order of academic quality is generally above that found in the SB, and aspirations to achieve notoriety of academic "greatness" won't be promoted by aligning with institutions like Troy or UL Monroe.

LH,

How does JMU compare to our state academic brethren in the ACC? Excluding the privates, how do we compare against VPISU, Clemson, NC State, FSU, and in the SEC, USC, UA , AU. Not counting their engineering programs and such. How do we compare?

As of today, I'd place JMU's undergraduate experience (as a whole) ahead of all the institutions you list. JMU boasts an extraordinary undergraduate experience, and everyone associated with JMU should take great pride in the fact we do such an outstanding job of it. The strength of individual undergraduate programs vary between institutions, however, which explains why certain programs will always generate a more positive national profile (like JMU's COB and School of Music).

Despite JMU's excellent undergrad rep, however, a university's national rep is really based on the strength and breadth of its graduate programs. In that regard JMU has a long ways to go to equal the insitutions you list (again, give or take a few special programs at JMU).

JMU may date it's beginning to 1908, but in reality, JMU's real birth dates to the early 70's and Ronald Carrier's presidency. Before his arrival JMU was so focused on undergraduate education the idea of building strong graduate and professional programs was a near complete afterthought. Carrier's last major initiative was to create CISAT, which served to break JMU out of its entrenched Liberal Arts/Teacher Ed profile, and as an insitution we're still trying to digest that change.

At this moment I think there may be just 3 or 4 JMU graduate programs that garner the national respect of being ranked within their discipline (Audiology being the top ranked). How JMU addresses the future challenges posed by growing and funding professional and graduate programs of distinction will be every bit as challenging as finding a new athletic conference, and arguably more important to JMU's national academic profile.

Not sure how things work in VA but JMU's future national academic vision needs help from the state level. In terms of graduate level, there needs to be a coordinated effort to say UVA and W&M are always going to be upper tier, but JMU and Tech need to be on the same level with different focuses (for example Tech- engineering, math, etc. and JMU- business, IT, etc) so that there isn't competition and cannibalization within the state masters and doctoral programs. There of course needs to be some overlap but JMU should NOT be positioned as a step below Tech (with VCU, Mason, ODU, etc).

Yes, we have a much shorter history and foundation but what Dr. Carrier started was more than enough to position us relative to Tech. It does make me sick to see us overtaken by the likes of South Carolina, Clemson, NC State, Florida State, etc. because our undergraduate "reputation" used to be much stronger. And that's coming from an out of state student who weighed JMU against those schools and more before selecting JMU 20+ years ago.

So to those of you in the know, how does the state view JMU's future from a graduate level perspective?

When you state there needs to be a "coordinated effort" to anoint W&M and UVA as Virginia's "upper tier" in public higher ed be careful what you ask for.

A designation of established "tiers" in state universities leads to formula funding and hard caps that might just force JMU into a very limited and uncomfortable future. Texas and Ohio have established tiers and formula funding, and if such an effort was applied here, JMU might soon find itself well below not only W&M and UVA, but also Tech, VCU and GMU...and God forbid, even ODU, all because JMU has no significant comittment to graduate or professional school education.

In Texas the top tier consists of Texas and A&M...and Texas Tech as a wannabe step child. Houston and North Texas are fighting like hell to be moved into the tier one category, but schools like Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, and other former "Normal" schools (i.e teacher prep schools) will forever be shackled to their present academic profile.

Thank our lucky stars that such "tier level" thinking has been avoided in VA, and that each school has its own BOV that can lobby on its own behalf and work towards establishing its own vision. The clock is running, and the shoe may drop anytime now...such as the recent effort to limit the intake and use of student fees for varsity athletics. If JMU doesn't carve out a significant (and expanded) range of graduate programs focused on some well-defined areas of need JMU may soon find itself forever pegged as a minor player, both on the court, and in the classroom.

Good info- thanks.

(03-06-2015 06:18 PM)JMU Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 04:37 PM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:32 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 02:57 PM)JMU Wrote:  Interesting info. Begs the question as to why JMU thinks its so academically elite. The whole mantra of "we need to preserve our academics" or "we need to be aligned academically with similar schools" seems to be a crock. We just are not that great. Good but not great.

Today's "good" may be yesterday's "great"...which would support those folks inclined to spin the yarn that JMU's current admit profile has slipped.

Then again, I tend to agree with you...JMU is good, and it remains good, but it's never been great, if you measure or define academic "greatness" by those qualities associated with the Ivy's or major publics. Without a doubt, however, JMU's position in the pecking order of academic quality is generally above that found in the SB, and aspirations to achieve notoriety of academic "greatness" won't be promoted by aligning with institutions like Troy or UL Monroe.

LH,

How does JMU compare to our state academic brethren in the ACC? Excluding the privates, how do we compare against VPISU, Clemson, NC State, FSU, and in the SEC, USC, UA , AU. Not counting their engineering programs and such. How do we compare?

Based on SAT and ACT scores, JMU is dead last against the ACC schools. I would say that the SEC schools have a slight advantage as well (based on a higher 75% score rating).

(School, Acceptance %, SAT Range, ACT Range)
South Carolina 61 % 1100–1290 (of 1600) 24–29 (of 36)
Alabama 57 % 1470–1860 (of 2400) 22–30 (of 36)
Auburn University 83 % 1570–1890 (of 2400) 24–30 (of 36)
James Madison 60 % 1570–1850 (of 2400) 23–27 (of 36)
Clemson University58 % 1640–1950 (of 2400) 26–31 (of 36)
Virginia Tech 70 % 1660–1960 (of 2400) 25–29 (of 36)
Florida State 57 % 1670–1920 (of 2400) 25–29 (of 36)
NC State 47 % 1690–1950 (of 2400) 26–30 (of 36)

I wonder though - I'm not sure test scores of student's applying/being accepted is an accurate gauge of the academic rigor or experience, especially if the numbers are relatively close. These schools all have high-profile football programs, and that alone could be a tie-breaker for some applicants. JMU is lesser known nationally, or even in-state, just because of differences in athletics. Just speculation though.

(03-09-2015 11:34 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 12:53 AM)SWVaJMUfan Wrote:  This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

Appreciate you posting a link. I mentioned the creation of this college in another post, and the article in the Breeze is pretty accurate about the details. It's a good move.

But don't you know this administration isn't doing anything right at all? And that this academic stuff is ok, but it's not enough to lift JMU up and make people West of the Mississippi know our university by name? By gawd, only FBS FB or playing every year in the men's NCAAT basketball can do that!

The Honors Advisory Council and other faculty started pushing for the transition from an Honors Program to an Honors College in 2009. It took until 2014 to get the Madison Honors College into the new strategic plan. On the academic side of the house, transitioning from a Honors Program to a College is akin to athletics moving up to FBS. We get great students now but we will attract even better students with a college.

The details in the Breeze about how the MHC will work (dedicated faculty assigned full time in the honors college v. borrowing faculty from other colleges for a 2-3 year period and paying the loaner college (e.g. COB, ISAT, Arts and Letters, etc.)) are premature. Nothing has been decided for several reasons. First, we lost our Director to VCU's Honor College on 7/1/14. Second, the strategic plan for the Honors College is being formulated, to a point, by a task force (with input from the Honors Advisory Council) and we are on schedule to hire a new director (who will take over as Dean in the Fall of 2016) on July 1, 2015. We just finished a series of 2 day call back interviews for 4 very good candidates. We are making our recommendations to the Provost and Vice Provost in the next week or so. I was the only non-faculty member on the search committee and it was great working with the faculty during this process.

The Honors Program was revamped from 2007-2014 with a ton of hard work from a number of people. The faculty should be commended for their dedication to teaching Honors classes without being compensated. These dedicated faculty members continued to teach a full load in addition to teaching the classes in Honors. We have huge plans for the Madison Honors College, including making sure that we pay faculty for teaching classes in the new college. We are developing new scholarships to attract and retain students. Great things are happening on the academic side of the house but it was not an easy process. Now comes the fun part: execution.

(03-09-2015 09:04 PM)HotHamandCheese84 Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 11:34 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 12:53 AM)SWVaJMUfan Wrote:  This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

Appreciate you posting a link. I mentioned the creation of this college in another post, and the article in the Breeze is pretty accurate about the details. It's a good move.

But don't you know this administration isn't doing anything right at all? And that this academic stuff is ok, but it's not enough to lift JMU up and make people West of the Mississippi know our university by name? By gawd, only FBS FB or playing every year in the men's NCAAT basketball can do that!

The Honors Advisory Council and other faculty started pushing for the transition from an Honors Program to an Honors College in 2009. It took until 2014 to get the Madison Honors College into the new strategic plan. On the academic side of the house, transitioning from a Honors Program to a College is akin to athletics moving up to FBS. We get great students now but we will attract even better students with a college.

The details in the Breeze about how the MHC will work (dedicated faculty assigned full time in the honors college v. borrowing faculty from other colleges for a 2-3 year period and paying the loaner college (e.g. COB, ISAT, Arts and Letters, etc.)) are premature. Nothing has been decided for several reasons. First, we lost our Director to VCU's Honor College on 7/1/14. Second, the strategic plan for the Honors College is being formulated, to a point, by a task force (with input from the Honors Advisory Council) and we are on schedule to hire a new director (who will take over as Dean in the Fall of 2016) on July 1, 2015. We just finished a series of 2 day call back interviews for 4 very good candidates. We are making our recommendations to the Provost and Vice Provost in the next week or so. I was the only non-faculty member on the search committee and it was great working with the faculty during this process.

The Honors Program was revamped from 2007-2014 with a ton of hard work from a number of people. The faculty should be commended for their dedication to teaching Honors classes without being compensated. These dedicated faculty members continued to teach a full load in addition to teaching the classes in Honors. We have huge plans for the Madison Honors College, including making sure that we pay faculty for teaching classes in the new college. We are developing new scholarships to attract and retain students. Great things are happening on the academic side of the house but it was not an easy process. Now comes the fun part: execution.

I sincerely appreciate everything you and Linda and all the other participating faculty have been doing to make this new college a reality. It's been a long, tough journey, but one that will make a huge difference moving forward. A push for an enhanced and improved institutional commitment to graduate education is also in need, and hopefully the new Dean for TGS will make a difference.

(03-09-2015 09:48 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 09:04 PM)HotHamandCheese84 Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 11:34 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 12:53 AM)SWVaJMUfan Wrote:  This might be a bit OT, but JMU has decided to turn their Honors Program to an Honors College.

SOURCE: http://www.breezejmu.org/news/article_98...3645a.html

Appreciate you posting a link. I mentioned the creation of this college in another post, and the article in the Breeze is pretty accurate about the details. It's a good move.

But don't you know this administration isn't doing anything right at all? And that this academic stuff is ok, but it's not enough to lift JMU up and make people West of the Mississippi know our university by name? By gawd, only FBS FB or playing every year in the men's NCAAT basketball can do that!

The Honors Advisory Council and other faculty started pushing for the transition from an Honors Program to an Honors College in 2009. It took until 2014 to get the Madison Honors College into the new strategic plan. On the academic side of the house, transitioning from a Honors Program to a College is akin to athletics moving up to FBS. We get great students now but we will attract even better students with a college.

The details in the Breeze about how the MHC will work (dedicated faculty assigned full time in the honors college v. borrowing faculty from other colleges for a 2-3 year period and paying the loaner college (e.g. COB, ISAT, Arts and Letters, etc.)) are premature. Nothing has been decided for several reasons. First, we lost our Director to VCU's Honor College on 7/1/14. Second, the strategic plan for the Honors College is being formulated, to a point, by a task force (with input from the Honors Advisory Council) and we are on schedule to hire a new director (who will take over as Dean in the Fall of 2016) on July 1, 2015. We just finished a series of 2 day call back interviews for 4 very good candidates. We are making our recommendations to the Provost and Vice Provost in the next week or so. I was the only non-faculty member on the search committee and it was great working with the faculty during this process.

The Honors Program was revamped from 2007-2014 with a ton of hard work from a number of people. The faculty should be commended for their dedication to teaching Honors classes without being compensated. These dedicated faculty members continued to teach a full load in addition to teaching the classes in Honors. We have huge plans for the Madison Honors College, including making sure that we pay faculty for teaching classes in the new college. We are developing new scholarships to attract and retain students. Great things are happening on the academic side of the house but it was not an easy process. Now comes the fun part: execution.

I sincerely appreciate everything you and Linda and all the other participating faculty have been doing to make this new college a reality. It's been a long, tough journey, but one that will make a huge difference moving forward. A push for an enhanced and improved institutional commitment to graduate education is also in need, and hopefully the new Dean for TGS will make a difference.

Thanks for those kind words but the thanks goes to you, the other faculty that are embracing the Honors College (they easily could have been against it because there will be resources going into the new college that could have been used in other colleges), Jerry Benson, Linda Halpern and President Alger. Graduate education is on the agenda and I know that President Alger supports dedicating resources to graduate programs. We need to raise a ton of money in this campaign. I encouraged President Alger to release some of the goals and execution strategies when my wife and I met with him 2 weeks ago. I reminded him that if good things are happening in the JMU bubble and those are not getting out to the alumni and other stakeholders, it will not help his case.

We complain about a number of things on this Board and that's fine in many respects but we should not lose sight of the number of really good things going on at JMU. Should some things happen faster with more transparency, yes. Have we been slow to plan for our future in some aspects, yes. Are we making strides every day to get better, yes.

(03-10-2015 07:04 AM)HotHamandCheese84 Wrote:  Thanks for those kind words but the thanks goes to you, the other faculty that are embracing the Honors College (they easily could have been against it because there will be resources going into the new college that could have been used in other colleges), Jerry Benson, Linda Halpern and President Alger. Graduate education is on the agenda and I know that President Alger supports dedicating resources to graduate programs. We need to raise a ton of money in this campaign. I encouraged President Alger to release some of the goals and execution strategies when my wife and I met with him 2 weeks ago. I reminded him that if good things are happening in the JMU bubble and those are not getting out to the alumni and other stakeholders, it will not help his case.

We complain about a number of things on this Board and that's fine in many respects but we should not lose sight of the number of really good things going on at JMU. Should some things happen faster with more transparency, yes. Have we been slow to plan for our future in some aspects, yes. Are we making strides every day to get better, yes.

Thanks for the reality check and update on the academic side. It's easy for us to get caught up on these boards and forget this is an institution of higher education first. It's nice to hear some positive news about JMU, let's hope President Alger heeds your advice and we get some form of communication from him soon about what his plans are on both sides.

HH&C Thanks for all the time and resources you offer to JMU. Great to hear about the progress.

There are many on this Board, including, but not limited to, you and Longhorn, that do a ton at the university we all love. We are all impatient and think the pace of change is to slow in our collective opinions. We can make some great strides if our leadership decides it is ok to have stretch goals even if we don't hit them all.