Presidential Perspective

Being seen for who we are

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia recently released the results of a first-of-its-kind survey of alumni from all 16 of Virginia’s public colleges and universities. The study, “Virginia Educated,” is based on 15,348 survey responses, statistically representing 499,665 graduates who earned an undergraduate degree from a Virginia public institution between 2007 and 2018. The survey aimed to investigate various aspects of the undergraduate experience, including reason for attending college, student debt, employment, community engagement and satisfaction.

Overall, the news is good for Virginia. Graduates report high satisfaction in most dimensions studied.

For James Madison University, the news is exceptional.

Among respondents from all 16 public institutions,

JMU alumni agree with “I am satisfied with my life” at the highest rate! What’s more, JMU tied for the second-highest rate of alumni who are satisfied with “longterm career progress since undergrad” and came in third for “satisfied with how your undergrad prepared you for the workplace”—not bad considering the competition. SCHEV’s promising findings came in the same semester as other good news for JMU, including:

n making Newsweek’s list of the top 200 “Best Maker Schools” in the world, n landing in the top 100 schools nationally, as ranked by Forbes, n earning Virginia’s “Best School for Getting a Job” for the third year running, based on Department of Education data, n moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision and joining the

Sun Belt Conference, n surpassing all the goals in Unleashed: The Campaign for James

Madison University, n seeing a 41% jump in early applications to the university from 49 states and many countries, n and being notified that JMU will be reclassified from a “master’s level” to a “high research” institution by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.

With all these successes coming in Fall 2021, you might wonder, “Has JMU suddenly become something it wasn’t before?” And, “Is it serendipity that all of these accomplishments would come now?” The answer to both questions is no. These recognitions are catching up to what JMU already embodies. And they are the result of a years-long concerted effort to achieve excellence.

Truly, JMU is now being seen for who we already are.

Of course, our recent rise to such levels of recognition is based on decades of excellent teaching, passionate support for our students, relentless focus on measurable learning outcomes and diligent planning. Most recently, however, The Madison Plan—the university’s strategic plan in place from 2014 to 2020—set out five bold initiatives, and we accomplished most major objectives in all five. So, in a very real sense, we did what we said we would do. And here we are enjoying the fruits of our very focused and purposeful efforts. Importantly, moving from a “master’s level” to a “high research” institution as classified by the Carnegie Commission carries with it numerous benefits to our students and faculty. Already known for an unusually high level of research opportunities for undergraduates, as well as a university where faculty who want to do research and teach will thrive, this reclassification will consolidate and strengthen our unique position. What’s more, this reclassification triggers our move from the regional to national rankings in

U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.” The vision guiding The Madison Plan was to become a national model, and this leap is evidence that we are making solid gains toward that vision.

Finally, and as always, this issue of Madison provides voluminous evidence of why JMU is accumulating such accolades. You will see that we recently held a grand reopening of the stunning new Hartman Hall, completing the expansion of the cutting edge College of Business Learning Complex. World-renowned economists Barkley and Marina Rosser are featured in this issue for their decades-long careers at Madison. How many people do you know have an equation named for them? If you know Barkley, you know of at least one! Jason Miyares (’98), Virginia’s new attorney general, describes how his Madison Experience helped form who he is today.

These stories and so much more affirm why JMU is the place to be. If you’re a prospective student reading this complimentary issue of Madison, we’d love to have you join the JMU community and be seen for who you are, too!

“The vision guiding The Madison Plan was to become a national model, and the leap is evidence that we are making solid gains toward that vision.”

Jonathan R. Alger

president, James Madison University