The Breeze 5.8.25 by The Breeze

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New JMU President Jim Schmidt talks DEI, research funding during his first interview

By ELEANOR SHAW The Breeze

JMU’s soon-to-be President James “Jim” Schmidt will inherit a university still raw from uncertainty stemming from the federal level — including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) cuts and changes to federal funding.

Schmidt, who’s the current University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire chancellor, sat down with The Breeze to discuss JMU’s current state and the responsibilities he will take over with his title come July 1.

Schmidt on DEI’s dissolution

When discussing JMU’s decision, Schmidt referenced the Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter released by the Department of Education, which affirmed U.S. schools’ commitment to nondiscrimination based on race. Schmidt said this letter provided a framework for many public institutions’ decisions to dismantle their DEI divisions.

Schmidt said, to his understanding, JMU is keeping the same resources that were available under the university’s DEI umbrella — but restructured to fit within other divisions. This means all students, regardless of background, have access to these initiatives.

Money from JMU’s dissolved DEI division, plus university funds, will support additional financial aid for students, such as Pell Grants — something with personal significance to Schmidt, who said he couldn’t easily pay for his education.

“Access to quality education became a real battle cry for me,” Schmidt said. “Those federal programs, particularly the Pell Grant program, are really what opens the door to opportunity.”

Throughout his experiences as an administrator, Schmidt said he’s prioritized removing barriers and closing the opportunity gap that students from different backgrounds

— racial, economic and gender — may face.

“Our goal is that all these students from all these populations have access to success,” Schmidt said. “For JMU to move all of those dollars into helping supplement grants for those students will actually help a lot of students who wouldn’t have otherwise been served, and a number of those will come from diverse backgrounds.”

Schmidt said he sympathizes with concerned community members, especially those from diverse backgrounds, but he reassured that students, faculty and staff will still have access to all previous on-campus DEI resources, though the accompanying wording may be different.

“Rest assured, those necessary programs to remove barriers will continue to exist on the JMU campus,” Schmidt said. “In the end, the right thing to do is to help everybody who needs a little leg up.”

Schmidt’s plans for his administration

Schmidt said he’s looking to take on a listener role during his starting years as president, which includes keeping the same people within senior administration — which includes vice presidents, vice provosts, and assistant and associate deans, according to JMU’s website.

During his first job as Riverland Community College’s vice president for student affairs — which he worked for 11-and-a-half years — Schmidt witnessed the administration cycle through seven presidents with its staff changing each time. He disagreed with this approach and said it sets an institution back.

“Unless an institution is floundering so badly, and you’ve been hired by a board to come in and do that, I’ve always objected to when a president comes in and basically clears house,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said he’s confident that JMU is a well-managed

institution, and he looks forward to getting to know its senior administrators. For Schmidt, a large portion of a university president’s role is to support the institution’s leaders.

“I’ve got to get to know the place,” Schmidt said. “I will spend most of the first six months of my time at JMU listening, really getting to understand the institution.”

How Schmidt is getting familiar with JMU, Richmond

As part of his quest to better know JMU, Schmidt plans to meet with student leaders as well as faculty and staff members. He said he values speaking to people to better know their experience and ask why they chose JMU.

He said he won’t be able to successfully and confidently implement changes to JMU without first fully immersing himself in and, therefore, understanding the university’s culture. From his experience as UW Eau-Claire’s chancellor, the ideas he’s most passionate about usually aren’t his, but those with the most campus spirit propelling them.

“You will see me out and about,” Schmidt said with a smile. Since Schmidt hails from the Midwest, he doesn’t yet have experience networking in Richmond. This hasn’t discouraged him, and he reiterated that he plans to spend his time listening. As president, he said he’ll be a storyteller to remind people how universities can benefit society. For example, if a legislator or benefactor is passionate about preventing child abuse, they can support universities to provide educational resources to students who will one day be the community members tasked with recognizing signs of abuse.

Read the full story at breezejmu.org

CONTACT Eleanor Shaw at breezeeditor@gmail.com. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on X @TheBreezeJMU and on Instagram @BreezeJMU.

Photos by Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

Mothers of two victims of a 2023 car crash, which killed three students, embraced each other while holding photographs of their sons after the driver’s sentencing hearing adjourned. Landon Shackelford / The Breeze