Office of Special Assistant to the President www.jmu.edu/sap/

THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL ASSISTANT to the President calls upon every member of the university to engage in efforts to ensure that a nondis-criminatory process of recruiting, hiring and promoting women, minorities, disabled individuals, and veterans occurs at all levels of employment through-out the university. James Madison University also expects that its contractors comply with all applicable anti-discrimination laws.

For additional information on these and other diversity initiative programs, contact the Office of the Special Assistant to the President at (540) 568–4506.

Office of Equal Opportunity www.jmu.edu/affirmact

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY is committed to selecting faculty and staff members without discrimination against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, age, veteran status, political affiliation or disability.

Special Assistant to the President: Daniel WubahAdmissions Director: Michael WalshCentennial Scholars Program Director: Diane Strawbridge Equal Opportunity Director: James RobinsonFinancial Aid and Scholarships Director: Lisa TumerProfessor-in-Residence Program Coordinator: Oris GriffinRecruitment Specialist: Monyette Martin

Professor-in-Residence Program www.jmu.edu/pir/index

THE PROFESSOR-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM encourages minority high school students to pursue higher education and consider attending James Madison University. This program helps students to appreciate the importance of higher education and to understand that a college degree is possible and achievable.

“Students are starting to think ahead about what they need to do in order to get into college,” says Michael Walsh, JMU admissions director. “The Professor-in-Residence Program held a financial aid workshop, and it was a very positive experience to watch the students and parents smile, knowing that they are one step closer to a college education.”

We should all know

that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that

all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.

— Maya Angelou

Diversity @ JMUwww.jmu.edu/diversity

Office of the special assistant

to the president

MSC 7611 Alumnae Hall, Room 206 Harrisonburg, VA 22807 540.568.4506 Phone 540.568.7209 Faxwww.jmu.edu/sap/index.html

JMU 2006

Instrumental to the program are five JMU professors — each representing a different discipline — who spend one day a week at one of five Virginia high schools. • Oris Griffin, education associate professor,

PIR program coordinator, Professor-in-Residence at George Wythe High School in Richmond

• Cynthia Kleveckis, integrated sciences and technology associate professor, Professor-in-Residence at Huguenot High School in Richmond

• Jonathan Miles, integrated sciences and technology professor, Professor-in-Residence at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington

• Steven Rollman, communication studies professor, Professor-in-Residence at Wake-field High School in Arlington

• William O’Meara, philosophy professor, Professor-in-Residence at Harrisonburg High School

As part of the program, Madison also sustains recruitment efforts at these Virginia high school systems:• Chesterfield County Public Schools

(two schools)

• Henrico County Public Schools (three schools)

• Norfolk Public High Schools (seven schools)

• Richmond City Public Schools (eight schools)

• Tri-Cities High Schools (12 schools)

Special Assistant to the President Daniel Wubah explains, “The Professor-in- Residence Program is a two-way street — we help the students and the teachers at these high schools, and they help JMU achieve our goal of diversity.”

Be the Change!www.jmu.edu/BeTheChange

MADISON STUDENTS, professors and alumni have been changing the world since the university’s founding in 1908. It happens through the individual achievements and service that put the power of knowledge to work, embodying President James Madison’s belief that a self-governing people “must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” Diversity has always been an impor-tant element of personal and intellectual growth. Only by appreciating the individual strengths, values and perspectives that have shaped and enhanced the Madison Experience can we find the power to Be the Change.

CCentennial Scholars Program www.jmu.edu/centscholars

THE CENTENNIAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM strives to diversify the student population of James Madison University by increasing the number of underrepresented students who enroll and graduate from the university. The program offers participants significant support through-out their Madison experience by:

Center for Multicultural Student Serviceswww.jmu.edu/multicultural

THE CENTER for Multicultural Student Services celebrates diversity by heightening awareness and educating constituents regarding ethnic diversity through various avenues:

• recruitment and retention of multicultural students • cultural programming and awareness for the JMU community • leadership development for multicultural students• student support and advocacy To recruit and retain multicultural students, the center sponsors the Pathways to Success student mentorship program, and the Pre-collegiate Awareness Program with the JMU Female Institute for Learning and Development and the JMU Male Academy for Aca-demic Achievement and Development. CMSS staff members also coordinate site visits to college recruitment fairs and high schools.

CMSS heightens cultural awareness for students by arranging Alternative Spring Break Trips and Experiential Learning Trips. CMSS-sponsored lecture programs have included Black Arts Movement poet Nikki Giovanni, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, actor James Edward Olmos and boxing legend Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.

The center enhances leadership develop-ment of multicultural students by encour-aging involvement in conferences such as the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute and maintaining connections with a variety of clubs and service organizations including the Muslim Student Association.

CMSS provides student support in various ways. The center has a resource library that includes a collection of books and videos in addition to a repository of financial aid and scholarship information. The center provides student advocacy by offering counseling, intervention and mediation.

Preparing Future Faculty programAS PART OF A NATIONAL MOVEMENT, the Preparing Future Faculty program transforms the way aspiring faculty members plan their academic careers. The program provides doctoral students and some master’s or postdoctoral students, the opportunity to observe and experience faculty responsibilities at a range of academic institutions, each having different missions, student bodies and expectations for faculty members.

The Preparing Future Faculty initiative was launched in 1993 as a partnership between the Council of Graduate Schools and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Since then, the program has been implemented at more than 45 doctoral degree-granting institutions and nearly 300 partner institutions in the United States.

At JMU, the Preparing Future Faculty program includes regional partnerships with Howard University. This joint venture helps identify and encourage minority doctoral candidates and recent graduate students to apply for instructional and administrative/professional vacancies at Madison.

Creating a diverse campus at JMUwww.jmu.edu/diversity/CommissionsCharge.shtml

IN SEPTEMBER 2003, JMU President Linwood H. Rose established the Presidential Commission on Diversity to determine how the university should address a decline in minority student enrollment as well as a lack of diversity among the faculty and staff.

To implement the commission’s recommendations, diversity efforts at JMU have focused on the dual purpose of recruiting an applicant pool of qualified high school and transfer students while meeting the challenge of diversifying faculty and staff. The diversity plan is a multipronged approach that addresses both recruitment and retention issues and includes the following programs:

Centennial Scholars Program provides support for underrepresented students based on financial and cultural backgrounds.

Center for Multicultural and Student Services celebrates diversity by heightening awareness and educating constituents regard-ing ethnic diversity.

Conversations about Diversity are monthly discussion sessions on the need for and benefits of inclusion that are held in residence halls (www.jmu.edu/diversity/CADsessions.shtml).

Diversity councils now exist in all colleges, divisions and the intercollegiate athletics to lead efforts to diversify the university.

Diversity Enhancement Awards Program annually recognizes individuals and units that are leaders in diversifying JMU.

Local community collaborations between minority business leaders, minority social organizations and the university are increasing.

Prima Lux is the quarterly diversity news-letter (www.jmu.edu/diversity/SAPNews-letter.shtml).

Professor-in-Residence Program sends JMU professors to one of five Virginia high schools to spend one day a week encourag-ing minority high school students and first generation college bound students to pursue higher education.

Richmond recruiter, an admissions coun-selor who lives in Richmond, improves JMU’s presence in the Richmond and Norfolk areas to increase undergraduate applications and enrollment of African-American students.

Strategic alliances now exist between JMU and the Partnership for the Future program in Richmond to recruit students and the Preparing Future Faculty program at Howard University to recruit faculty.

This brochure provides an overview of some of these diversity efforts.

• providing financial assistance

• cultivating self-confidence in academic and leadership abilities to handle challenges at school and beyond;

• fostering skills to work productively and creatively in an increasingly racially diverse world

Centennial Scholars meet certain academic requirements:• maintain a 3.0 or higher grade-

point average

• actively pursue a degree in their chosen discipline

• interaction with faculty and staff members

These scholars think beyond their scholastic efforts and student life. They develop integrity and personal enrichment through various com-munity service projects such as:

• visiting middle and high schools to relay their Madison experiences and the benefits of higher education

• volunteering as mentors, counselors and tutors for JMU-sponsored programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Student Ambassadors and Students for Minority Outreach

• attending biweekly CSP meetings as well as workshops in study skills, time manage-ment, resume writing and career planning

The Centennial Scholars Program pro-vides students the opportunity for academic achievement and the environment for per-sonal growth. In return, an inclusive and diverse campus is JMU’s reward.

“ Our graduates and employees will

work and live in diverse settings.

The prospects for their success are

enhanced by exposure to different

perspectives, different interpreta-

tions and different points of view.”

— Linwood H. Rose