Gift from the Government of India

Just saw this notice from JMU public affairs:

“His Excellency Ronen Sen, India’s ambassador to the United States, will help to unveil a statue of Mohandas K. Gandhi on Thursday, Oct. 2. The statue is a gift of the government of India to James Madison University in recognition of the work of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence. It is the first statue of Gandhi in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

JMU’s Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence is the first and only higher education center to be named in honor of Gandhi. The center seeks to advance the understanding of, appreciation for, and practice of nonviolence through teaching, research, conferences and a lecture series, among other programs.

The unveiling and dedication ceremony will take place on the International Day of Non-Violence which is also the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi.”

JMU world changer, Dr. Sushil Mittal, is director of the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence.

Family Weekend!

Madison welcomes families to campus this weekend, Oct. 3-5, for its annual Family Weekend. Families food and fun…check out the calendar of events and plan to join in!

“Best place to prepare for ESL teaching”

A colleague passed along an interesting anecdote the other day. One of our students remarked that if you are interested in teaching English as a second language there is no better to place to prepare than here in JMU’s hometown, Harrisonburg. With a huge ESL population in town, JMU students have the perfect training ground to hone their educational skills.

Another great reason to come to JMU!

Beyond the Great Wall

The 2008 International Week at JMU, Sept. 22-26, is focusing on China. “Beyond the Great Wall” will open today at noon with a Chinese Lion Dance, a traditional start to festivities, and the week’s activities include a concert, photo contest, international bazaar and more. It’s time to celebrate cultural diversity and see beyond the Great Wall!

Kat Edmonson’s YouTube video

One of my colleagues sent me the link to Kat Edmonson’s “Be the Change” video, which you might want to check out.

Hope you enjoy the inspiration as much as I did.

Check out the ultimate makeover

After five years, $24 million and much hard work and labors of love, Montpelier, Madison’s home, is being unveiled. Its makeover has transformed Montpelier to its original condition, the home that was created and loved by James and Dolley Madison.

Furnishings are yet to come–the restoration used the original method of plastering, which will take about a year to dry.

Today, folks are invited to check out the grounds and restored mansion. Gov. Tim Kaine, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Jim Lehrer of PBS will address the crowd. Plenty of schoolchildren will be in attendance.

“Learning about James Madison is relevant to our students,” Phil Bigler, executive director of the James Madison Center, said. “The school is named after him for a reason. His life, his scholarship, his beliefs in public service, constitutional government, freedom of thought, those are important to JMU.”

Check out Heather Bowser’s report in the “Daily News-Record” for further details.

Grad school?

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Graduate and Professional School Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Festival. It’s a great time to check out the various avenues open to you if you’re interested in pursuing graduate studies, either here at JMU or another institution. Over 75 institutions will have representatives on hand.

And, if you’re undecided about when you should attend graduate school, check out the link that answers that question — you’ll find there are multiple avenues to a successful graduate or professional school experience.

Good luck!

Winning Governor’s Technology Award

I sat in front of my TV last night watching the premiere of a new show that takes research science to a frightening, and thus thoroughly entertaining, level. It was one of those scary hours where you watch people infected with a disease gone awry due to the evil intentions of scientists, political policy makers, and who knows who else.

I sometimes wonder why we’re so intrigued by such presentations of plague and pandemics…perhaps it is because there is an ugly kernel of truth in these fictional thrillers. Scientists “assure” us that global pandemics are not a thing of the past. In fact, in the real world, scientists, medical researchers and policy makers are planning for the next flu pandemic.

By coincidence, I notice today that the university’s Web site reports that JMU’s Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance and the Augusta Medical Center worked together to produce a computer program that can help hospital administrators manage the level of patient care during flu pandemics and other health crises. Their work has received the Governor’s Innovative Use of Technology in Higher Education Award. In the program development, researchers used scenarios such as the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic to gauge the tool’s effectiveness.

That’s great work! While I’m not happy at the thought of it being put to use, it’s good to know serious work has been done on planning for that scary, but probable, situation. Congratulations.

Alumni welcome Class of 2012

Fifteen alumni volunteers and 2,800 members of the Class of 2012 were on hand for this year’s Freshman Class T-shirt distribution. Check out pictures from the event on the alumni Web site.

Interested in finding an alumni chapter in your area or a group of JMU alums with similar interests? Get involved in a chapter today!

Madison community mourns loss of Thomas Byrne (‘91)

Receiving word that one of our alumni has died is always sad news, but as the Madison Community mourns the loss of Thomas Byrne (‘91) we are also deeply disturbed by the senseless act of violence that took his life. Byrne, a DEA agent, was abducted and murdered while attending the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force conference in New Orleans last week. Byrne is survived by his wife, Maureen, and four children, ages 8, 6, 4 and 2.

Our sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues.