James Madison University

James Madison University (also known as JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes until settling with James Madison University.^[2] The university is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, with the campus quadrangle located on South Main Street in Harrisonburg.

The university is also home to the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, the only active publicly-oriented arboretum on a Virginia state-supported university campus, and the student run radio station WXJM, as well as National Public Radio station WMRA. JMU made national sports headlines in 2004 with its first NCAA Division I-AA national football championship.^[3]

History

Founded in 1908 as a women's college, university was established by the Virginia General Assembly. It was originally called The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg. In 1914, the name of the university was changed to the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg. At first, academic offerings included only today's equivalent of technical training or junior college courses, however authorization to award bachelor's degrees was granted in 1916. During this initial period of development, the campus plan was established and six buildings were constructed.^[4]

Academics

James Madison University is considered "More Selective" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For the Class of 2012, the university received more than 19,350 applications, with there currently being 3,960 freshman spots available for the 2008-2009 academic year.^[10]

Currently, James Madison University offers more than 100 degree programs on the bachelor's, master's, educational specialist and doctoral levels. The university comprises seven colleges and 78 academic programs.

[edit] Colleges

• College of Arts and Letters
• College of Business
• College of Education
• College of Graduate and Outreach Programs
• College of Integrated Science and Technology
• College of Science and Mathematics
• College of Visual and Performing Arts

On June 24, 2005, the Board of Visitors approved the Madison College Proposal, which created the College of Visual and Performing Arts out of the College of Arts and Letters. The new College of Visual and Performing Arts includes the School of Art and Art History, the School of Music, the School of Theatre and Dance, and the Madison Art Collection.

On January 9, 2007, a new School of Engineering was approved by the Virginia higher education governing body.^[11] The school will begin accepting undergraduates in Fall 2008. The theme of the program is sustainability with a large focus on the environmental sciences, and will only offer general engineering degrees with no specializations.