No matter where you come from or which language you speak, there is a place for you in Harrisonburg and at 91����Ƶ, and Nasser Alsaadun MA ’17 (education) is living proof of that.

The Iraqi-born educator, who came to the United States in 2008, became the first refugee councilmember in the city’s history when he was elected last fall and began his in January. He says his presence on council sends a clear message that Harrisonburg is diverse and accepting and that local immigrants can feel welcome as a part of the community.

“People can all live in peace and learn from one another—your culture, my culture. We’re all in the same pot,” Alsaadun said. “I think that’s actually a unique thing about this area.”

Through his advocacy work, Alsaadun ensures that the Friendly City lives up to its name as a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds. He volunteers with , a local office of Church World Service that serves and advocates for refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley.

He is also a founder and board member of the , a community group that works to make the city more inclusive and supportive for immigrants and newcomers, addressing challenges they face, building relationships with them, and connecting them with resources.

One of those resources is 91����Ƶ’s renowned Intensive English Program (IEP). Alsaadun, who teaches Arabic courses as an at James Madison University and English Language Learner (ELL) classes for Rockingham County Public Schools, often motivates residents to enroll in IEP classes. The program, hosted in 91����Ƶ’s Roselawn Building, helps English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves. In a typical semester, IEP has 60 to 80 students of varying ages and language skill levels representing 15 to 20 countries.

“91����Ƶ has one of the best English programs in the area,” Alsaadun said. “It has a great reputation with the immigrant community.”

He added that graduates of IEP are highly proficient, professional, and well-prepared to continue their education, not just at 91����Ƶ, but at any university. “From Winchester to Charlottesville, (that program) is the best there is.”

Did you know?
In Harrisonburg City Public Schools, more than 70 languages are spoken by the student population. The No. 1 spoken language isn’t English—it’s Spanish! Source: in the Daily News-Record. Learn more about IEP at .

Escaping danger

Alsaadun grew up in Iraq and graduated from the University of Basrah in 1997 with a bachelor of arts in English. When the Iraq War broke out, he served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2003. Because of his help, he became a target of militia insurgents, who came looking for him. When they couldn’t find him, they kidnapped his father for two days, then tortured and killed him.

Alsaadun and his family fled to Syria and later relocated to Lebanon, where they received refugee status from the United Nations. They arrived in the United States in July 2008 and were resettled by CWS Harrisonburg.

While serving as a temporary instructor for JMU’s foreign language department, Alsaadun started working with the refugee resettlement office and other organizations to welcome newcomers and help refugees adjust to their new life. As he helped connect immigrants to 91����Ƶ’s Intensive English Program, he learned more about the university. He had heard so many success stories about its graduates and decided to enroll. And in 2017, he graduated from 91����Ƶ with a master of arts in education.

It had always been his father’s dream to see him earn a master’s degree, shared Alsaadun, and so it was especially meaningful to him. “I cried,” he said, “because I couldn’t have him there with me seeing that moment.”

‘A different touch’

Since graduating from 91����Ƶ, Alsaadun has continued his studies through courses at JMU and the University of Virginia. He said 91����Ƶ professors are unlike any others he has encountered in his education.

“I was blessed to have professors who recognized and appreciated the gifts I had,” Alsaadun said. “They knew I wasn’t a native English speaker and that I came from a different culture. Some teachers expect you to know everything, but my teachers at 91����Ƶ understood that sometimes you struggle. That kind of understanding is unique to 91����Ƶ.”

In August, while attending a city/91����Ƶ liaison committee meeting as a council representative, he received an email confirming his acceptance into the doctoral program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is now in his first semester, pursuing a PhD of education in curriculum and instruction, and credited 91����Ƶ and its professors for providing the tools and skills that have helped him succeed.

“It’s absolutely a different taste of education,” he said. “The courses at 91����Ƶ have a different touch.”

Alsaadun, now a U.S. citizen with a wife and four children, opened Babylon, a Middle Eastern restaurant and market in Harrisonburg, in 2016. He’s been invited to the White House on two occasions. He met former President Barack Obama in July 2016, in appreciation for “serving the community and being a good role model for refugees” and attended a leadership summit on refugees at the White House that September. He received the Leader of the Year award from Church World Service in 2022.

91����Ƶ is proud to announce the results of its annual fall census, which was conducted on Sept. 8 following the 10th day of classes. The census numbers reflect undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree and non-credit enrollment on the Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, campuses for the Fall 2025 semester.

Among the main takeaways from the census data:

• A 10% increase in the size of the incoming undergraduate class, which includes first-year, transfer, readmitted, and aviation students, from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 (from 218 to 239 students). 
• An 11% increase in the number of new first-year undergraduate students since last fall (from 160 to 178 students).
• A historically high percentage (48%) of first-year undergraduate students identify as first-generation college students (up from 35% last year).
• Another record high, nearly half (49%) of the incoming class is made up of student-athletes (up from 46%).

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our dedicated enrollment teams, and the unwavering support from faculty, staff, and the entire 91����Ƶ community, we are seeing an increase in our incoming undergraduate enrollment numbers for the first time since the pandemic in 2020,” said Braydon Hoover ’11, MA ’21, vice president for enrollment and marketing at 91����Ƶ. “Amid the headwinds that continue to buffet higher education today, we celebrate that more students are choosing 91����Ƶ to help them fulfill their educational and professional goals, beginning their journeys as unifying leaders with us.”

Among the incoming Class of 2029:

• 43% identify as students of color (among the most diverse in 91����Ƶ history);
• 73% hail from Virginia, with more than 20% from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County;
• 15 states, Puerto Rico, and four countries are represented; and 
• the average GPA is 3.49 (unchanged from last year), with nearly one-fourth of students entering 91����Ƶ with at least 10 college credits.

The top three majors of the incoming class, starting from the most popular, are nursing, biology, and business administration. 

While a total 730 students make up the undergraduate student body, 358 graduate students are enrolled at 91����Ƶ, including 126 new grad students joining the university this semester. Graduate programs that saw the largest gains since last year are Biomedicine (up 45% to 16 new students), Seminary (up 41% to 17 new students, boosted by its new Doctor of Ministry program), and Graduate Teacher Education (up 4% to 43 new students). Students in 91����Ƶ’s graduate programs represent 20 states and five countries.

Thirty-five educators are renewing their licensure this year (compared to 22 last year) through 91����Ƶ’s Graduate Teacher Education program. 

91����Ƶ’s four-year and six-year graduation rates are 55% and 60%, respectively. Fall 2025 marks the seventh consecutive year that the university’s retention rate, which is generally used as a gauge of student satisfaction, has measured 74% or higher.

“Now more than ever before, the world needs 91����Ƶ graduates—leaders specially trained to serve as bridge builders and peacemakers,” said Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham. “It’s gratifying to see our students continue to answer that call and equip the skills needed to make positive change in our world.”

Classrooms are in crisis.

The teaching profession is experiencing its lowest levels of employment in 50 years, according to the . More and more of those who are teaching have a short-term provisional license in lieu of a standard license and often have little to no actual training as teachers. There’s a growing need in the educational landscape and 91����Ƶ has responded.

A new graduate certificate program equips provisionally licensed teachers with the skills and tools needed to better serve their students, while preparing them for licensure and helping tackle a nationwide teacher shortage. 

The Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate, offered through 91����Ƶ’s Graduate Teacher Education , is designed for those with a bachelor’s degree and a provisional license.

91����Ƶ’s Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate program, which launched during the Spring 2025 semester, consists of five courses totaling 15 credit hours. Those who complete the sequence of courses advance their academic training and fulfill the professional requirements set by the Virginia Department of Education for a full teaching license, while earning graduate credit. The classes can be applied toward a master’s degree in education if students want to continue their studies. The graduate certificate also serves as a standalone credential and can be used to burnish a resume.

The program is fully asynchronous and online, offering flexibility that allows students from across the commonwealth and beyond to complete the coursework on their own schedules. Despite the virtual nature of the program, students can find belonging in a supportive professional learning community, said Paul Yoder, associate professor of teacher education and director of graduate teacher education at 91����Ƶ.

“Some folks with a provisional license will take programs that are completely autonomous,” he said. “We’re bringing people together to learn and share their experiences with a seasoned educator as well as with others who are in the same boat. Rather than just reading something or watching videos, we want to engage people so that they can support each other.”

Yoder said the graduate certificate offers another way that 91����Ƶ can meet real needs in the community. 

“While we have existing programs at 91����Ƶ, including the preservice teacher program for undergraduate students, and that has been the predominant way that teachers have been prepared in the U.S. and Virginia, we see that it’s been shifting in the past decade,” he said. “We want to help meet that significant emerging need for training nontraditionally prepared teachers.”

From addressing social and ethical issues in the classroom to supporting positive classroom behavior and human growth and development, the courses enable new teachers to serve confidently and lead in a global context while making a difference in their classroom. The five courses that form the graduate certificate are: Curriculum and Instructional Strategies, Supporting Positive Classroom Behavior, Assessment of Learners, Social and Ethical Issues in Education, and Human Growth and Development.

One quality that sets 91����Ƶ’s program apart from its peers is its fundamental emphasis on principles of restorative justice in education, such as building relationships and healthy communities.

“That’s going to be integrated within all of these courses,” Yoder said. 

He said that 91����Ƶ looks forward to leveraging its existing partnerships with school divisions such as Harrisonburg City Public Schools as well as with others that have relied on quality 91����Ƶ teachers over the years.

For more information about the Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate, visit:

The census numbers, collected on Sept. 9, represent undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and non-credit enrollment on the main Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus and the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, site for fall 2024.

“Amidst a challenging higher education environment, I am delighted that 91����Ƶ is seeing growth in areas that reflect our shared values and ongoing commitment to belonging,” said Braydon Hoover ’11, MA ’21, vice president for enrollment. “It is important to note that while we are reporting our fall enrollment in aggregate, each number represents an individual student who has chosen 91����Ƶ to be the catalyst of their bright futures. It is a choice we celebrate and a responsibility we take seriously. We will continue to deliver an exceptional education experience that is accessible for them and for all students interested in becoming unifying leaders.”

Explore more data 
in the 91����Ƶ Fact Book.

The number of incoming students in the aviation program at 91����Ƶ at Lancaster surged from 9 to 23 (a 155% increase from last year), contributing to a total undergraduate enrollment of 755 students and an incoming class enrollment of 183 students. The Class of 2028 represents 15 states/territories and 10 countries and includes 34% of students who identify as first-generation and 53% who identify as people of color (a roughly 10% increase from last year). Of the incoming class, 43% are athletes.

Top areas of study, starting from most popular, include nursing, business and leadership, STEM, aviation, and education. The Intensive English Program realized an 18% enrollment increase from 84 to 99 students.

This year at least 32 teachers from the Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County public school divisions are renewing their licensure through the Graduate Teacher Education program, further demonstrating 91����Ƶ’s commitment to community partnerships.

91����Ƶ’s retention rate, which is generally used as a gauge of student satisfaction, remains high. According to census data, 76% of the first-year undergraduate students who entered in fall 2023 continued their studies at 91����Ƶ this semester. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the rate has measured 75% or higher.

“Our retention rate continues to soar above the national average,” said Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham. “Achieving this for six consecutive years is a feat. 91����Ƶ’s collaborative approach, involving various departments working in synergy, ensures that students receive comprehensive support and have the opportunity to thrive academically and personally.”

91����Ƶ’s eight graduate programs, which include Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, continue to draw exceptional candidates with total full-time equivalent enrollment at 225 students. The number of new graduate students, including part-time and full-time students, is up by 30%. Those 108 degree-seeking students in the incoming graduate class represent 17 states and 16 countries.