Their response, by and large, is that 鈥�91短视频 changed my life.鈥�

鈥�91短视频 changed my life in terms of values, in terms of lifelong friends, in terms of where I met my spouse, in terms of how we are raising our children,鈥� Huxman said, echoing those answers.

鈥淚t’s one of the reasons that we get up, even though our days are very, very full, and do what we do,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e have this incredible honor of walking with students on this formative journey in their lives.鈥�

Huxman spoke on the transformative power of higher education and the importance of developing students as 鈥渨hole people鈥� as one of four area college and university presidents at a panel discussion on Thursday, Aug. 22. The annual Presidential Address, hosted by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, also featured remarks from Mr. Charlie King, interim president of James Madison University; Dr. David Bushman, president of Bridgewater College; and Dr. John Downey, president of Blue Ridge Community College. The sold-out event was held at 91短视频鈥檚 Martin Chapel and attended by about 100 guests. This marked the first time it has been held on a college campus, and will rotate between schools in future years.

The quartet of college presidents was given an opportunity to share their goals for the coming year and provide an in-depth update to the crowd of business and community leaders. Huxman is chair-elect of the local chamber of commerce and will officially begin her term as chair in October 2024.

Huxman outlined two evergreen goals at 91短视频. One of those perennial goals is to go 鈥渁ll in鈥� on delivering 鈥渁n exceptional student experience year in and year out,鈥� she said. The other goal is to lean into 91短视频鈥檚 five-year strategic plan, Pathways of Promise, which opens new pathways of access, achievement, action, and alignment for 91短视频 students and employees.

The university is in the second year of its first-ever comprehensive campaign for people, programs, and facilities, and is pivoting to raise more money for financial aid. While the school has seen its graduate enrollment increase by 50%, it has missed its enrollment targets at the undergraduate level.

鈥淎nd so we are doubling down on additional ways in which we can get people to take a second, a third, and a fourth look at 91短视频 because we are not as expensive as you think,鈥� Huxman told those gathered at the Presidential Address (the average net cost for an 91短视频 student in 2022-23 was just $15,309).

Updates

• The university has received a large amount of grant funding. A $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation supports at-risk student success in STEM. 91短视频 has received more than $2.5 million in grant funding for Eastern Mennonite Seminary, which supports a 鈥淭hriving in Ministry鈥� program and Christian caregiving initiative.

• 91短视频 is launching a new Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Peacemaking and Social Change program. The program will become the second doctoral program offered at 91短视频, after the Doctor of Nursing Practice.

• 91短视频 is responding to a growing need in the community by helping teachers who are on a provisional license get the education they need to keep teaching.

• The school was recently recognized for its commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students. Thirty-five percent of undergraduate students at 91短视频 are first-generation college students.

The Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area, with its four colleges and universities, is 鈥渁n educational mecca,鈥� Huxman said. Together, the four institutions boast a combined enrollment of about 32,000 students and a workforce of about 4,800 employees.

鈥淲e don’t take it for granted at all that out of 185 college towns in the nation, we are in the top 10,鈥� Huxman said. 鈥淎nd that doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s because there is support from the community. It is the fact that we get together. We support one another.鈥�

Following the Presidential Address, guests were invited on a campus tour of the University Commons, the new state-of-the-art track and field complex, and the Suter Science Center.

Read WHSV-TV’s coverage of the event .

The professor is working alongside James Madison University faculty members Mollie Godfrey and Carole Nash, and with JMU Libraries.

A feature story about the partnership between the two universities and their work was published online this month in Madison Magazine, the official publication of JMU. for the story by Josette Keelor. 

According to Keelor鈥檚 story, the Ida Mae Francis Tourist House, at 252 N. Mason St., dates to the early 1900s and 鈥渉as witnessed at least three distinct eras 鈥� as a successful woman-owned boarding house, a Green Book safe place for Black travelers and the lifelong home of siblings Henry and Lois Rouser.鈥� It鈥檚 welcomed such guests as prominent inventor and scientist George Washington Carver and members of Duke Ellington鈥檚 and Count Basie鈥檚 bands.

In the 1950s and early 鈥�60s, the house was listed in several editions of the Green Book, a guide featuring businesses across the nation that welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow (). The house became known as a safe place to stay when coming to or passing through Harrisonburg, and is the city鈥檚 last remaining Green Book-listed property.

“Now, more than 60 years later, JMU and 91短视频 faculty are sifting through rooms of documents, photos and decor that will add depth to the stories that helped define a community,” Keelor writes in her story.

“Sawin has been putting together the story of the house, while Nash, some of her students and Godfrey fill in the gaps through the larger context of the history of the neighborhood and city,” she adds.

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, whose father William Reed recently inherited the house, remarked on the importance of the partnership.

鈥淚t has allowed us to preserve this history,鈥� she said in the Madison story. 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 have done this without the support of both universities.鈥�

More stories about the historic Ida M. Francis House

WHSV (Aug. 7, 2024) 鈥� ““
Daily News-Record (Aug. 1, 2024) 鈥� ““
WMRA (May 2024) 鈥� ““

91短视频鈥檚 cross-city neighbor James Madison University is celebrating a string of sports successes on the national stage.

Its football team finished the season ranked in the top 25 and will play in its first-ever bowl game. The men鈥檚 basketball team remains undefeated and is ranked No. 18. And the volleyball team competed as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Championship before losing its first-round match. Much of the success can be traced back to the work of the at JMU, which caters to the needs of its athletes and teams. 

Fortunately for 91短视频, between the two Harrisonburg, Virginia, universities provides 91短视频 Athletics with many of those same resources at no cost. JMU doctoral students from the McMillin Center are working with athletes, teams and coaches in counseling sessions and mental performance workshops at 91短视频 while earning hours of valuable practicum experience for their graduate studies.

The McMillin Center, led by Director Dr. Bob Harmison, offers programs on how mental skills can increase performance both on and off the field. Some of its workshops teach athletes how to prepare for competitions, manage performance anxiety, enhance focus and maintain motivation.

Casey Steinbrecher, head coach of women鈥檚 volleyball at 91短视频, lauded Harmison as 鈥渙ne of the most prominent people in the nation for what he does.鈥�

鈥淭o have him and the McMillin Center just down the road as a resource, we are super lucky to have that, and we鈥檙e grateful,鈥� he said.

Steinbrecher, former associate head volleyball coach at JMU, left the Dukes to join 91短视频 in 2020. He said his volleyball players meet with JMU doctoral student Tahlia Wilson-Nealy every other week during the season. They work together on building confidence and being relentless as well as on in-match strategies for performing better, Steinbrecher said.

鈥淭hey just love having someone to talk to,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving someone teach us and work with us on mental performance is huge. And, at the end of the season, I was a little upset because we were still improving, we hadn鈥檛 peaked yet, and it was exciting to watch how we were performing better in bigger matches.鈥�

For the past several years, graduate students from the McMillin Center have offered sports psychology services to 91短视频 Athletics through a team-by-team partnership. But, this is the first time a student from the program is fully embedded on campus in 91短视频 Counseling Services and is available to all student-athletes. The partnership officially began on Oct. 27 and is set to run through the end of the academic year.

Lauren Shoss, a first-year JMU doctoral student in the program, said the McMillin Center has worked with other colleges, but not to the same degree as 91短视频.

91短视频 Director of Athletics Carrie Bert agreed: 鈥淚 know that, at least within our ODAC colleagues, having free access to sports psychology services does not seem to be the norm.鈥�

Shoss meets with athletes and teams for about 10 hours each week. She conducts workshops for teams on topics such as bouncing back quickly from mistakes, setting goals and preparing for performance.

鈥淟et鈥檚 say a team has a big competition or tournament that weekend,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can cater our discussions to getting them in the right headspace to perform their best.鈥�

Shoss has a space in the counseling center where she can meet one-on-one with athletes and coaches. She can also meet with them virtually through Zoom. Some of her work with individual athletes might focus on achieving their performance-related goals or tackling their stress, anxiety or mood fluctations.

鈥淢aybe an athlete is having trouble feeling like they can鈥檛 focus when they鈥檙e in a game,鈥� Shoss said. 鈥淪o, we do a lot of work around attentional control.鈥�

Throughout the past month, Shoss has worked with 91短视频 softball players to help them process their grief after the loss of teammate Sara Monger, Bert said. Monger, a first-year student from Elkton, Virginia, died in a car accident in October.

Bert, head coach of the 91短视频 women鈥檚 volleyball team from 2015 to 2019, recalled her players meeting with someone from the McMillin Center about once a week during the last two seasons she was coach. 

Over a couple years, she said, they continued to get better, win more and finish games in ways they had not been able to before.

鈥淚 think what it did, most concretely and immediately, was help with the way the team interacted with each other in our communication both on and off the court,鈥� Bert said.

She expressed gratitude for JMU and the McMillin Center for their role in the partnership.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an extra resource for us to make sure that we鈥檙e doing everything we can for student-athletes here to find success in a variety of ways,鈥� she said.

The honor, co-sponsored by the Forbes Center, the Arts Council of the Valley, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at James Madison University, recognizes 鈥渋ndividuals and organizations in Virginia鈥檚 Shenandoah Valley that enhance and strengthen the cultural community by promoting and advocating for artistic excellence.鈥�

Nafziger 鈥� hymnal editor, choral conductor, and founder, conductor and artistic director 鈥� has done precisely that.

The timing of the awards presentation was fitting, as shortly after Nafziger began channeling his music-making prowess into the 23rd annual festival, a week-long summer event which gathers musicians and singers from around the country. Three concerts, all in Lehman Auditorium, remain on the schedule: Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday morning Leipzig service at 10 a.m.

The award ‘belongs to us all’

During his acceptance speech, Nafziger celebrated the collaborative efforts of his many fellow musicians: 鈥淭his award is a reminder that, in my primary means of music-making, which is conducting, there is nothing I can do alone. Therefore, this Circle of Excellence award belongs to us all who have often shared workspace 鈥� concert hall stage, or rehearsal room, or church 鈥� each in some way a playground of the inner life. I cherish the sounds, the beauty, the work, the risks, the joys and the moments that we have experienced together.鈥�

He also saluted past recipients Stan Swartz, a theater teacher at Harrisonburg High School, and OASIS Fine Art & Craft, a Harrisonburg art cooperative.

A member of the faculty at 91短视频 since 1977, he was nominated for the award by his colleague, Professor . (Griffing, concertmaster of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, was unavailable to comment).

鈥淒ue to his many years of experience and stellar reputation as a conductor, the Bach Festival regularly attracts highly talented instrumental and choral musicians from around the U.S. and Canada each summer,鈥� wrote President in his supporting letter to Griffing鈥檚 nomination.

To the region and beyond

In addition to the Bach Festival, Nafziger has a long legacy of bringing musical excellence to the region. This is his 20th year as the music director of , a chamber choir based in Winchester. With both Musica Viva and the 91短视频 , he鈥檚 toured widely in local venues, including participating in and planning worship services of various denominations.

Mennonite congregations in the Valley and indeed, all of North America, also worship using the songbook staples that bear his editing mark鈥� Hymnal: A Worship Book, Sing the Journey and Sing the Story.

鈥淜en is known across the Mennonite Church, and in many other denominations, as a dynamic worship planner and leader,鈥� wrote Swartzendruber.

Nafziger has also opened the world to area musicians, taking both choral groups on tours of Cuba, and traveling himself to the island as a guest conductor, master class professor and project collaborator.

As his acceptance speech suggests, Nafziger鈥檚 unflagging enthusiasm and dynamism will continue to shape the Shenandoah Valley’s music scene.

鈥淭his honor is encouragement to keep on musicking 鈥� no slowing down, no quitting, no easing up,鈥� said Nafziger. 鈥淩ather, it tells me that I should take seriously this terse bit of American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser鈥檚 advice, ‘If your work speaks for itself, don鈥檛 interrupt!’鈥�

聽For more information about the remaining Bach Festival concerts, click . For tickets, click .

A freewill offering will be taken at Sunday’s 10 a.m. Leipzig service.

鈥淵ou can ask me questions later,鈥� she called as she climbed into her friend Robin Lyttle鈥檚 car. 鈥淟et鈥檚 go!鈥�

Allen, who last year published a memoir 鈥淭he Way It Was, Not the Way It Is鈥� about her experiences in the Newtown area during the 1930s and ’40s, spent the evening with 28 students teaching, sharing and interpreting African American history, culture and experience.

Why a cross-cultural course in Harrisonburg, Virginia?

The 鈥淟ocal Context鈥� cross-cultural course is just one way 91短视频 students can fulfill the university鈥檚 . While many students choose the traditional semester-long international travel, other students find that a semester living at the (WCSC) and interning in Washington D.C. fits their needs. There are also shorter trips that work better for students with less flexible schedules, including and the local cross-cultural experience.

鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for the program, there鈥檚 no way I could have completed the requirement,鈥� said Kristy Wertz as the group left the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center. A nursing student, full-time patient care technician at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, wife and mother, Wertz noted the impracticality of leaving her family and job behind for a full semester, or even three weeks.

鈥淗ere I鈥檓 learning about the wide variety of populations that live in Harrisonburg, and the resources available to them. As a nurse, it鈥檚 crucial that I know how to best serve my patients. Like the parenting program we just saw,鈥� she said, pointing back at the Simms Center. 鈥淗ow great was that?鈥�

Outside Broad Street Mennonite Church, one of several historic Mennonite church plants in the northeast neighborhood, the group was greeted by Harold Huber. Huber, who began attending Broad Street in 1968 and at various times has served as administrator, secretary, trustee and historian to the congregation, passed around photos of the congregation鈥檚 early years. Allen hooted when she spotted her ten-year-old self in one of the pictures. A clutch of students gathered about her as she pointed out the bright-faced young girl.

, assistant professor of applied social sciences, and her husband are teaching the course this summer. The group is divided into two sections for classroom discussions and folded into one group for field trips. Durham first led a local cross-cultural in 2007; this is her fifth time teaching the course.

Like all cross-cultural trip leaders who escort students on trips, the couple are experienced inter-cultural navigators. Before coming to 91短视频, they spent years living and working in inner-city Washington D.C. as well as four years with Mennonite Central Committee in El Salvador. Peachey has led several cross-cultural trips to Guatemala, Cuba and Mexico, including one during the previous spring semester.

The most transformative aspect of the course, Durham says, is that students living in the Shenandoah Valley begin to think of their home differently. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how many times I鈥檝e had students say, 鈥業 had no idea this place, this community, this challenge鈥xisted right here!鈥欌�� she said, gesturing at the front of First Baptist Church, where the group had just listened to Judge Anthony Bailey give an impromptu talk on his role in the local justice system. 鈥淚n some ways, the students in the Local Context course have a more difficult time settling back into a comfort zone once finished with their cross-cultural because it鈥檚 right in their face every day.鈥�

Reflecting on the difference between groups that go abroad and those that stay close to home, Peachey pointed out that there are many benefits in the experience of global travel. 鈥淗owever,鈥� he added, 鈥渢here is great value in deeper learning about the people and places that surround you on a daily basis. Becoming familiar with various immigrant populations, learning about how Harrisonburg has grown and changed over the past half-century, these are experiences that will help these students greatly post-graduation, in their work, and how they approach interacting and engaging with the communities they are a part of.鈥�

Peachey also noted that students on the recent Guatemala trip, which started on the U.S.-Mexico border, learned about the political clashes of immigration policy and reform and explored the personal struggles of those affected by immigration. 鈥淭hose same struggles are happening right here in Harrisonburg,鈥� said Peachey. 鈥淲e just need to be willing to see them.鈥�

A rich and surprising diversity

Additional field trips bring students on explorations into the rich diversity of the Shenandoah Valley. The African-American focus continues with trips to Zenda, a community started by former slaves in Rockingham County, and to the Franklin Street African-American Art Gallery. The gallery visit is hosted by owner , founder and director of the at James Madison University. (Luminaries in the African-American poetry world flock to conferences and poetry summits hosted by Furious Flower, and the center offers a slate of workshops, readings, slams and lectures.)

Students also discuss immigration issues with Harrisonburg resident 鈥�07, a nationally-known activist for DREAM Act immigration reform who founded the youth-led National Immigrant Youth Alliance.

One Friday, the students meet with Dr. Mohamed 91短视频abl at the mosque, the only place in the region for Muslims to worship. Friday prayers draw a diverse group of Muslims from around the world, with Sunni and Shia participating together.

Students also delve into the Old Order Mennonite culture, with a visit to a home for meal, accompanied by professor and Mennonite historian Nate Yoder.

At the end of the tour, the group enjoyed a meal of barbecue and deviled eggs prepared by the congregation of John Wesley Methodist Church. Allen stood in the center of the room and fielded questions from the students. They listened attentively as she described growing up in Newtown and her involvement in the civil rights movement, and how she found herself just feet away from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 1963 March on Washington as he delivered his famous words.

鈥淗aving Doris talk to us was one of the best parts of the night,鈥� said student Kaitlin Roadcap. 鈥淭his program is teaching me to be more culturally receptive, and has really opened my eyes to the diversity in this area. I have lived here my entire life and am finally realizing just how much I didn鈥檛 know.鈥�

There, Boshart took a course for administrative police officers that critiqued various methods and ideas in law enforcement today. He returned home convinced that it was 鈥渉igh time that we look at models outside of traditional policing.鈥�

One of the alternative models that Boshart had heard of before but didn鈥檛 then know much about was restorative justice. In the context of law enforcement, it鈥檚 an alternative to the traditional judicial system that focuses on the relationships that are damaged by crime, and holds offenders accountable for meeting victims鈥� needs that arise from the incident.

As it turned out, Boshart鈥檚 return from the police institute coincided with . He soon found himself leading development of the program from within his department, working with partners from 91短视频,聽 and the , a local nonprofit that offers restorative justice services.

The program, which will divert appropriate cases from the courts to a restorative justice process, was publicly announced in March 2015 after more than a year of planning. Along the way, Boshart has become convinced that restorative justice offers law enforcement a valuable option for resolving conflict and increasing public safety.

鈥淚 see the value for law enforcement, and I see the value for the community. There鈥檚 a marriage there, a connection,鈥� he said.

Pointing to the growing body of empirical evidence that restorative justice is better than the court system at reducing recidivism rates for some crimes, Boshart said that police would do a 鈥渄isservice to the community鈥� by not taking the topic seriously. Amidst the ongoing national debate over police-community relations, justice and incarceration, Boshart also sees the new restorative justice program as a way of strengthening ties between police and the public, in addition to an effective new way of resolving specific conflicts.

One of Boshart鈥檚 biggest priorities for the new program is that it not meet the same 鈥渃ome and go鈥� fate that he鈥檚 seen befall other initiatives over the years. During his SPI course, Boshart completed a group project on program sustainability, through which he gained new insight into how he might ensure the local program stays around for the long haul.

Another valuable aspect of the SPI experience, Boshart said, was the diversity among his classmates. The 12 people in the course came from all across the United States as well as Peru and Ethiopia 鈥� all with their own thoughts and experience on how restorative justice practices can benefit communities. Boshart found their perspectives expanding, stimulating and relevant to his own work in Harrisonburg.

鈥淚 can walk away with a better understanding of what the potential for our restorative justice program is here locally,鈥� he said.

York, a junior at 91短视频, was making her for 12 hours in solidarity with local college students and others in more than 40 states and 10 countries to raise awareness of human trafficking. The Stand, which happens from April 6-10, is an outreach of the non-profit .

York, who grew up in Bucharest, Romania, is a reluctant leader who would prefer to remain out of the spotlight, but she wants to make advocacy for victims of human trafficking her life鈥檚 work.

Changed by the stories

The stories she heard during a summer internship at a shelter for sexually trafficked women in Romania have burrowed into her heart and psyche.

鈥淚 got to know them really well and fell in love with them 鈥� that really changes you,鈥� she says.

When she returned to campus in the fall of 2014, raising awareness among her fellow students became a priority.

鈥淚鈥檓 out here for the seven girls I live, ate and breathed with for two months,鈥� York says. 鈥淭he Stand for me is all about them and the other women, men and children who are trapped and coerced into slavery.鈥�

In working to stage the Stand event, York says she is called by her faith and the knowledge, drawn from personal experience, that the survivors sometimes need someone to tell their story, because they themselves can鈥檛.

One touching story she heard from 13-year-old 鈥淎na,鈥� who was living in a state-run orphanage when she heard the rumors. 鈥淭he director has one thing in mind for the girls here,鈥� the older girls told her. 鈥淧rostitution.鈥�

Frightened, Ana ran away with the help of some of the other girls. She was able to find her grandparents and ended up at , the shelter where York worked.

York鈥檚 internship concluded with a job offer that she wanted to accept. However, her parents encouraged her to finish her degree. She compromised by saying she would graduate a semester early, in the fall of 2015, and then return to the shelter.

鈥淚 would love to eventually work with the justice system in Romania,” she says. 鈥淚 want the police to implement justice for the poor and not against them. The current system is keeping people in the cycle of poverty in which they feel forced to sell their bodies for money because they feel like they don鈥檛 have a choice.鈥�

Staying connected through activism

In the meantime, back in Harrisonburg, she searched for another internship, which is how she learned about International Justice Mission and Stand for Freedom.

鈥淚 thought that it would be really cool to be a part of, but I had a lot of doubts in my ability to pull it off,鈥� she says.

York鈥檚 experiences in that shelter and her passion for serving justice were compelling to listeners, though. On a recent that she led with junior Hanna Heishman, she gained six more allies, including Heishman: Rachel Schrock, Jessamyn Tobin, Abby Hershberger, Amy Feeser, and Jolee Paden.

鈥淚 felt drawn into Stand because of the passion Rebekah has for her work,鈥� Heishman says. 鈥淪he shared with me her vision for humanity during our Y-trip: a life without the reality of trafficking. This is something she cares so deeply for, and it is where she will devote her life.”

Together the group grew the conversation from a Facebook message, to a living room meeting, lunch room conversations and finally to connecting with the James Madison University Stand group.

That JMU group heard York’s story and decided to partner their Stand with 91短视频 to have a united event in a centralized location. A contingent of Dukes came to Thomas Plaza for the Tuesday Stand.

JMU students with the , a faith-based group raising awareness about the human trafficking issue, also came to campus Thursday to share their work.

A vigil tonight [March 10] at Court Square will again unite students with the Harrisonburg community, which has recently seen a rise in human and labor trafficking charges. In January, Virginia鈥檚 House of Representatives passed four bills to combat human trafficking and sex trafficking, which the FBI calls the fastest growing crime in the United States and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world.

‘In your backyard’

York planned the week-long event to include a huge dose of education about modern slavery, which has the potential to affect the nearly 4 billion people living in poverty in countries with dysfunctional or corrupt public justice systems, according to the United Nations.

After all, she herself had grown up in a country with a long and traumatic history of sex slavery, and she knew nothing about it until a few months after graduating from high school.

That鈥檚 when she saw a documentary that was also aired on campus Monday night.

鈥淟et鈥檚 know what we鈥檙e standing for, before we make a statement,鈥� York wrote in her campus-wide email advertising that showing.

With more than 200 signatures gathered on two petitions during Tuesday鈥檚 event, York is optimistic about the Stand鈥檚 impact.

鈥淎ll I wanted to do was raise awareness about human trafficking and let people know that this is happening in your own backyard,鈥� York says. 鈥淏eing able to share that with someone is what I am called for.鈥�

An 91短视频 and a James Madison University professor will offer their views on Pakistan-US relations after the elections in a presentation, "A Million Cups of Tea," to be held 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 19, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at 91短视频.

Dr. Mike Medley, director of the Intensive English Program (IEP) at 91短视频, and Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, chair of the economics department at JMU, will present "outsider" and "insider" views, respectively, based on their personal experiences in Pakistan.

Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, chair of the economics department at JMU

A general election was held in Pakistan on Feb. 18 after being postponed from Jan. 8, the original date to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora (the nation’s parliament.

Pakistan’s two main opposition parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) won the majority of seats in the election, although the Pakistan Muslim League actually was second in the popular vote. The PPP and PML are expected to form the new government.

Medley was a Presbyterian missionary in Pakistan for 11 years before joining the 91短视频 faculty. Last spring he was a visiting faculty member in the English departement at Forman Christian College there. Dr. Ahmed is a leader in the local Islamic Center and president of the Shenandoah Valley Pak-American Society.

Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Dr. Louise Temple, associate professor of biology at James Madison University

Dr. Louise Temple, associate professor of biology at James Madison University, will speak on the topic 3:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at 91短视频.

The bacterium Bordetella avium is found widely in wild bird populations, but interest is generated largely from the disease it causes in commercially grown turkeys. For nearly 15 years, the Temple lab, with collaborators at Drew University, NC State Veterinary School and Cambridge University, have studied how this bacterium causes the disease, which occurs in the respiratory tract and resembles whooping cough in humans.

“We have learned a lot about how the bacterium attaches to ciliated cells of the trachea, and we are starting to explore its toxic effects. Most of the work has been accomplished by undergraduate researchers,” Temple noted.

The program is being held in Martin Chapel instead of the Suter Science Center in order that Dr. Temple, an accomplished musician, can play a brief recital on the seminary organ prior to her 4 p.m. talk.

The public is invited; admission is free.

For more information, contact Dr. Roman J. Miller, Daniel B. Suter endowed professor of biology, at 540-432-4412.

A reception for the artist will be held 7-8:30 p.m. Mar. 12 in the gallery on third floor of 91短视频’s Hartzler Library.

“Untitled,” oil on wood by Susan Zurbrigg

The exhibit will feature recent sculptures and paintings created with the support of a JMU Faculty Research grant to Helsinki, Finland.

Zurbrigg grew up in Hyde Park on the south side of Chicago and received her BA in painting from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY and an MFA from Indiana University at Bloomington.

Before joining the JMU faculty in 2000, she taught painting and drawing at Grinnell College in Iowa and Calumet College in Indiana.

During her time in Finland in 2005, the artist was intrigued by exhibits at the Helsinki Design Museum that prompted her to explore three-dimensional form and a “decorative interrelationship to space, gesture, color and nostalgia” in her work.

“I’ve always have a natural bridging beteween my painting and sculpture,” Zurbrigg said. “My recent work includes mid-scale abstract oil paintings, acrylic-graphite paper collage and clay, cloth, string and yarn sculpture installation.

Regardless of the media employed, Zurbrigg seeks to “reveal acultural struggle between ‘handmade’ and ‘manmade’ and the conflict between personal craft and disposable mass consumption.”

Recent exhibitions include the Haas Gallery at Bloomsburg (PA) University, The Miller Gallery at Bridgewater (VA) College and the RKL Gallery in New York City.

The exhibit will be open for browsing daily during regular library hours through Apr. 5. Admission is free.

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Hartzler Library Hours
Mon.-Thur. 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m.
Fri. 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sun. 2 p.m.-11 p.m.

It almost sounded like Martin Luther King Jr. was at the podium, his gift of powerful oratory resounding across Lehman Auditorium at 91短视频.

Derrick Parson, campus pastor with the Wesley Foundation at neighboring James Madison University, drew excerpts from several of the late minister and civil rights leader’s memorable speeches in a chapel program Monday, Jan. 17, to formally open King Week activities at 91短视频.

Speaking extemporaneously but with great feeling, Parsons reflected on King’s life and legacy and his view of reconciliation.

Derrick Parson reflects on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including giving excerpts from memory from the late civil rights worker’s memorable speeches.
Photo by Jim Bishop

Quoting the scripture, “to whom much is given, much will be required,” he said that King truly believed this and lived it out.

“Martin believed that unqualified love and forgiveness could change the world, turning enemies into friends,” Parsons said. “He prayed forgiveness on those who opposed him and his message.”

Noting that King wrote six books and scores of articles in his 13 years of public ministry after completing graduate school at age 26, Parsons encouraged his audience to read King’s writings “to see how he reflected the live and teachings of Christ’s reconciling love.”

Parsons closed by giving from memory the speech that King wrote for his own funeral in 1968, calling on his audience to “ask how you can make a difference in our world by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The campus ministries department at 91短视频 joined hands with the multicultural services office to plan a combined spring Spiritual Life/Martin Luther King Week. Activities on the program theme, “Worship and Walk Side by Side,” will continue through Friday, Jan. 21, and include a coffeehouse, panel discussions, an “agape” meal, film showing, a candlelight worship service and communion.

of Waynesboro, Va., has been named director of admissions for undergraduate programs at 91短视频. She began her new assignment at 91短视频 Nov. 8, 2004.

Shafer succeeds Lawrence W. (Laurie) Miller, who has become director of and new at 91短视频.

The appointment was announced by Shirley B. Yoder, vice president for at 91短视频.

Shafer brings ten years experience in admissions to her new role, Yoder noted. She worked in the admissions office at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton and quickly rose to the level of associate director.

She has spent the past six years as dean of admissions at Stuart Hall, a college preparatory school in Staunton owned by the Episcopal Church. “This experience has given her direct insight into the millennial students and their parents,” Yoder said.

She is a graduate of James Madison University and is working towards completing an MBA degree.

“In addition to her experience we were attracted to Stephanie for her active listening, her caring personality, her energy and enthusiasm for the admissions profession,” Yoder said.

She is an active member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Buena Vista, Va.

A 1985 graduate of 91短视频 has returned to his alma mater as the new director of alumni-parent relations.

Douglas J. Nyce, most recently of Lancaster, Pa., succeeds Janet M. Stutzman, who resigned after serving 13 years in that role.

Nyce will work with 91短视频’s 14,000 alumni and with 91短视频 Parent Relations, an advisory group, to promote Christian higher education. He will also plan fall homecoming weekend and regional alumni events and work with alumni support groups.

For the past 10 years, Nyce was director of the historic Hans Herr House and Museum in Lancaster County, where he directed overall operations, managed a host of volunteers, handled fund-raising and promotion and carried out special events.

Before that, he was associate/youth pastor seven years at Springdale Mennonite Church, Waynesboro, Va.

In addition to study at 91短视频, the Grantham, Pa., native took classes at James Madison University, Blue Ridge Community College and the Harrisburg (PA) campus of Penn State University.

He served as youth baseball and basketball coach several years in the Conestoga Valley Little League. He attended James Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, where he was involved in Christian education responsibilites.

Nyce is married to Dawn Mumaw Nyce, also a 1985 91短视频 graduate. The couple has three children – Travis, 15; Krista, 12; and Daniel, 8.

Harrisonburg resident Kevin A. Warner has been named 91短视频’s first full-time sports information director in school history, athletic director Larry R. Martin has announced.

“With the World Wide Web becoming prominent in sports reporting but adding another layer of responsibility, the SID needed to become a full-time position,” Martin said. Seth D. McGuffin, who held the SID role while also serving as an assistant track and field coach, has moved into the head coaching position, allowing Kevin to join us,” he added.

“Kevin offers the skills and experiences we were looking for,” Martin said. “His services will only be positive for our student-athletes, their families and the broader 91短视频 constituency.”

Warner, a Pennsylvania native, is a graduate of the sport management program at . He also completed a post-graduate internship with the in which he maintained all aspects of the CAA website.

91短视频, an NCAA Division III school and member of the , competes in eight men’s and nine women’s sports.