Each year, a few 91短视频 graduates typically apply and are selected for JMU鈥檚 accounting program, which recently waived the GMAT requirement for applicants from 91短视频 in acknowledgement of their consistently high level of preparation.

Dozens of employers also recruit from the graduate program at JMU 鈥� a public university with an enrollment of nearly 20,000 students 鈥� making it an even more attractive option for 91短视频 graduates looking for a first job opportunity.

JMU鈥檚 nearby location and the rigor of its program attracted all three grads, they said.

Tomlin, who wants to specialize in auditing and is also considering teaching college-level accounting, said his 91短视频 education has been great preparation for the future. 鈥淢y success as an accounting major is 100% due to professors Tammy Duxbury and Leah Kratz,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey helped me develop a passion for the field.鈥�

Peachey plans to return to the Lancaster, Pa.-area to work as a CPA after graduation. Kingsley is also considering moving back to to his home state of Kansas, possibly to work alongside his grandparents at their tax accounting firm.

鈥淥ver the years we have developed a great relationship with JMU and many of our students have gone to graduate school there,鈥� said Kratz. 鈥淲e give them a good foundation, while JMU has the resources to offer graduate-level training in taxes, auditing and other aspects of accounting. We really feel the combination is the best of both worlds. Students get small class sizes and individualized attention while at 91短视频 and then they can expand on that knowledge at JMU.鈥�

Graduate school is part of a necessary path to becoming a professional accountant. In most states, including Virginia, the boards that regulate the accounting profession have adopted policies requiring prospective CPAs to have completed 150 collegiate credit hours 鈥� basically a year of academic credit beyond the usual four undergraduate years 鈥� before they can be licensed as a CPA, even if they pass the CPA exam.

Providing this year of further coursework is the primary goal of JMU鈥檚 MS in Accounting program. Its grads also have a high successful pass rate on the CPA exams. In 2015, students had a 95.6% pass rate, according to the department website.

Academic Success Center

Linda Gnagey, director of the Academic Success Center, and Professor Vi Dutcher, with the Writing Program, recognized the following tutors concluding their service in December: Hannah Gross, Harrison Horst, Kat Lehman and David Nester.

Campus Ministries

Ministry assistants completing their service are: Kyra Lehman, Holly Mumaw, Laura Rittenhouse, Jenna Lile, Clara Weybright, Anali Martin, Seth Peters, Aaron Gusler, Sarah Kline, Kate Kauffman, Hannah Wheeler and Joseph Harder.

Pastoral assistants are Alexa Weeks and Nathaniel Nissley. Undergraduate Campus Pastor Lana Miller provided the recognition.

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Professor Roxy Allen Kioko recognized the following students:

• Hannah Kim for her听outstanding听work as a graduate research assistant;
• Kajungu Mturi and Brenna Case for their work with the Brazil delegation that spent five days on campus learning more about restorative justice [read more here];
• Trina Trotter Nussbaum for her commitment to community-building at CJP;
• Andrea Moya Urena and Renata Loberg for their leadership with the DACA Dialogue Planning Committee [read more here];

Department of Applied Social Sciences

Katrina Poplett and Jonatan Moser were recognized for their leadership over the past two years of Take Back the Night by Professor Deanna Durham, faculty advisor [read more here].

Sociology major Harrison Horst was recognized by Professor Jenni Holsinger for his academic work and service. Read about Harrison’s many

Theater Department

Professor Heidi Winters Vogel recognized the nomination of Emma Roth, Clara Bush and Renata Loberg 鈥� actors in the fall production of MacBETH 鈥� to the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition and Amber Hooper for the stage management competition at Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival.

Latino Student Alliance

Co-presidents Ariel Barbosa, Alejandra Rivera, Anna Messer and Mario Hernandez were recognized by M. Esther Showalter, faculty advisor. [Read about their fall activities here.]

Business and Economics Department

Ryan Faraci, Jacob Sloan and Erik Peachy were recognized for extraordinary academic performance by Professor Tammy Duxbury. Brittany Williams was recognized for her leadership, academic performance and service by Professor Joohyun Lee.

Multicultural Student Services

Director Celeste Thomas recognized the Alpha Omega Dancers for Christ: Hannah Shultz, Delight Tigoe, Qing Wang (Freya), and Kellie Serrell.

The Black Student Union Board of DeVantae Dews, Childra Nwankwo, Ivan Harris, Jess Washington, Precious Waddy, Jourdyn Friend and Clarrisa White were also recognized for their steadfast leadership.

Music Department

Luke Mullet was honored by Professor Ryan Keebaugh for achievement in composition and choral music (Professor James Richardson presenting). Read about Luke’s many talents.

Nursing Department

Professor Audrey Myers, advisor of the Nursing Student Association, presented the department’s biannual awards: Dylan May, academic achievement award; Kim Heatwole, servant leader award; and Annie Trinh, Sacred Covenant Award.

Student Life

Rachel Holderman and Nicole Litwiller, student leaders of the Royals Cup competition, named Elmwood Residence as the top points accumulator of the fall semester.

The “fall individual MVP” was Andrew Troyer, followed in second place by Andrew Reimer-Berg. Third place was a three-way tie with Cameron Byer, Sarah Ressler and Lucas Wenger. In fourth place was Aaron Horst, Skylar List, Adam Peachey and Kayla Sauder. Rounding out the top 10 MVPs is Lauren Hartzler.

Student Government Association

Outgoing members were recognized: from the executive council, Nicole Litwiller, vice president and Luke Mullet, secretary; and from the senate: Nathaniel Nissley, Abigail Shelly, Leah Wenger and Ben Zook.

Athletic Honors

Student-athletes receiving honors and awards during the fall semester were also recognized. For more coverage, visit .

The new faculty, announced by , provost; Michael King, dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and of Eastern Mennonite Seminary; and , vice president and undergraduate academic dean, include:

Linda Alger, instructor of nursing. Alger earned a MSN at Walden University and a BS in nursing from 91短视频. She brings extensive nursing experience as a staff nurse and director of the critical care unit at RMH/Sentara. Alger has taught at Blue Ridge Community College and will bring her clinical experience to the clinical classroom setting at 91短视频.

Clement Acevedo, instructor of music. Acevedo is a DMA candidate at James Madison University School of Music, with an anticipated completion date in 2016. 听He earned a BM from University of the Philippines College of Music; an MM in piano performance from Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance; and an MM in piano pedagogy from West Chester University of Pennsylvania School of Music. Acevedo鈥檚 professional experiences include serving as the choir director and minister of music at a Lutheran church in Pennsylvania, teaching Suzuki and traditional piano, and performing in the Philippines, China and the United States.

Syafaatun Almirzanah, PhD, professor of religious studies. Almirzanah is a Fulbright Scholar from Indonesia who will teach religious studies. She has a PhD and master鈥檚 degrees in theology from the Lutheran School of Theology, as well as a DMin degree from Catholic Theological Seminary, all located in Chicago, Illinois. She earned an MA in philosophy and a BA in comparative religions at Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Tammy Duxbury, assistant professor of accounting. Duxbury earned an MS in taxation from Bryant University and a BS in business and commerce-accounting at the University of Houston-Downtown. Duxbury brings accounting experience in the areas of taxation, taxation research and tax consulting along with experience in personal finance planning and consultation. She was an adjunct accounting instructor and a scholarly practitioner at several institutions.

Jan Emswiler,听 instructor of nursing. Emswiler earned a MPH in international health and development from Tulane University School of Public Health and a BA in nursing and biology from 91短视频 . Emswiler brings international nursing experience in the areas of public health, HIV/AIDS care and support, and maternal child health care. She has taught in Zambia and Tanzania, and at Goshen College and James Madison University

Dana Farrar, instructor of nursing. Farrar holds an MSN and BS in nursing from 91短视频 . She brings hospital floor experience in medical/surgical units and orthopedics as well as experience as an e-health specialist at Sentara RMH.

Jeanne Heil, PhD, assistant professor of Spanish. A scholar of applied linguistics with the ability to teach both language and linguistics, Heil earned a BA听 in Spanish from Wittenberg University and an MA and PhD in Hispanic studies from University of Illinois. She will contribute both teaching expertise and administrative experience as a language coordinator to the language and literature department.

Cassandra Kennell, PhD, assistant professor of psychology. Kennell, an experienced substance abuse therapist, holds both a PhD and MA in clinical psychology from the American School of Psychology. She earned an MA in counseling at 91短视频 and a BS in psychology from the University of South Florida. At Shenandoah Psychological Services, LLC, she has provided individual and group therapy for children, adolescents, families and couples, as well as psychological and neuropsychological testing,

Roxann Allen Kioko, instructor of business. Kioko anticipates completion of a PhD in strategic leadership from James Madison University in fall 2016. She earned an MA in conflict transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 91短视频 and a BA in history from 91短视频. Kioko brings professional and administrative experience in numerous non-governmental organizations along with teaching experience in Ethiopia with Mennonite Central Committee. Kioko has been an adjunct instructor for both undergraduate and graduate courses at 91短视频.

Eva Pastalkova, PhD, assistant professor of biology. Pastalkova holds a PhD and MS in neuroscience, and a BA in biology from Charles University in the Czech Republic. She has been an innovative researcher, teacher, program developer and administrator to both the undergraduate biology and graduate biomedicine departments. Her expertise in the areas of bioinformatics, neuroscience and biology will add value and breadth in both departments.

Andrew Suderman, instructor of theology. Suderman anticipates completing a PhD in systematic theology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa this year. He earned a BA in philosophy from Canadian Mennonite University and an MT in theological studies from Conrad Grebel University in Canada. He brings international and cross-cultural experience in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia and South Africa.

Paul Yoder, PhD, assistant professor of education. An experienced teacher at several levels, Yoder completed his PhD in curriculum and instruction from University of Virginia. He earned his MA in education and a BA in history and social science from 91短视频. He has taught social studies, US history and English as a Second Language in Harrisonburg area public schools. In addition, he has been an adjunct instructor at James Madison University and 91短视频, and taught in the 91短视频鈥檚 Intensive English Program

Zelijko Mirkovic, instructor of digital media. Mirkovic is an award-winning film and television director who contributes expertise in the areas of producing, scriptwriting, technical skills and new media knowledge. He anticipates completion of his PhD in media and communication from the University of Vienna, Austria. Mirkovic earned a BA from The Academy of Art Bra膰a Kari膰听 in Belgrade and an MA in media practice from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.