James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Magazine - Winter 2009 - Index

diRECtiOns
an absolute triumph
2008 yields unprecedented achievement and celebration in the life of JMU
I
n the life of James
Madison University,
2008 has been
an historic year
of unprecedented
achievement and
celebration — a year of looking
back and taking stock
during the Centennial Celebration
and reaching toward
new levels of distinction.
our first comprehensive
capital campaign — the
Madison Century: a Campaign
for James Madison
University — drew to a
close on June 30. thanks to
your support, i am able to
call the campaign an absolute
triumph.
i am delighted by the
$70 million you have committed to Madison during the six years
of the campaign. i am especially pleased that the result of your
enthusiasm has garnered $20 million more than the original goal
of $50 million.
this $70 million translates into vital support for James Madison
University. scholarships, faculty support, enhanced programs and
improved facilities provide the resources our students and professors
need as they undertake the scholarship, teaching and service
that address the big issues of society.
as i look around campus, i can already see that the campaign is
making a difference. during this exciting football season, i have seen
student-athletes coming and going from the Plecker athletic Performance
Center. i don’t even have to look down the Quad from
my alumnae Hall office to know that progress is being made on the
future Performing arts Center. i can hear the heavy equipment moving
dirt, steel and concrete as the center is being constructed.
there are many other ways in which the campaign has made
a difference. Contributions to the campaign have helped increase
the JMU endowment from $23.8 million to $46.7 million.
we are in the midst of recruiting the next class of JMU freshmen
with the knowledge that new endowed scholarship gifts of
$13.8 million will allow us to extend the Madison experience to
370 additional students every year.
ten years ago, at the time of my inauguration as JMU’s president,
i announced that fundraising would be a major initiative.
i aspired to establish a sense of responsibility for private support
that would permeate the entire university community. i am happy
to say that the success of this campaign has officially started JMU
on the path to building a culture of philanthropy. i consider this
achievement to be one of the most important of the campaign.
the first major step on that path was the appointment of Joanne
Carr as senior vice president for university advancement. i want to
PhotograPh by nikki fox/daily news-record
thank dr. Carr and her team
for running a professional
campaign and for successfully
helping donors to identify
the gift opportunities
that mean the most to them.
i want to thank JMU
Board of Visitors member
steve Leeolou (’78), whose
leadership as a campaign cochair
inspired others to follow
in his footsteps.
i also want to thank
Bruce and Lois Cardarella
Forbes (’64), whose $5 million
gift is JMU’s largest
to date. two other special
JMU President Linwood H. Rose sits among JMU orientation assistants in families, richard and shir-
August on the Quad, one of his favorite places on campus. The students ley Hanson roberts (’56)
help orient arriving freshmen to their new campus home. This year marks
and ed estes and the estes
Rose’s 10th year as president of JMU.
family, each have given $2.5
million for the future Forbes Performing arts Center. the late
robert Plecker and his wife, Frances, contributed the lead gift
for the Plecker athletic Performance Center. these donors round
out all four of the campaign’s marquee naming opportunities.
another couple deserves thanks for another JMU first. tom
and Karyn dingledine have contributed $2.6 million, most of
which went to endow our first major recruitment scholarship
emphasizing academic achievement and service.
there are many other individuals who have stepped forward to
support JMU as it comes of age in its second century. this Madison
Century Campaign Report edition of Madison recognizes many
of you. i extend my sincere thanks to each of you who have made
a gift to JMU during this six-year campaign.
it is especially rewarding for me to see that our alumni contributed
the largest portion — 39 percent — of the contributions to
the campaign. You have shown that this institution has made a
difference in your lives and that you are proud of your Madison
experience, proud of your degree and proud of your alma mater.
that you have given back means JMU truly has come of age.
it is this kind of sustained commitment that will make it possible
for JMU to continue to do what it does best: Prepare educated
and enlightened citizens to lead productive and meaningful lives.
this commitment and your confidence will make it possible for
Madison to achieve even more. as the scholarship of our professors
and students continues to serve the public good, i predict that
JMU will be recognized as great in the next Madison Century.
Linwood H. Rose
president,
James Madison University
winter 2009 5