Strategy 1.1: The Cultural Inclusion Committee (CIC) holds at least one regularly scheduled open dialogue per year to discuss current concerns and offers regular trainings.
In Fall 2025 Semester, events were held on:
Oct. 29: JMC Teach-In & Town Hall
Nov. 12 & 13: CIC Listening Sessions
Spring 2026 events slated for early January
Strategy 2.2: Increase scholarship funds to help recruit and retain students.
MSU launched its updated 2022-2032 Comprehensive Campaign in March 2025. With the university’s overall fundraising goal increasing to $4 billion, each unit is reviewing how to scale its efforts accordingly. For JMC, this means increasing our campaign goal from $12 million to $25 million—equating to approximately 25% growth. While ambitious, this target is achievable. Increased scholarships funds are a critical part of the campaign for JMC and fall under MSU's priority for Student Success. Multi-year scholarships are pivotal in attracting, recruiting, and retaining top talent. These scholarships offer vital resources and support to deserving students from underserved and historically marginalized communities, ensuring they have the means to succeed. Additionally, scholarship support for research participation allows students to present their work at conferences, further enhancing their educational experience. Early Start Programming serves as a bridge for first-generation students, facilitating their recruitment, retention, and timely graduation. Finally, the College Emergency Fund offers essential financial support during crises, allowing students to concentrate on their studies and graduate on time. Collectively, these initiatives are designed to foster a supportive environment that promotes success and accessibility for all students.
Strategy 4.1: Increase student emergency fund and raise funds towards long-term scholarships distributed based on financial need.
The James Madison College Emergency Scholarship Fund was supported during MSU's annual Giving Tuesday events in 2023 and 2024.
Strategy 4.2: Extend the JMC Early Start bridge program as a best-practice and model program for recruiting, retaining and graduating on-time first-generation college students.
Program has been running continuously since its launch in 2022.
Fundraising for the Early Start program is included in JMC's updated comprehensive campaign and will be the college's fundraising priority on Give Green Day in 2026.
Strategy 5.2: Develop a formal system for collaborating with Case Hall and student life leadership about climate in the residence hall and any relevant incidents in the classroom.
Case Hall leadership regularly attends JMC academic advising team meetings to ensure open communication between the college and residence hall staff. Processes are re-evaluated on an ongoing basis.
Strategy 5.3: CIC, in collaboration with the JEI office, residence life staff and college faculty and staff, develop a means of restoring a sense of community when bias incidents do occur, and seek to reduce their overall incidence.