James Madison College welcomed the majority of its first- and second-year students to Case Hall last week. More than 300 students moved into Case on Aug. 22 and approximately 286 on Aug. 23. In total, approximately 870 MSU students will call Case Hall home for the 2023-24 academic year.
“Move-in has gone really well. We’ve had a lot of volunteers from the community to help students and families get situated,” said Caroline Murray, community director for residence education.
“Students are eagerly attending Welcome Week activities, and we’ve had good attendance at the welcome meetings,” Murray said.
JMC held its Welcome Reception and Student Organization Fair from 1-4 p.m., Aug. 24 in Club Spartan, the JMC Library and various classrooms on the third floor. Over 20 registered student organizations participated.
“The RSO fair provides a great opportunity for first-year students to learn about Madison organizations,” said Matthew Anderson, a fourth-year student majoring in comparative cultures and policy, and international relations. Anderson attended the fair to represent United Multicultural Madison Association, or UMMA.
The organizations represented are groups that often are comprised of students in Madison and are of interest to students pursuing careers in public affairs.
“I liked how the Amnesty International club gave information about career opportunities other than law that still make a difference in policy issues,” said Eleanor Pugh, a first-year student in JMC.
Some of the identity-based groups like JMC Women of Color, Wilma Mankiller Society, Empowering Women in Law and Latino Leaders in Policy were in attendance.
“JMC Women of Color seems really interesting, and I plan on going to the first meeting,” said first-year JMC student Michelle Leon.
MSU Convocation and activities were held earlier in the day from 8:30 to 11 a.m. in the Breslin Center. Prior to the ceremony, students could engage in a service project, receive giveaways and learn about student employment.
Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas D. Jeitschko, and other university leaders welcomed new students to the university.
Individual college colloquia followed from 3-6 p.m., Aug. 25. James Madison’s College Colloquium was held in Wilson Hall and featured guest speaker and alumnus Sean A. Watkins (CCP ’12), an award-winning nonbinary storyteller, consultant and founder of Agency of Joy. All incoming JMC students were expected to attend the program aimed to inspire and empower community members by fostering an inclusive environment. An alumni Q&A panel followed.
The stories that keynote speaker Sean A. Watkins shared with us were incredibly moving," said Riley Vining, a first-year student in James Madison. "It really shows that people from all walks of life can find both an intellectual community and a loving home in JMC."