One school offers the continent鈥檚 first graduate-level program in restorative justice. Another just started a new master鈥檚 program for athletic training, and a third has added two health care courses to help prepare area residents for good jobs.
Another is educating many locals who hold down jobs while enhancing their skills. And the largest of them all is striving to be the model of an engaged university.
The heads of James Madison, Eastern Mennonite and American National universities, and Bridgewater College and Blue Ridge Community College updated about 65 business leaders Tuesday morning about what鈥檚 going on at their campuses during the annual Presidential Address, hosted by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
She said 98 percent of her university鈥檚 2017 graduates are employed, headed to graduate school or serving in volunteer roles. All of EMU鈥檚 nursing graduates have jobs, as do nearly all of its teachers.
鈥淧arents and prospective students understandably ask us, 鈥業f I come to EMU, will I get a good job when I graduate?鈥欌�� Huxman related to the crowd. 鈥淥ur data strongly suggests that they will. That is a testament to our superb faculty, the kinds of students we recruit, and the receptive economy, especially from employers right here in the Valley.鈥�
The university鈥檚 first group of students to earn a master鈥檚 degree in restorative justice, which she said is the only such program in North America, graduated last spring, and graduate programs in counseling, biomedicine and organizational leadership 鈥渁re going gangbusters.鈥�
EMU celebrates its centennial this year, and it will launch a doctoral program in nursing, its first at the doctoral level.
Changing With Times
Bridgewater College, President David Bushman said, began a master鈥檚 program in June when it began providing graduate-level instruction in athletic training.
While that鈥檚 a first for a school that had only offered bachelor鈥檚 degrees, Bushman said it won鈥檛 be the last. Based on market research, the college is looking closely at starting graduate programs in digital media management, cybersecurity and other fields.
The move has raised questions from some about whether Bridgewater is trying to become the region鈥檚 next JMU, but he said it鈥檚 more a matter of changing with the times.
鈥淥ur mission is to serve the students in a way that鈥檚 consistent, that prepares them for the world beyond college,鈥� Bushman said. 鈥淎nd while that had been historically a baccalaureate degree in many, many fields, it鈥檚 now at least a master鈥檚 level.
鈥淪o, in fact, we鈥檙e not changing our mission. We鈥檙e reaffirming our mission and making it responsive for the students who are here today.鈥�
Along that line, he said freshmen coming to campus this month to be part of a student body of about 1,900 should be able to study in a new library by the time they graduate. Instead of being a book warehouse, the new John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons will be 鈥渁 workshop for learning,鈥� he said.
Wandile Maseko, director of American National University鈥檚 local campus, highlighted new health care programs the for-profit institution has launched. The phlebotomy and electrocardiogram technology programs, he said, already are the school鈥檚 most popular.
ANU focuses on health care, business and information technology classes, he said. To that end, it鈥檚 also added a certificate program for medical assistants with credits transferable to an associate degree program.
鈥淚f you know anything about the for-profit educational sector,鈥� said Maseko, 鈥測ou know that a lot of institutions have closed or are in the process of shutting their doors. ANU is still here, and we remain committed to our students and this community.鈥�
Learning Differently
Of the institutions represented at the breakfast, President John Downey made the point that Blue Ridge Community College probably is as much a part of the community鈥檚 fabric as any.
Often, he noted, local workers are BRCC students. Eighty-two percent of those taking courses for credit are part-time students.
鈥淎lmost all of them are working in your local businesses,鈥� Downey said, 鈥渢aking advantage of the salaries you provide while they鈥檙e struggling to get an education at the same time.鈥�
Nearly 5,600 people took classes for credit last year, he said. Another 3,000 to 4,000 took noncredit courses for workforce training.
While BRCC is trying to meet the demands of some of the local workforce, James Madison University has a broader reach and is growing in other high-demand areas.
President Jonathan Alger said science, technology, engineering, math, health care, cybersecurity and intelligence analysis are in-demand fields, as is education, a JMU staple since its founding.
But learning, he said, is moving beyond memorization and even off campus. It鈥檚 part of JMU鈥檚 effort to be 鈥渢he national model for the engaged university,鈥� which takes three forms, he said.
One is engaged learning, which seeks to transform the way students think and learn. Alger said in every discipline, JMU is trying to get students involved in critical thinking, ethical reasoning, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, resilience, and written and oral communication.
A second is community engagement. Whether it鈥檚 operating the Gus Bus, an early childhood literacy effort; offering the Valley Scholars program, which gives select area children who would be first-generation college students mentoring and offers them a full scholarship if they maintain certain grades; or the Block Party in the 鈥橞urg, an annual pilgrimage to downtown Harrisonburg to introduce students to local businesses, Alger said JMU wants its students making a difference.
There鈥檚 also civic engagement, which Alger said tries to impress upon students 鈥渢heir responsibilities as citizens.鈥�
This year, he said, Madison begins hosting the newly created Virginia chapter of Campus Compact. The national organization works to encourage community and civic engagement on all college and university campuses.