During a tour of the EMU campus last month, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, got a firsthand look of the university’s state-of-the-art nursing and engineering labs, took in the picturesque view of Massanutten Mountain from the Campus Center balcony, and explored the academic spaces and classrooms of the Suter Science Center.

But it was the EMU cadaver lab, used by undergraduate pre-medicine and nursing students in anatomy and physiology classes, that really got his attention.

“It’s the first one I’ve seen that’s not at a medical school,” Kaine said.

For good reason. EMU is one of only a handful of undergraduate programs in the United States that offers full cadaver dissection. The lab provides a “leg up” for students entering medical school, said Braydon Hoover ’11, MAOL ’21, vice president of enrollment and marketing. He added that roughly 1% of medical school students enter with experience in cadaver dissection, and EMU’s medical school acceptance rate is 85%, more than double the national average.

“Our graduates are heads and tails above their colleagues in medical school because they’ve already experienced this type of in-depth experiential learning,” Hoover told Kaine as he led the tour.

A workforce win

Kaine visited EMU on July 7 to meet with students, faculty, staff, leaders, and other community members, and celebrate the $1.39 million in federal Community-Directed Spending (CDS) to upgrade and expand the laboratory equipment used by STEM and nursing majors at EMU. The investment will enhance undergraduate education, expand research opportunities, and better prepare the STEM and healthcare workforce.

“This is an investment in our students and an investment in the future of Virginia,” said President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus. “We’ll measure our success not only by the equipment that is purchased but by the lives that are transformed, the discoveries that are made, and the communities that are strengthened.”

Kaine said the CDS process allows Congress to direct funds in the budget to “very specific local projects.” It offers a fair and transparent way, he said, for smaller institutions and rural communities to receive federal funding.

“We’ve noticed over time that the Appropriations Committee has valued innovative workforce training programs and that’s what EMU put on the table in this proposal,” he said, adding that it received bipartisan support. “I want to thank everyone at EMU who had a hand in drafting the proposal. … This is a good group of folks to celebrate a real significant legislative win for EMU and for the region when it comes to the workforce.”

Undergrad research ‘impressive’

While walking across the Front Lawn, Kaine talked with rising sophomore biology major Davis Bert, who told the senator about his research project this summer studying bacteria in the gut biome.

“If we just change our habits in eating and how our guts are reacting, then maybe we can get to the point where we can reverse those disorders that are occurring,” said Bert, who plans to pursue a PhD in public health with a specialization in epidemiology.

At a press conference later in the day, Kaine spoke about his conversation with Bert and described the opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in research as “impressive.”

‘A global reach’

As he entered the University Commons and saw the colorful array of flags displayed in the Hall of Nations, Kaine reminisced about the first time he had set foot on campus.

It had been in the 1980s, long before he entered politics, during a time of “all kinds of turmoil in Central America,” said Kaine, who had served as a missionary in Honduras. He had attended a meeting of state leaders seeking to build stronger ties with Central American nations.

“I came up here for a conference, and I had this feeling from the beginning that EMU, though a small school in Harrisonburg, was really trying to have a global reach,” he told Hoover.

Offering access

Following his tour, Kaine participated in a roundtable discussion with President Dycus, Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham, the presidents of Bridgewater College and Blue Ridge Community College, and other EMU leaders, higher education partners, faculty, and community members. The discussion focused on college affordability, STEM education, workforce development, and the impact of federal investments in higher education.

Seventy percent of EMU’s undergraduate students are from Virginia, and two-thirds remain in the commonwealth after graduation. EMU offers an accessible and affordable college education, and that’s reflected in the students it serves.

This fall’s incoming class is 15% larger than last year’s, which was itself 10% larger than the previous year’s. Of the class entering EMU this fall, 80% are from Virginia, 58% identify as first-generation college students, 51% identify as students of color, and 60% are interested in STEM. The incoming class has an average GPA above 3.55.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine flips through a copy of The Green Book during a tour of the Ida M. Francis Tourist Home, which is Harrisonburg’s only remaining property listed in the guide.

LEFT: U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during a press conference at EMU on July 7. RIGHT: Kaine meets with Harrisonburg resident William Reed, the father of Mayor Deanna Reed and owner of the Green Book house.

Getting the word out

Public colleges might seem more likely to serve as access institutions. But it’s actually small, private schools that lead the way in providing access to a college education, Kaine said, pointing to EMU’s high percentage of first-generation students, Pell-eligible students, students of color, and international students.

“Private higher ed doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive; it’s often more accessible,” he told a gathering of media and community members. “…These are institutions that can provide great value for families, and we need to put the word out there so families understand that.”

Looking ahead, Kaine said he hopes to return to campus and continue learning about the ways EMU is expanding opportunities for students.

“I look forward to coming back and interacting with you again,” he said. “It’s just a real pleasure to be able to do this together with a great institution.”

This was Kaine’s first visit to EMU since 2007, when he was governor, and one of several stops he made in Harrisonburg that day. He started off the morning touring the historic Ida M. Francis Tourist Home, which is Harrisonburg’s only remaining property listed in the Green Book. He also visited the United Way of Central Shenandoah Valley.