{"id":62065,"date":"2026-08-11T06:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T10:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=62065"},"modified":"2026-08-11T06:11:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T10:11:58","slug":"kaine-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/kaine-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Kaine tours EMU campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Celebrates $1.39M in federal Community-Directed Spending to upgrade and expand lab equipment used by STEM and nursing majors<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a tour of the EMU campus last month, U.S.<\/strong> Sen. Tim Kaine<\/strong>, D-Virginia<\/strong>, got a firsthand look of the university\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first one I\u2019ve seen that\u2019s not at a medical school,\u201d Kaine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cleg up\u201d for students entering medical school, said Braydon Hoover \u201911, MAOL \u201921<\/strong>, vice president of enrollment and marketing. He added that roughly 1% of medical school students enter with experience in cadaver dissection, and EMU\u2019s medical school acceptance rate is 85%, more than double the national average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur graduates are heads and tails above their colleagues in medical school because they\u2019ve already experienced this type of in-depth experiential learning,\u201d Hoover told Kaine as he led the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, meets with EMU President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus<\/strong> during a roundtable discussion on July 7.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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A workforce win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an investment in our students and an investment in the future of Virginia,\u201d said President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaine said the CDS process allows Congress to direct funds in the budget to \u201cvery specific local projects.\u201d It offers a fair and transparent way, he said, for smaller institutions and rural communities to receive federal funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve noticed over time that the Appropriations Committee has valued innovative workforce training programs and that\u2019s what EMU put on the table in this proposal,\u201d he said, adding that it received bipartisan support. \u201cI want to thank everyone at EMU who had a hand in drafting the proposal. \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine talks to rising sophomore biology major Davis Bert during his visit to campus on July 7.<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Undergrad research \u2018impressive\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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

\u201cIf 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,\u201d said Bert, who plans to pursue a PhD in public health with a specialization in epidemiology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine meets Nathan Leopard,\u00a0vice president for advancement, during a tour of campus on July 7. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\u2018A global reach\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It had been in the 1980s, long before he entered politics, during a time of \u201call kinds of turmoil in Central America,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d he told Hoover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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LEFT TO RIGHT: Bridgewater College President Dr. David Bushman, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, EMU President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus, Blue Ridge Community College President Dr. John Downey, and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed pose following a roundtable discussion. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Offering access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following his tour, Kaine participated in a roundtable discussion with President Dycus, Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seventy percent of EMU\u2019s undergraduate students are from Virginia, and two-thirds remain in the commonwealth after graduation. EMU offers an accessible and affordable college education, and that\u2019s reflected in the students it serves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall\u2019s incoming class is 15% larger than last year\u2019s, which was itself 10% larger than the previous year\u2019s. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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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\u2019s only remaining property listed in the guide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n