James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the United States, James Madison. It has since expanded from its origins as a normal school and teacher's college into a comprehensive university. It is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, just west of Massanutten Mountain.

Founded in 1908 as a women's college, James Madison University was established by the Virginia General Assembly. It was originally called The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg. In 1914, the name of the university was changed to the State Normal School for Women at Harrisonburg. Authorization to award bachelor's degrees was granted in 1916. During this initial period of development, six buildings were constructed.

The university became the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg in 1924 and continued under that name until 1938 when it was named Madison College in honor of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, whose Montpelier estate is located in nearby Orange, Virginia. In 1977, the university's name was changed to James Madison University.

The first president of the university was Julian Ashby Burruss. The university opened its doors to its first student body in 1909 with an enrollment of 209 students and a faculty of fifteen. Its first twenty graduates received diplomas in 1911.

In 1919, Burruss resigned the presidency to become president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Samuel Page Duke was then chosen as the school's second president. During Duke's administration, nine major buildings were constructed. Duke served as president from 1919 to 1949.

In 1946, men were first enrolled as regular day students. G. Tyler Miller became the third president in 1949, following Duke's retirement. During Miller's administration, from 1949 to 1970, the campus was enlarged by 240 acres (0.97 km) and 19 buildings were constructed. Major curriculum changes were made and the university was authorized to grant master's degrees in 1954.

In 1966, by the action of the Virginia General Assembly, the university became a coeducational institution. Ronald E. Carrier, JMU's fourth president, headed the institution from 1971 to 1998. During his administration, student enrollment and the number of faculty and staff tripled, and national fraternities were seen on campus such as Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Chi Rho, Theta Chi, and others, doctoral programs were authorized, more than 20 major campus buildings were constructed and national publications recognized JMU as one of the finest institutions of its type in America. Carrier Library is named after him.

During the first decade of the 21st century under Linwood H. Rose (JMU's fifth president), the university continued to expand, not only through new construction east of Interstate 81 but also on the west side of campus. In early 2005, JMU purchased the Rockingham Memorial Hospital campus just north of the main JMU campus for over $40 million. The hospital has since moved and JMU now occupies the site. In June 2005, the university expanded across South High Street by leasing, and then purchasing the former Harrisonburg High School building.

The rapid expansion of JMU's campus has at times created tension in the city-university relationship. In 2006, the local ABC affiliate reported that the university had nearly doubled in size in the preceding 20 years, including purchases of several local properties.

The university has also experienced tension with local residents and local police when 2,500 students at an off-campus block party grew unruly in 2000. Ten years later, police equipped with riot gear used force to disperse a group of 8,000 college-aged people at the party. Several participants were airlifted to a medical center in Charlottesville for treatment. The university condemned the block party attendees' behavior.

In August 2021, the university received national criticism from conservative political commentators and university alumni after an orientation leader training video and other publications surfaced that supposedly labeled white Americans and Christians as oppressors. In a statement to Fox News, the university stood by the training, saying, "The training was held to help ensure that every student guide for freshmen orientation had the tools and understanding to work with incoming students, who might have a different background than their own."

JMU's campus originally consisted of two buildings, Jackson Hall and Maury Hall, which are now known as Darcus Johnson Hall and Gabbin Hall, respectively. Today, the campus has 148 major buildings on 721 acres (2.92 km). It has become Virginia's second most photographed location on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, after Kings Dominion.

The original, historic Bluestone side of campus is located on South Main Street (also known as U.S. Route 11, and historically as "The Valley Pike") and is the heart of the university. Many of the buildings in the Bluestone area have been constructed out of the same stone, known as "bluestone," which is a type of limestone that is locally sourced from the surrounding Shenandoah Valley.

The John C. Wells Planetarium, first opened in 1974, underwent a $1.5 million renovation in 2008.

Several new campus construction projects were included in Governor Tim Kaine's $1.65 billion higher education bond package. Kaine's proposal designated more than $96 million for JMU projects. Among the projects included were the construction of a new biotechnology building, Centennial Hall ($44.8 million), and the renovation and expansion of Duke Hall ($43.4 million). The proposal also included $8.6 million as the final installment payment for the purchase of Rockingham Memorial Hospital.

Beginning in 2002 JMU began receiving state and private funding to construct a state-of-the-art performing arts complex. The facility is opposite Wilson Hall across South Main Street, and visually completes the Main Quad.

In 2020, JMU's Board of Visitors approved the renaming of three historic buildings on the quad that were named in honor of three prominent Virginian Confederate soldiers: Ashby Hall (named after Turner Ashby), Maury Hall (named after Matthew Fontaine Maury), and Jackson Hall (named after Stonewall Jackson). They were given the temporary names of Valley Hall, Mountain Hall, and Justice Studies Hall, respectively. In 2021, the halls were approved and given new names. Mountain Hall (Maury Hall) was renamed Gabbin Hall after Drs. Joanne V. and Alexander Gabbin, professors at JMU for more than 35 years; Valley Hall (Ashby Hall) was renamed Harper Allen-Lee Hall after Doris Harper Allen and Robert Walker Lee, both notable former staff members at JMU; Justice Studies Hall (Jackson Hall) was renamed Darcus Johnson Hall after Sheary Darcus Johnson, the first black student to graduate from JMU.

In late 2021, the ISAT/CS building was renamed King Hall in honor of Charles W. King; longtime Senior Vice President of the Administration and Finance Division at JMU.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts includes three schools: the School of Art, Design, and Art History; the School of Music; and the School of Theatre and Dance.

In September 2010, the college opened the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, a complex composed of two connected buildings: the Estes Center for Theatre and Dance and the Roberts Center for Music Performance. The $82 million facility was funded by a Virginia higher-education bond package.

Like all public universities in Virginia, James Madison is governed by a Board of Visitors appointed by the Governor of Virginia. In addition to the 15 members appointed by the governor, the speaker of the Faculty Senate and an elected student representative serve as representatives for the faculty and the student body respectively. The appointed members serve for a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms, while the student representative is limited to two one-year terms. The faculty representative serves for as long as he or she remains the speaker of the JMU Faculty Senate. Some appointed members of note include former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and former first lady of Virginia, Susan Allen.

Charlie King currently serves as interim president. He will serve until June 30, 2025, or until a new president is selected. Jonathan Alger previously served as the university's sixth president until he became the president of American University on July 1, 2024.

• Julian Ashby Burruss (1908–1919)
• Samuel Page Duke (1919–1949)
• G. Tyler Miller (1949–1971)
• Ronald E. Carrier (1971–1998)
• Linwood H. Rose (1999–2012)
• Jonathan R. Alger (2012–2024)
• Charlie King (interim; 2024–present)

James Madison University is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity". It offers 139-degree programs on the bachelor's, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral levels. It comprises seven colleges and 78 academic programs, including the College of Arts and Letters; the College of Business; the College of Education; the College of Health and Behavioral Studies; the College of Integrated Science and Engineering; the College of Science and Mathematics; the College of Visual and Performing Arts; and The Graduate School. Total enrollment in the 2012–13 academic year was 19,927—18,392 undergraduates and 1,820 graduate students. JMU granted 4,908 degrees in 2012–4,096 undergraduate degrees, and 812 graduate degrees.

On October 2, 2009, JMU was granted a chapter by the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.

Academic rankings
National
Forbes	170
U.S. News & World Report	124
Washington Monthly	75
WSJ/College Pulse	152

The 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranked JMU the No. 124 among national universities. In the 2018 Washington Monthly college rankings, JMU ranked eighth among master's universities nationwide. Washington Monthly assesses the quality of schools based on social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research, and service.

In 2013, BloombergBusiness ranked JMU 15th among all undergraduate business schools in the country for return on investment. In 2014 it ranked JMU's College of Business 40th among undergraduate business programs in the U.S. Kiplinger magazine's 2015 "100 Best Values in Public Colleges" ranked JMU 21st in value in the nation among public colleges and universities.

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022

Race and ethnicity	Total
White	75%	75
Hispanic	7%	7
Other	7%	7
Asian	5%	5
Black	5%	5
Foreign national	1%	1
Economic diversity
Low-income	14%	14
Affluent	86%	86

The Princeton Review recognized James Madison as one of 81 schools in America "with a conscience", and in 2006 ranked JMU second in the nation behind only the University of Virginia in the number of Peace Corps volunteers it sent from its student body among "medium-sized" universities. And in 2010, the food at JMU was ranked third in the United States. In 2011 the student body was ranked 20th "happiest in the entire nation" by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. These rankings take into consideration the surrounding area's activities, academics, as well as the social scene on campus.

The school has 35 residence halls, ten of which serve as sorority houses. While most residence halls are only for housing, several halls also provide auxiliary services like computer labs and study lounges. All freshmen must live on campus, and a large portion of JMU's on-campus housing is set aside for incoming students. Consequently, most upperclassmen and graduate students live off campus. Continuing students who wish to live on campus must re-apply for housing each year. While occasional exceptions are granted, generally freshmen are not granted on-campus parking permits.

The Breeze is a student-run newspaper serving JMU since 1922. Published every Thursday, The Breeze provides news and information to the university community, covering topics such as sports, culture, and business. The Breeze has won numerous awards, including a 2012 Online Pacemaker Award, 2012 VPA award for Best in Show for a Non-Daily News Presentation, and a 2012 VPA sweepstakes award.

James Madison University has over 400 clubs and organizations for students.

There are 10 front-end budgeted groups on campus, including the Black Student Alliance (BSA), Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC), Latinx Student Alliance (LSA), Madison Equality, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Panhellenic, SafeRides, Student Ambassadors (SA), Student Government Association (SGA), and University Program Board (UPB). The funds allocated to these organization are voted on by the SGA, with the exception to the SGA budget which is approved separately by the administration. Some FEB organizations are more active than others, causing debate about their status from year-to-year.

The JMU Student Government Association (SGA) was founded in 1915 and stood as the first organization on campus. SGA consists of two governing bodies, the Executive Council and the Student Senate.

SGA has initiated many of the university's traditional events and programs, such as Homecoming's Purple Out, Mr. and Ms. Madison, Ring Premiere, the Annual Tree Lighting, the Big Event, and SafeRides. They also vote on Front End Budgeted (FEB) organizational budgets each year and allocate contingency funds. Founded in 2003, SafeRides originated as a program run by the SGA. Inspired by a program at Texas A&M, the organization is a student-led non-profit: unpaid students drive students home at night at no charge. By 2022, they had given more than 100,000 rides.

The JMU Student Ambassadors work alongside the Admissions Office to offer student-led tours for prospective students. Formerly, the Ambassadors were also associated with the Alumni Office until the GOLD Network was established. Ambassadors are volunteers and are not paid.

The JMU Speech Team has received awards. JMU Forensics is the only program in the nation directed by two recipients of AFA's most respected coaching awards: Distinguished Service and Outstanding New Coach.

JMU has the largest InterVarsity Christian Fellowship organization in the country.

James Madison University is home to over two dozen social fraternity and sorority chapters. A monument dedicated to the members of the Inter-Cultural Greek Council was built in 2022 by the institution's Student Success Center and dubbed "The Yard" in honor of the social justice and community service committed by the organizations.

James Madison University has the largest collegiate marching band in the nation, with 540 members as of Fall 2022. Nicknamed "Virginia's Finest", the Marching Royal Dukes have performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the NFC title game between Washington and Dallas in 1983, and the Bands of America Grand National Championships in 1988 and 1991. The band has made four appearances in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, first in 2001, again in 2008, 2013, and most recently in 2018. In the past decade, the band has performed in Europe during winter break; they appeared in Athens, Dublin, Monaco, London, and Rome.

The JMU Brass Band is one of only a few collegiate brass bands in the United States. Formed in the fall of 2000, the band has twice been named the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Honors Section Champion (2004, 2005), and is the 2024 Championship Section Champion.

JMU is home to ten a cappella ensembles: four all-female, three all-male, and three co-educational groups. They are nationally recognized, with many of them featured on the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) yearly compilation albums. Several of the groups, such as Note-oriety and The Overtones, have gone "viral" for their music videos, "Pretty Hurts" and "Say Love", respectively. Note-oriety also performed at the White House in 2019.

The JMU men's and women's club soccer teams are two of the most decorated club organizations in JMU school history.

The JMU men's ultimate team, the Flying Hellfish, was founded in 1997. The team is named after the Simpsons episode 22, season 7, "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in 'The Curse of the Flying Hellfish'" Since 2005, the team has hosted an annual tournament known as "The Hellfish Bonanza," which attracts between 12 and 16 teams from across the east coast. Several current and former Hellfish play Ultimate professionally for Major League Ultimate's Washington DC Current and the American Ultimate Disc League's DC Breeze.

James Madison University's athletic teams are known as the Dukes. An English bulldog, with a crown and cape, and Duke Dog, a gray canine costume in a purple cape and crown, serve as the school's mascot. The "Dukes" nickname is in honor of Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. The school colors are royal purple and gold. Madison competes in the NCAA's Division I in the Sun Belt Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Beginning in July 2022, the football program began competing in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as part of the Sun Belt Conference. Before that, the team participated in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and within the Colonial Athletic Association.

Over 546 varsity athletes compete in football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, women's volleyball, baseball, women's lacrosse, field hockey, men's and women's golf, women's cross country and track and field, and softball. James Madison has won five national championships in football (2), field hockey, women's lacrosse, and archery, giving the Dukes the second-most national titles by a college or university in Virginia.

James Madison University invested heavily in new athletic facilities throughout the tenure of President Linwood Rose. JMU built a new multimillion-dollar baseball and softball field complex that opened in 2010. Additionally, after the last football game of 2009, the university began an expansion of Bridgeforth Stadium that increased seating capacity to approximately 25,000. Construction was completed in time for the 2011 football season.

In 2013, James Madison University's men's basketball team won the CAA championship title for the first time since 1994. The Dukes then won their first NCAA tournament game in 30 years, defeating Long Island University-Brooklyn. The Dukes fell to Indiana in the second round, 83–62, finishing the season with a 21–15 record.

JMU football won the NCAA Division I-AA national title in 2004, with a 13–2 record, and in 2016 with a 14–1 record going undefeated in the FCS. The 2004 squad was the only team in history to win the title after playing four straight road playoff games. Since 2004, the JMU football team has appeared in the playoffs in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

A brief list of notable James Madison University alumni.

• Daniel Brown, football player
• Jeff Compher, Director of Athletics at East Carolina University
• Lindsay Czarniak, news anchor
• Dion Foxx, football player
• Charles Haley, football player
• Tiombe Hurd, track & field athlete
• Akeem Jordan, football player
• Kevin Kelly, baseball player
• Alan Mayer, soccer player
• C. J. Sapong, soccer player

• Marcia Angell, professor of medicine
• Matt Bondurant, novelist
• Kembrew McLeod, professor of communication
• Marney White, professor of psychology

• Jason Harris, professor of business
• Jennifer Morgan, Co-Chief Executive Officer of SAP SE
• John-Paul Lee, founder and CEO of Tavalon Tea
• Christina Tosi, owner of Momofuku Milk Bar; MasterChef judge; James Beard Foundation Award winner: Rising Star Chef
• Kathy J. Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman

• Sarah Baker, actress
• Ashley Iaconetti, television personality
• Steve James, documentary producer and director
• Nathan Lyon, television host
• PFT Commenter, blogger
• Reshma Shetty, actress
• Patricia Southall, Miss Virginia USA
• Sara Tomko, actress

• Jim Acosta, Senior White House Correspondent for CNN
• Cornell Belcher, writer, pollster, and political strategist; regular contributor on NBC News, MSNBC, and NPR
• Julia Campbell, newspaper journalist and reporter for CourtTV
• Lawrence Jackson, photojournalist
• Alison Parker, television reporter who, along with videographer Adam Ward, was killed during a live interview in 2015
• Chuck Taylor, music journalist

• Everything, '90s rock band
• Joe Hottinger, musician (Halestorm)
• Keith Howland, musician (Chicago)
• Illiterate Light, rock band
• Leroi Moore, musician (Dave Matthews Band)
• Old Dominion, members Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi, country musicians and songwriters
• Nate Smith, drummer, songwriter, producer
• Butch Taylor, musician (Dave Matthews Band)
• Phil Vassar, country music singer; awarded honorary degree
• Andrew York, musician and composer

• Kirk Cox, former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
• Emmett Hanger, Virginia State Senator
• Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia
• Matt Rinaldi, former Texas State Representative and chairman of the Republican Party of Texas
• Walter Shaub, former director of the United States Office of Government Ethics and senior director, Campaign Legal Center
• Joseph R. Slights III, Vice-chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery; Judge, Superior Court of Delaware
• Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond, Virginia and former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Matthew Wasniewski, Historian of the United States House of Representatives

Media related to James Madison University at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website

38°26′18.4″N 78°52′25.5″W / 38.438444°N 78.873750°W / 38.438444; -78.873750