James Madison University

By Hannah Berge and Joseph D’Arezzo

Anyone strolling through James Madison University's bucolic Bluestone area, which is grounded by the iconic Wilson Hall, will feel the educational journeys of past students resonating through the air. Founded in 1908 as a women's college, James Madison University was originally called the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg and had an opening enrollment of 150 students. Since then, James Madison University has undergone several name changes and has a current enrollment of over 20,000 students. "The Madison Experience" is one that involves a commitment to learning and a fun and open spirit. This retelling of campus history seeks to capture some of the defining moments and cherished memories that have shaped so many Dukes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781439661925

Hannah Berge

Both Hannah Berge and Joseph D'Arezzo are second-generation alumni and have worked to receive their master's degrees from James Madison University. This work utilizes the outstanding efforts that archivists and librarians within James Madison University's special collections department have made to protect the university's precious past. In recent years, digitization has made the archives even more accessible--an effort that greatly aided the authors in creating this work.

Book preview

education.

INTRODUCTION

By the early 1780s, America had achieved independence from Britain, and great thinkers were called upon to create a more perfect union. Thinkers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and, of course, James Madison, were instrumental in developing the architecture of the US government. Madison was renowned for his deep convictions concerning the roles of government and wrote extensively on the subject. Because of his intellectual and scholarly contributions to the new country’s government, it is more than fitting that a distinguished university be named after him. However, this was not always the case. In its early years, James Madison University (JMU) had several different names.

On March 14, 1908, the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg was founded, capitalizing on the need to educate women in the early 1900s. Gaining a school in Harrisonburg was not an easy task, though. People in Harrisonburg had to lobby for a new school, and it took a while before the general assembly settled on Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, and Radford as potential places for new schools. In the end, Fredericksburg and Harrisonburg made the cut. Interest in a school in Harrisonburg was also based on the increasing belief in the importance of public education. The serene and picturesque Shenandoah Valley provided the perfect backdrop for a new school. The State Normal and Industrial School for Women was built on 50 acres of land and had three buildings—Jackson Hall, Maury Hall, and Ashby Hall. Cleveland Cottage was also original to the campus and was used to house students and faculty. Women throughout the Eastern Seaboard attended the school and helped create an environment that was disciplined but fostered creativity. Enrollment for the first year was 150 students total, with 15 faculty, and the State Normal and Industrial School for Women was not authorized to award bachelor’s degrees until 1916. Until that year, it only awarded post–high school work diplomas.

In 1924, the school changed its named to the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg. During its time as the State Teachers College, the school awarded a degree to a male student for the first time. In the 1930s, the State Teachers College was almost named Harrison College because the consensus was that keeping the location in the name of the school was good for marketing. Another supporting argument for changing the name to Harrison College was that US president William H. Harrison deserved recognition and that other Harrisons in Harrisonburg should be honored as well. For example, a Thomas Harrison donated land for the city’s courthouse. However, it was Dr. Samuel P. Duke, then president of the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg, who argued for naming the school after James Madison. He made the point that advertising a community was not the role or responsibility of a college. His reason for choosing James Madison was that Madison was a respectable statesman and an early proponent of public schools and higher education. Duke’s argument worked, the Virginia General Assembly had been won over to his side, and on March 8, 1938, Gov. James H. Price signed a bill that changed the school’s name to Madison College.

The early years of Madison College saw great change as new buildings were erected and the school was developing its character. During these formative years, the nucleus of the campus, the Bluestone Area, was constructed. Early dormitories and classrooms were built around the now iconic Wilson Hall, and the structures formed the outline of the beloved quadrangle. An interesting aspect of the quadrangle, or rather what lies beneath it, are the tunnels. While students are no longer able to access the tunnels, for years (up until around 1960) they had used them to go from building to building during rain or snow. However, as the college grew and became more spread out, traveling by tunnel was not as important. During its time as Madison College, the school experienced great growth. The enrollment exceeded 5,000 students during this time, coeducational status was awarded and men gained resident enrollment, 240 more acres were purchased for the school, and it played its first football game against Shepherd College.

The final name change occurred in 1977, when Virginia governor Mills E. Godwin signed the bill changing the school’s name to James Madison University. Since the bill was signed in March 1977 and would not be effective until July, students graduating in 1977 were given the option to have either Madison College or James Madison University on their diplomas. Most everyone who visits James Madison University will say that the spirit of the campus is what makes them want to visit again. Since its early years as a women’s college, when the students were required to wear pantyhose, to its current existence as a coeducational university with an enrollment that surpasses 21,000 students and where one would be hard-pressed to find anyone wearing pantyhose, James Madison University has always encouraged its students to become the best people they can be and to be active in their communities.

James Madison, the fourth president of the United