JMU introduces next president

James Madison University on Wednesday announced that University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Chancellor James C. Schmidt will be the next president of Virginia’s fifth largest public university.

The university’s board of visitors, who voted to affirm his appointment earlier in the day, announced Schmidt’s selection during a morning ceremony at the university’s Harrisonburg campus. His tenure will begin on July 1.

Schmidt thanked the board for their confidence in him and said he looked forward to working with them to move the college forward. He said he hopes the university can reach its “exciting potential” and encouraged the staff and faculty to “dream bigger.”

“JMU has momentum,” Schmidt said. “Together, we will develop a new strategic plan that will maintain this momentum and position JMU for distinction and long-term success in a challenging higher ed environment. We will be known as a center of innovation, as a trusted partner locally at the state level — in Richmond and across our commonwealth and beyond. I am thrilled to work with all of you to accelerate JMU growth and trajectory in some exciting areas.”

Schmidt has worked in higher education for more than 30 years. During his time as UW-Eau Claire’s chancellor, a role he’s held since 2013, the university has been ranked among the top 10 regional public universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report.

Schmidt has been “a stellar fundraiser” at UW-Eau Claire, according to a news release, bringing in one of the largest gifts in that university’s history: a $70 million commitment to help construct an indoor athletics facility and event center. He also previously held roles as vice president for university advancement at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, and as vice president for student affairs at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota.

JMU’s next president said Wednesday he hopes to advance James Madison by identifying and building on the university’s strengths and seeking opportunities, shining a light on the work of the school’s faculty and working to figure out how to build on “the amazing student culture that already exists here.” Schmidt added that the school has an opportunity to grow industry partnerships, collaborate with Harrisonburg and Rockingham County and contribute to the economic success of Virginia.

“One of the things I love to do, and as chancellor for 12 years, I’ve owned this as a skill, is to understand the unique strengths of an institution,” Schmidt said. “I love to identify where the passion and the action is, and I will be your president and chief storyteller. So I need to hear those stories about what makes JMU special and learn more about what it means to be a Royal Duke.”

He holds a doctorate in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Winona State University.

JMU Rector Suzanne Obenshain said in a statement that she’s confident Schmidt’s leadership and skillset “will continue JMU’s positive momentum into the future with an entrepreneurial mindset that will encourage innovation, creativity, collaboration and big thinking.”

Charlie King has served as JMU’s interim president since July, succeeding Jonathan Alger, who left the position after a dozen years to be president at American University in Washington, D.C. King retired from JMU in 2021, after serving as the university’s chief financial officer and senior vice president of administration and finance for 25 years.

In a 2024 interview, King said he had no interest in staying in the role permanently. “I’m finding out every day this is a young person’s job, not an old man’s job,” he said.

Kay Coles James, a former secretary of the commonwealth, was appointed to JMU’s board by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and chaired the presidential search committee. James was appointed by then- President George W. Bush as director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in 2001 and is also a former president of Washington, D.C., conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation and is an adviser to Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC.

During an interview last year, James didn’t hesitate when asked whether she views her role as carrying out Youngkin’s vision for the commonwealth’s universities.

“The governor does have an agenda,” she says, “and his agenda is to have one of the best quality higher ed systems in the country.”

Other Youngkin-appointed members of the JMU board who served on the search committee included Republican former state Del. Richard “Dickie” Bell; retired Marine Lt. Col. Jeff Bolander; Teresa Edwards, a regional president for Sentara Health; Food City President and CEO Steve Smith; and Nicole P. Wood, a lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.