In This Issue

• Sam Wright (IR ’26) will serve as JMC’s Spring 2026 student commencement speaker

• Recent news from Case Hall

• Help tell the story of alumni community at JMC

• Insights from Class of 2025 career outcomes data

• Attend a JMC alumni mixer in Detroit on May 5

• Upcoming visit opportunities for high school students

• Alumni notes and updates

Spring 2026 Commencement at JMC

JMC is excited to celebrate the Class of 2026 at Spring Commencement on May 2. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings (and ’84 JMC alumnus) will serve as this year’s commencement speaker.

JMC Student Commencement Speaker: Sam Wright (IR ’26) began his journey at JMC after nearly two decades working in telecommunications. He began by earning his GED and associate degree, then decided to apply to MSU. In May, he will graduate with a degree in International Relations, a 4.0 GPA and a full scholarship to MSU College of Law. He has been selected as the college’s spring 2026 student commencement speaker. Read more about Wright’s nontraditional path to college on JMC’s website.

MSU Commencement Speaker: JMC alumnus Christopher Fernandez (American Public Affairs, Political Economy ’93) will deliver the commencement address to MSU graduates receiving master’s and educational specialist degrees on May 1. He is the founder of Agentic Connect and the former corporate vice president and chief AI officer for Microsoft Human Resources, where he led the company's global strategy for responsible AI deployment.

More College News

Board of Trustees’ Awards: Eight graduates from JMC’s Class of 2026 have earned a 4.0 GPA and the Board of Trustees’ Award, recognizing their scholastic achievements.

PRIME Leadership Academy: Earlier this spring, JMC hosted 26 high school students from the Lansing area for the fourth annual PRIME pre-college program. JMC senior Ava Parsons (CCP ’26) shared her experiences leading the program in a Student View on our website.

Hydropower Review: Three Michigan State University scholars, including JMC Prof. Daniel Kramer, contributed to a new review published in Nature that assesses the state of global hydropower governance as thousands of new dams are in development across the global south.

Cross-Border Summit: Three JMC students joined peers from universities across the United States and Canada this spring to discuss the future of relations between the two countries at a Virtual Student Summit hosted by Bridgewater State University. The Madisonians brought first-hand experiences as current or former interns with the Consulate General of Canada in Detroit.

Notes on the Constitutional Convention: PTCD students in Prof. Jordan Cash’s senior seminar stepped into the roles of the nation’s founders in a hands-on recreation of the Constitutional Convention. Over the course of several weeks, students took on the roles of Convention delegates and created their own constitution. Costumes were encouraged. View more photos on Facebook and news coverage of the class via WZMQ 19.

Prof. Jordan Cash recently appeared on the Civics in a Year podcast to discuss presidential succession, the vice presidency and executive power.
Listen online »

Call for Alumni Stories

The college is gathering stories for an upcoming feature series on Madisonians whose careers were shaped by a connection with a fellow JMC alum: a mentor who opened a door, a classmate who passed along a job lead, an introduction that redirected a career path.

The connection can be recent or decades old, leading to a first job, a mid-career pivot, a longtime partnership or anything in between. If you’d like to share your story (or nominate someone else’s), provide more details via Qualtrics. Contact JMC Communications Manager Jane Deacon (locket20@msu.edu) with questions.

Class of 2025 Career Outcomes

Every year, JMC Career Services Director Karissa Chabot-Purchase (PTCD ’06) collects career outcomes data on Madisonians within six months of graduation. To collect JMC’s Class of 2025 data, Chabot-Purchase connected with 95% of graduates (well above MSU’s average knowledge rate of 73%)!

A few highlights from this year’s data:

• The Class of 2025 recorded a 94% placement rate within six months of graduation:

  • 57.7% of graduates are employed (full- or part-time)

  • 32.7% are engaged in continuing education (of those enrolled in graduate school, 59% are pursuing Law)

  • 3.6% are involved in other outcomes that include the military or service organizations

• 96% participated in at least one internship during their time at MSU

Learn more about JMC’s career outcomes on our website and hear from some of our Class of 2025 graduates on YouTube.

Detroit Alumni Mixer

JMC students will meet with alumni in the Detroit area in May during the Madison Career Exposure Program. This year’s program will include an alumni mixer on May 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Butzel Long (150 W Jefferson Ave., Suite 100). Alumni interested in connecting with current students are encouraged to attend. RSVP via Eventbrite.

Visit Days at JMC

JMC’s last spring Junior Visit Day will be hosted in Case Hall on May 15, 2026. High school students and families interested in JMC are invited to attend. Prospective students will learn more about the college, connect with the JMC community and tour Case Hall. RSVP via the Office of Admissions.

MSU will host Green & White Days on campus on July 17 and July 20-23, 2026. Each day, JMC will host information sessions from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. in Case Hall. RSVP online.

Connect with the JMC Alumni Board of Directors
Interested in connecting with the James Madison College Board of Directors and supporting alumni engagement initiatives? The Board of Directors invites JMC alums to share their information via Google Forms.

Alumni Notes

Avonleigh Blenkhorn (SRP & IR ’25) is working as a field organizer for MI Supreme Court Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh and Justice Noah Hood’s joint re-election campaign.

Erik Bubolz (PTCD ’20) competed as a contestant on Jeopardy on April 13. Bubolz is a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Patrick Jackson (IR ’94) received the Outstanding Scholarship, Research, Creative Activity, and Other Professional Contributions Faculty Award from American University, where he teaches in the School of International Service.

Abby Locke (SRP ’23) was accepted into the National Cooperative Business Foundations and Cooperative Development Foundation’s Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Fellowship.

Eileen Vesey (IR ’03) is the new Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago. She looks forward to building programs and partnerships that strengthen community connections through culture and shared experience.

Share great news about yourself or a fellow JMC alum.

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Donate to James Madison College.

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