February 17, 2025

Celebrations & support for Madison students

Recent news and events of interest to Madison alumni

In This Issue

• The JMC Student Stories video series and recent student news

• Updates from the JMC Alumni Association Board of Directors, including how to connect with the association and the opportunity to be a volunteer Alumni Scholarship reader

• Give Green Day and Giving Tuesday updates

• Upcoming events and more volunteer opportunities for Madison alumni

• Alumni Notes, featuring updates and news from JMC alums

JMC Student Stories Series

As a high school student in Dubai, Aaron had never heard of JMC. It wasn't until midway through his first year at MSU that he discovered the small residential college specializing in public policy and international affairs. "As soon I stepped into Case Hall, I fell in love with JMC," he describes.

Aaron is one of six Madisonians in the college's new JMC Student Stories video series. In each video, students discuss their journeys to JMC, their experiences at the college and what they're hoping to do after graduation.

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

More News from JMC Students

• Two Madisonians, Claire Smith and Isabelle Radakovich, were among the three undergraduate students MSU nominated for the competitive Truman Scholarship this year. The award recognizes students with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to affecting change through public service.

• JMC recorded an impressive 99.2% knowledge rate of its Class of 2024, connecting with 258 of 260 graduates. Read more about the most recent college’s career outcomes data.

  

• A team of JMC students from MSU Debate won the United States Naval Academy Crowe Warken Tournament in January. Blaine Montford and Tony Miklovis were undefeated in their eight preliminary debates.

• A group of Madisonians will travel to Poland this summer through a new study abroad program led by JMC Profs. Amy Simon and Sherman Garnett. Students will travel to Krakow and the surrounding region for an intensive three-week survey of Jewish history and Holocaust studies.
  The new program adds to JMC’s portfolio of more than 20 education abroad opportunities happening this spring and summer. Madisonians will travel to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Florence, Cape Town, Tokyo and Seoul (among other locations) over the next few months.

Give Green Day

Give Green Day is on March 11, 2025. The annual event is a day of giving in support of current and future MSU students. This year, the college is seeking support for the Experiential Learning Fund. This fund alleviates financial barriers to ensure that all Madisonians can participate in transformative opportunities outside of the classroom. Whether it's working on policy analysis in Washington, D.C., conducting research on critical global issues or interning with a non-profit, donations will empower students to take part in experiences that will shape their careers — and the world.

Giving Tuesday Update: The college extends its gratitude to all who contributed to the JMC Emergency Scholarship Fund on Giving Tuesday in December. The Madison community contributed $23,171 to the fund (exceeding our $20,000 goal!). These funds directly support students who might otherwise struggle to reach graduation.

New JMC Associate Director of Development
Joseph Agosta will join JMC as the new Associate Director of Development on Feb. 21. Joseph is a proud JMC alum and brings valuable experience from his current role as a Stewardship Officer at the University of Michigan. He will work alongside Alex Tripp (actripp@msu.edu), senior director of development.

Upcoming Events

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II will speak at JMC’s Third Annual Black History Month Symposium on Feb. 21 in Club Spartan. All are welcome to attend (RSVP via Eventbrite).

Registration for JMC’s Junior Visit Days (March 7, March 21, April 11) is now open. You’re invited to share these events with any high school juniors interested in learning more about the college. Prospective students can also reach out directly to jmcadmin@msu.edu to set up a family visit.

The college will welcome Lansing-area high school students to Case Hall for the Pre-Residential Immersive Madison Experience (PRIME) Leadership Program from March 24-28. This alternative spring break program encourages participants to consider future careers in public policy, law, political science, government and international affairs.

Antón Barba-Kay, a Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, will be the featured speaker at this year’s Jack Paynter Endowed Lecture on March 27.

Alumni Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer to be an Alumni Scholarship Reviewer: JMC alumni have long supported the college and JMC students by participating as reviewers for two key alumni scholarships: JMC Alumni Diversity Scholarship and the JMC Alumni Endowed Scholarship. The JMC Alumni Association is now recruiting volunteers to read the next round of awards for these two scholarships. Applications are very short (approximately one page) and the process is simple. This is a terrific way to give back to the college and to support the next generation of James Madison students. The estimated time commitment for this volunteer opportunity is three to four hours. No meetings are required. We anticipate having materials ready for review by mid-March and you will have over two weeks (including two weekends) to review your assigned applications. 

Please contact Katie Fitzgerald ('94), Alumni Board Scholarship Chair, at fitzkt22@gmail.com by Friday, Feb. 28, if you are interested in serving. Volunteers accepted on a first-come basis. 

Mentoring Event: JMC will pilot a speed networking event in Case Hall on March 14 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. to offer students the chance to practice their networking skills. Alumni interested in connecting with small groups of students over lunch can connect with Karissa Chabot-Purchase (kcp@msu.edu) to inquire about available spots.

Notes of Congratulations: JMC will celebrate the Class of 2025 at the college’s Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 3 in the Wharton Center. At that event, the college is hoping to provide each graduate with a handwritten note of congratulations from a Madisonian alum. Alumni interested in writing three short cards of congratulations can share their mailing information via Qualtrics. We will mail you the cards (along with a stamped return envelope) in March.

Alumni Notes

• With great sadness, the college shares that Ian Randall (IR '05) passed away in January 2025. An endowed gift, “The Ian Randall First Amendment Scholarship,” was established in his memory.

• Teresa Sullivan (SE '70) spoke to advanced-degree recipients at MSU’s December 2024 Commencement Ceremony. Sullivan, who served as MSU interim provost from 2019 to 2020, received an honorary degree of humanities at the event.

• Kathryn Linehan (SRP, PTCD '20), Joel Arnold (SRP '15) and Dylan Luna (SRP '14) were recently included in the Flint and Genesee County 40 Under 40 list.

• Julia (Almendarez) Dale (PTCD/SR '98) has been named the next CEO of Civilla, a nonprofit design firm based in Detroit dedicated to improving government institutions.

• Clarice Farina (SRP '21) currently works as a college adviser through Michigan College Access Network, serving Pinckney and Brighton High Schools.

• Jeff Prang (IR '84) began a term as the president of the California Assessors Association (CAA) on Jan. 1. Prang, Los Angeles County Assessor, has shared about his experiences working through the challenges of the wildfires on LinkedIn.

• Marcela T. Garcés (SR '03) published a graphic-novel memoir titled Me llamo Marcela in August 2024. It addresses a little discussed aspect of growing up in a bilingual home: the winding path to learning formal Spanish as a heritage speaker.

• Meggin Silverman Sussman (SR '95) was a part of the Fulbright Teaching Global Classrooms program (2023-2024), Uruguay field experience.

• Elizabeth (Moylan) Wilson (IR '95) is nearing three decades of museum fundraising, a journey that began at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village before moving to DC to work at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and then joining the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in 2009.

• Dave Rathke (URBAN '78) retired after a 41-year career as a union organizer. He currently serves as executive vice-president of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation and as treasurer of the Mother Jones Heritage Project.

• Luke Capizzo (PTCD '07) joined MSU’s College of Communication Arts & Sciences last fall as tenure-track assistant professor of public relations.

• JC Kibbey (PTCD '09) is the State of Illinois climate advisor. Read more about his work in Chicago Magazine.

• Eli Sussman (IR '07) was recently featured on the MSU Today with Russ White podcast. Sussman is a chef and co-owner of Gertrude's in Brooklyn and hosts the "Talkin in the Walkin" video series on YouTube. Another JMC alum, DC-based journalist Heidi Przybyla (IR '95), was featured on the podcast earlier this year. Przybyla — who has appeared on CNN, PBS, NPR, CBS, ABC, FOX and across NBC News platforms — discussed her career as an investigative journalist and television correspondent.

Share great news about yourself or a fellow JMC alum.

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