In This Issue

• Exploring undergraduate research at JMC

• An MSUToday feature on JMC alumna Rina Rakipi (IR ’19)

• More college news, including the appointment of JMC Prof. Norm Graham to associate dean

• Faculty Mentions

• JMC Events and an alumni-hosted Class of 1996 Reunion

• Browse JMC’s fall pop-up shop

• Fall Visit Days for high school students

• Alumni Notes

Undergraduate research at JMC

Undergraduate research has long been one of the ways Madison students explore their interests and discover new directions for life after JMC. Three members of JMC’s Class of 2026 shared how research and close faculty mentorship helped them explore topics ranging from food justice in Metro Detroit to Middle East politics and human rights, while building skills and relationships that are shaping their next steps.

Alum Spotlight: Rina Rakipi

MSUToday recently featured JMC alum Rina Rakipi (IR ’19), an operations coordinator in the Threat Hunting Subdivision of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Rakipi helps identify, respond to and mitigate nation-state cyber threats to U.S. critical infrastructure. She credits her Madison education, internships, education abroad experience in Brussels and a Career Exposure trip to Washington, D.C., with helping her build a career that combines international security and cybersecurity.

More College News

Associate Dean: Longtime International Relations Prof. Norm Graham has been appointed associate dean of JMC, returning to a role he previously held from 1999 to 2012. Known to generations of Madisonians through his teaching and the International Relations in Brussels program, Graham brings nearly four decades of experience at JMC to his work supporting faculty, curriculum, international programming and the college’s strategic priorities.

Class of 2026 Grad: Recent JMC graduate Mia Allen was one of five students selected to represent the United States at the 2026 APEC Youth Engagement Workshop in Taipei. There, she collaborated with young leaders from around the world on challenges facing the global economy. Allen’s work in JMC’s Human Rights Data Science Lab, research on U.S.-China relations and study of Chinese helped prepare her for the opportunity.

Civic Education Programs: This summer, JMC Prof. Jordan Cash brought JMC’s approach to civic education to teachers, high school students and emerging scholars from Michigan and beyond. Through the new JMC Academy for Civic Education and programs in Chicago, West Lafayette and Charlottesville, Cash led participants in examining original texts and debates that shaped American political institutions.

JMC Internships Spotlight: Through their summer internships, JMC students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world professional settings in government, law, advocacy, business, international organizations and community-based settings. Read the most recent installment in our five-part series highlighting internships Madisonians have participated in over the last few months.

Remembering Dixie Platt

In our last newsletter, we shared the passing of longtime JMC staff member Dixie C. Platt. Since then, alumni have shared fond memories of Dixie on Facebook and LinkedIn. We invite you to read their reflections and share one of your own.

Faculty Mentions

• How can homeowners associations move from being barriers to becoming partners in sustainability? In a new article for The Conversation, Prof. Daniel Kramer and MSU doctoral student Madeline Carr explore how HOA rules shape native landscaping, water use, wildlife habitat and residential solar energy.

• This summer, Prof. Bri Wolf discussed the enduring relevance of Scottish economist Adam Smith on the Hayek Program Podcast and The American Idea Podcast.

• Earlier this summer, Prof. Matt Zierler spoke with WWMT about how proposed tariffs tied to Canadian wildfire smoke could strain U.S.-Canada relations and affect Michigan’s economy.

• MSUToday recently highlighted the work of Profs. Jordan Cash, Tobin Craig, Benjamin Lorch, Eric Petrie and Brianne Wolf through JMC’s Academy for Civic Education.

JMC Class of 1996 Reunion

JMC’s Class of 1996 is organizing an informal 30th reunion lunch on Saturday, Sept. 12. Madisonians who graduated in December 1995 or May 1996 or who started at JMC in the fall of 1992 are invited to attend. Friends and families are welcome. For more information and to RSVP, email Alison Farmer at [email protected].

JMC Events

The Journalist Behind the Headlines: Join JMC alumnus and former CNN international correspondent Marc Stewart (IR ’95) on Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. in Case Hall for an engaging conversation about his journey from East Lansing to international journalism, including his experiences reporting from Beijing, China. Marc will share stories from his career, discuss the realities of reporting across cultures and borders and reflect on the JMC experiences that shaped his path to CNN and work in the filed of journalism. Register to attend via Microsoft Forms.

Constitution Day at JMC: Attend JMC’s annual Constitution Day Lecture on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. in Case Hall. Dr. Jeremy Bailey, Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, will present on “Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration for Posterity.”
Interested in attending? Share your email to receive an event reminder.

2026 Sennholz Lecture: Dr. Caleb Fuller, Associate Professor of Economics at Grove City College, will be the featured speaker at JMC’s Fall 2026 Sennholz Lecture on Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. in Case Hall. Fuller will deliver a lecture based on his book, No Free Lunch: Six Economic Lies You’ve Been Taught and Probably Believe, which unpacks common economic misconceptions and offers an understanding of why economics is important in everyday life.
Interested in attending? Share your email to receive an event reminder.

The D.C. Spartans alumni group is hosting The Green & White Gala on Oct. 3 at the Le Méridien Arlington. This signature evening brings together MSU alumni and friends from across the country for a celebration of philanthropy, community, and Spartan spirit. Learn more and buy tickets via Eventbrite.

Fall Pop-Up Shop

Looking for JMC merch? Order online from our mini pop-up shop, which is open now until Sept. 15. Browse items online via Fabricated Customs.

Fall Visit Days at JMC

Know a high school student who might be interested in JMC? Invite them to attend Fall Visit Days in Case Hall. These events help prospective students and families learn more about JMC’s majors, residential college living, future career paths and Madison student experiences. JMC’s 2026 Fall Visit Days will be held on Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Oct. 23 and Nov. 6.

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

Alumni Notes

Editor’s Note: Our July 2026 newsletter included the incorrect spelling of Ciera Borden’s first name. We sincerely regret the error and have corrected Borden’s Alumni Note below.

Katie Alexander (PTCD ’05) graduated this spring with her M.S. in Business Leadership from Madonna University in Livonia, MI. She received the Graduate High GPA Award with her 3.9 overall GPA.

Chase Attanasio (IR ’23) recently joined Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) as a Government and Regulatory Affairs manager.

Ciera Borden (PTCD ’23) is a J.D. candidate at the University of Chicago Law School. This summer she was awarded an Equal Justice America fellowship, which funds law students and recent graduates working at civil legal aid organizations.

Brad Deacon (IR ’93) is serving as President of the Association of Food and Drug Officials for the next year.

Dr. Amber DeJohn (PTCD ’18) was awarded the NIH/NCATS-funded K12 Multidisciplinary Program Career Development Award for her project “Disentangling Mobility, Cognitive Function, and Digital Behaviors to Understand Social Isolation and Dementia Risk.” Dr. DeJohn is currently an assistant professor of Geography at Florida State University.

Abraham Frank (SRP ’24) presented his poster “Observing Text Reuse in State Anti-Lynching Laws” at the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations conference in Daejeon, South Korea.

Mahek Khangura (PTCD ’23) graduated from MSU College of Law in May and will begin a new job in corporate litigation at the end of August.

Joe Knippenberg (JMCD ’77) will be retiring at the end of the 2026-27 academic year after 41 years of teaching at Oglethorpe University. His retirement plans include some teaching, writing, travel and enjoying time with his grandchildren.

Morgan McCament (IR ’25) is currently a legal intern at INTERPOL and an incoming 2L at Case Western Reserve University with a focus in international law.

Ava Parsons (CCP ’26) concluded an internship at the Michigan Senate where she took the lead on Senate Bill 1038, a bill aimed at mitigating fugitive dust pollution. She recently began a new position as the Assistant FOIA Coordinator at the Wayne County Airport Authority.

Teresa A. Sullivan (Socio-Economics ’70) was introduced to demography as a subject in her sophomore year at JMC. In May, Cambridge University Press published the third edition of Poston and Sullivan, Population and Society, a widely used undergraduate text. Sullivan served as interim provost at Michigan State from 2019 to 2020. She also served as vice president and graduate dean of the University of Texas, provost at the University of Michigan and the president of the University of Virginia for eight years.

Adam Wright (PTCD ’01) joined Wayne State University School of Law as an Assistant Professor of Law in August. He will continue to research public corruption, white-collar crime and criminal law.

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