The Spring/Summer 2024 issue of Madison highlights JMU’s legacy of leadership. Our cover story features the late Col. Frances Weir (’49), a career Women’s Army Corps officer who became the first woman to lead a mostly male brigade. Upon her death in September, JMU received a gift of more than $6 million from her estate, which will fund approximately $240,000 annually in student scholarships in perpetuity. We also celebrate 30 years of JMU’s Integrated Science and Technology program, a powerhouse of interdisciplinary education that prepares students to tackle real-world challenges. Speaking of challenges, we check in on a group of Hacking for Diplomacy students who worked with a State Department bureau to devise solutions to improve security on U.S. embassies and bases around the world. And we feature retiring Vice President of Access and Enrollment Management Donna Harper (’77, ’81M, ’86Ed.S.), whose career at JMU spans 47 years. What is it about JMU that produces such leaders? Read on to find out.
