BOV gets more appointees
Governor appoints five to JMU board
By Kelly Conniff, staff writer
Posted on October 26, 2006

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine recently announced additional appointments to the JMU Board of Visitors, an organization that makes major decisions about the well-being of the university.

This year those members were, the governor appointed Ronald Devine, Lois Forbes, Charles Foster, Meredith Gunter and Stephen Leeolou.

“Kaine selected folks with strong connections to the university,” the governor’s press secretary Kevin Hall said. “These people have also shown a commitment to higher education in Virginia.” 

The BOV consists of 15 members appointed by the governor, as well as a student representative that is elected each year by the student body during the student body major election.

“My job is to act as a liaison between the board and the students,” said junior Stacy Fuller  the student representative to the BOV. “I gather information from the students and the outside world and bring it to the board.”

Every governor has the opportunity to appoint members to the BOV for a four-year term. Traditionally, the board consists largely of alumni and those who have strong ties to the university. The people Kaine chose are an “an example of how this governor does business,” Hall said.

All of the new appointees are either alumni of JMU or have demonstrated a measured dedication to JMU in the past.  Many of them are businessmen and women with strong loyalty to promoting higher education.

“The board acts as outside eyes and ears for the school,” said Hall. “They sign off on important things such as tuition and fees that the university charges.”

Recently, the BOV was involved in the controversial Title IX decision that cut 10 of JMU’s varsity sports.

“Title IX was something painful to look at,” Fuller said. “However, it was something that we had to address.”

Despite the finality of the decision, Fuller advocates her unique role in the organization as a way to help encourage other students to stay involved.

“Being on the board and being able to say this is injustice and discrimination put me in a unique position,” Fuller said. “Students have to be the warriors in this, they have a huge community supporting them, and they should continue to fight.”