James Madison University welcomes Dr. Melissa Lubin as the next associate vice provost for outreach and engagement. Lubin begins her new job July 25 after serving as the director of Virginia Tech’s Commonwealth Campus Centers in Richmond, Newport News and Virginia Beach.
Outreach and Engagement offers a diverse portfolio of education and training programs that creates access for anyone seeking opportunities for educational or personal growth.
Lubin earned an MBA from Georgia Southern University and a Ph.D. in adult learning and human resource development from Virginia Tech.
She says Outreach and Engagement is a “gateway to the university, where we can help the community establish meaningful connections with our faculty, staff and students.”
“O&E has a strong foundation at JMU,” she added, “so my hope is to nurture existing relationships, build new ones and create partnerships and collaborations that impact the greater good of our region.”
At Virginia Tech, Lubin successfully developed opportunities for collaboration between faculty and researchers with the community, the business sector and state agencies.
“There are many programmatic and industry-specific links between the community and JMU,” said Frank Tamberrino, president and CEO of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. “But Outreach and Engagement provides the most comprehensive point of entry and allows the business community to have an advocate for non-traditional workforce support in an academic environment.”
“Melissa Lubin’s can-do attitude,” added Tamberrino, who served on the search committee, “made an immediate impression when she met the selection committee and key community leaders. People should realize that her new role is not a typical academic position nor is it running a freestanding organization apart from the university’s primary mission. Therefore, it is important to have someone who can bridge the gap, making things happen when there is a mutual benefit but also keeping the focus on academic excellence and relevance.”
To learn more about Outreach and Engagement, visit www.jmu.edu/outreach.
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