james madison university jmu

Opera soars at JMU

Chris Graham

While regional and state opera houses have been shutting their doors across the country, the opera program at James Madison University is standing strong. “The academic world will need to take on more responsibility for keeping those traditions going,” says Don Rierson, director of JMU Opera Theater.

Virginia on-time graduation rate tops 89 percent

Chris Graham

Nearly nine out of ten Virginia students who entered the ninth grade in the fall of 2009 earned a diploma within four years, and 55.8 percent of the commonwealth’s 2013 high school graduates earned an Advanced Studies Diploma. The statewide dropout rate fell to 5.9 percent for the class of 2013, compared with 6.5 percent for the class of 2012.