JMU Nation,
Giving Day 2018 is upon us and I hope you'll join me in making a gift to support JMU Athletics and the JMU Duke Club tomorrow, March 13. Whether it's
Giving Day, College GameDay, traveling to Harrisonburg or Frisco for games or our student-athletes competing for championships, Dukes really do show up for days like these!
JMU Athletics has partnered with various university groups to make the third annual
JMU Giving Day the most successful one to date. After raising $234,000 from 900 gifts in 2017, the Duke Club has increased its 2018 goals for 1,000 total gifts and $250,000 raised.
We continue to ride a tremendous wave of success in JMU Athletics. The Dukes have won four CAA Championships already in 2017-18 (cross country, football, volleyball, swimming & diving) and won regular-season titles in men's soccer and women's basketball. JMU was also picked to win titles in lacrosse and softball while other sports are off to a great start with a combined spring record of 58-14. We've had the best winning percentage among all universities in Virginia the last two years (.633 for 2016-17, .660 for 2015-16) and currently sit at .678 for 2017-18. Add in a second straight trip to Frisco and a memorable second visit to the quad by ESPN and it's a great time to be a Duke!
I can't think of a better way to express our love for this university and the student-athletes who represent it than by supporting a day like
Giving Day. Your gift goes directly to our Duke Club annual fund and supports everything we do to foster a positive student-athlete experience at James Madison. When you hear about their achievements, take pride in knowing that they represent the university you love and that you made it possible.
We've said before that every gift, no matter the size, truly makes a difference and no day fits that better than
Giving Day. We all make a difference and together #WeAreOne JMU Nation! #ProudAndTrue
Go Dukes,
Jeff Bourne
JMU Director of Athletics
P.S. - After
Giving Day, stay involved with other Duke Club events this spring. The JMU football spring game will be held on April 14 at 1 p.m. with a donor meeting about
football parking changes at 10:30 a.m. The annual
Duke Club Golf Classic will take place on April 20. That will be followed quickly by our
2018 JMU spring tour dates. I look forward to seeing you at these events!