RESEARCH FUNDING AT JAMES MADISON TOPS $11 MILLION

September 27, 2000                                                 By Cindy Mooy, JMU Media Relations HARRISONBURG, Va. — Researchers and teachers at James Madison University, a public institution focused largely on undergraduate teaching and research, received a total of $11,317,654 in external funding for research, instruction, public service and other scholarly activities for 1999-2000.        Last year, JMU topped the $10 million mark for the first time. The university has increased external funding by 273 percent since 1994-95 when JMU received grants totaling $3.03 million.       Federal and state grants last year made up the majority of awards, both totaling about $4.75 million each.       JMU's College of Integrated Science and Technology received the largest dollar amount, a total of $3.44 million. Among JMU's other four colleges, Education and Psychology received $2.44 million in grants; Science and Mathematics, $950,630; Business, $711,999; and Arts and Letters, $477,662. Research and Program Innovation received $302,101; Student Affairs received $210,760; Institutional Effectiveness received $74,870; and other university divisions received a total of $2.7 million.       Awards covered a spectrum of projects, such as: $500 from the Virginia Commission for the Arts to support cultural arts programming and communications; $13,000 from the Scottish Rite Foundation of Virginia to serve speech-language-hearing impaired children of the Shenandoah Valley with small-group and individual treatment; $19,255 from Harrisonburg City Schools for educational technology training for schoolteachers; $25,000 from the National Park Service to produce environmental education multimedia software; $45,000 from the National Science Foundation for research experiences in chemistry for undergraduates; $292,000 from the Virginia Department of Health to support JMU's Shenandoah Valley Child Development Clinic; $60,500 from the Virginia Department of Education to implement the valley Migrant Education Program; $112,500 from the National Institute for Deafness for continued research in auditory systems; and $618,000 from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to fund activities of the Mine Action Information Center at JMU.         The JMU Office of Sponsored Programs serves as the university's support unit in obtaining external funding to support creative, scholarly and research activities while remaining in compliance with federal and state guidelines.        For more information, contact Pat D. Buennemeyer in Sponsored Programs, (540)568-6872.   Publisher: The Office of Research and Program Innovation          Last Revised: 03/28/2001                           For Information Contact: Dr. John B.  Noftsinger, Jr. The Division of Academic Affairs