JMU MA in Communication and Advocacy

The first graduates of JMU's series of 2026 commencement ceremonies - Paige D'Agostino and Anitha Dushimirmana!

Congratulations to the 2026 May graduates! We're excited to celebrate their many accomplishments and achievements at our hooding ceremony and the College of Arts and Letters Commencement this week!

Congratulations Paige D'Agostino, Anitha Dushimirimana, Arielle Hamadé, Reese Martin, Emily Nicholson, and Oghenetega Ologbo! We're so proud of you!

Congratulations to alum Dr. Michael Clay (M'18) for defending his dissertation entitled "Rhythms of Soil, Water, and Farming: Using Rhetorical Field Methods for Collaboration in the Meduxnekeag Watershed" in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Maine. We're so proud of you!

We celebrated our students at The Graduate School, James Madison University's annual Showcase of Scholarship and Creative Activities last month. Congratulations to DaNae Peterson (M'25) for being awarded with the 2026 Outstanding Thesis in Education, Social Sciences and Humanities for her thesis entitled "The Voices of Black Motherscholars: Navigating Academia, Motherhood, and Beyond"!

Congratulations to Baylea Gunkel, Ezekiel Olaniyan, Oghenetega Ologbo, and Alexandra Schleyer for presenting their exceptional scholarship at the poster session.

Thanks to the JMU Graduate School for hosting this showcase event each spring!

We're excited to welcome Alexandra Robins to our grad program this fall!

Congratulations to alum Karan Deengar (M'19) for being honored with the JMU General Education 2025-26 Innovation Award! The Innovation Award honors faculty "who take fresh approaches and apply novel high-impact teaching and learning practices."

We had a great night celebrating our students and graduate community at the annual JMU S.O.A.R. (Student Organization Awards & Recognition) Ceremony! Congratulations to Oghenetega Ologbo for being honored with the Engaged Citizen of the Year Award, Ezekiel Olaniyan for being honored with the Outstanding Individual Contributions to a Student Organization Award, and Dr. Melissa Wood Aleman (Grad Program Director) for being honored with the Outstanding Faculty/Staff of the Year Award! The Graduate School, James Madison University

Happy Earth Day! In our alumni spotlight, we're featuring Everett Brubaker (M'19, Environmental Communication) who is currently the Executive Director of Renew Rocktown. Renew Rocktown "fosters resilient communities and a healthy planet through collaboration, education, and transformative local action" Learn more about their work in the Shenandoah Valley here: https://renewrocktown.org/

Check out Everett's advice to graduate students to lean into skill development in each season of your professional journey!

Congratulations to Arielle Hamadé and Oghenetega Ologbo for being honored by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as one of the "Top 50 Interns" in Virginia! We're so proud that they are being recognized for their impactful and community engaged work!