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James Madison University is inaugurating its sixth president.
Jonathan Alger officially takes the helm of the Harrisonburg university Friday. He tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch that it's very unusual in American higher education for a university to have only six presidents in 105 years.
Alger began his new job July 1 upon the retirement of President Linwood Rose. He began a listening tour to gather ideas that will be used by a commission that will build on JMU's strengths and set priorities.
According to Alger, the university combines the strengths of a small liberal arts college and a larger research institution. JMU was started as a teachers college for women and now has nearly 20,000 students.