Related Departments
Related Topics
Related Articles
Marketing and Communications News
This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news
Small Colleges Have Their Advantages
By Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record
James Madison University is like the Costco of local colleges.
JMU touts more students, teachers, property, majors, programs and campus activities than Eastern Mennonite University, Bridgewater College and Blue Ridge Community College — combined.
But the students and administration at the local "educational shops" say they don’t mind being the little guys. In fact, they say, they prefer it.
Of the more than 40 Bridgewater and EMU students randomly polled by the Daily News-Record on Wednesday, all said they chose to attend their respective colleges because of its small size — not in spite of it.
So what about Costco?
Several students, including Whitney Dudding of Roanoke, said they considered JMU as a possibility — but only for a moment.
"When I got [to JMU for a tour] they handed me this big map," said Dudding, a 20-year-old BC junior. "I saw that and I was like, ‘Forget about it. This is too big.’"
The Students
Although most Bridgewater students indicated that one-on-one attention and small class sizes were the main reasons they chose the school, several also noted that the small sports department was an advantage.
Brook Barham, a 19-year-old sophomore, is one such student.
"I wanted to play soccer and a bunch of other sports," she said, "and I couldn’t have that at a big school."
Robby Huston, 22, of Chesapeake agrees.
"If you’re 6-foot and 220 [pounds], you can be a defensive-end at a small school, but that wouldn’t be good enough at a Division I style school," said Huston, a senior. "Plus, you can get to know all the girls at a small school."
EMU students had similar "small-school" stories.
"Everyone knows everyone here," said Tera Aotizer, 19, of Nelson County. "I have lots of JMU friends and they said it’s not like that there. It’s too big."
Her friends nodded in agreement, but say living next door to JMU does have its advantages.
"We all go to the BSU (Baptist Student Union)," chimed Kirstin Formo, 19, and Chelsea Lawhorn, 19.
The friends joked that EMU, a Mennonite establishment, isn’t quite big enough to host large clubs for Baptists.
"There’s so much going on here, no one ever thinks about JMU," said Tezzia Ndahdula, 19, of Manassas. "We love EMU because it’s small, and we don’t worry about anyplace else."
The Adults
College officials couldn’t agree more.
"We don’t even consider ourselves the little guys," said EMU spokesman Jim Bishop. "We may be smaller in terms of size, but definitely not in terms of quality."
BRCC officials said JMU’s size is beneficial.
"When they grow, we grow. When they do well, we do well," said John Downey, vice president of instruction and student services at Blue Ridge. "Ever since we signed the [guaranteed enrollment] agreement, our numbers have gone way up."
Since 2000 — when the two schools made the agreement — enrollment at BRCC jumped 32 percent, records show.
Downey said records also indicate that students frequently move to the Harrisonburg area, live in JMU off-campus housing and then attend BRCC.
"JMU recruits all over the Northeast," Downey said. "Students find out about the area and sometimes they come here. Then they get a degree and transfer. We love it."
