JMU Hires Bolling For New Post
August 30, 2018
By LAINE GRIFFIN
Daily News-Record 8/29/18
HARRISONBURG — James Madison University is getting a high-profile faculty member.
Bill Bolling, a former Republican state senator and two-term lieutenant governor, posted on Facebook on Monday that he will start a three-year stint as a senior fellow in residence for public service on Oct. 1.
Bolling, 61, said his position is an administrative faculty position in which he will focus on state and federal government relations, and economic development and advancement. His annual salary will be $140,000.
“JMU is focused on aggressive fundraising programs, and with my political involvement, I sure know how to raise some money,” Bolling said. “I know the process and the players.”
JMU spokesman Bill Wyatt said with Bolling’s strong state and federal connections will help him bring in money to the institution.
Bolling said he had talked with JMU President Jonathan Alger nearly four months ago about the possibility of joining the university’s ranks, but he decided it would be best to wait until his term on the board of visitors ended in June.
Wyatt said hiring Bolling was a natural step in the process to help JMU achieve “civic engagement.”
Bolling said he has been speaking with Abe Goldberg, executive director of JMU Center for Civic Engagement, and believes students and faculty need to learn what it means.
He wants the university to be “the voice in Virginia,” and the way to do that is civic engagement, which means getting students, faculty and staff to discuss political, economic and social issues in a respectful way.
Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, said Bolling called him Tuesday to inform him about his new position.
“I was pretty surprised initially, but as he explained what he would be doing, I knew it was going to be a great fit for him,” Hanger said.
Wyatt said there was not a competitive search to fill the position because it did not previously exist and is not meant to be a permanent position. Bolling said it can be eliminated at any time.
State Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, wondered whether Bolling’s position is something the university should spend money on.
“There are some public figures that look for soft landings,” Obenshain said. “They’ve gotten by a long time without that position, so I suspect they would’ve continued to get by without it.”
On Twitter, the state senator had this to say: “A sinecure (from Latin sine = ‘without’ and cura = ‘care’) is an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. # JMU”.
Bolling served in the Virginia Senate from 1996 to 2005, when he was elected lieutenant governor. He was re- elected in 2009. He terminated his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor in the 2013 election after several setbacks.
He will take a leave of absence from his current position at the RCM& D insurance firm in September, and return once his job at JMU ends.
Bolling said he has had a personal connection with JMU for about 13 years, starting when his son, Kevin, who graduated in 2010, first enrolled.
“He brings a lot of experience to the table. Not just with his connections but his passion for higher education,” Wyatt said.
Along with his engagement in the public service sector, Bolling also will be a guest lecturer on campus for government, political science and leadership courses.
Bolling
Daily News-Record 8/29/18
HARRISONBURG — James Madison University is getting a high-profile faculty member.
Bill Bolling, a former Republican state senator and two-term lieutenant governor, posted on Facebook on Monday that he will start a three-year stint as a senior fellow in residence for public service on Oct. 1.
Bolling, 61, said his position is an administrative faculty position in which he will focus on state and federal government relations, and economic development and advancement. His annual salary will be $140,000.
“JMU is focused on aggressive fundraising programs, and with my political involvement, I sure know how to raise some money,” Bolling said. “I know the process and the players.”
JMU spokesman Bill Wyatt said with Bolling’s strong state and federal connections will help him bring in money to the institution.
Bolling said he had talked with JMU President Jonathan Alger nearly four months ago about the possibility of joining the university’s ranks, but he decided it would be best to wait until his term on the board of visitors ended in June.
Wyatt said hiring Bolling was a natural step in the process to help JMU achieve “civic engagement.”
Bolling said he has been speaking with Abe Goldberg, executive director of JMU Center for Civic Engagement, and believes students and faculty need to learn what it means.
He wants the university to be “the voice in Virginia,” and the way to do that is civic engagement, which means getting students, faculty and staff to discuss political, economic and social issues in a respectful way.
Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, said Bolling called him Tuesday to inform him about his new position.
“I was pretty surprised initially, but as he explained what he would be doing, I knew it was going to be a great fit for him,” Hanger said.
Wyatt said there was not a competitive search to fill the position because it did not previously exist and is not meant to be a permanent position. Bolling said it can be eliminated at any time.
State Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, wondered whether Bolling’s position is something the university should spend money on.
“There are some public figures that look for soft landings,” Obenshain said. “They’ve gotten by a long time without that position, so I suspect they would’ve continued to get by without it.”
On Twitter, the state senator had this to say: “A sinecure (from Latin sine = ‘without’ and cura = ‘care’) is an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. # JMU”.
Bolling served in the Virginia Senate from 1996 to 2005, when he was elected lieutenant governor. He was re- elected in 2009. He terminated his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor in the 2013 election after several setbacks.
He will take a leave of absence from his current position at the RCM& D insurance firm in September, and return once his job at JMU ends.
Bolling said he has had a personal connection with JMU for about 13 years, starting when his son, Kevin, who graduated in 2010, first enrolled.
“He brings a lot of experience to the table. Not just with his connections but his passion for higher education,” Wyatt said.
Along with his engagement in the public service sector, Bolling also will be a guest lecturer on campus for government, political science and leadership courses.
Bolling
