What a New Convocation Center Means for JMU and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Area
By Matt Taylor
A new Convocation Center is in the works at James Madison University. Plans have already
begun for this new facility, which will replace the current Convocation Center as the
University’s indoor sports arena. The new Convocation Center will be a state-of-the-art facility
that could be a game-changer for JMU athletics. However, this new building will not only serve
those involved with the University, but all citizens of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County
area.
Currently, JMU Athletics is in the fundraising phase with no formal construction timeline
announced. They need to raise $12 million in funds before any other development can occur.
“Once we hit that $12 million mark, then we can move forward with finalized architectural
plans and breaking ground on the building itself,” said Kevin Warner, Interim Director of
Athletics Communications at JMU.
University faculty who are planning and designing the new Convocation Center are not just
doing so with JMU Athletics in mind, but the outside community as well.
JMU Athletics has already set up a website at jmuconvo.com, which showcases professional
renderings and videos of what the facility will look like. It will be an 8,500-seat arena that will
also include practice facilities, conference rooms, meeting areas, suites, and much more.
With new additions and renovations coming to an end at UREC in the coming months, many
people in the area may wonder why the time is now to build a brand-new facility of this
magnitude and expense. According to Warner, the new building will be able to do much more for
the school as compared to the current Convocation Center.
“It all adds up to better suiting the needs of the University, being able to put on first class
sporting events, being able to put on first class non-sporting events, and to really be a building
this University can be proud of,” says Warner.
The current Convocation Center was constructed during the 1980s when JMU’s student body
was significantly less than it is today. With around 20,000 students currently enrolled, a larger
facility fits the needs of the university.
Warner says the impact that a building of this degree will have on JMU is a “game-changer.”
One of the largest impacts that a facility of this size will have on JMU is simply how people
outside of the school will view the athletics program. A better facility will not only help with the
recruiting of student-athletes, but it may also become a place that people flock to, which could
help raise attendance at basketball games and other athletic events.
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area is one of the fastest growing areas in the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
Warner states, “This area is very much in need of a facility of that magnitude. If you look at the
Shenandoah Valley, from Winchester to Roanoke, there isn’t a building of this kind of size. So
this is a building that, at least within an hour radius (of Harrisonburg) and maybe more, there’s
nothing else like it.”
The plan is to have the new building located on the corner of University Boulevard and Carrier
Drive in Harrisonburg. One of the reasons behind this decision is because of the large amount of
space that can accommodate the building’s size. Another reason is because it is at the edge of
campus, which will be much easier for JMU and non-JMU affiliated people to access it. One of
the problems with the current building is that the location only has one road that accesses it. This
problem can be solved with the new building’s location.
With the growing population that surrounds them, JMU Athletics is planning on ways to have the
new Convocation Center serve area citizens accordingly.
“You don’t get a building like this built if it isn’t serving the entire population. Sure it’s natural
to think of it as a basketball facility and certainly basketball games will be played there but we’ll
be proactive in having other non-athletic events there: trade shows, admissions weekends,
concerts, and various business events,” says Warner.
Because of the many new features the building will have, a much higher amount of events will
be able to be hosted. It may go from around 50-60 events hosted in one year at the current
building to over 100 events in one year at the new one. Some of these events could be non-JMU
affiliated sporting events. This includes high school basketball games at the county, regional, and
state level. The athletics department would also like to pursue a Virginia High School State
Championship basketball game, which could potentially bring in people from all over the state to
the Harrisonburg community impacting local businesses greatly.
Although the area could be several years removed from seeing the new Convocation Center
open, people in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community should be excited for what the future
holds. With a facility of this magnitude, sports in the Shenandoah Valley will be drastically
changed. It might say “James Madison University” on the front of the building when it is
completed, but this will be a facility that will serve the entire population for many years to come.