Over the past nine years we have published 48 editions of Bourne Dialogue. Initially designed to provide our constituency base with a broader and more in-depth perspective of issues facing the athletic program, it has grown to provide a transparent picture of our programs' strengths, achievements and challenges. As all things evolve over time, such is the case with Bourne Dialogue.
 
With my departure as Athletic Director at James Madison University this week this will be the 49^th and final edition of this publication under this name. It will no doubt be renamed under the new leadership of Matt Roan and continue to offer insight and education for those who continue to read its content. I am excited about the future ahead for JMU under Matt's leadership and am confident that he's the right man for the job to lead us to even greater heights.
 
I want to personally thank Kevin Warner, our Associate Athletic Director for Communications and Strategic Initiatives, for his ongoing work to help pull together and publish this document on a frequent basis. We have grown to use a common language and thought process in compiling these publications over the past nine years. He has done a wonderful job and I want to acknowledge this publicly to our reader base.
 
As this chapter of my professional career comes to a close, I want to say what a privilege and honor it has been to serve as the Athletic Director at James Madison. These past 25 years have flown by and I am blessed to have served alongside such a wonderful, bright and talented staff and group of coaches. We have worked for the betterment of our student-athletes and we have been rewarded to serve such a group of gifted and inspiring future leaders. As we frequently profess, the strength of JMU is its people. This is what sets us apart from our peers and contributes to the many successes we enjoy as an athletic program and university.
 
On behalf of the entire Bourne family, I want to thank all of our donors, fans and university community members for making this journey a rewarding one for us. These past years have created lasting memories for our family, which we will take with us. We will always remain Dukes and proudly cheer for the Purple and Gold every chance we get.
 
With sincerest appreciation,

 
Jeff