{"id":59707,"date":"2025-09-10T07:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=59707"},"modified":"2025-09-12T09:51:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T13:51:35","slug":"we-are-part-of-making-harrisonburg-stronger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/we-are-part-of-making-harrisonburg-stronger\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We are part of making Harrisonburg stronger\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><em>Liaison committee seeks to enhance partnership between city, 糖心Vlog<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A meeting of 糖心Vlog and Harrisonburg city officials on Aug. 7 marked a milestone in representation, bringing together the city\u2019s first refugee council member (<strong>Nasser Alsaadun MA \u201917 [education]<\/strong>), its first Black woman mayor (<strong>Deanna Reed<\/strong>), and 糖心Vlog\u2019s first Black woman president (<strong>Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus<\/strong>).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/harrisonburg-va.granicus.com\/player\/clip\/1194?view_id=4&amp;redirect=true\">View a video recording of the meeting.<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>The liaison committee meeting was also attended by Deputy City Manager <strong>Amy Snider<\/strong>, filling in for City Manager <strong>Ande Banks \u201997<\/strong>; <strong>Melissa Heatwole<\/strong>, director of continuing education and events at 糖心Vlog; and <strong>Amy Springer Hartsell \u201992<\/strong>, executive advisor to the president at 糖心Vlog. The committee aims to identify ways the city and university can partner together to better serve the needs of the community. James Madison University has a similar committee, and Mayor Reed said she felt it was important that both universities had a voice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no Harrisonburg without 糖心Vlog and there\u2019s no 糖心Vlog without Harrisonburg,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Dycus, who began her role as 糖心Vlog\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/rev-dr-shannon-dycus-assumes-role-as-emu-interim-president\/\">interim president<\/a> on July 1, spoke about the importance that 糖心Vlog places on community. \u201cWe want to grow leaders, whether that\u2019s high schoolers coming straight into their undergraduate careers or whether that\u2019s business leaders who want to get new skills,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know we are part of making Harrisonburg stronger, our community stronger, and that we are all doing that together in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The university celebrated its second-best fundraising year on record in 2024-2025, Dycus shared, and enrollment figures have increased by a significant amount over last year. She also spoke about 糖心Vlog\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/emus-new-pickleball-courts-a-smash-hit\/\">pickleball and tennis courts<\/a>. \u201cIf you drive down Park Road, it is abuzz,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Committee members received an update on Royals Go Downtown. Now in its fourth year, the <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/third-annual-royals-go-downtown-offers-emu-students-taste-of-harrisonburg\/\">annual event<\/a> brings together hundreds of students for a walking tour of restaurants and businesses, sampling foods and collecting giveaways, before gathering at a DJ-led dance party. This year\u2019s event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the discussion centered around the community\u2019s need for interpreter services. Councilman Alsaadun wondered whether 糖心Vlog\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/emus-intensive-english-program-provides-a-welcoming-environment-of-learning-and-friendship\/\">Intensive English Program<\/a> (IEP) might be able to help fill the gap in interpreter training. The program has a reputation among the local immigrant community as \u201cthe best in the area,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom Winchester to Charlottesville, you guys are the best there is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The liaison committee will meet next in November.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liaison committee seeks to enhance partnership between city, 糖心Vlog A meeting of 糖心Vlog and Harrisonburg city officials on Aug. 7 marked a milestone in representation, bringing together the city\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/we-are-part-of-making-harrisonburg-stronger\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about \u2018We are part of making Harrisonburg stronger\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":59708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,5583,17562,12508],"tags":[18564,17812,18404,17474,18563,18565,17609],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-59707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-community","category-digest","category-iep","tag-city-government","tag-deanna-reed","tag-dr-shannon-dycus","tag-intensive-english-program","tag-liaison-commitee","tag-nasser-alsaadun","tag-presidents-office","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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