Growing Physics and Astronomy at James Madison University

James Madison University is a public, primarily undergraduate institution with a student enrollment of over 18,000. We have a 10.8\% minority population and a 60:40 female/male ratio. Drawing 29\% of its students from other states, JMU serves a diverse student body. Since the mid '90's, the Department of Physics and Astronomy has grown to ~110 majors. There are 15 tenured/tenure-track and 6 non-tenure-track full-time faculty in the department. Graduation rates have grown from five or fewer/year to typically 15-20/year. Eleven faculty are currently engaged in externally funded research with undergraduates. In the 2007-2008 academic year, 45 students were engaged in research. We produced a total of 89 publications and presentations that included 27 students as authors or co-authors. The growth of our department over the last decade is due to a variety of reforms. Foremost among the changes under the control of the department are the initiation of our multi-track BS and BA degree programs and a renewed focus on undergraduate research. These and other significant factors contributing to our success such as student recruiting, outreach, teaching and research integration/balance, promotion of a department culture, visibility on-and off-campus, and university support will be discussed.