News & Notes

National recognition for commitment to community service.

Teachers have the ability to share the world wherever they are.

Radford University continues to earn national recognition.

Radford University international students on a whirlwind tour of Washington, D.C.

Photos from Linda (Vaughan) Welsh's '71 time at Radford University.

Alumnus composes piece for the Roanoke Symphony orchestra.

Paul Gartner '16 wins a National Student Silver ADDY.

Radford University experienced a surge in freshman applications.

COBE and Chantilly-based Engineering Solutions & Products, LLC have developed a partnership.

A nearly $34 million renovation to science-centric Reed and Curie Halls was approved.

University's Community Service Efforts Recognized by National Organization

Radford University students volunteering
Accounting major Eleni Brown, left, volunteered at Radford Early Learning Center as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Radford University has earned national recognition for its commitment to community service.

On Sept. 21, 2016, The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) placed Radford University on its 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The initiative recognized Radford University’s efforts in 2015 in the area of community service programs and raising the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships.

The distinguished honor recognizes higher education institutions in four categories: General Community Service, Interfaith Community Service, Economic Opportunity and Education.

Radford is among seven public Virginia institutions in the General Community Service category.

“I can personally attest to the many ways in which a commitment to service — to connecting knowledge and resources to tackle today’s most challenging issues — is one of the defining qualities of a Radford University experience,” said Erin Webster-Garrett, director of the Scholar-Citizen Initiative (SCI). “Across colleges, units and disciplines, the Highlander tradition is one built around our appreciation for and dedication to community and to each other.”

During 2014-15, more than 3,200 Radford University students engaged in academic service-learning and contributed more than 100,000 hours of work in the early education and human service areas alone. They served pre-K through second-grade schoolchildren through art therapy programs; hosted K-12 students and teachers from regional school districts for science enrichment programs; and dedicated more than 3,000 hours of community nursing service in health education and screenings in local school districts and homeless shelters.

Highlighted in the University’s application for the CNCS award are the adoption of SCI as the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to infuse civic-learning outcomes across the curriculum and recognize student excellence in servant-leadership and public scholarship; and implementation of universitywide days of service, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, organized by Student Affairs and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Holiday Food Drive, organized by the Greek Life community.

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Sharing the World

Video: Malawi study abroad program

Teachers have the ability to share the world wherever they are.

That is a truth future educators are learning more and more every day at Radford University. Faculty in the University’s School of Teacher Education and Leadership (STEL) often go the extra mile — and in one case, 9,000 miles — to bring that message home.

Each year, a group of adventurous, globe-trotting soon-to-be classroom educators spend nearly a month teaching lessons — English is a high priority — to schoolchildren in southeastern Africa as part of the Malawi Study Abroad Project.

“We have been taking students to Malawi for more than a decade to work in the schools and learn what it’s like to teach in a very different culture and a very different environment, working with students who mostly do not speak English,” said STEL Associate Professor Patti Talbot.

In Malawi, Radford University students work with scores of children — there are sometimes 120 children in a classroom — at the Malemia Primary School.

More recent trips to the school have focused on preparing Radford students to draw from their experiences there and implement a global perspective in their future classrooms.

“They discover in Malawi that all it takes to teach are their voices and a relationship with their students,” Talbot said. “The experience opens their eyes to a whole new world, and they come away with a rich cultural experience that they wind up sharing in their classrooms.”

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We Rock!

Colleges of Distinction

Radford University continues to earn national recognition for its outstanding academic programs, talented faculty and staff, quality student services, affordability and outstanding efforts to maintain a clean and sustainable campus.

  • College of Distinction 2016 and 2017
    The unique national online and print resource focuses on innovative, teacher-centered undergraduate education that prepares graduates for real-world success.
    Radford University showed exemplary commitment to four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes. The annual process to select the nation’s Colleges of Distinction also includes a review of each institution’s freshman experience, as well as its general education program, strategic plan and alumni success and satisfaction measures.
  • Washington Monthly Magazine “Best Bang for the Buck” 2013-2016
    Radford University ranked No. 54 out of 100 schools in the “Southeast” category of the magazine’s rankings, which assess affordability, access and student outcomes.
The Princeton Review Best Regional College
  • The Princeton Review “Guide to 361 Green Colleges” 2010-2016
    For the seventh consecutive year, the guide recognized Radford University for its commitment to building and maintaining a sustainable, environmentally friendly campus.
  • The Princeton Review “Best in the Southeast” 2004-2017
    Radford University has earned this prestigious accolade for 14 straight years.
  • U.S. News & World Report “Top Public Schools in the South” 2017
    For 2017, the University was ranked at No. 16 in the publication’s listing.
  • U.S. News & World Report “Best Regional Universities — South” 2013-2017
    The list comprises 146 public and private institutions, and Radford University is ranked at No. 47 for 2017.
  • U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges for Veterans — Regional Universities–South” 2016-2017
    Among its regional peers, Radford University was ranked No. 29 by the magazine, moving up two spots since last year. This is the second year the University has been recognized for its distinction in serving veterans.

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Radford International Students Tour Washington, D.C.

Radford University international students tour Washington, D.C.

International students tour Washington, D.C.

To develop a feel for American history and culture, the International Education Center (IEC) hosted Radford University international students on a whirlwind tour of Washington, D.C., last October.

Led by IEC Assistant Director Teresa King and Program Support Specialist Lori Roop, the exchange students from Switzerland, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany and Spain spent two chilly fall days bussing around the city, browsing monuments and museums, walking the Mall and eating American fare.

To Yuri Takano, a junior business major from the Osaka University of Commerce, the trip was part of her yearlong immersion into the American way of life and education.

“Everything was beautiful. The buildings were so interesting, and the streets were so wide,” she said. “Compared to Tokyo, my capital city, it was less crowded and very comfortable.”

The trip was one of a series of events the IEC hosts to acclimate the nearly 100-strong international student community to Radford and America. Events included the Annual International Banquet, a semesteropening Globefest picnic at Bisset Park, special cultural celebrations and monthly coffee hours that introduce the visiting exchange students to Radford and each other.

“International students can be much more than tourists. They can get inside the American culture and understand what it is like to be an American,” said IEC Director Paul Currant. “Outside-ofthe- classroom activities richen their experience and understanding of America.”

Washington’s cosmopolitan nature surprised her, Takano said.

“As I walked around, I heard many different languages being spoken,” Takano said. “When I heard Japanese, it made me feel good.

“There is so much in Washington to see, I look forward to going back,” she adds. “It really is close, and I know we missed a lot.”

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Alumni Letter

Photo gallery of Radford University from 1967-71

Photo Gallery: Radford University photos from 1967-71.

To whom it may concern:

I am hoping you will consider publishing the enclosed photographs (copies of the original) in the Radford magazine. My sister, Linda (Vaughan) Welsh took them for a class while she attended Radford from 1967 to 1971 as an art major. She also designed the 70/71 Radford Handbook cover.

I am also a graduate of Radford University - class of '74 with a BS in Health and Physical Education - still teaching 43 years later!

The night campus shot was taken from her dorm, the Muse, the year it opened. The other two pictures are of the Redcoats participating in the annual May Day activities. Truly treasurers from the past!

On a personal note, my sister was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers in December 2004 when she was 55 years old. SHe is in the final stage of the disease and we don't know how much longer she will be with us. It would mean so much to her two children and five grandchildren if you would publish the enclosed pictures.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Betty Saunders

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Score!

Radford University student Jonathan Stoots '16
Jonathan Stoots '16

Al Wojtera opened his musical score during a Roanoke Symphony Orchestra rehearsal. As the symphony percussionist and chair of the Radford University Department of Music looked at the piece “Procession of the Little Drummer Boy,” the composer’s name caught his eye.

It read “Stoots.” Wojtera smiled to himself. The composer was none other than Jonathan Stoots ’16, who majored in music with a concentration in music business and was an intern for the orchestra and its conductor, David Stewart Wiley, at the time.

“Jonathan is a talented composer and arranger on the verge of a wonderful career,” Wiley said. “It has been my and our privilege at the Roanoke Symphony to mentor him and watch his talent and hard work come to fruition.”

The orchestra premiered the piece Dec. 5, 2016, during a Holiday Pops concert at Covington High School in Covington, Virginia. Wiley directed Stoots’ piece and said it was well received.

“As I had never composed for a full-size orchestra, I leaned heavily in what I had been taught in my music history and theory classes to write for strings, as I really had no prior experience,” Stoots said, “Score study in these classes made the difference in how I arranged and composed.”

To gain this internship opportunity, Stoots used his networking skills learned from the Radford University music business program. He met Wiley through an introduction by Radford University director of bands, R. Wayne Gallops.

The orchestra hopes to continue mentoring Radford University students and being a training laboratory for young rising professionals such as Stoots.

Listen to the performance

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5. Students Spring to Service

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Student Work Wins National ADDY

Radford University ADDY-winning designs
Paul Gartner’s “Mug Root Beer” ADDY-winning designs were displayed during the 2016 Radford University Graphic Design Show at Reagan National Airport’s Gallery Walk.

When Paul Gartner ’16, right, found out he won a National Student Silver ADDY in the 2017 annual American Advertising Federation’s competition, he was calm and introspective.

Gartner said he was more focused on world issues than the award. But he said it is his ability to focus his attention on one thing to an almost obsessive level of detail that helped him win the ADDY.

Gartner’s entry, “Mug Hard Root Beer,” originally created for a packaging design class, won in the packaging category.

“To take a vintage look and outdo what other companies do, to take something to its logical extreme — you don’t get more old-fashioned or 19th century than having a corked bottle,” Gartner said about his winning entry.

Graphically, the design shows an English bulldog smoking a pipe. According to Gartner’s research for the project, he discovered that a regular motif in the 1800s was dogs smoking pipes. He believes it was the precursor of a meme.

“What really sets Paul’s design apart is its level of detail and polish,” said Jim Woods, who teaches the packaging design class. “The mock-up was printed professionally, no dummy text was used, and even the barcodes were properly done. It is a great design, executed flawlessly.”

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4. Historic Season

Women's basketball had one of the best seasons in program history.

5. Students Spring to Service

Four hundred Radford University students, faculty and staff volunteered in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Radford University Shatters Application Records

High school students accepted to Radford University

Students at Lee High School, Springfield, show off their acceptance letters.

Radford University experienced a surge in freshman applications, shattering the previous record of 8,192 achieved in fall 2012.

The new record of 14,443 applications as of June 21, 2017 represents a 94 percent increase over last year’s total of 7,447 freshman applicants. The applications also raised the academic profile of the incoming class: the freshman applicants’ high school grade-point and SAT averages increased when compared to the total applicants for last fall’s freshman class.

According to the Office of Enrollment Management, the increase in freshman applications is due to additional outreach to prospective students and their families; increased communications about the diverse and exciting opportunities Radford University offers students; and earlier financial aid notifications for prospective students.

Transfer applications also increased for fall 2017 admission. More than 1,800 transfer student applications — a 23.7 percent increase — were received as of June 21.

“We’re excited to engage with even more prospective students and share the Radford story with them,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Kitty McCarthy. “The breadth and depth of Radford University’s academic programs, combined with the opportunity to work with outstanding faculty in a student-centered environment, is attractive to many students and families. More prospective students are hearing about Radford University and are applying to be a part of the energy we experience on campus.”

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College and Industry Share Common Vision

ESP executives interact with Radford University students

ESP President and CEO Douglass Fouser, second from right, and Executive Vice President Hans Hollister, right, talk with students about opportunities they will have with the company through its partnership with Radford University.

The College of Business and Economics (COBE) and Chantilly-based Engineering Solutions & Products, LLC (ESP) have developed a partnership designed to promote both entities through branding, advertising and growth with a special emphasis on Northern Virginia.

In September, COBE and ESP formalized an agreement through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing in the University’s Kyle Hall. Penning their names to the MOU were Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill and ESP President and CEO Douglas N. Fouser.

“This is the beginning of a partnership between two organizations that share many goals,” said COBE Dean George Low.

Low spoke of ESP’s core values and noted the commonalities between those values and the four fundamentals President Hemphill has laid out for Radford University: excellence, transparency, accountability and student-centeredness.

Still in its infancy, the partnership already is offering Radford University students opportunities for internships, full-time positions, class projects and other initiatives that will be developed over time, Low said. ESP works with many government agencies and may have specific opportunities for Radford University students who are military veterans, the dean said.

An opportunity may exist, Fouser said, for Radford University students to work with ESP employees.

“What a great way to bring these two common values together in a formal way in a memorandum of understanding that will allow both organizations to continue to thrive, grow and accomplish our goals,” Low said. “It’s also a model that demonstrates how Radford can connect in a meaningful way with corporate partners, and this is something that magnifies what we are able to do when we work with others who share a common vision and goals.”

The MOU offers many opportunities for ESP, Fouser noted, including an opportunity for its employees to enroll in Radford University classes, such as a COBE’s online MBA program.

“We can bring the Radford University name to Northern Virginia and offer our employees an opportunity to go to a great school,” Fouser said.

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3. Tourism Students Set Sail

Tourism students sail on a 60-foot catamaran in the Sea of Abaco, Bahamas.

4. Historic Season

Women's basketball had one of the best seasons in program history.

5. Students Spring to Service

Four hundred Radford University students, faculty and staff volunteered in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Reed and Curie Halls Renovation Provides Opportunity

Architect’s rendering of renovated Reed and Curie Halls

Architect’s rendering of interior space in renovated Reed and Curie Halls.

A nearly $34 million renovation to science-centric Reed and Curie Halls was approved for funding in fall 2016.

The anticipated $33,882,000, state-funded project, slated to begin this fall, will renovate 94,840 square feet of space and provide modern facilities for several of the University’s science departments, including geospatial science, biology, chemistry, geology and physics. The renovations will include new laboratories for teaching as well as faculty and student research, in addition to engagement spaces for lectures, student support areas and office spaces.

A standout feature will be the new Cybersecurity Training and Education Lab (CTEL) for teaching, research, modeling and simulation of cyber threats — an ongoing global scourge that Radford University prepares many of its students to combat.

Radford University students in cyber and information technology disciplines are among the most sought after by industry due to their preparation, as reflected by their strong showing in national cyberdefense competitions and Radford University’s recent designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Through 2021, Radford will be at the forefront of preparing graduates in cybersecurity and meeting the evolving demands of cybersecurity education. Radford University is one of only six four-year institutions in Virginia designated as a CAE-CDE institution and is one of only 127 four-year institutions in the country to earn the prestigious national designation.

“This renovation project will significantly benefit our students and faculty as they advance both knowledge and research in the sciences, as well as the Commonwealth,” said Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill. “The timing also is perfect to contribute to the demands of our state’s future economy given, for example, the stated need for cyber and computer science professionals and Radford’s growing expertise in this area.”

Most Popular

1. The Artis Legacy

The historic announcement of the Artis Endowed Scholarship Fund.

2. Mountain Man

Climbing guide Eli Helmuth '87 scales the heights of his profession.

3. Tourism Students Set Sail

Tourism students sail on a 60-foot catamaran in the Sea of Abaco, Bahamas.

4. Historic Season

Women's basketball had one of the best seasons in program history.

5. Students Spring to Service

Four hundred Radford University students, faculty and staff volunteered in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.