COBE, then and now

With more than 12,000 graduates, Radford University's College of Business and Economics (COBE) is nationally recognized for the excellence of its programs and the talents of its faculty and students. The opening in August of a new $44 million, state-of-the-art academic building empowered COBE to continue preparing students to excel in a global economy. In this edition of the magazine, longtime faculty members and alumni reflect on how COBE came to be the dynamic institution it is today.

This issue also looks at how RU is building a 21st century campus by renovating residence halls and other older structures to meet the highest contemporary standards for practicality, accessibility and sustainability. As a campus building boom continues, members of the RU community share their memories of how venerable structures such as Moffett and Whitt halls have changed in form and function over the years.

Also in this issue, learn how RU is stepping up to help the Commonwealth meet a critical shortage of teachers for the deaf and hard of hearing. The deaf education program, a collaboration between the School of Teacher Education and Leadership and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, is empowering both future teachers and their students. Illustrating the program's effectiveness is the story of a spunky, bright 3-year-old who has learned to "hear" in spite of having been born profoundly deaf.