Radford University to Celebrate Charter Day

Radford University will observe its 2011 Charter Day celebration on Wednesday, March 30, through the presentation of a day-long series of special events on campus.

“Charter Day is a time of celebration for our entire university community,” said RU President Penelope W. Kyle.  “It is a time to honor Radford University’s rich history and recognize our many achievements and the people who have made them possible.”

The celebration will start with a reception at 10 a.m. in the foyer of the Covington Center on the Radford University campus. Nathaniel L. Bishop, president of the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and an RU alumnus, will speak during a public ceremony at 11 a.m. in the Performance Hall in the Covington Center.

Also included will be a tribute to the Lovely Mount Baptist Church, later renamed the First Baptist Church, which once stood on the RU campus.  The Reverend Corwin Casey and Ms. Sarah Carter will speak on the history and commemoration of the church. Following the ceremony, guests will move to the church’s former location, adjacent to Peters Hall, for the unveiling of a historic marker.

On Wednesday evening at 8 p.m., New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band will present a public concert in Preston Hall’s Bondurant Auditorium.  For concert ticket information, please contact 540-831-5420.

As well as leading the Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Bishop is also an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute. He currently serves as a member of the Radford University Foundation Board, has served on the Board of Trustees for Ferrum College, and is a member emeritus of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School of Duke University.

In addition to his undergraduate degree from Radford University, Bishop holds a master’s degree in education from Virginia Tech and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C.

Radford University is collaborating with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences on the presentation of RU’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. In order to take advantage of clinical and educational opportunities associated with JCHS, Carilion Clinic, and the Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, Radford is basing the DPT program on the JCHS Roanoke campus.