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President Kyle’s Report to the Board of Visitors As we draw rapidly toward the conclusion of the academic year, our Radford University campus is a very busy place. Over the past weeks our students were deeply engaged in the final activities of the semester, finishing up projects, concluding research and preparing for exams. For those graduating in a few days, it is the culmination of years of hard work, all of it seeming to accelerate quickly to this point. I look forward, as much as they, to Commencement…it’s the symbol of the effort that we all put into our endeavors. I congratulate the graduates and celebrate their success with all who supported them: faculty, staff, parents, spouses, and friends. Not only has it been a busy spring, it has also been an important and productive time for the campus’s people and programs. So many good things have happened over the last few months it would take quite a while to mention them all. I do however want to make sure that you are aware of some of the accomplishments and activities we’ve enjoyed at Radford over the last few months. As I’m sure you remember I was able to announce at our last meeting the naming of anthropology professor Dr. Cliff Boyd as a recipient of the 2008 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, the Commonwealth’s highest honor for educators at Virginia’s colleges and universities. Dr. Boyd was honored at a ceremony in Richmond on February 20th. He has also just been nominated by RU as a CASE Professor of the Year. But I want you to know that Dr. Boyd is not giving any thought to resting on his laurels. This summer, with his wife and colleague, Dr. Donna Boyd (who by the way, is also a Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award winner and a CASE U.S. Professor of the Year) along with RU’s esteemed physics professor Dr. Rhett Herman, Cliff will supervise a group of seven RU students in an archaeological and geophysical survey at Guadalcanal in an attempt to locate remains of members of a US Marine Patrol killed during the August 1942 Battle for Guadalcanal. I look forward to keeping you all up to date on the project. The Guadalcanal project is an excellent example of our commitment to student and faculty collaborative research -- a commitment that sets us apart from other colleges and universities with whom we compete for faculty and students. Many Radford undergraduates are deeply involved in research in their specific areas of study. We find that the dedication of our faculty and the close scholarly relationships that develop between our students and professors bring out the best in our undergrads. A good example of this is the National Conference on Undergraduate Research held earlier this month in Salisbury, Maryland. Twenty-four out of a total of 27 RU student submissions were accepted for presentation at the meeting. Thirty-four Radford students participated in the 24 presentations. Of the 307 colleges and universities presenting at this year’s conference, only 24 schools had more presentations accepted than RU. I’d say it’s quite an accomplishment to be in that top 25! Another indication of the depth of scholarship at Radford was our celebration of the achievements of many of our students at the Radford University Student Awards Ceremony this month, more than 70 students were recognized for their many contributions and achievements over the past academic year. Among those being recognized were thirteen students who received the Outstanding Student Award for their academic achievements, service contributions on- and off-campus, and their overall achievements throughout the year. Two seniors, Ashley Hall and Courtney Lerch have received this award three times in their four years at RU. Ashley will graduate with a degree in Education and Courtney with a degree in Criminal Justice. I am also delighted to note that our student representative to the Board, Juliann Abercrombie, was a recipient of the Outstanding Student Award. Juliann, we offer our sincere congratulations. I am proud of all of the outstanding young men and women on our campus. Their dedication, hard work and achievements are an inspiration to all. And while our students are busy in the classroom, the library and the lab, they also find the time to learn outside the usual venues we associate with higher education. Through a vibrant and wide-ranging experiential learning, student internship and student activity program, RU’s students take learning outside the classroom and participate in programs that delight and instruct. This month, International Week 2008 was capped off with RU’s 17th Annual International Banquet. More than 300 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended this event at which students prepared 21 main dishes and desserts from more than 15 countries including Japan, Italy, China, Trinidad & Tobago, Ireland, Brazil and Ethiopia, just to name a few. The evening also included entertainment featuring martial arts, Arabic poetry, a fashion show, Ethiopian dance, and belly dancing. The banquet was the culmination of International Week which included various events to promote a deeper understanding of the world’s cultures. And while we recognize the importance of providing our students with life-enriching programs and activities both in and outside the classroom, we are also acutely aware of our responsibility to do our absolute best to provide a secure and safe campus. As part of that task, RU has been active in setting a high standard for meeting and exceeding recommendations from state and federal agencies for promoting safety on campus. RU’S Emergency Preparedness Program is providing service and programs across the campus to support and encourage safety awareness throughout the campus community. The university has made a significant effort to keep us at the forefront of preparation, training and notification. The Office of Emergency Preparedness has been established at RU and the two-person staff is responsible for updating and testing the Emergency Preparedness Plan and coordinating the Emergency Operations Center. The personnel in our office, Dr. Dennie Templeton and Todd Branscome are very active in contributing expertise and information to the Virginia Higher Education Preparedness Consortium. The Consortium provides independent advice and recommendations from the Commonwealth’s academic community to the Executive Offices of the Governor and other state entities. Many aspects of our safety program continue to be enhanced and improved. The RU Police Department has received additional training and equipment for its special response team which is activated in emergencies. The university’s alert notification system, which notifies the University community by e-mail, phone and text message of emergency situations, has been successfully tested several times during the past year. More than 5,500 people have signed up for the alerts. The campus siren and public address systems are operational and have been routinely tested. Additionally, RU’s web site has a permanent “RU on Alert” web page that provides general information regarding university emergency preparedness. In the event of an actual emergency, this page is switched with the university’s home page, so that pertinent information is available immediately. Over the summer, plans are in place for safety-oriented improvements and modifications to our physical plant. This includes the review of all exterior doors and the replacement of those with open-bar latches. We are also assessing and changing the procedure for locking doors on campus, with special attention to securing residence halls. At the September meeting of the Board, the revised Emergency Preparedness Plan will be presented for approval as required by legislation passed in the 2008 General Assembly session. Another note on public safety -- Chief Granville Hampton has officially notified the University that he will be retiring at the end of December. He has been at RU in the Police Department for 25 years. He began his career here as a work-study student and progressed through the ranks until he was named Chief of Police in 2002. The University wants to express its deep appreciation to Chief Hampton for his dedicated service throughout his career here. As I’m sure you remember, we were gathered in Richmond for the January Board of Visitors meeting. Some of you participated in our visits with the Governor, key legislators and other state executives as we told the Radford story in the state capital. I believe it was time very well spent. Radford’s success during this legislative session is testimony to the hard work and diligence of all who support the university’s legislative efforts. Highlights of our success in Richmond this year include what I consider to be a major accomplishment for Radford—the Governor signed legislation defining Level II criteria as required by the 2005 Restructuring Act for Higher Education. This legislation will provide additional decentralization opportunities in the functional areas of information technology, procurement, and capital projects. RU meets the Level II criteria to be considered for the higher level of decentralization. The first requirement that a university must meet to request consideration for Level II status is to be certified by the State Council of Higher Education that the institution has met all of its performance goals for fiscal year 2006-07. SCHEV will certify institutions at its May 13 meeting. At this time, based on the information SCHEV has reviewed, I anticipate we will receive the Council’s certification. Under the Act, starting July 1, 2008, institutions may enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of Education for additional operational authority in any two of these three approved functional areas of IT, procurement and capital projects. By statute, at least two-thirds of an institution’s board of visitors must approve. If all goes as expected, at the September board meeting, we will bring recommendations to you regarding which of the three areas RU should pursue. The flexibility and responsiveness that goes along with increased operational authority in any of these areas will be a significant advantage for Radford. It allows us to act decisively and rapidly -- resulting in efficiency, cost-savings and better resource management. There’s more very good news on the line from Richmond -- Radford University has received authority to create doctoral programs within its mission without having to obtain permission from the Governor and the General Assembly for each proposed program. In other words, if we have consent from SCHEV to move forward with a program, Radford no longer has to present the proposed program to the Governor and the General Assembly for authorization to move ahead. The university also continues to work effectively with state government to improve and add to our campus. We have been provided $34.3 million in state funding to begin in earnest on a new building for the College of Business and Economics. We have also received approval to supplement the project with $10 million of private funding. Additionally, we received $1.5 million in state funding to begin planning a new building for Science and Technology. The Governor and the General Assembly have also given authority to RU to issue $90 million in University-funded debt for construction of the addition to the “Bonnie,” a fitness center, a parking deck and three new residence halls. We are very excited about the ongoing construction of the Douglas and Beatrice Covington Fine Arts Center which is underway at the corner of Main and Jefferson. This $20 million project is scheduled for completion in October. This week we received bids for the renovation of Young Hall. As the Board of Visitors requested, this renovation was designed to convert this major classroom building into a state-of-the-art facility that would be a symbol of the dedication to teaching and learning at RU. We knew that the revised project would exceed the $5.7 million in state funding, but I am happy to report that the bid prices were very competitive and we will need less than an additional $1 million from university or private funds to fully fund the complete renovation. Finally, the renovation of Heth Hall is also underway. This important project will allow us to centralize student services. Invitation for bids will go out April 24th. These additions and modifications to the university physical campus and infrastructure are necessary as we strive to offer our students great facilities and a state of the art campus. See the RU News Release for more information about our future construction projects. One of the important technology improvements underway at RU is the implementation of the new Banner Administrative System. The project is progressing on schedule and within the approved budget of $16 million. We celebrated the first major milestone for Banner in February when the RU Financial Aid office successfully launched into production Phase I of the new Financial Aid System. All of the university’s project teams are working extremely hard to meet very aggressive timelines. As we look to the future for this project, Phase I of the Finance System and the Fund Raising System are scheduled to go into production in July. The final phase of Financial Aid is scheduled to go into production in August. The remaining systems will launch in 2009 and 2010. And our new RU portal project is well underway with an expected roll-out in January of 2009. Technology like the Banner administrative system is extraordinarily helpful in promoting efficiency and making sure we are good stewards of the resources we receive. But without the vision and wisdom of dedicated and experienced people, the university cannot accomplish its important initiatives. As the 7-17 Strategic Plan articulates, we have made academic excellence our highest priority and we will accomplish that goal through wise investment in people. As testimony to that enterprise, I would cite the addition of four new deans to Radford University. We have hired Dr. Dennis Grady as dean of the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. He will join us on June 2. Dean Grady brings nearly 20 years of academic experience to this position. Prior to joining RU, Dean Grady worked at Appalachian State University, where he served as director of ASU’s Energy Center at the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School and chair of the Department of Political Science/Criminal Justice. I am also pleased to note that we have hired Dr. Faye Gilbert as dean of the College of Business and Economics. Dean Gilbert will join the RU team on June 1. She was previously dean of the J. Whitney Bunting School of Business at Georgia College & State University and was associate dean of the MBA program and a professor of marketing at the University of Mississippi. We have recently named Dr. Brian Conniff as dean of the College of Humanities and Behavorial Sciences. Dean Conniff comes to RU from the University of Dayton, where he has been Professor of English and, for the past eight years, Chair of the Department of English. He’ll begin his deanship here on July 1. I am happy to report that we found the last of our new deans right here in the RU family. Dr. Orion Rogers will serve as founding dean of the College of Science and Technology. Dean Rogers began his RU career in 1994 as an assistant professor. Since then, he was promoted to associate professor, full professor, chair of the biology department and, most recently, interim associate dean of the College of Science and Technology. These outstanding scholars will provide leadership and insight to their respective school’s faculty and students. I look forward to working with them. I am also proud to mention another outstanding hire for Radford. We have hired Lynn Zoch as the founding director of our new School of Communication. As you know, RU’s School of Communication combines the departments of communication and media studies and will open for classes in the fall of 2008. The School will offer undergraduate degrees with concentrations in advertising, corporate communication and public advocacy, journalism, production technology, public relations, and web design. The school will also offer a master of science degree in corporate and professional communication. While Radford University’s academic reputation grows, we are also seeing great success in athletics. Our priority is academic excellence, but we know that an outstanding university athletics program is an important and integral component of the collegiate experience. I am proud to say that Radford University continues to take giant steps forward on the athletic front. I just want to take a moment to mention a few of our student athletes and their wonderful accomplishments. Our women’s basketball team capped off an exciting and record breaking 23-win season, a second place finish in the Big South Tournament and an invitation to the Women’s NIT. Their success was due, in large part, to the recruiting and coaching of Jeri Porter, who recently announced that she is leaving Radford after six years. I want to publicly thank Jeri for her dedication to RU and for the positive impact she’s had on the young women who have participated in our basketball program. Our Highlander baseball team is made up of a wonderful group of enthusiastic and energetic players. So far this year, they’ve recorded 16 wins against a challenging group of teams such as High Point, James Madison University, Seton Hall and East Tennessee State University. Coach Joe Raccuia is building a solid program. The women’s softball team is hitting a home run this year with an incredible season full of honors. This week, senior Ashley Taylor has been awarded her sixth Big South New Balance Pitcher of the Week honor. This is the third consecutive week she has received this honor. And senior Ashley Carlson became Radford’s all-time hits leader as the Highlanders swept Elon on Tuesday. The softball team now has a 37-13 record. Both the baseball and softball teams are enjoying a new indoor practice facility that we opened in the Fall of last year. This climate controlled building includes batting cages and raised pitching mounds. Our softball and baseball teams are able to use this indoor facility for hitting and pitching practice during the winter months, the hottest summer months and in inclement weather. This facility will increase our short term and long term success on the field and in recruiting top players. Our men’s tennis team this past weekend earned its second straight Big South Championship title by defeating Winthrop and earned an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Also last weekend, Shemelia Brandon earned the Most Outstanding Field Performer on the final day of the 2008 New Balance Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She was one of five Highlanders to earn All-Conference honors. And I have to take a moment to pay homage to the Radford University Rugby Club. While this isn’t a varsity sport, it is a very successful team. The Rugby Club defeated the Coast Guard Academy 48-15 at the Division II Elite 8 Tournament in Albuquerque last Sunday to advance to the Division II national championship match at Stanford University, which will take place on May 3. The club will face Utah Valley College, an upset winner over defending Division II national champion Middlebury College. Also in athletic news, the renovation of the Dedmon Center is now underway. This important $15.8 million project will replace the entire roof with a steel truss supported system and will also replace the building’s HVAC system. All of this activity in the area of intercollegiate athletics is indicative of a new approach and a new enthusiasm in the department and among Highlander fans. And in recognition of the people who give so generously and the students who benefit from that kindness, Radford University and the Radford University Foundation honored 105 scholarship benefactors & 94 scholarship recipients at a dinner earlier this month in Muse Hall. Twenty-one newly endowed scholarships were announced and five new presidential scholarship recipients received a scholarship medal. These talented young men and women are Sarah Dawn Easter of High Point, North Carolina; Catherine Furry of Salem, Virginia; Rebekah Elizabeth Lewis of Appomattox, Virginia; Christina Marie Nolin of Concord, North Carolina; and Thomas Matthew Prater of Saltville, Virginia. Just a quick reminder -- the auction of the St. Albans property will take place on May 16. We have made plans to vacate some of our offices at RU West and will be doing so over the coming months. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention that one of our own received a great honor last week. I was pleased to be in attendance in Richmond on April 17 when RJ Kirk was named Virginia’s Outstanding Industrialist of the Year. The award is given annually to a living resident of the Commonwealth for recent achievement in any aspect of Virginia business or industry. RJ had a large group of friends present, including Governor Tim Kaine; Lieutenant Governor and Mrs. Bill Bolling; Attorney General Bob McDonnell; board members Thomas Fraim, Nancy Agee and Mark Pace; Kirk’s uncle, George Harvey; and Alana Czypinski. Congratulations, RJ, on an award well-merited. I can’t think of a more fitting way to conclude my report to you. Radford University is invested in making a significant difference in the lives of all who come here. The 7-17 transformation is underway! Thank you. |
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