March 15, 2024

Marketing and Communication will present an update on the university branding initiative on Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, 28. The presentation will cover the latest information about the brand roll out, including recent achievements and next steps. It will also provide tips on how employees can bring the brand pillars to life in their daily interactions with current and prospective students/families and other university stakeholders.

Both events will be held in Kyle Hall, Room 340 on Radford’s main campus and will be available via Zoom. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch to the sessions.

To join either session, go to https://radford.zoom.us/j/96631684605
Passcode: 757167

Radford University has earned the ALL IN: Campus Democracy Challenge Highly Established Action Plan seal for the 2024 election cycle for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan that received a 32.3 score of 36 possible points based on the Strengthening American Democracy Action Planning Guide (SADG) Rubric.

The Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. The initiative envisions a more engaged and inclusive democracy through institutional engagement, direct student engagement and fostering a national higher education network. ALL IN strives for an electorate that mirrors America’s makeup and in which college students are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis during and between elections.

Additionally, ALL IN emphasizes that a strong, vibrant and more representative American democracy will result from the greater inclusion of informed college student voters.

Radford University is one of only 93 colleges and universities nationwide that have earned this recognition so far for the 2024 election cycle.

“I’ve been part of the voter efforts at three institutions now, and Radford University is the first to go from start to Highly Established in two years,” said Chapman Rackaway, chair and professor of the Radford University Department of Political Science. “We’ve been able to do so because of a great campus voter team that includes Alyssa Archer, Daniel Reed, Jennifer Rentschler, Charlie Jewell, Jean Mistele, the city registrar of elections, Lindsey Holman, and our rock star student, I'yonah Cartwright. I'll pass the congratulations on to them as they richly deserve it.”

Rackaway added that through initiatives like the Campus Democracy Challenge, students see opportunities to lead and the value of contributing — both important cultural touchstones.

“I'm grateful for the commitment to civic engagement that has been imbued here at Radford University,” Rackaway said. “We couldn’t have done this without your support, and we’ll have even more opportunities for our students to vote and contribute to the New River Valley this fall.”

The Office of Student Involvement is gearing up for the re-registration of all clubs and organizations. If you are listed as an advisor, you and your student officers will receive an e-mail notification from RU Involved prompting you to re-register the organization. Student Involvement highly recommends that your student officers take the initiative to complete this task.

For more information, contact Katarina Alatis, assistant director for Student Involvement, at kalatis@radford.edu

Save the date for Radford University’s annual Summer Institute in Research and Creativity, May 13-17, presented by the Office of Faculty Development. This multi-day series of events will be offered both in-person and via Zoom and will include sessions on how to:

The institute will also integrate dedicated research time into the session schedule so that participants can launch summer projects.

Details about registration will be available soon. Contact Heather Keith at hkeith1@radford.edu for more information.

The Office of Student Involvement is accepting nominations for annual honors given to outstanding student organizations, exceptional faculty/staff organization advisors and exemplary student leaders. Please see the Student Awards page on RU Involved to learn more about each award and submit a nomination. All nominations are due by 5 p.m. on April 3.

Winners will be honored at the 2024 Student Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in the Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium. 

For more information about nominations and the Student Awards Ceremony, contact Jen Rentschler, director for Student Involvement, at jrentschler@radford.edu. 

With support from a $100,000 grant on behalf of the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP), Radford’s new Highlander Works Grant Program will address student needs in work-based learning opportunities. The Highlander Works Grant program assists students in covering cost-of-living expenses incurred when participating in for-credit internships. By meeting needs such as transportation assistance, purchase of professional attire or uniforms, housing costs or other necessary expenses, the program assures that students can focus on making the most of valuable pre-professional experiences.

“Each year, our students forgo valuable internship opportunities for various reasons, including unpaid or underpaid internships, need for housing stipends or steep travel costs,” said Jeanne Mekolichick, associate provost for Research, Faculty, Success and Strategic Initiatives. “This grant will create more opportunities for students to participate in these career-enhancing experiences.”

The Center for Career and Talent Development office will manage the program. Requests can be funded in part or in full up to $5,000 per student. Additional information, including online application materials, is available by visiting the Highlander Works Grant Program webpage or by contacting Lee Svete at lsvete@radford.edu.

The McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement (MCGEE) is planning to expand Radford’s faculty-led education abroad programs. If you are a faculty member with an idea for an education abroad experience, please contact Katy Cortes, education abroad coordinator, via the link below to begin developing a program proposal.

The process of developing a program can take several months, so now is the time to start thinking about programming for 2025’s spring break and summer. MCGEE offers full support through the proposal process — all you need to bring are your ideas and interests, and MCGEE can help with the rest.

Faculty-led programs at Radford typically last a week to a month and can be structured to offer a wide variety of experiences for students. MCGEE has offered research trips, cultural tours and visits to businesses and educational, social and non-governmental organization (NGO) programs in other countries.

The Office of Faculty Development invites all faculty, staff and students to the next installment of the Common Grounds discussion series on Wednesday, March 27, from noon-1 p.m. in the Highlander House on the fourth floor of Radford University at Carilion in Roanoke.

The prompt for this conversation will be “Healthcare Humanities:  The Role of Values in Providing Care.”

This in-person event includes free coffee and desserts, or you are welcome to bring your lunch. Common Grounds is sponsored by the Civil Discourse and Freedom of Expression Working Group, which aims to build the university community’s capacity to collaborate across differences. It is co-sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

It’s that time of year again — time to complete Radford University’s annual Security Awareness Training provided by Information Technology Services (IT). Whether you’ve been at Radford forever or you are just starting out, this training is intended to inform you about how you can protect yourself and the university from potential cyber threats.

What you can expect from the training
IT regularly covers topics like phishing and password security, but this year will also include new topics like artificial intelligence and remote access.

Invitations will be sent to take the training on Monday, March 18. Please complete the training at your earliest convenience.

Tartan Tails is accepting applications for the next cohort of teams through April 3 by 5 p.m.

What is Tartan Tails?
Tartan Tails is a wellness program that promotes well-being across the Radford University community through positive interactions with trained and certified animals. The practice of pet therapy has gained considerable recognition for its numerous benefits, as it has been shown to alleviate stress, reduce anxiety, enhance mood and promote overall healing. Tartan Tails aims to further Radford’s approach of holistic wellness by using the advantages of pet therapy to enhance the lives of individuals within our community.

Who should apply?
Anyone affiliated with Radford University is eligible to apply to the program. First preference will be given to faculty and staff. Employees who wish to apply must obtain the signatures of their supervisors/department heads on the supervisor support form at the time the application is submitted. Ideally, animals will be at least a year old. Owners must have had the animal for a minimum of six months.

Where can I find more information?
More information, including time commitment, financial obligation, selection process and training, is available on the application and Tartan Tails webpage. Questions can be sent to tartantails@radford.edu. 

The New River Symposium 2024 will be held at Radford University April 11-12. The event, hosted by the New River Conservancy, celebrates the social, economic and scientific value of the New River, bringing together the river’s diverse constituents and providing a forum for partnership, research and policy development.

Jess Rothe, associate director of the Radford University Student Recreation and Wellness Center, is on the conservancy’s board of directors and worked with the organization to host the symposium at Radford. This year’s symposium theme is “Rivers³ – Reconnect, Restore and Recreate.” The symposium will feature President Danilowicz as the keynote speaker on April 11.

The New River Symposium is a multidisciplinary conference and celebration of the New River watershed, open to anyone with a professional or amateur interest in the New River.  Anthropologists, artists, teachers, students (undergraduate and graduate), historians, researchers, community leaders, government officials, stewards, river keepers, planners, boaters, birders, anglers and friends from up and down the New River are all welcome.

A limited number of student attendance scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please let students who are interested in applying for a scholarship know to contact Lisa Stansell at info@newriverconservancy.org.

The annual Traditions Week celebrations will take place April 1-6. This series of events presents an event each day to celebrate a group of students on their Radford journey. Faculty and staff are invited to join in the festivities, including:

Did you know that Radford University has a longstanding commitment to sustainability and has a Sustainability Office?

In 1991, President Dedmon signed the Talloires Declaration, the first official statement made by university presidents to show a commitment to sustainability in higher education. Radford University was also one of the first universities in Virginia to create a recycling program.

What can you do to make Radford University more sustainable?

At Radford University, we believe in excellence that is easily accessible.