October 10, 2025

The Radford University fountain, known as Chip, will be freed at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. The ceremonial removal of the fence surrounding the fountain is part of Homecoming events.

We’re welcoming the entire Highlander family – alumni, students, employees and the community – to campus for a weekend of tradition, celebration and fun. From Friday through Sunday, Oct. 10-12, Radford University will overflow with events and energy that remind us of what it means to call this place home.

Homecoming, taking place from Oct. 9-11, is a weekend full of alumni reunions, campus activities, athletic events, long-standing traditions and just plain fun that takes place across campus – including on Moffett Lawn, at the Dedmon Center and in downtown Radford. You can see the full schedule of events on the website.

The Radford Highlanders Festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Moffett Lawn and will feature Highland games, crafts, food, live music and stage performances, the Radford University Highlanders Pipes and Drums and the “Under the Kilt” alumni reunion gathering.

Whether you attend to connect with old classmates, reunite with former faculty, celebrate your Scottish heritage or simply join the fun for the first time, let’s come together, celebrate our traditions and show our Highlander pride – past, present and future.

October is National Cybersecurity Month, and Radford University’s Department of Information Technology Services would like to remind you about the challenges we may face with quickly developing advancements in technology, like artificial intelligence (AI).

AI has the potential to become the newest “colleague” on campus — summarizing research, drafting emails and even helping with data analysis. It’s efficient, tireless and sometimes a little too confident in its assertions. 

But as we look to integrate AI into our daily work, cybersecurity concerns are ever-present and on the rise.

AI tools are increasingly being used to process data and manage sensitive information. If AI is not used carefully, that data could end up in places it shouldn’t. A well-meaning upload to ChatGPT today could become tomorrow’s permanent data leak.

Even more ironic, the same AI that helps us flag suspicious behavior can also be used by attackers to impersonate us. Phishing emails now read like real messages from a department chair, and fake login pages can look eerily official.

The key takeaway is to use AI with the same care you’d give any third-party system handling university data. Think before you paste, verify before you click and stay just a little skeptical of any “urgent” email that sounds a bit too polished. And in the ultimate twist of irony, portions of this friendly reminder about the risks of AI were, in fact, written by AI.

All full-time Virginia state employees must complete the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) State Employee Safety and Disaster Awareness training by Monday, Nov. 17, in compliance with Executive Order 41 and Code of Virginia § 2.2-1212. This requirement applies to all full-time classified staff, administrative and professional (AP) faculty and teaching and research (T&R) faculty at Radford University. It does not apply to adjunct, wage or temporary employees.

To complete the 30-minute training:

Your participation helps ensure a safe and prepared campus.

The Highlander Bookstore will host a Graduation Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for students participating in Winter Commencement. Please let your graduating students know about these details.

Regalia will be available for students to purchase in-store or to order online by visiting the Winter Commencement webpage and clicking the “purchase regalia” online link through Nov. 11. After this date, student graduation regalia can be purchased at the bookstore up through the day of graduation.

In addition to regalia and related item vendors, the fair will host the Office of Alumni Relations, the Center for Career and Talent Development, the Office of Graduate Affairs and University Advancement.

For faculty, regalia is available to purchase or rent by contacting Michael Maiolo, Highlander Bookstore manager, at mmaiolo@ecampus.com by Saturday, Nov. 1.

The Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) has announced the Second Annual Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, from 3-5 p.m. in Richmond, Virginia, at the General Assembly Building.

Radford University has been invited to submit up to five poster proposals, and up to two of those submissions could be selected for the event by NURVa.

All applications submitted by midnight on Friday, Nov. 14, will be evaluated by the Radford University Office of Undergraduate Research (OURS) advisory committee according to the NURVa criteria. NURVa will make the ultimate decisions by Dec. 15.

For more information, contact OURS at ours@radford.edu.

Radford University Department of Art professor Carlee Bradbury was a recent guest on the radio program, “With Good Reason.” She spoke with host Sarah McConnell about the realities of being a medieval princess as opposed to the Disney version, especially in the film “Sleeping Beauty.”

The episode featuring Bradbury is devoted to the topic of “girlhood.”

The Radford University Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning and Academic Technologies will host a Staff Accessibility Bootcamp on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to noon in Heth Hall 043 and via Zoom.

By April 2026, state and local governments must ensure that their digital materials comply with the updated accessibility standards set forth under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This landmark deadline emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive digital environments that provide equal access to services and information for individuals with disabilities. You can learn more about this deadline and why it matters on the Academic Technologies website.

This session will provide you with the nuts and bolts of document accessibility. Word, PowerPoint and PDF accessibility will be discussed. This training is geared towards staff, AP faculty and graduate student assistants who have responsibilities for creating or remediating documents that will be housed in digital formats on web pages, in D2L or on social media.

Bring a laptop and a few documents to work on – a Word document, a PowerPoint presentation or a PDF.

If you plan to attend in person, registration is required, and in-person participation is limited to 50.

If you will attend via Zoom, you do not need to register. The Zoom link can be found on the registration page.

Ryan Rogers, Radford University’s new director of choral activities, will lead the University Chorus, Chorale and Radford Singers in an evening of vocal music on Monday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Davis Performance Hall in the Douglas and Beatrice Covington Center for Visual and Performing Art. The performance, entitled “The Water Is Wide,” will center on the theme of water, examining it from different perspectives, reflecting on its roles as a source of life and civilization and a powerful, destructive force. The free concert is open to everyone.

Are you looking for a research article, book chapter or just the latest mystery novel, but it’s not in Radford’s University Libraries collection? Interlibrary Loan (ILL) has you covered.

Employees and students are all welcome to use the ILL services. The library will borrow your requested materials from other libraries free of charge and usually have them in your hands within a matter of days.

To get started, go to the ILL request page, either by visiting illiad.radford.edu or by choosing the Interlibrary Loan Quick Link on the University Libraries’ homepage. Once you have logged in using your Radford University credentials, you can fill out the request form for the material you want.

If you requested an article, you will be emailed when it arrives and given a link for access. If you requested a book, you will be notified that it is ready for pickup at the front desk of your selected library – either McConnell Library in Radford or the RUC Library in Roanoke. Distance education students can have ILL books mailed to them at home.

For more information about ILL, email ill@radford.edu or call 540-831-6126.

All applications for the Radford University Office of Undergraduate Research (OURS) support have been moved to one easy-to-find location on the Radford University website.

On the Support Your Research webpage, you can apply:

The Radford University Center for Career and Talent Development will host the Fall 2025 Government, Criminal Justice, Public Services Career and Internship Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Student Recreation & Wellness Center on the main campus in Radford.

Let your students know about this afternoon of networking, job opportunities and career growth as job seekers connect with the region’s top employers.

This event is open to all students and in all majors. Candidates should dress professionally and bring resumes to distribute at this event

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, at noon, the new Radford University Arts and Wellness Center will host its first event in the Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity performance hub in the atrium. Members of the center will be on hand with art-centered opportunities, music and healthy snacks that aid you in your wellness journey.

Stop by as you can to play, create, dream, think, breathe and ask questions about the new Arts and Wellness Center.