May 2, 2025

Radford University is one of the sponsors of the Community School's Strawberry Festival, taking place in downtown Roanoke today and tomorrow, May 2 and 3. Come by our table at the festival to say hi and then enjoy some great spring sweet treats!

We made it to the championship! And now, it’s time for a final faceoff with the ETSU Buccaneers in the final round of the Top Adventure College competition, brought to you by Blue Ridge Outdoors.

Vote before May 6 to help Radford claim the title as the Top Adventure College!

After the May 9 edition of Radford University CONNECTED, the e-newsletter will switch to a bi-weekly schedule for the summer. Editions this summer will be published on the following Fridays:

Weekly editions will resume with the Aug. 22 edition. If you have time-sensitive information to share with faculty and staff this summer, please plan ahead to submit your content for one of the dates listed above. All content will be due by the end of the day on the Wednesday before the publication date.

Every year, Radford University’s Information Technology Services (IT) provides security awareness training to staff and faculty as part of efforts to help keep everyone informed and prepared for cyber threats. One of the most common – and dangerous – attack methods remains phishing. These attacks often start with a seemingly harmless e-mail and end with stolen credentials, financial loss or compromised data. The security awareness training is intended to help you identify and respond to these threats before they cause harm. This training is not just a checkbox – it’s a frontline defense in protecting our people and our data.

A recent example highlights the stakes: just two weeks ago, we had two connected phishing incidents that resulted in multiple phishing e-mails being sent from a compromised Radford University e-mail account in the middle of the night. Multiple people were affected. Fortunately, no financial or data impact occurred, but it could have been much worse. This kind of incident demonstrates what is at risk and what security awareness training is intended to prevent.

The security awareness training only takes about an hour and is designed to be relevant to real-world threats. You’ll learn how to spot suspicious messages, verify senders and respond appropriately when something doesn’t seem right. Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and by completing your training, you help build a safer workplace for all. Don’t let the next phishing attack be your wake-up call.

As the university community prepares to wrap up the spring semester and head into summer, please be aware that the parking portal is going to look a little different when we return in the fall.

Parking Services is excited to announce that it is upgrading its parking management system. The entire parking experience — from permits to parking lot signs and everything in between — will have a new look and feel, along with more user-friendly features and more sustainable functionality.

Stay tuned for updates and sneak peeks throughout the summer.

(Please note that the new parking system and related QR codes are not active yet.)

The Department of Human Resource Management and the Office of Health Benefits would like to inform you of a change to the 2025-2026 Open Enrollment period for health benefits and flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

This is your annual opportunity to review your benefits and make any updates for the coming year. Please mark your calendars and plan accordingly to ensure you have the coverage that best fits your needs. We’ll continue to share reminders and resources to help you navigate your options.

Congratulations go to two Radford University College of Visual and Performing Arts professors. Jennifer McDonel, associate professor in the Department of Music, and Amy VanKirk, associate professor in the Department of Dance, were honored at the Academic Affairs Awards Ceremony and Reception this week. VanKirk received the Distinguished Creative Scholar Award, and McDonel received the Dalton Eminent Scholar Award.

Are you interested in writing a grant? The federal government is not the only entity that provides grant opportunities supporting research, scholarship or creative activities.

With the uncertainty of federal grants, it is really important to understand other avenues of funding. Our colleagues at Hanover have launched a non-federal funding resource site that will equip you with tools to thrive in this ever-changing environment. The non-federal funding resource site features recorded webinars, practical guides and prospecting resources for non-federal funders.

If you are planning your next research project that involves either human subjects or animals, help is available for submitting your protocol on IRBManager. Ricky Calderon, Radford University’s research compliance coordinator, can guide you through the process.

Professor Laura Kimball’s Interior Design Senior Studio students have been lending their creative talents to the revitalization of the City of Radford’s east-side downtown corridor through a dynamic partnership with local developer Taylor Hollow Management.

Finals Week is almost here – let’s encourage students to prepare, stay focused and take care of themselves. A small gesture, like offering study tips or checking in, can make a big difference. Thank you for supporting their success!