September 4, 2026

Mark your calendars for these upcoming opportunities and scroll down to read more about them in this issue of CONNECTED.

Our Highlander community includes a new student from Alaska and another new student from Hawaii this year!

Through a partnership led by the New River Valley Regional Commission, the City of Radford and Radford University are working together with Downtown Strategies to shape the future of downtown Radford. The resulting five-year action plan will focus on practical, community-driven actions that support economic vitality, strengthen connections between downtown and campus and create near-term wins that contribute to a shared long-term vision for the community.

You are invited to be part of the process. A stakeholder input session will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at The HUB@Radford University, 1000 E. Main St. in Radford. Please RSVP for this session if you plan to attend.

In addition, you can share your input via an online survey, which is available through Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Join the Radford University Division of Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications for an informative campus enrollment webinar on Friday, Sept. 25, from 1-2:15 p.m. Dannette Gomez Beane, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications, will be joined by Ben Hagan from EAB to talk through many of the data points from national trends.

The seminar will include a 45-minute presentation, followed by time for questions. Participants can attend via Zoom at https://radford.zoom.us/j/93357153590 after logging in to your Radford University Zoom account. The session will also be recorded.

Ahead of this seminar, you can view a short recording that includes some high-level recruitment information for Radford University as well as information about this fall’s open houses for prospective students and their families.

The Radford University Office of Parking Services is announcing upcoming parking lot closures in support of events taking place on the main campus in Radford.

In support of AdventureWorks: An Outdoor Economy Summit and Shaping Tomorrow: Building the Regional Economy Together.

In support of the Data Informed Decision-Making professional learning event:

Alternate parking suggestions include, but are not limited to, Lots E, DC, BF, Z, IM and BL. Please see the Radford University parking map for these locations and for additional alternate parking lots for use.

Parking access remains available with a valid disabled parking placard or disabled license plate in handicapped spaces or regular parking spaces.

Parking Services appreciates your understanding and support of these updates and events on campus.

Classified employees who have not yet completed their 2025 Performance Cycle plans will have their 2026 Performance Cycle plans launched on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

Please note that the launch of the 2026 Performance Cycle does not replace the requirement to complete outstanding 2025 performance plans. Supervisors and employees should work together to finalize any remaining 2025 plans while also completing the necessary steps for the 2026 cycle.

Information on performance management, including a user manual and training videos for the PageUp system, can be accessed on the Performance Management webpage.

The Radford University Art Museum is hosting an opening reception for two exhibitions at the art gallery in the Covington Center and the Tyler Gallery at 214 Tyler Ave.

Mexico’s Wixárika culture is renowned for its pre-Columbian religious traditions, peyote rituals and colorfully spectacular yarn paintings. Radford University’s collection of works by five master Wixárika yarn painters is the largest and best documented public collection of their works outside of Mexico.

The equally colorful exhibition in Tyler Gallery celebrates acrylic painting by leading Southwest Virginia visionary artist Starroot, whose long career has been influenced by contemporary Wixárika and ancient Mayan arts.

The opening on Wednesday, Sept. 9, will begin in Covington at 5 p.m. with curator’s remarks at 5:30 p.m. for the Wixárika exhibition.

Guests will then transition to the Tyler Gallery, which will be open from 6-8 p.m. for the Starroot exhibition. Food and beverages will be served. Parking will be free in Lot S (near Covington) and Lot F (on Tyler).

Wixárika Image: "Pacification of the Rocks" (1975, 4' x 8' yarn painting) by Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios (1923-2003) Kolla-Landwehr Foundation Collection, Radford University; © Kolla-Landwehr Foundation Collection & Wixárika Research Center.

Starroot Image: “Yellow Magnetic Sun II" (2025, 3' x 3' acrylic painting on canvas) by Starroot. Collection of the artist; © Starroot.

Radford University's employees and students can request free access to BoodleBox Pro. The secure platform brings several leading AI models together in one workspace. It also removes the cost of maintaining separate subscriptions.

BoodleBox includes:

BoodleBox can support research, image generation, teaching and learning. Users can compare models, create custom bots and collaborate in shared spaces. The platform makes it easier to build practical and responsible AI skills without advanced technical experience.

You can learn more about BoodleBox and request an account now. Subscriptions are limited.

Radford University’s Department of Academic Technologies is offering several different training opportunities in September. Training is open to employees and students. All sessions are in Walker Hall 275 on the main campus, with the option to join remotely. Click on a link below to learn more and register for the training.

The inaugural Family and Friends Golf Classic is coming on Friday, Sept. 18, at Auburn Hills Golf Club to kick off Family and Friends Weekend.

This event brings together students, alumni, families, community members, university supporters and local businesses for a fun day on the course, with proceeds supporting Recreation and Wellness programs that enhance the student experience at Radford. 

Lunch and the range open at 11:30 a.m., with a 1 p.m. tee-off time. Registration is required to participate.

If you’re looking for new books to read, consider trying a title that was chosen by a recently tenured faculty member. These selected titles are in the University Libraries collection, and each print version bears a bookplate inside the front cover, recognizing the faculty member who chose the book.

Many titles are available in ebook format, too. Find your next read by using Super Search on the University Libraries webpage.

Two Radford University theatre program alumni, Amy Rox Surratt ’06 and Deejay Gray ’10, are collaborating on a new work to be presented at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York City.

Surratt and Gray’s piece, “COUNTRY/CONVENIENCE”, is a “new experimental operetta, presented as a workshop performance.” The world-renowned La Mama is an off-off-Broadway theatre that has become a premier space for experimental and avant-garde artists and performance.

Find out how Radford students, faculty and staff are finding their place and shaping tomorrow – together.

Highlanders in the News: Week of Aug. 31

Radford celebrates third annual Community Fest – with double the impact 

Highlanders ‘find their place’ (literally) during Move-in Days 2026