November 14, 2025

Every university department, athletic team and registered student organization may reserve the game room in Hurlburt Student Center, or “The Bonnie,” for two hours per semester at no cost. Contact Doug Mead in Student Center Operations to request a reservation for your group.

Radford’s Winter Commencement ceremonies are coming up quickly. The graduate hooding and commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m., and the undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. All ceremonies will be held in Bondurant Auditorium in Preston Hall. 

You can learn more about our ceremonies by visiting the Winter Commencement page on the website.

Commencement can’t happen without a cadre of volunteers assisting graduating students and their families, so please consider volunteering for one or more of the ceremonies. Employees interested in volunteering for Winter Commencement should complete the 2025 Winter Commencement Volunteer Form by Monday, Dec. 1.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s 2025 Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Annual Meeting will be held on the Radford University campus Thursday, Nov. 20 and Friday, Nov. 21. Activities will take place in Kyle Hall on both days, and a private event will take place in the Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity on Thursday evening.

Signs will be posted in and around these two buildings with details about rooms and spaces that will be restricted for these events. In addition, parking will be restricted for Lots J and M for both days, as well as Lot A for the private event Thursday night, with signs posted to indicate these closures. Please note that the only entrance to Kyle Hall on Nov. 20-21 will be the front doors on the Lot J side.

Campus community members interested in viewing the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee’s Annual Meeting will be able to watch virtually in a meeting overflow room located in Kyle Hall, Room 156 on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 1-5 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m.-noon. (Times are approximate and based on the meeting schedule published online.)

Thank you in advance for observing these room/space restrictions in Kyle Hall and the Artis Center and planning ahead for alternative parking options on these two days as we welcome elected officials and their staff members to campus. 

The Office of Faculty Development invites all employees and students to the next installment of the Common Grounds discussion series on Monday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. in McConnell Library’s ILC-B classroom on the third floor. Coffee, tea and bakery goods will be provided by Arabica Cafe and Bakery.

This month’s discussion topic will be “What is fascism and is there a fascist sentiment brewing in America?”

The discussion will be led by Paige Tan, faculty fellow for Graduate Affairs and professor in the Department of Political Science.

Common Grounds events are aimed at building our community’s capacity to converse and collaborate across differences. This series is sponsored by the Highlander Center for Character and Public Impact and the Civil Discourse Working Group.

The Radford University Department of Human Resources has made the cabinet-approved 2026 Alternate Holiday Calendar available on the website. Scroll down the page to the drop-down box that reads, "Upcoming 2026 Alternate Holiday Calendar."

The alternative holiday schedule includes holidays observed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and additional days granted by the governor. These holidays are listed on the days on which Radford University observes them.

The Radford University Office of the Provost will host Steven Fesmire, professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, for a reading from his book “Beyond Moral Fundamentalism: Toward a Pragmatic Pluralism,” on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 12:15 p.m. in the Ross Gallery of McConnell Library.

Published by Oxford University Press, Fesmire’s book delves into moral fundamentalism, “the my-way-or-the-highway notion that my group has exclusive access to the right diagnoses and prescriptions to our moral and political problems,” he explains. In his book, Fesmire describes an alternative approach, pragmatic pluralism, “that can be applied to complex ethical, political, educational and policy problems. This approach avoids flattening variability among values or presuming that abstract theories can determine what we ought to do on the ground.”

Fesmire was president of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy and was honored with Radford’s 2022 College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Scholar Award. Fesmire is also the recipient of a 2022-2023 Dalton Eminent Scholar Award.

A limited number of free copies of the book will be available at this event. Refreshments will be served. 

The end of the semester brings lots of Department of Music concerts, all of which are free, open to the public and sponsored by the Radford University College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA).

All of these events will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Davis Performance Hall in the Douglas and Beatrice Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

Radford University’s McConnell Library has over 200,000 physical materials that patrons can check out. With that in mind, did you know that student library assistants can pull those materials from the shelves for you and have them ready for checkout at the front desk? You can place your request for a specific book, DVD or other material via the online catalog or in person at the front desk. Shortly afterward, you’ll receive an email letting you know that your hold is ready for pickup.

University Libraries also has materials located at Radford University Carilion (RUC) Library in Roanoke. You can request many of those items to be sent to McConnell Library on the main campus. When a hold is placed on an RUC Library item for pickup at McConnell Library, a courier will deliver it to McConnell Library within a couple of days.

Radford University’s McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement will celebrate International Education Week from Monday-Thursday, Nov. 17-20, with events and workshops from students and employees.

The week recognizes the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

A full schedule of events taking place during the week is now available on the website, and all Highlanders are welcome to join in this celebration with cultural shows, dance and more.

For more information, contact Adam Russell, International Student and Scholar Services Coordinator.

Each November, over 1,000 children visit Radford University for an exciting theatre experience. This year, the theatre department will present “Lily and the Magic Stones” by Benjamin Tyler Roberts and Sam Roberts, and there will be two public performances on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

More information about the play is available on the current season webpage for the Department of Theatre and Cinema.

Tickets for these performances are available online, by calling 540-831-5289, or by visiting the Theatre and Cinema Box Office in the Artis Center 252 during the week of the show. The cost for tickets is:

Group rates are also available for groups of 10 or more at $6 each.

Faculty, did you assign a project to your students for which they used University Libraries resources?

Each spring, University Libraries hosts the Winesett Awards to recognize creative and original library research completed by Radford University students. Over $5,000 will be awarded in three divisions: lower (freshmen/sophomores), upper (juniors/seniors) and graduate. Class projects completed in spring 2025 and fall 2025 are eligible. Submissions will open in spring 2026.

Meanwhile, interested candidates are encouraged to track their research process for current projects to help with their application.

Save these dates:

E-mail Co-Chairs Tony Pepper and Barbara Tait for more information.

The Radford University Department of Dance will host the Informance Dance Concert on Monday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Artis Center Studio (Artis Center 428). This event will feature a showcase of dance films and live performances by junior and senior choreographers, featuring works in ballet, contemporary and jazz. Celebrate the creativity and artistry of our emerging dance makers.

Admission is free, but seating is limited to 75. You may reserve your spot by ordering online or by calling 540-831-5420.

Are your students passionate about history, storytelling or digital media? Archives and Special Collections at Radford University offers hands-on internships for students from all degree programs.

Let your students know that these internships provide them with valuable experience in:

Whether students are studying history, media, museum studies or are just curious about archival work, this is a great opportunity for them to build skills and contribute to preserving university heritage.

For more information, contact Archives and Special Collections at archives@radford.edu or 540-831-5691.

Artist David Hannon will visit Radford University for the closing reception of his exhibition “Luminous Beasts” on Wednesday, Nov. 19. His work is currently on display at the Tyler Gallery (next to BT’s).

At the reception, Hannon will offer some insight into his work beginning at 3 p.m., followed by refreshments and snacks. Everyone is welcome.

If you just want to catch the exhibition, regular gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

Radford University Dining and Connected Communities are partnering to offer a special Teaching Kitchen event in celebration of Native American Heritage Month on Monday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. in Dalton Dining Hall.

Discover the rich culinary traditions and indigenous ingredients while learning how to prepare dishes that honor native heritage. Limited seats available.