September 20, 2024

All Highlanders are invited to join the Radford University campus community for the 2024 Radford Highlanders Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12, beginning at 9 a.m. on the main campus in Radford.

Whether a family’s background is of Scots-Irish origin or other descent, the day always brings an air of excitement and anticipation. There is no place more beautiful than Southwest Virginia in the fall, and the Blue Ridge Mountains provide a colorful backdrop for our fall festival.

The festival began in the mid-1990s with an approximate crowd of 3,000. Over the past 25 years, the festival has more than tripled in size and now attracts an estimated crowd of 10,000 people.

The festival will feature:

The festival is a partnership between Radford University and the City of Radford and is open to the public with free admission.

October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

To shed light on this critical issue, the Radford University Women’s and Gender Studies program will host “Intimate Partner Violence and Breakups: Brutality, Badgering, and Burials” on Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 5-6 p.m. in the Andrew W. Ross Student Art Gallery of McConnell Library.

The talk will be presented by Professor Wendy Eckenrod-Green of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership and will focus on the acute challenges victims face when attempting to leave their abusers.

For years, Radford University students have organized the annual Radford Gives Back event, which benefits the Bobcat Backpacks program. This year, the New River Valley Alumni Chapter is inviting alumni, friends, faculty and staff to get involved. You can participate in two ways:

Food donations
The Bobcat Backpacks program provides non-perishable food to at-risk students in Radford City Schools. You can donate food items to help fill this need.

Items needed include canned soups, vegetables, fruits, pastas, peanut butter (16 & 18 oz.), granola bars, boxed mac and cheese, microwave popcorn and oatmeal packets.

The main campus drop-off point is at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center on these dates and times:

In addition, food items can be dropped off at the Edward Jones Office, c/o Caroline Gaskins ’00, M.S. ’05, 1059 E. Main St., Suite A, Radford, Virginia, at these dates and times:

Unloading the delivery truck
Participants will pack food donations on campus, which will then be delivered to the Presbyterian Church of Radford, 201 Fourth Street, Radford, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 6-6:30 p.m.

Be sure to register by Sept. 30.  

It’s almost time for Homecoming 2024.

The Radford University Office of Alumni Relations will again host the Alumni Village on Moffett Lawn during Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 2-4:30 p.m. All members of the Radford community are welcome to enjoy these activities:

The Radford University Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) will host the 12th Annual Summer Research Celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the McConnell Library Ross Art Gallery. This event will give you the opportunity to see the results of 14 student-faculty collaborative projects funded this past summer through the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Below is the schedule of events:

To support the university community with viable resources, the Radford University Office of Accounting Services will offer Chrome River Travel Training and Food and Beverage Training monthly this fall via Zoom.

The October training sessions will be:

To attend a session, e-mail travel@radford.edu with the subject line “Training.” In the body of the e-mail, indicate if you would like to attend the Chrome River Travel Training session or the Food and Beverage Training session. You may also indicate in the e-mail that you would like to attend both sessions.

Each Zoom session is limited to 20 participants. Once your e-mail request is approved, you will receive a link to attend the requested session.

Radford’s University Libraries will be hosting an ice cream social to welcome new University Librarian Jennifer Resor-Whicker, MLIS on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 3-5 p.m. in the McConnell Lounge on the third floor of the McConnell Library on the main campus.

All members of the Radford University community are welcome to attend and help welcome one of our newest Highlanders.

Family and Friends Weekend is coming up from Sept. 27-29 on the main campus in Radford.

This event is an opportunity for our community to join our family and friends in celebration of what it means to be a Highlander at Radford University while visiting campus and seeing all of the advancements we've made.

Most of Family and Friends Weekend is free to all visitors, families and friends, but there are some ticketed events and meals have associated costs.

The Center for Career & Talent Development will host an open house during Family and Friends Weekend, Sept. 27-29, from 4 to 5 p.m. The center is located on the third floor of Russell Hall on the main campus. Center Director Lee Svete will give remarks at 4:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for everyone to meet the Center’s team and see what services are offered.

The Radford University Sustainability Committee invites all Radford University faculty, staff and students to join the Commuter Challenge this October in honor of Sustainability Month.

For every day in October that you walk, bike, take the bus, carpool, skateboard, rollerblade, scooter or otherwise avoid solo driving to work or school, you’ll get one raffle entry. Raffle prizes include gift cards from local businesses like Sal’s, B.T.’s and Long Way Brewing, with more prizes coming soon.

To participate, register online and log how many days travel to campus in ways other than driving.

The Radford University Office of Human Resources is announcing that the process for completing and submitting the Separation Checklist for Student Wage employees is moving online. Starting Saturday, Sept. 21, the checklist will be completed and stored electronically, streamlining processing and auditing. With this update, paper forms will no longer be accepted.

Supervisors of record will receive notifications to complete the separation checklist when a student wage employee separates employment. Please note: the form link will be updated, so all supervisors must use the new version. Any previously saved forms will no longer be valid for submission.

The Civil Discourse and Freedom of Expression Working Group invites everyone to the next Common Grounds discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 4-5 p.m. in the McConnell Information Literacy Classroom B, third floor. 

These monthly facilitated conversations about issues that matter are open to all students, faculty and staff. October’s topic is artificial intelligence (AI), and we will explore questions such as “Should I use AI to do my homework?” and “Should Radford University have an AI policy?” Baked goods and coffee will be served. 

As a reminder, the Highlander Success Center (HSC) will host the 2024 Majors and Minors Fair on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 1-4 p.m. in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center on the main campus in Radford. Drinks and snacks will be provided. There will also be prizes and giveaways.

All academic departments and university offices are invited to join the HSC to let the campus community know about the areas of study and services available to them.

The Radford University Office of Human Resources reminds supervisors that they are required to complete certain processes in a timely and effective manner prior to an employee’s separation date in order to ease the transition and safeguard the university.

Depending on the type of employee, a personnel action may be required to complete the separation. For all full-time employees and 1,500-hour wage employee separations, supervisors must complete a separation Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF) as soon as possible after notice of the employee’s separation is received and no later than the separation date. More information on employee separations is available via Human Resources’ EPAF Frequently Asked Questions.

The completion and certification of a separation checklist are required for all employee separations to ensure all final processes are completed by the employee for payroll purposes, collect university-owned property and ensure that system access is updated. Supervisors must complete a separation checklist prior to the employee’s departure. Please see the separation checklists for student employees and all other employees, in addition to employee separation procedures.

The Radford University Civil Discourse Working Group invites all Highlanders to “Dialogue Across Differences: An Evening with Frank Bruni” on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. on the Artis Center main stage, followed by a reception in the lobby. Bruni is a New York Times columnist and author of “The Age of Grievance,” which explores why Americans are so politically polarized and what we can do about it.

Academic Technologies has training opportunities on a variety of topics coming up in September and October. Click on the corresponding link to register. All sessions are in Walker Hall 275 on the main campus, with the option to join remotely.

Be sure to explore the new Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to inspire and foster creativity and learning, offering cutting-edge resources and spaces for both students and the campus community to innovate and collaborate.