March 28, 2025

To date, Radford University is up 17% on deposited honors students and 52% up on honors applications for fall 2025. Overall, the Honors College has moved from about 300 to about 400 students.

What’s the best school for outdoor adventure in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic? Blue Ridge Outdoors’ Top Adventure College Tournament asks readers to pick their favorites in a 32-school bracket brawl. Colleges and universities meet in head-to-head matchups, and the school that receives the most votes advances to the next round.

This is the first year that Radford University has qualified for the competition. Blue Ridge Outdoors selected Radford to compete because of our outdoor clubs and curricula, commitment to outdoor and environmental initiatives, the quality of our outdoor programs and local opportunities for adventure.

Voting for the first round of 32 began on March 25 and ends on Tuesday, April 8, at 11:59 p.m., so be sure to place your vote today.

Come out to the Selu Conservancy on Friday, March 28, and stress less. You can enjoy scheduled activities (see the schedule below) or just some quiet community or solo time.

This event is free and open to all students, faculty, staff and families.

Scheduled activities will include:

• Guided walks from 3 p.m. to dusk
• Outdoor yoga from 4-5:30 p.m.
• Crafting from 3:30-5 p.m.
• Paint and sip from 3-9:30 p.m.
• DIY low ropes course from 3-6 p.m.
• Bonfire from 6-9:30 p.m.
• Line dancing from 7-9:30 p.m.
• S’mores and star gazing from 8-10 p.m.

You can drive yourself or take the shuttle. Vans leave every 30 minutes from Waldron Hall between 2:30-9 p.m. and from the Selu Conservancy between 3:30-10 p.m.

The cover story of the March/April 2025 issue of Campus Rec Magazine features Radford University’s Student Recreation and Wellness program.

The story profiles the talented and dedicated team that Director of Student Recreation & Wellness D.J. Preston has assembled, as well as the innovative programming and activities they offer students focused on building their wellness and sense of community.

The Radford University Diversity Awareness Programming Board and the Appalachian Events Committee are hosting a concert by The Blue Ridge Girls on Saturday, March 29, at 7 p.m. in the Bonnie Auditorium on the main campus in Radford. This event is free and open to the public.

The Blue Ridge Girls, like their name, invoke a picturesque simplicity with their take on traditional mountain music.

The trio, featuring Martha Spencer, Jamie Collins and Brett Morris, plays a variety of old-time bluegrass and country songs, flatfooting to fiddle and banjo tunes, with original songwriting and a unique take on other familiar crowd-pleasers

All three women grew up in musical families and are working to preserve and promote the Blue Ridge Mountains’ rich musical heritage.

Inspired by the Center for Accessibility Services’ campus-wide Calm Day in February, McConnell Library on the main campus is sponsoring “Calm April” in preparation for final exams.

During the first week of April, McConnell Library will offer both guided and self-guided tours to provide visitors with the opportunity to explore different calming spaces on the library’s five floors. Visitors are encouraged to give feedback on the spaces on large sticky notes stationed at the various stops. The sticky notes will be up from Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m., through Friday, April 4.

Guided tours will take place on:

• Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 1, at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 2, at 5 p.m.
• Thursday, April 3, at 4 p.m.

McConnell Library will also be hosting events throughout April in various library calm spaces, including:

•  Vision board making
   Wednesday, April 2, at 3 p.m. in the McConnell Lounge

•  Unbook club (book recommendations and book/movie trivia)
   Wednesday, April 9, at 3 p.m. in the Bird Room

•  Bookmark making
   Wednesday, April 16, at 3 p.m. in McConnell Lounge

•  Study and snacks with coffee and tea
   Wednesday, April 23, at 3 p.m. in the Lo-Fi Lounge (ILC B)

•  Stress busters
   Tuesday, April 29, all day throughout the library

•  Petting zoo
   Tuesday, April 29, 1-3 p.m. outside McConnell Library

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (OURS) and the Office of Graduate Affairs will co-host the second annual Highlander Research Blitz on Wednesday, April 2, from 5-7:30 p.m. in Russell Hall 125.

You will have the chance to see both undergraduate and graduate students compete in this lightning research competition. Contestants will have three minutes to describe their original mentored research or creative inquiry. Aided by a single image or graphic on a PowerPoint slide, participants compete to see who can best communicate their work and its significance to a layperson audience.

For more information about the Highlander Research Blitz, contact OURS at 540-831-5537 or by email at ours@radford.edu or the Office of Graduate Affairs at 540-831-5724 or by email at gradaffairs@radford.edu.

As part of Radford University’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a secure and informed university community, Information Technology Services (IT) asks all faculty and staff to complete the annual Security Awareness Training. This training helps protect both personal and university data by keeping everyone up to date on security best practices. The training must be completed by Friday, May 23. An email from IT will be sent soon with instructions about how to log in and take the training.

Your participation is essential in keeping our campus safe, so please take the time to complete the training before the deadline.

The Radford University Office of Sustainability will host the following events in April.

•  Farmers Market
   Wednesday, April 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
   Bonnie Plaza
   Featuring live music with Hoppie Vaughan and JoJo  
   Stockton.

•  Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Day
   Monday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
   Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity
   Bring your classes and encourage your colleagues to join
   us for an all-day teach-in event featuring research talks,
   activities and creative readings at the Learning Stairs.

To ensure the Office of Human Resources (HR) has the most accurate and up-to-date records, all employees should review and update their personal information, including:

•  Phone number (permanent) – So HR can reach you when needed.
•  Address (permanent) – To ensure important mailings reach you.
•  Emergency contacts – So HR can notify the right person in case of an emergency.
•  Personal email address – To help you if you get locked out of your Radford University
   email account – the password can be reset if the employee has a personal email listed.

Your updated information is essential not only for employment records but also for accurate reporting for health insurance and the Virginia Retirement System. Keeping your records current helps avoid issues with claims, communications and important notices from providers.

When updating your personal information, please note that Human Resources only references the permanent address and permanent phone number for employee records. The mailing address field is not used by the HR office. Please ensure your permanent address is accurate to prevent any discrepancies.

Information can be updated on OneCampus through the Employee Dashboard by clicking My Profile.

The Radford University Department of Procurement and Contracts published an updated Procurement Manual on Feb. 1. The new version replaces the previous manual and is available on the procurement website under Policies, Procedures and Legislation.

The revised manual was developed to streamline procurement processes and ensure alignment with the Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act, as outlined in the Code of Virginia. It clearly defines procurement responsibilities and outlines procedures designed to support efficient, compliant and transparent purchasing practices across campus.

All faculty and staff involved in procurement activities are encouraged to review the manual and familiarize themselves with the updates.

Based on feedback from University Libraries’ user satisfaction survey, McConnell Library on the main campus has added new subject/genre signs to make it easier to find the books users need.

Check them out the next time you are in the library, and let the library staff know what you think.

Academic Technologies is offering training opportunities in April focusing on preparing accessible content. All sessions are in Walker Hall 275 on the main campus, with the option to join remotely. Click on a session title below to learn more.

•  Accessibility in Technology
•  Adobe and Accessibility Q & A
•  Microsoft Word & Accessibility
•  PowerPoint & Accessibility
•  D2L & Accessibility

The Radford University College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) will be hosting a Student Choreography Showcase on Wednesday, April 2 and 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each day, in the Studio Theater at the Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity.

The event features the work of student dancers and choreographers, showcasing their original choreography in this free show.

Stay Paw-some. The weather’s warming up, and there’s no better way to relax than with some four-legged friends. Stop by Yappy Hour at McConnell Library next week to unwind with our Tartan Tails, soak up the sunshine and enjoy a little stress relief. Come for the pups, stay for the pawsitive vibes. 🐾✨