Radford University

History

The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford was founded in Radford as a women's college in 1910. In 1924, the school was renamed the State Teachers College at Radford, with the primary intent of training teachers in the Appalachian region. In 1943, as part of the state's consolidation movement, the college merged with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in nearby Blacksburg, serving as the larger university's women's campus. The merger dissolved in 1964, and following a period of sustained and significant growth, Radford College was granted university status by the Virginia General Assembly in 1979.

Academics

Radford's undergraduate programs emphasize the liberal arts, business, sciences, and teacher education. The graduate and undergraduate programs in business administration offered by the College of Business and Economics at Radford University are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The university has a student/faculty ratio of 18:1 with an average class size of 34.

More than 80 percent of faculty members hold doctorates or other terminal degrees (M.F.A., M.B.A., Ph.D., JD, etc.) in their fields. Special programs include Study Abroad, Honors Academy, RU Connections freshmen living/learning communities, internships, co-ops, practica and service learning, Army ROTC, leading to commissions in the U.S. Army, and undergraduate research opportunities.

In 2007, the Radford University Board of Visitors approved the University’s Strategic Plan, dubbed "7–17, Forging a Bold New Future," with a goal of establishing Radford as one of the top 50 master's degree-granting universities in the nation by 2017.

The university used to be home to the Appalachian Regional & Rural Studies Center. For three decades, Radford's Appalachian Studies program had emphasized the importance of preserving the cultural and environmental heritage of the southern Appalachian regions. In the fall of 2013, the university administration ordered the closing of the program.

Undergraduate and graduate colleges

The university is organized into six undergraduate colleges and a graduate college, the College of Graduate and Extended Education. The undergraduate colleges are:

Within the colleges, some fields are designated as "schools", such as the School of Nursing and School of Social Work (in the College of Health and Human Services) and the School of Communication (in the College of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences). The latter brings together former departments of media studies (journalism, broadcasting, web design, and advertising) and communication (speech-language pathology and public relations).

The College of Graduate and Extended Education offers 19 degree programs in fields such as art, business, communication, counseling, criminal justice, education, English, music, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, and social work. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has authorized three doctoral programs at Radford in counseling psychology, physical therapy and nursing practice. The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program in Counseling Psychology admitted its first students in the fall of 2008. The doctorate in physical therapy program was scheduled to start in the summer of 2009. The university said its first Doctor of Nursing Practice students would begin studies in an online format in the fall of 2010.

Campus and community

Radford University is an 191-acre (0.77 km²) campus located in a residential area of Radford, Virginia. The town is located in the Virginia Highlands, between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains at a double bend in the New River. Nearly all of the 35 administrative, academic, student services, and residence halls, many built in a red-brick Georgian style, are located on three quadrangles and a pedestrian thoroughfare in a 76-acre (310,000 m²) area, while a large adjoining area along the New River holds the university's athletic facilities. The university opened a new COBE building (College of Business and Economics) in 2012. In 2014 a New Student Fitness Center opened. A new Center for Sciences opened during the spring semester of 2016. The following fall semester, the new CHBS (College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences) Building opened its doors. As of 2016, nearly all dorms at Radford have been renovated. Renovations are currently ongoing for several buildings on campus. Radford is located on exits 105 and 109 of Interstate 81, with accessibility to nearby I-77.

Bordering the Little River, and about five miles from campus, is the Selu Conservancy, a 376-acre (1.52 km²) reserve, observatory, retreat, and conference center owned by the University Foundation.

Student life

Around 3,150 of Radford students live on campus in 15 residence halls. As of July 7, 2015, Radford University's "residence halls have been named among the best in the state. Niche Rankings, an online ranking and review site, placed the dorms on its list of "Best Dorms in Virginia." Radford ranked No. 3 in the state and among the top 100 nationwide."

Radford University has more than 200 student clubs and organizations. Some of them are the Student Government Association, different academic fraternities, clubs, and societies in several academic fields, Radford Pitches A'capella, Yes & Improv Club, RU Outdoors, sports intramural clubs, Model United Nations Club, and more.

Radford University has a variety of student media organizations, such as The Tartan (student-run newspaper), Radio Free Radford, The Beehive (yearbook), Exit 109 (literary magazine), ROC-TV, a.k.a. "Radford On Camera" (student-TV-station), and SMADS (student media advertising).

Radford has a variety of Greek life fraternities and sororities. Among its chapters are fraternities and sororities such as Alpha Kappa Psi, Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Chi Rho, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Chi, Delta Sigma Pi, Delta Zeta, Kappa Delta Rho, Pi Lambda Phi, Phi Kappa Sigma, Phi Sigma Kappa, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Chi, Sigma Pi, Sigma Pi Sigma, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Chi, Pi Kappa Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and others.

More than 17 religious and organizations are part of the Radford University Campus Ministers' Association (RUCMA). They hold religious events, masses, and ceremonies throughout the academic year.

Radford offers events, performances, conferences, exhibitions, shows, concerts, and lectures for students throughout the academic year.

Athletics

The university's teams are known as the Highlanders (in honor of the region's Scots-Irish heritage) and compete in the Big South Conference. Radford offers 19 NCAA varsity sports for men and women. The Radford men's basketball team won the Big South Conference tournament in 1998 and 2009. Radford also won the Big South Conference Men's Tennis Championship in 2007, 2008, and 2009 as well as the Big South Softball Championship in 2009.

The most recent Big South Conference Championship was the 2015 Radford Baseball Team. They defeated the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina with a walk off single by Hunter Higgerson. The team finished with a final record of 45-16. The team was selected to compete in the Nashville Regional where they went 2-2, with wins against Lipscomb University and University of Indiana, before losing to the 2015 National Runner-up Vanderbilt University, in the Regional Finals.

The Radford men's Rugby club team won the Division II National Championship in 2003 and 2008.

Student athletes have exclusive use of the Dedmon Center, a recreational and convocation complex that opened in 1981. The Dedmon Center features a 1/6-mile indoor jogging track, a weight-training room, a pool, locker rooms, and several team rooms. The main arena features a basketball floor and a secondary volleyball arena for intercollegiate competition with four recreational courts for basketball or volleyball. Adjoining facilities include intramural soccer, football, softball fields, and intercollegiate fields and courts for baseball, softball, field hockey, and tennis. The Patrick D. Cupp Stadium adds an intercollegiate soccer, lacrosse, and track and field complex.

Notable alumni

Administration

Radford University's current president is Brian Hemphill, who has served in that role since July 2016. The university's administration is overseen by a 15-member board, whose members are appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth and serve four-year terms. Each year, the Board also selects a student and a faculty member to serve as advisory representatives on the Board.

Past presidents: