Highlanders in the News: Week of Nov. 18, 2024

Every other week, our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. Here, we'll highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a better place, we'll feature their stories.

"Transfer" of power

To announce its new Tartan Transfer program, Radford University hosted a Nov. 6 signing ceremony on its campus and welcomed the presidents of the eight Virginia Community College System (VCCS) schools that are participating - Mountain Empire, Mountain Gateway, New River, Patrick & Henry, Southwest Virginia, Virginia Highlands, Virginia Western and Wytheville.

The program is an initiative that streamlines the transfer process for students coming into Radford to earn their bachelor's degrees. It improves educational affordability; maximizes the number of credits carried over; offers personalized academic advising plus career preparation through internship opportunities; and gives newcomers early access to events and activities on campus.

The signing was celebrated on social media via X by New River, Patrick & Henry and Virginia Western, and on Facebook by Virginia's Community Colleges, among other accounts.

It was also covered by The Roanoke Times, The Martinsville Bulletin, New River Valley News and WDBJ-7, which touted the Radford Tuition Promise as an additional form of assistance available to students.

"It's very easy for us to apply and very easy for us to get help," Resa Mattson told WDBJ-7.

Mattson, who's from Floyd County, earned her associate degree from New River Community College and transferred to Radford in the spring of 2023. A senior now, majoring in media studies with a concentration in media production and minoring in cinema and screen studies and digital communication research and analysis, Mattson is on track to graduate with her bachelor's degree next semester.

Assisting students like Mattson all part of the plan, according to Radford University Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communication Dannette Gomez Beane, who, in an interview with the station, said new opportunities make it possible for some incoming Highlanders to get their associate and bachelor's degree with no tuition costs.

"We're doing this because we don't want students to take out loans, we don't want students to have to ask their parents for money, and we don't want students to leave college in debt," she explained. "Also, to make sure they stay here, in the western part of Virginia, and keep that talent here."

For more information about the Tartan Transfer program, visit: https://www.radford.edu/admissions/transfer/tartan-transfer.html

To learn more about the Radford Tuition promise, go to: https://www.radford.edu/admissions/cost/tuition-promise.html

Giving you the "Dickens"

Don't panic, but you should probably be aware that the number of calendar squares separating us from the holidays is dwindling even as you read this.

One sure sign of that? The return of Delta Dental's Dickens of a Christmas, downtown Roanoke's largest yuletide celebration, a consistently picture-book event that takes place the first three Fridays in December - the 6th, 13th and the 20th this year, to be precise.

Radford University in Roanoke is one of the sponsors, and, in fact, the Radford University Carilion Main Stage will be the site of two of Dickens' signature events: the lighting of the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree at 6:20 p.m. on Dec. 6 and the Roanoke Valley SPCA's Pet Costume Contest, held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20.

In between those two nights, on Dec. 13, Roanoke's Christmas Parade will wind from Jefferson Street at Elm Avenue onto Campbell Avenue to pass Market Square before concluding at Williamson Road.

Both The Roanoke Star and WDBJ-7 have advance coverage of the festivities, and you can find the full line-up of events on Downtown Roanoke's website.

The tree lighting will be broadcast live on WDBJ-7, while the parade - held rain or shine - will be streamable on Channel 7's sister station WZBJ24.

Experiencing the "IMPACT"

Radford University's Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab was the site of the Region 7 Career and Technical Education (CTE) directors meeting on Nov. 8.

Area leaders came together to discuss such topics as the lab's Competency-Based Education (CBE) programs - PACE (Pathways to Accelerated Career Education), for example - and to tour the facility as well as Radford's Innovation Hub.

"This gathering underscored the value of collaboration in bridging education and workforce development," said the IMPACT Lab's Interim Executive Director Tom Bennett. "Through initiatives like the PACE program, we are committed to delivering innovative, competency-based learning solutions that empower students and professionals alike with skills that are directly applicable in today's economy."

Coverage of the event was provided by The Roanoke Times, The Montgomery News Messenger and The Radford News Journal.

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