Board of Visitors holds first quarterly meetings of new academic year

The Radford University Board of Visitors conducted its first quarterly meetings of the 2024-25 academic year Thursday and Friday, Sept. 5-6, at locations on the Radford main campus.

The reveal of robust new student growth for fall 2024 headlined Friday's full board meeting in Kyle Hall, as President Bret Danilowicz shared a preliminary summary that included overall enrollment and substantial new student increases.

"We could not have reached these goals without buy-in from our alumni, friends of the university, school guidance counselors, teachers and administrators from across the commonwealth and our regional partners," Danilowicz said. "We are proving that students will Find Their Place. Here."

Retention rates jumped again in 2024, rising above historical university averages and laying the foundation for future overall enrollment increases.

"We are being much more effective in helping our students be successful on their pathway towards graduation, which also boosts enrollment through increased numbers of returning students," Danilowicz added.

Storytelling has been a key tactic to allow prospective students to understand the Radford experience. Jae Horst, a senior majoring in political science, opened the meeting by sharing her personal journey with board members. Horst said she didn't know if continuing her educational career after high school was possible, growing up in a single-parent household with four siblings and financial responsibilities other than college. Radford offered her opportunities to make degree attainment and a career in legal professions a reality.

"All of the activities that I have participated in are leading to my future goals of going to law school," Horst said. "None of that would have been possible without Radford. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to come here."

"This is what we come here for - to make a difference in the lives of our students," rector Marquett Smith '85 said.

Friday's meeting included a progress report on Radford University's continued commitment to civil discourse and freedom of expression, with presentations from Vice President for Student Affairs Susan Trageser, Director of Emergency Management Peter McCann and Executive Director of Faculty Development Heather Keith.

"Radford University is built on relationships and an unwavering commitment to community," Trageser said. "The objectives of our framework are respect, resilience, recovery and reflection."

Trageser shared examples of how student leaders in residence life are focusing on everyday interactions, including conflict management and resolution on an interpersonal level to create a more welcoming environment, helping students "express frustration without disrespect."

McCann spoke about the proactive approach of Radford's emergency management and police departments to understand national and state campus safety trends, to develop effective communication tactics and their philosophy to protect all members and visitors in the university community while upholding values of free speech and collaboration.

Keith detailed year two of Radford's implementation of civil discourse in the classroom and community settings, including modules and guided learning activities from the Constructive Dialogue Institute, the monthly Common Grounds Conversation Series and tactics to prepare faculty for controversy in the classroom.

"We know that the more we focus on having a respectful community … the less we have to be concerned with recovery after incidents," Keith said.

"I think we've been very effective at this," Danilowicz added. "But it's not staying complacent; it's staying on top of it."

At the outset of Friday's meeting, Big South Conference Commissioner Sherika Montgomery presented a plaque commemorating Radford as the league's 2023-24 Presidential Honor Roll Champion. In the 2023-24 academic year, 85% of Highlander student-athletes received presidential honor roll accolades, a record percentage for the 41-year-old conference.

During Thursday's Business Affairs and Audit Committee, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Jorge Coartney shared preliminary updates on a new health sciences location in Roanoke. The university will seek pre-planning funds during the 2025 General Assembly session, with a definitive scope, timelines and location to come. A new Roanoke building aims to strengthen the university's commitment to the future of health education in the region and beyond. The location would offer state-of-the-art medical education space, including classrooms, laboratories and administrative spaces.

Board actions included approval of the 2024-25 operating budget, board bylaws and revisions to the structure of the College of Nursing.

Members participated in the Sept. 5 ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration for the new Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity, which is now the university's largest academic facility at 178,000 square feet. The event included remarks from rector Smith and student representative Onajae Edmund.

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