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Radford University is a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...
in
Radford, Virginia Radford (formerly Lovely Mount, Central City, English Ferry and Ingle's Ferry) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2020, the population was 16,070 by the United States Census Bureau. For statistical purposes, the Bureau ...
. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for
undergraduates Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
in more than 100 fields, graduate programs including the M.F.A.,
M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...
,
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
,
M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
,
Ed.S. The Education Specialist, also referred to as Educational Specialist or Specialist in Education (Ed.S. or S.Ed.), is a specialist degree in education and terminal professional degree in the U.S. that is designed to provide knowledge and theory in t ...
, Psy.D.,
M.S.W. The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social work ...
, and specialized doctoral programs in health-related professions. It is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities" (formerly known as R3's).


History

The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford was founded in Radford as a
women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...
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 Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
in nearby Blacksburg, serving as the then predominately male
land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
college's women's campus. The merger dissolved in 1964 and Radford College became a
coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
institution in 1972. Following a period of sustained and significant growth, Radford College was granted university status in 1979. In 2008, the Virginia General Assembly authorized three doctoral programs at Radford University, and the first doctoral degrees were awarded in 2011.


Presidents

Radford University's current president is Bret S. Danilowicz who began his role on July 1, 2022. 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. Past presidents: *
John Preston McConnell John Preston McConnell was born in Scott County, Virginia. Before serving as Radford University's first president from 1911 to 1937, McConnell had served for nine years as dean and professor of history and economics at Emory and Henry College. He ...
, 1911–1937 * David Wilbur Peters, 1938–1951 * Charles Knox Martin Jr., 1952–1972, Chancellor, 1972–73, President Emeritus * Donald Newton Dedmon, 1972–1994 *
Douglas Covington Harold Douglas Covington (1935-2012) served as chancellor or president of several universities in the United States including 10 years at Radford University, where he was the first African-American president of a predominantly white state-owned u ...
, 1995–2005, President Emeritus *
Penelope Ward Kyle Penelope W. Kyle is an American academic administrator and government employee, who served as the former president of Radford University, a public, state-funded, comprehensive university, located in Radford, Virginia. She assumed her role on Ju ...
, 2005–2016, President Emeritus *
Brian Hemphill Brian Hemphill is an American academic administrator, researcher, author and the current president of Old Dominion University, his third university presidency in a decade. Before taking the role at ODU, Hemphill was president of Radford Universit ...
, 2016-2021 *Carolyn Ringer Lepre, (interim) 2021-2022 * Bret S. Danilowicz, 2022-present


Academics

Radford University'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 14:1 with an average class size of 19. More than 80 percent of faculty members hold
doctorates A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
or other terminal degrees (M.F.A., M.B.A., Ph.D., J.D., etc.) in their fields. Special programs include Study Abroad, Honors Academy, RU Connections freshmen living/learning communities, internships, co-ops, practical and service learning, Army ROTC, leading to commissions in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
, and undergraduate research opportunities. Radford University and
Northern Virginia Community College Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC; informally known as NOVA) is a public community college composed of six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Northern Virginia Community College is the third-la ...
signed a Guaranteed Transfer Partnership Agreement on August 28, 2017.


Undergraduate and graduate colleges

The university is organized into seven undergraduate colleges and school, and one graduate college: * College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences * Davis College of Business and Economics * College of Education and Human Development * Waldron College of Health and Human Services * Artis College of Science and Technology * College of Visual and Performing Arts * School of Nursing * College of Graduate Studies and Research The College of Graduate Studies and Research offers 18 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 The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956. Its mission, which is outlined in the Code of Virginia§2 ...
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 began in the summer of 2009. The first Doctor of Nursing Practice students began studies in an online program in the fall of 2010.


Campus and community

Radford University is an 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 31 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 area, while a large adjoining area along the New River separated from the main campus by U.S. Route 11 and the
Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...
railroad holds the university's athletic facilities, student parking lots, and student apartments. 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 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...
, with accessibility to nearby I-77. Bordering the
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
, and about five miles from campus, is the Selu Conservancy, a reserve, observatory, retreat, and conference center owned by the University Foundation. Radford University is also home to the Radford University planetarium – a permanent planetarium with a 10-meter dome, running the Digistar 5 planetarium software. The planetarium is primarily operated by workstudy students, and is maintained by the physics department. All shows are free for all attendees.


Student life

Around 3,800 of Radford's students live on campus in 15 residence halls. Radford University has more than 270 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/magazine), Exit 109 (literary magazine), ROC-TV, a.k.a. "Radford On Camera" (student-TV-station), Whim (online magazine) and SMADS (student media advertising). Radford has a variety of Greek life fraternities and sororities. More than 17 religious organizations are part of the Radford University Campus Ministers' Association (RUCMA). They hold religious events, masses, and ceremonies 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 16 NCAA varsity sports for men and women. The Radford men's
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team won the Big South Conference tournament in 1998, 2009, and 2018. Radford also won the Big South Conference Men's
Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
Championship in 2007, 2008, and 2009 as well as the Big South
Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
Championship in 2009. The Radford Baseball Team has won the Big South Conference Championship in 2015, and 2017. In 2015, they defeated the Chanticleers of
Coastal Carolina Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...
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 Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike o ...
and
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
, before losing to the 2015 National Runner-up
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, in the Regional Finals. The Radford men's
Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
club team won the Division II National Championship in 2003 and 2008. Student athletes have exclusive use of the
Dedmon Center Dedmon Center is a 3,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Radford, Virginia. Construction started in 1979 and finished in 1981. A natatorium featuring an eight-lane olympic-size pool with a diving well was added in 1987. The Dedmon Center is home to ...
, a recreational and convocation complex that opened in 1981. The Dedmon Center features a 1/6-mile indoor
jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...
track, a weight-training room, locker rooms, and several team rooms. The main arena features a basketball floor and a secondary
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
arena for intercollegiate competition with four recreational courts for basketball or volleyball. Adjoining facilities include
intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, football,
softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
fields, and intercollegiate fields and courts for
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
, softball,
field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
, and tennis. The
Patrick D. Cupp Stadium The Patrick D. Cupp Stadium (usually called Cupp Stadium) is a multi-use stadium located in Radford, Virginia on the campus of Radford University. Cupp Stadium seats 5,000 with a roof over the premium seats. The stadium is used by Radford's soccer ...
adds an intercollegiate soccer, lacrosse, and
track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
complex.


Notable alumni

*
Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shan ...
– Former head coach of Virginia Tech's football program. * Eddie Butler – Former
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player with the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, and the Texas Rangers. *
Kiera Cass Kiera Cass (born 19 May 1981) is an American writer of young adult fiction, best known for ''The Selection'' series. Career Cass was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and graduated from Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach. She is ...
– Author *
Javonte Green Javonte Green (born July 23, 1993) is an American-Montenegrin professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Radford Highlanders. Early life and high school ...
- NBA Player for the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
* Randal J. Kirk – Founder of New River Pharmaceuticals and CEO of Intrexon *
Scott Long Scott Long (born June 5, 1963, in Radford, Virginia) is a US-born activist for international human rights, primarily focusing on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. He founded the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Tra ...
– Human rights activist focusing on LGBT people at
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
. Visiting Fellow in the Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School 2011–2012. *
Marylynn Magar MaryLynn Magar (born July 6, 1963) is an American politician from Florida. She was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 82nd District, including most of Martin County and some parts of northern Palm Bea ...
Florida House of Representatives * Nick Mayhugh - Track & Field Gold Medalist at the 2020 Summer Paralympics *
Jayma Mays Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays is an American actress. She is known for playing Emma Pillsbury in the Fox musical series '' Glee'' (2009–2015) and for her starring roles in the films ''Red Eye'' (2005), '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' (2009) and ''Th ...
– American actress and singer *
Ryan Meisinger Ryan Thomas Meisinger (born May 4, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. Amateur career Meisinger a ...
- Current
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
*
Artsiom Parakhouski Artsiom Parakhouski (born October 6, 1987) is a Belarusian professional basketball player for Śląsk Wrocław of the PLK. Standing at , he plays at the center position. He finished his American college career in 2010 with the Radford University ...
(born 1987) - Belarusian basketball player * Politicks – Rock band * Steve Robinson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
Assistant Head Coach *
Marty Smith Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won t ...
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
Commentator and host of Marty Smith's America * Joseph Yost
Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...


References


External links

*
Radford Athletics website
{{authority control Education in Radford, Virginia Educational institutions established in 1910 Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Public universities and colleges in Virginia Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Buildings and structures in Radford, Virginia 1910 establishments in Virginia