We at Radford University (RU) take pride in its rich institutional heritage, its substantial current work, and its vast potential for continued significant progress. Our University’s motto, "Investing in Lifetimes," is much more than a catchy slogan, for it succinctly captures the essence of our student-centered philosophy. As an increasingly important educational, cultural and economic resource in Southwest Virginia, RU’s investment is enriching the lives of thousands of learners, offering them a first-class education at an affordable cost.

With these priorities in mind, you will note that the year 1999-2000 was an active, productive period punctuated by hard work and notable achievements.

We are privileged to lead and serve RU in a critical time, bridging the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I believe that leadership is not merely a product of intelligence or circumstance. It is, likewise, a function of vision and courage. Vision is the seed of an idea, and courage is the nutrient (the life force) that causes it to become fertilized, to take root and grow, to blossom and come to fruition. Nature cannot regenerate itself without giving the seed time to flower. Nevertheless, in the time afforded us, our challenge requires taking this University of superior quality, served by talented, dedicated people, and actively engaging ourselves in a concerted effort to elevate it to a higher level of attainment and prominence. This report affirms the value of our endeavors and, at the same time, reflects our shared commitment to excellence.

Sincerely,

During the past year, Radford University made great strides in enrollment, secured a new community college partnership agreement, set a record in placement rates, and earned well-deserved recognition in a national college guide.

The attraction and reputation of a Radford University (RU) education are gaining ground in the world from which we draw our students. The largest freshman class since 1993 enrolled at RU last fall. The number of new freshmen was 1,670, compared to 1,526 who matriculated the previous year—a 9.4 percent increase. Graduate student enrollment increased from 1,132 to 1,172—a 3.5 percent increase. Overall enrollment was more than 8,580 students, up from 8,368 in 1998-99—for a 2.5 percent increase. Quality is up along with quantity: the level of academic preparedness for entering freshmen has increased continuously over the past several years.

These heartening trends are the result of teamwork involving the admissions office, advising offices, faculty, and students. In addition to Open House and Highlander Day events for prospective students, ten evening and weekend phonathons were held, in which 60 faculty members took part along with staff and students. Faculty volunteers made personal contact with 71 percent of admitted students, inviting them and their families to visit the University, answering their questions about programs and other aspects of campus life, and demonstrating the faculty’s commitment to student learning.

Transfer students too are an integral part of the RU community. In a continuing effort to strengthen relationships with community colleges and facilitate the transfer of students to the University, RU signed a guaranteed admission agreement with Dabney Lancaster Community College. This agreement will serve as an exemplary model to be replicated and/or adapted for use in the Commonwealth’s other community colleges.

Helping students succeed and making their experience a positive one are essential for us as well. RU’s innovative and successful University 100 course connects freshmen to one another in living/learning communities and helps them succeed academically and socially at RU. Last fall approximately 90 percent of new freshmen enrolled in this one-credit orientation course, and all our evidence shows that the experience significantly enhances the success of freshmen, and that results in a greater number returning as sophomores. In addition, the retention rates of minority students continue to improve, thanks in part to the efforts of the Office of Multicultural Services and its grant-supported programs in advising and tutoring.

Our responsibility to students does not end when they graduate. Throughout matriculation and beyond, faculty, staff, and the Career Services Center assist students in defining and reaching post-graduation goals. We are proud to report that we are doing that quite successfully. The 1999 Employment Survey data, collected four to six months after graduation, indicated an overall employment rate of 96.6 percent — the highest recorded rate in 22 years. The overall employment rate included 70.2 percent of graduates who are employed and 26.4 percent who are attending or planning to attend graduate or professional school. Over 85 percent of graduates reported that their jobs related either directly or indirectly to their academic fields of study at RU, and 97.1 percent felt qualified for their jobs.

Working daily with our students, we know that what we are doing works. But it is gratifying to see our success affirmed outside the University. The Washington Post Company’s Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalogue 2000 listed RU as a top school in the following categories: Schools with the Best Range of Extracurricular Activities; Schools Offering the Maximum Amount of Individual Academic Attention; Schools for the Student Who is Learning Disabled; and Schools that Are Hidden Treasures. RU earned these honors based on results of a survey of guidance counselors in public and private schools across the country. The publication noted that "counselors like this school for its small class sizes at all levels, and its clean, well-kept campus."

Student government leaders, residential student leaders, and student-athletes make Radford University proud of their achievements.

The social and civic responsibility of students is a major emphasis of our campus life efforts. Students at RU learn to be good citizens of the University, and many of them contribute to the vitality and future success of the institution.

For example, in two fundraising efforts, the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Black Student Affairs Council of the SGA contributed more than $15,000 toward the endowment of Radford University Foundation scholarships.

Among its many other significant activities, the SGA co-sponsored with the President a series of University Forums; they met with leaders of the General Assembly’s Black Legislative Caucus and other state legislators on behalf of the University; and the SGA helped to establish meaningful channels of communication with local government and business leaders.

Representatives of the Graduate Student Council of the SGA won two of five national awards at the annual conference of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students for their display about RU’s graduate programs.

Residential student leaders received three national awards from the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH). Associate Residential Director Chris Flor, a senior, was named NRHH Member of the Year. Residential Assistants Shannon Ferry, a senior, and JoAnne Patane, a sophomore, received the NRHH Program Award. Graduate assistant and Residential Facilities Manager Craig Herndon and his staff won the NRHH Spotlight of the Month award, which recognizes people who go above and beyond what they are asked to do.

RU is also justly proud of its athletes who understand that being student-athletes means that scholarship is their highest priority. The annual Academic Excellence Banquet on April 10^th honored 122 student athletes with grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.0 or above, including Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Barnett Carr (baseball, 3.918 GPA in biology), and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Jennifer Grant (basketball, 3.971 GPA in physical education).

Big South Conference Player of the Year Jason Williams led the Highlander men’s basketball team to several significant non-conference wins, including victories against in-state rivals Virginia Tech and James Madison University. Despite season-ending injuries to two key players, the Highlanders, helped by first team all-Big South senior center Ryan Charles, won their second regular season title. Injuries hampered the team in the conference tournament. Despite a semifinal loss, the Highlanders finished with a solid 18-10 record.

Runner Khadijah Conda finished 14^th in the 400-meter at the NCAA outdoor track championship and, in indoor track, was named Outstanding Female Runner at the Big South Conference Championship meet. The men’s soccer team won the Big South Conference Championship, and the volleyball and women’s soccer teams were Big South regular season champions.

In a crucial development for the future of RU sports, the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee completed a strategic plan for athletics in January. The plan—which addresses such issues as recruiting, gender equity, diversity, continued academic excellence, student-athlete welfare, competitiveness, personnel, and compliance—will serve as the blueprint for RU’s intercollegiate athletic program as it grows and matures.

Our pride in outstanding student leaders and athletes does not result in complacency about problems that affect campus life here and nationwide. At RU, we can point to recently augmented drug and alcohol enforcement policies that continue to reduce substance abuse by students. In this second year of our parental notification policy, only 32 such notices were sent, down from 44 in 1998-99. Our policies over the past two years have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of alcohol violations from the fall semester to the spring semester,  (end of p. 5) (beginning of p. 6) and the percentage of that decrease has improved, from 28 percent during 1997-98 to over 50 percent in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Drug violations during 1999-2000 were 25 percent fewer than in 1997-98. Perhaps the most important outcome of our efforts is that the occurrence of serious levels of intoxication or drug overdoses has been greatly reduced, with only seven incidents during 1999-2000, compared with 13 in 1998-99 and 24 each year in both 1996-97 and 1997-98.

All members of the RU community deserve a safe campus in order to enjoy a meaningful, stimulating learning environment. In August 1999 the RU Police Department implemented a bicycle patrol. Two officers and a sergeant have trained rigorously to become bicycle patrol-certified. The bicycle patrol is an effective tool for campus safety. Officers can maneuver their patrol bicycles into almost any area, and students, faculty, and staff can easily approach them for assistance.

Further cementing the ties of RU to the local community, the RU Police Department and the Radford City Police Department implemented a Mutual Aid Agreement that provides guidance to each department when assisting the other.

Radford University’s educational excellence rests on a solid foundation of exemplary faculty, varied learning experiences, and facilities that promote student achievement.

The University’s faculty are devoted to our students’ learning, and the University is in turn dedicated to providing the essential conditions of teaching and learning, while thinking creatively about how to serve a constantly changing student population.

Again this year, a Radford University professor has been recognized by the State Council of Higher Education with an Outstanding Faculty Award. Selected from among 71 nominees, Geology professor Robert Whisonant was one of 11 Virginia university faculty to receive the award. During his 29 years at RU, Whisonant chaired the Department of Geology for 15 years and established the geology program as a national leader with a curriculum that features applied geology. Under his leadership, the department also founded a master’s program in Environmental and Engineering Geosciences.

Dr. Whisonant made national headlines this past year as he headed a group of professors and students using NASA remote sensing technology in a detailed archaeological study in Saltville, Virginia. He is also involved in the development of a series of CD-ROMs that enable high school students to explore the geology of the Commonwealth. Dr. Whisonant joins five previous Radford faculty members who have won this prestigious statewide award since its inception ten years ago.

In a joint effort of many faculty involved in internal governance, advising, and teaching, RU’s General Education Program has become more visible on campus as a core program. Recent reforms have made it more rigorous, coherent, and integral to our students’ overall liberal education. Foreign Language enrollments are up thanks to the new area focusing on International and Intercultural Studies. And all Science Department faculty have met in workshops to discuss the strengthening of learning in General Education courses.

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From the classroom to the workplace, RU continues its progress, making internship experiences available to students across the curriculum. In the past year, the Center for Experiential Learning developed a database of over 200 employers interested in RU interns.

In the nation’s first partnership between the United States Census Bureau and a university, RU signed an agreement with the Census Bureau’s Southwest Virginia headquarters to provide a variety of internships for our students. This partnership is an example of Radford’s positive, student-focused approach to education and provided another opportunity for us to distinguish ourselves as a model for other institutions.

Campus life is enriched every year by numerous guest speakers, writers, and artists who distinguish themselves in their respective fields. For example, the advice of a self-made millionaire was available to business students and others this past spring when the Business Industry Council and the College of Business and Economics welcomed Bob Safford as an Executive in Residence. A millionaire at 28 years of age, he is currently a director of Primerica Finance Company, and is responsible for 600 offices, 16,000 employees, and $3.5 billion in assets. A dynamic speaker who involves his audiences, Safford presented the lecture "How to Motivate Yourself and Lead Others."

Modern facilities equipped with advanced learning technologies are essential for preparing our students for life in a fast-moving world. Last fall the campus community celebrated the grand opening of McConnell Library’s Multimedia Center with special guest speaker Dave Yanofsky, producer and director of Poetic License, a feature-length documentary on the first National Teen Poetry Slam.

From its opening through April 10 of this year, the Center conducted 100 training workshops for 662 participants, including students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The Center also organized and sponsored a Copyright Symposium to raise awareness of copyright considerations when using multimedia technology in teaching and learning.

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The Multimedia Center’s state-of-the-art development and production capabilities were featured on WSLS-TV Channel 10 news. A double feature article on the front page of the Roanoke Times "New River Valley Current" emphasized the Center’s role in integrating technology into teaching and learning at RU.

The facilities of the University must serve the immediate RU community and the wider regional community as well. In January Congressman Rick Boucher announced that Radford would receive a $300,000 federal appropriation to purchase and equip a mobile health clinic. Through Partners Allied in Collaboration for Education and Services, this project makes possible an outreach program that extends health care and human services to rural, medically underserved communities while training future professionals to deliver services to diverse populations in a culturally sensitive manner.

With a firm General Education foundation, Radford University continues to build for the future. Innovative new programs—and more on the horizon—ensure that students have rich and relevant education experiences.

The Commonwealth’s (and the nation’s) high-tech economy call for a thoroughgoing response from its colleges and universities. Imaginative academic programs combine the best of the old with the most fruitful of the new.

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Through "Project FUTURE," for instance, the College of Education and Human Development is preparing teachers who are proficient in the use of technology and effective in integrating technology into teaching and learning. The project, funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant totaling nearly $400,000 over three years, is increasing technology competence and building on existing partnerships with K-12 public schools to provide an intensive, technology-rich clinical experience for interns. Over the course of three years, the project will infuse technology throughout the educational experiences of 620 teacher interns. Full implementation of Project FUTURE will assure the availability of technology-proficient teachers for schools of the Commonwealth.

In a wider effort to position RU as a leader in technology and information sciences education, the University secured $750,000 from the General Assembly this spring to develop a new college. The College of Technology and Information Sciences will prepare students for specialized technology careers and enhance the technology skills of all graduates. Business Industry Council leaders participated in an early planning session, and several teams are working to establish the new College.

Technology education, business learning, and the fine arts meet in the creation of the new RU record label, Highlander Records. The music business program developed the record label to provide students with experiences in all aspects of recording development, including recording technology, promotion, design, marketing, and budgeting. Highlander Records has produced its first CD, showcasing pianist and adjunct faculty member Louise Billaud.

Efforts in regional outreach are another field in which RU combines academic excellence with community service. Faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology lead innovative, exemplary projects through which students gain experience in their discipline while providing services to the region. Last fall, students of anthropology professor Mary LaLone worked closely with the Montgomery County Office of Planning and Inspections, the Montgomery County Coal Mining Heritage Association, and a state archaeologist to develop plans for a Coal Mining Heritage Park in Montgomery County. Students also worked with county planning officials to seek grants and write proposals for funding various aspects of the

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park. The project led to two summer internships with the Montgomery County Office of Planning and Inspections and a fall internship with a state archeologist.

Anthropology professor Melinda Bollar Wagner and alumna Kristen Hedrick (class of ’97) led a team of students who developed a groundbreaking research project. The counties of Bland and Wythe, where American Electric Power proposed to run a 765 kilovolt power line, hired Wagner, Hedrick and the rest of the student team to help them conduct a study of cultural attachment to the land among local communities.

Wagner and Hedrick also led students in doing research for a new permanent exhibit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Beauty of form and utility of function have always characterized the buildings and grounds of Radford University. RU’s facilities, both the new and the newly renovated, reflect thoughtful planning based on what students, faculty, and the community need for the most rewarding learning experiences.

We who work and study at Radford University may be tempted to take for granted what our visitors always comment on: the lovely RU campus. We know what the visitor may not (end of p. 11) (beginning of page 12) understand: that this beauty is part and parcel of a hard-working staff that provides us all with an effective learning environment and that this beautiful facility is uncluttered and clean because we all take pride in being members of this community. This combination of aesthetics and practicality extends also to the off-campus, 300-acre Selu Conservancy, where students and others may research plants, rocks and minerals, history—and now the stars—where they find them.

"The Barn," one of the most impressive developments at RU—a laboratory/dining/observatory complex at Selu—is ready for use. The 5,100-square-foot structure, funded primarily by a $500,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation, invites on-site scientific investigation, including astronomical observations away from distracting city lights.

The barn-and-silo exterior of the new facility complements the Appalachian farmhouse motif of the Selu Retreat Center. Inside, the barn contains laboratories for long- and short-term field research and a multipurpose room for dining, conference meetings, and recreation. The 40-foot tall masonry silo houses an observatory with permanently mounted telescopes and a motor-driven revolving dome that permits telescopic viewing of the skies in any direction. Enhancing the usefulness of the observatory exponentially, computer-enhanced images of celestial bodies can be fed to a classroom at the base of the silo, to the campus planetarium and, over the Internet, to viewers everywhere.

In welcome news for the upgrading of our campus facilities, the 2000 General Assembly appropriated $9.6 million for the renovation of Peters Hall. Built in 1953 as RU’s physical education building, the renovated facility will become a state-of-the-art facility for teacher training. Peters Hall will be the home of the College of Education and Human Development, units of which have previously been housed in three separate buildings. The Teaching Resources Center, which serves teachers from the region and supports students preparing to be teachers, will be a prominent feature of the facility. Special technology in the building will allow the counselor education faculty to supervise students using the University Clinic in Waldron Hall, which is adjacent to Peters Hall.

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In a ceremony last fall, RU’s newest academic building was named the Cook Hall of International Education as a tribute in perpetuity to Sally Ann Cook McGlothlin (class of ’36) and her parents. The generosity of the McGlothlin Foundation will yield dividends for years to come in a variety of international education efforts. During the Capital Campaign, the McGlothlin Foundation committed $1.5 million, the University’s largest single gift to date, to create an endowment for international education. Previously Mrs. Cook and her husband, Woodrow McGlothlin, had donated $15,000 for the George Harvey Center for Health Resources, which will open with the completion of Waldron Hall.

Radford University efficiently manages its resources while meeting the challenges of growth, increasing complexity, and technological demands.

RU has an obligation to the Commonwealth and to its students to plan carefully, to husband resources wisely, and to manage its funds and its personnel prudently. As the "best bargain" in regional higher education, Radford University performs admirably in these respects while fostering excellence in the entire RU community.

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Radford University met the Governor’s management standards for Virginia’s institutions of higher education for 1999-2000, with an unqualified opinion from the Auditor of Public Accounts. RU has met these demanding standards for 11 consecutive years.

The Board of Visitors has approved an updated internal audit charter and a statement of policy on internal control. The newly renamed Office of Audit and Advisory Services is committed to continuing to provide the President and the Board of Visitors with credible, reliable financial and program information.

In a decisive step toward more efficient management in Academic Affairs, a database and revised procedures were developed for hiring adjunct teaching faculty. A much more streamlined and automated system replaces the previously cumbersome system of triplicate paperwork, four levels of signature, and repetitive preparation of contract letters.

During one of RU’s largest recent management challenges, the Information Technology Resources department did an outstanding job of preparing the University for Year 2000 compliance. While in retrospect the Y2K problem may seem to some to have been exaggerated, there is no question that a thorough and detailed effort to prepare for all potential disruptions in information and other systems was a prudent investment.

Direct costs for the University’s Y2K compliance efforts were modest, but because of substantial attrition among Information Technology Resources staff, virtually the entire remaining ITR workforce had to be dedicated to the project. To address the issue of staff retention, the Governor approved a funding package so that RU could retain existing technical staff.

Radford University’s recently completed Capital Campaign was more than a success. It was a triumph. Grant funding, too, has gained momentum at RU, providing the wherewithal for creative educational programs and service to the community.

Our University’s first Capital Campaign, "Investing in Lifetimes," surpassed its $21 million goal, with final contributions and commitments totaling $26,674,481. The campaign was an astounding success, both financially and in what it says about the willingness of friends, old and new, to support RU.

During the Campaign, Foundation assets increased from $7.3 million to $25.2 million, while more than $12 million were allocated in support of scholarships and other University initiatives. A total of $3.6 million in outstanding pledges to the Campaign will be received over the next three years, and $1,745,000 is anticipated in the future through estate plans established during the Campaign. The Society of 1910, which honors benefactors who have included RU in their estate plans, increased from 47 to 110 members. New endowments created during the campaign total 96 and range in size from $10,000 to $2 million. Academic scholarships provided by the Foundation increased from 170 to 540 during the Campaign, with the average award almost doubling.

As a further sign of its success, the Campaign was recognized for the quality of strategic planning and execution when the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the premier professional organization for educational fundraisers and communicators, presented RU with the Grand Award for fundraising programs among schools in the Southeast.

While the Campaign sped to its completion, extramural funding through grants and contracts broke records. During this fiscal year, the University secured 98 grants totaling $4,539,510. The largest amount ever, this represents a 48 percent increase over the amount secured last year and more than triple the amount secured four years ago.

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Through grant funding, the University can create innovative opportunities for teaching, learning, research, and community outreach. The mobile health clinic, the NASA archaeological study in Saltville, the College of Education and Human Development’s Project FUTURE, and the Selu observatory are major projects funded by grants.

RU’s Department of Foods and Nutrition, with the help of a federal grant, is establishing a dietetic internship program that will address a nationwide shortage of such internships, which are required for one to become a Registered Dietitian. The Allied Health Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services totals $381,000 over three years. The internships, requiring at least 900 hours of supervised experience in clinical, community and food management settings in Southwest Virginia, emphasize nutrition therapy. Applicants who express an interest in rural healthcare delivery receive priority consideration.

In a project funded by several different sources, geology professors worked with a Radford High School teacher and a New River Community College instructor to develop a series of instructional CD-ROMs and teacher’s workbooks that will help high school teachers and students explore the geology of the Commonwealth and meet state standards of learning in science. The "Geology of Virginia" project so far has received support totaling more than $100,000 from the Virginia Department of Education, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Mining and Minerals, and 14 private corporations. The Virginia Department of Mining and Minerals is distributing the "Geology of Virginia" CD-ROM and workbook at cost. The second CD-ROM, on the Coastal Plain region of Virginia, has just been released.

Radford University joined forces with the city of Roanoke to land a major athletic tournament. In the past year, RU hosted distinguished speakers and prestigious conferences, increased its involvement in environmental education and volunteerism, and began planning its biggest birthday celebration ever.

RU’s cohesiveness as a community contributes to its success in being an integral part of the community it inhabits. RU students, faculty and staff collaborate to make the institution a powerful, learning environment and to connect it to the region, to the Commonwealth, and beyond.

Shared internal governance, continues to be a critical element in attaining all of the successes RU enjoys. When everyone is involved and working to achieve the goals and objectives of RU’s strategic plan, contributions to the community and success are assured.

RU excels at cultivating ties to the community beyond the campus. This past spring RU and the city of Roanoke collaborated to win the right to host the Big South Conference basketball tournament in 2001 and 2002 in the Roanoke Civic Center. The winner of each tournament represents the Big South in the NCAA tournament. We are pleased to be working in partnership with Roanoke and excited about the attention these tournaments will bring to the city and the University.

We were honored to host former Virginia First Lady Susan Allen as the keynote speaker at our fourth annual Founders’ Day convocation last October. During the tenure of her husband, Governor George Allen, Mrs. Allen focused on raising the Commonwealth’s profile as a tourist destination. She also devoted much of her time to increasing public awareness of women’s health issues, including breast cancer.

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We were likewise honored by the presence of two distinguished public servants at our December and May commencement ceremonies. Virginia’s Secretary of Education Wilbert Bryant addressed graduates at the December ceremonies in the Dedmon Center, and Lt. Gov. John Hager addressed the class of 2000 during the spring commencement exercises.

Two events during the past year underscored RU’s commitment to environmental education. Over 1,200 Appalachian Trail advocates from across the county gathered on our campus for the week-long Appalachian Trails Conference in July 1999. Robert Stanton, director of the National Parks Service, was keynote speaker for the conference, which featured more than 70 hikes, lectures, music, storytelling, slide shows, and workshops to train participants in trail maintenance and trail building skills.

As President of a University committed both to the environment and to community service, I was pleased to be elected to the Board of Directors of the Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national organization of outdoor education and volunteerism. The SCA annually places more than 2,500 high school and college students in hands-on service positions, providing more than one million hours of conservation service in forests, refuges, and urban areas across the country. It is a dynamic and multi-faceted organization whose goals are compatible with the goals of RU’s initiatives in environmental education, including our Selu Conservancy and the Distinguished Lecturer Program in Environmental Arts and Sciences. I believe that my involvement with SCA will help RU, Southwest Virginia, and the SCA advance efforts to study and preserve natural resources.

An important historical milestone for RU, the Centennial Anniversary of its founding, will occur in 2010. To begin preparations for an appropriate Centennial Observance, a 21-member Centennial Committee of faculty, staff, alumni, students and Radford City residents convened in March. In preparation for the Centennial Celebration, the Committee will develop a number of activities to celebrate and showcase RU, and will reclaim and honor many University traditions.

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Mrs. Lucille Austin, who celebrated her own 100th birthday on May 20, has consented to serve as the Committee’s Honorary Chair. Since her birth, Mrs. Austin has lived in the white frame house on Tyler Avenue, across the street from the University. She has observed the growth of RU since its founding and has been one of its most loyal advocates. In addition to providing an oral history based on her first-hand observation of RU’s emergence, she and her family have offered to share many rare photographs of the institution in its formative years.

As we approach RU’s Centennial Anniversary, all of the University’s internal and external constituencies will play crucial roles in recounting the successes of RU’s first century: steady academic excellence, supple and creative responses to change, and service to the community, the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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I envision RU as a community of learners that is neither confined to an ivory tower nor, for that matter, cloistered within its pristine campus environment. I have foreseen, and now witness firsthand, an institution that is the antithesis of a stone in a glass of water, and increasingly akin to an Alka-Seltzer that diffuses into the broader community and energizes the region.

RU’s strategic plan, "A Shared Commitment to Excellence," and new program initiatives are establishing it as one of our nation’s premiere, regional universities. In that regard, our institution will increasingly assume a leadership role in enhancing the quality of life through teaching, research and public service, each of which promotes economic development; basic and adult education; environmental protection; health education and medical care; social and legal services; and the cultural arts throughout our region, from the Roanoke Valley to the Cumberland Gap.

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