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Radford University

Coordinates: 37°08′18″N 80°33′04″W / 37.138274°N 80.551222°W / 37.138274; -80.551222
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This article is about the university in Virginia. For the university in Ghana, see Radford University College. For the school in Australia, see Radford College.

Radford University
Former name
State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford (1910–1924)
State Teachers College at Radford (1924–1943)
Women's Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1943–1964)
Radford College (1964–1979)[1]
TypePublic university
Established1910; 114 years ago (1910)
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliation
SCHEV
Endowment$72.8 million[2]
PresidentBret S. Danilowicz
ProvostBethany Usher
Academic staff
444
Students10,700
Undergraduates9,700
Postgraduates1,000
128
Location
Radford
,
Virginia
,
United States

37°08′18″N 80°33′04″W / 37.138274°N 80.551222°W / 37.138274; -80.551222
CampusSmall suburb, 211 acres (0.85 km2)
NewspaperThe Tartan
Colors    Red, Blue & Gray
NicknameHighlanders
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I – Big South
MascotThe Highlander
Websitewww.radford.edu

Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia, United States. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A., M.A., M.S., Ed.S., Psy.D., M.S.W., and specialized doctoral programs in health-related professions.[3] It is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities".[4]

History

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The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford was founded in Radford as a women's college in 1910.[5] 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 in nearby Blacksburg, serving as the then predominately male land-grant college's women's campus.[5] The merger dissolved in 1964 and Radford College became a coeducational institution in 1972. Following a period of sustained and significant growth, Radford College was granted university status in 1979.[5] In 2008, the Virginia General Assembly authorized three doctoral programs at Radford University, and the first doctoral degrees were awarded in 2011.[6]

Presidents

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Radford University's current president is Bret S. Danilowicz, who took this 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.

List of presidents:

Academics

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Academic rankings
Master's
Washington Monthly[7]87
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[8]29
National
Forbes[9]465
WSJ/College Pulse[10]600-794

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.[11]

More than 80 percent of faculty members hold doctorates or other terminal degrees (M.F.A., M.B.A., Ph.D., J.D., etc.) in their fields.[11] 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, and undergraduate research opportunities.

Radford University and Northern Virginia Community College signed a Guaranteed Transfer Partnership Agreement on August 28, 2017.[12]

Undergraduate and graduate colleges

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The university is organized into seven undergraduate colleges and schools, 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
    Whitt Hall
  • College of Visual and Performing Arts
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Graduate Studies and Research

The College of Graduate Studies and Research offers eighteen-degree programs in fields such as art, business, communication, counseling, criminal justice, education, English, music, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, and social work.[13] 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 began in the summer of 2009. The first Doctor of Nursing Practice students began their studies in an online program in the fall of 2010.[14]

Campus and community

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John Preston McConnell Library
One of Radford's quadrangles

Radford University is an 211 acres (0.85 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 31 administrative, academic, student services, and residence halls, some built in a red-brick Georgian style, are located on a main lawn and two quadrangles and a pedestrian thoroughfare in a 76-acre (310,000 m2) area, while a large adjoining area along the New River separated from the main campus by U.S. Route 11 and the Norfolk Southern 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.[15] 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.[16]

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 work-study students and is maintained by the physics department. All shows are free for all attendees.

Student life

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New River upstream from Radford

Around 3,800 of Radford's students live on campus in 15 residence halls.[17]

Radford University has more than 250 student clubs and organizations. These range from service and honors organizations to performing arts and intramural sports. Radford is also home to Highlander Student Media (RUHSM), with a variety of student media organizations, such as The Tartan (student-run newspaper),[18] Radio Free Radford,[19] The Beehive (yearbook/magazine), Exit 109 (literary magazine),[20] ROC-TV, a.k.a. "Radford On Camera" (student TV station), and Whim (online magazine)

Radford also 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

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Main article: Radford Highlanders
Radford athletics logo

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 team won the Big South Conference tournament in 1998, 2009, and 2018. 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 Radford baseball team has won the Big South Conference Championship in 2015, and 2017. In 2015, 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 Indiana University, 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, 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

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James Hoge Tyler was a Confederate soldier and Governor of Virginia. His home sits next to Radford's campus and is the namesake of a residence hall and the main street of the campus.

References

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  1. ^ "Our History". radford.edu. Radford University. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Data USA: Radford University". Data USA. October 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "Doctor of Psychology". Radford University. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  4. ^ "Carnegie Classifications | Institution Lookup". American Council on Education. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Our History | Radford University". Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Our History | Radford University". www.radford.edu. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "2024 Master's Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "2024-2025 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "U.S. News & World Report". Radford University.
  12. ^ "Radford, NOVA sign landmark agreement | Radford University". www.radford.edu. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Graduate Programs and Degrees | College of Graduate Studies and Research | Radford University". www.radford.edu. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  14. ^ "Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree". Radford University. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  15. ^ "History of COBE | College of Business & Economics | Radford University". Radford.edu. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  16. ^ Selu Conservancy. "Home | Selu Conservancy | Radford University". Radford.edu. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  17. ^ "Radford University dorms rank among the best". Radford University. July 7, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "The Tartan". Radford University. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "Radio Free Radford". Radford University. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "Exit 109". Radford University. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  21. ^ "Lynne Agee - 2009-10 - Women's Basketball". UNC Greensboro Spartans. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Robertson, Gary (May 26, 2004). "VUU names first female president". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. A1. Retrieved February 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Radford University's Randal J. Kirk Receives Prestigious State Award". Radford University Office of University Relations. February 2, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  24. ^ "North Carolina Official Athletic Site". Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  25. ^ "Get ready to experience Marty Smith's America – ESPN Video". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
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