June 2011 News for Radford University Alumni and Friends

News for Radford University Alumni and Friends
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Want to Volunteer?

If you are interested in giving time to our chapter program or your reunion committee, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@radford.edu or call 1-888-4RUGRAD.


RU Athletics

Chelsea Kelley Wins Lowe's Senior Class Award for Softball
Chelsea Kelley '11 has been selected as the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner in softball. Awarded one of the most prestigious awards in collegiate athletics, Kelley was presented the trophy Friday evening at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City by Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA®, during the Women's College World Series©.

Kelley, who has made an impact on the field, in the classroom and in the community during her four years wearing the red and white, is the first Radford and Big South student-athlete to earn this honor. Read more.


RU connected?

There's a special connection alumni and friends have with Radford University and with each other. Help us keep you connected by updating your information today. You can change your home, work or email addresses, and let us know what you have been doing since graduation for inclusion in the class notes section of The MAGAZINE of Radford University by completing our online form today! By updating your information, you will receive the Alumni e-News each month as well as the magazine.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@radford.edu or 1-888-4RUGRAD.

In the News

Contact Your Fellow Classmates and Let Them Know You Are Coming to Radford University's Fall Homecoming and Reunion Celebration this October 14 – 15, 2011!!

homecoming 2011Details | Brochure

Plans are underway for your celebration. All alumni are invited to come home to see friends and classmates and enjoy an exciting weekend full of events. Mark your calendars and make plans to be here.

We will also celebrate reunions for the following classes and you can view classmates in the RU yearbook:
1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001.

The 2006 yearbook is available on DVD in the McConnell Library.

Join your class year on Facebook:
1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006.

Help Represent Your Class in the "Class Gift Challenge"

class challengeStrong traditions are the foundation for a successful future. You can help Radford University continue its tradition of excellence by making a gift in honor of your class reunion. Today's students count on alumni – just as you did – to help provide an exceptional education.

This year the reunion class with the highest giving rate will be honored at a private reception with President Penelope W. Kyle during Fall Homecoming and Reunion Weekend. Your donation of any size will count – the key is to be among those taking part in the new Class Gift Challenge. Your donation to the Radford Fund will go toward meeting the university's most immediate needs. The Radford Fund supports academics, student life, faculty research, athletics and the arts. Your contribution will allow the university the greatest flexibility to direct funding where it is needed most. You may also designate a gift for your college or department. Take part in the challenge today!

Need the Perfect Gift for Father's Day, a Birthday or in Honor or Memory of Someone Special?


Stadium seats for Father's DayRU Athletics is offering the perfect Father's Day gift for baseball fans. With a donation of $250 to the Baseball Capital Project Fund, a chairback seat in the university's remodeled stadium can be named in honor or memory of someone. Names will be permanently displayed on chair backs in the stadium starting next year. Act now and you will have the opportunity to choose the location of your named seat in the stadium.

The seat-naming campaign is part of the Radford University Athletics Club's Baseball Stadium Capital Project. As the fundraising arm of the RU Athletic Department, the Athletics Club cultivates personal relationships with fans and provides vital financial support for the long-term growth and success of RU's sports programs.

For more information, contact Kelly Underwood at kunderwood@radford.edu or (540) 831-5752.
 

Surrounded by Highlanders!

Woody SmartAlumnus Woody Smart, of Chesterfield, Va., recently submitted this picture of his family with former President George W. Bush. Everyone in this Smart family photo is a proud graduate of Radford University. He and his wife, Deborah, both graduated in 1978; his son, Brian, graduated in 2004; and his daughter, Krystle, is a member of the Class of 2011. The Smarts also have another son, Brad, who is a graduate of Christopher Newport University. The photo was taken several years ago when Brian was invited to Silver Spring, Md., to share his views as a recent college graduate on Social Security reform with the former president.

Do you have photos of RU alumni doing interesting and exciting things? We would love to see them! Send your submissions to Melissa Vidmar at mvidmar@radford.edu. You may just find your photo in an upcoming edition of e-News or The Magazine of Radford University.


Give now

The end of the university's fiscal year is quickly approaching. If you have not yet made your gift this year, please consider doing so by June 30, 2011. If you have already made a contribution to the university this year, thank you. Please consider extending your support with an additional gift by June 30. Every gift counts and every gift makes a difference for the university and the students it serves.