During the summer of 2011, the Radford University Foundation donated an open-space easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation protecting the Foundation-owned Selu property.

This easement will protect in perpetuity the Selu property's many important conservation values, including scenic views enjoyed by the boating public on the Little River, a habitat for threatened and endangered plant and animal species, and an important watershed for sources of public drinking water.

With the help of Conservation Partners, LLC, the Foundation claimed a transferable Virginia land preservation tax credit for the donation, then sold the credit through Conservation Partners to a number of Virginia taxpayers. This sale generated approximately $100,000 in revenue, and per the direction of the Radford University Foundation Board, these funds will be used as a quasi-endowment fund for the upkeep of the Selu property. Selu consists of nearly 400 acres of land along the Little River, just outside Radford. Selu was founded in 1989 when John Hargrove Bowles donated the first 185 acres. Several years later, other members of the Bowles family donated the rest of the current Selu property.

The Radford University Foundation is pleased to announce it has signed a licensing agreement with Mogo Mobile, Inc. for the use of Intellectual Property invented by the owners of Mogo Mobile through their National Science Foundation work at Radford University. Radford University assigned its patent and copyright rights to the Foundation.

Mogo Mobile is owned by Radford University Assistant Professor Matt Dunleavy and his two partners, Daniel Burgess and David Payne. Both Mr. Burgess and Mr. Payne are Radford University alumni. Mogo Mobile's product is an Augmented Reality development platform called FreshAiR, and they have a patent pending. Mogo Mobile has started marketing its product and has a number of contracts in place. Based on the Royalty Agreement, the Foundation will receive a royalty and those funds will be used to support future Intellectual Property projects at Radford University.

"We are excited about this opportunity and very pleased about the support we have received from the Foundation" said Dr. Dunleavy.

Radford University Foundation Executive Director, John Cox, stated that he was pleased to be a small part of this project and wished Dr. Dunleavy, Mr. Burgess and Mr. Payne great success.

Radford University's Student Managed Investment Portfolio Organization (SMIPO) recently closed out its first complete year as managers of the "SMIPO Small to Mid-Cap Value Fund," with a total portfolio value of $804,502. The fund's one year returns, from February 2011 to February 2012, were 2.09%, outpacing its primary benchmark of the Morningstar Small-to-Mid Cap Value Index.

The learning opportunities for these RU students have been enhanced by many activities, including a recent trip to New York City, where members of SMIPO attended The Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (GAME) IT Forum on March 29-31.

GAMEII provides an international group of college students and faculty with a unique opportunity to interact with industry leaders and learn best practices in investment management. Representatives of the financial services industry from Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, The Hartford, Morningstar and the National Association of Realtors discussed the economy, alternative assets, stock markets and corporate governance as well as career opportunities in the financial services industry at the three day event.

''New York City is the financial center of the country and we had a great opportunity to see the people, the action and the communication that is actually making things happen" said SMIPO President Chris Blake, a senior economics major from Chesapeake, VA.

In addition to the forum, the SMIPO contingent were given a tour by SMIPO alum, Daren Colaiacovo '91, Director of Municipal Markets at RBC Capital Markets, of his company's trading floor and headquarters. The members of the SMIPO team participating were Blake, Katrina Koussis, Trang Nguyen, Mike Palmer and Brandon Sabetta and Faculty Advisors Steven Beach and Clarence Rose.