83 to Receive Graduate Degrees from RU

Radford University’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies will award degrees on Friday to 83 students and recognize the first three graduates from its Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program.

Although Joshua Bradley, Zetta Nicely and Kevin Simonson received their degrees from the Psy.D. program in the summer, they will receive special recognition during Friday's graduate college Commencement and Hooding Ceremony. They also will be recognized at Saturday's 1 p.m. Commencement ceremony.

Graduate degrees awarded will include 32 Master of Science, 23 Master of Business Administration, 17 Master of Occupational Therapy, four Master of Social Work, three Doctor of Psychology, two Doctor of Nursing Practice, one Master of Fine Arts and one Master of Arts.

The Psy.D. program enrolled its first cohort of students in fall 2008. Focused on rural mental health, cultural diversity, social justice and evidence-based practice in psychology, the program was honored by the Virginia Rural Health Association with its Best Practices in Rural Health Award at the association's annual conference in October.

The Psy.D. program was accredited by the American Psychological Association's Commission on Accreditation at its October meeting. The accreditation is retroactive to when the APA sent a site visit team to Radford in June. This means Bradley, Nicely and Simonson's doctoral degrees are from a nationally accredited program.