Five years after sitting as a student in Assistant Professor John O'Connor's graphic design class, U.S. Navy Chief Alan Nugent '07 returned to Radford University to tap the campus pool of design talent.

Nugent, a 13-year veteran who attended RU after a stint in the military and is back on active duty, spoke in O'Connor's graphic design production techniques class recently. Part of his mission was to recruit the students for a logo design contest on behalf of the 2nd Annual "Anchors Aweigh" 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Children's Fun Run to be held June 23 at Rivers Edge on the Greenway in Roanoke.

Student Daniel Burke designed the winning logo, receiving $50 for his efforts, with his original image to be printed on race T-shirts and other promotional materials. 

Organized by the Navy Operational Support Center Chief Petty Officer Mess, funds raised at the event will go to the Chief Petty Officers Mess Association. The group offers outreach services, including gifts for retiring chiefs, supplemental funding for the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps youth camps and support for Navy families.

"If someone needs help, we're there for them," Nugent said. "Whether it's helping to pay their electric bill or whatever they need, we try to help where we can."

Expressing appreciation to the professor and his students, Nugent said the Chief Petty Officers Mess is independently funded, which means events like the upcoming "Anchors Aweigh" are significant. Eighty runners raised more than $2,500 at last year's inaugural 5K, Nugent said. He hopes to double those figures this year.

O'Connor said Nugent's presence in the classroom served as a great example for his students to see firsthand the limitless possibilities before them.

"It means a great deal and is a real honor to have Alan here, not just because he's an alumnus but also for what he's been through being overseas and serving his country," O'Connor said. "The fact that the students can do the work itself and deal with a real client for a good cause just helps to put more impetus and weight behind the project. It's not something that's merely written on paper."

The logo design challenge also contained a key motivating element for his students, O'Connor said: "Competition always enhances everything."