New RU Involved site launches

RU Involved logo

Radford University students were welcomed back to campus this week with an exciting new site to explore.

The new and improved RUInvolved website launched on Jan. 20. The student involvement portal is powered by OrgSync, a campus engagement network that supports student-centric sites nationwide.

RUInvolved provides students with information to become actively involved with RU's more than 250 clubs and organizations, service events and other campus programs. With news feeds, calendars and notifications, the portal centralizes all involvement information personalized to students' interests.

The former site, introduced about 10 years ago, had been offline since October as staff worked to provide a more user-friendly system for students to explore, manage and track campus involvement offerings.

"We shopped around and found a platform that we believe students will want to use," said Assistant Director of Student Activities John Leonard.

Leonard said traffic to the old site had dropped, so finding a fun and interactive system that would pique students' interest and keep them engaged was important.

The new RUInvolved tracks student organization involvement and service hours to create student involvement records. A customizable ePortfolio can serve as a robust online record containing involvement, employment, documents and recommendations. There is also an RUInvolved app students can download to their mobile devices.

"Our ultimate goal with this site is to increase student participation," Leonard said. "Participation leads to better retention, better grades, better socialization and more of a sense of belonging."

The site can be accessed by students, faculty and staff through "My RU." An "RUInvolved" icon will appear once users have accessed their personal accounts.

RUInvolved Basics training sessions for students will be held as follows:

  • Jan. 26: 11 a.m. to noon and 1  to 2 p.m., Walker 225
  • Jan. 27: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Walker 225
  • Jan. 28: 2 to 3 p.m., Walker 221; 5 to 6 p.m., Walker 225
  • Jan. 29: 10 to 11 a.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Hurlburt  Student Center Auditorium
  • Jan. 30: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Hurlburt Student Center Auditorium

For more information on these sessions and for additional questions about the new RUInvolved, contact ruinvolved@radford.edu.

Jan 20, 2015