School counselors get the scoop on Radford University visit day

Part of Regina Harris’ ’95, M.S. ’97 role as director of school counseling at Rustburg High School is to inform and guide students toward colleges and universities that best fit their educational plans and personal needs.

“We send quite a few students to Radford University,” she said. “Radford should be one of the first schools on high school students’ minds, and I want to get them to thinking more about Radford.”

Harris was among a group of school counselors from around Virginia who visited Radford University Sept. 22 for a school counselors workshop hosted by the university’s Admissions Office.

Students at Rustburg High “need to see how wonderful Radford is,” Harris said. “So, if they can’t come here themselves for a visit, I’m going to take the information back to them.”

The workshop was designed to provide school counselors with opportunities to interact with campus leadership, learn about the university’s more than 70 majors, hear from faculty and academic advisors, tour campus and share ideas for strengthening the relationship between Radford University and their schools.

“It is such a treat for us to host school counselors. In addition to showcasing opportunities available to Radford students, an on-campus visit provides a wonderful opportunity for us to say ‘thank you’ for the work counselors do every day to advocate for their students and Radford,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Katherine McCarthy. “It means a lot to us that counselors would take a day out of their very busy schedules to explore and enhance their understanding of Radford University.”

The counselors had an opportunity to engage with Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill, who thanked them for delivering kind words to their students about the university.

“You guide students through the college process and through the application process. I know you encourage and prepare them and you support them, and we greatly appreciate your unselfish work,” Hemphill said. “As we are working toward bringing our vision to life, we are very much committed to transforming this institution into a premier university in the Commonwealth with a focus on teaching, research and service.”

Elizabeth Carter twice worked at Radford University and now serves as a school counselor at West Potomac High School in Alexandria. She came back to campus for the workshop because she heard of “all the new changes” at the university and wanted to learn more to pass on to her students.

“There’s a lot of activity here, and I want to be in the loop and keep the students at my school in the loop,” Carter said. “The staff here at Radford have been very good about informing us the different programs that are here for students, what they have to offer from A to Z, and the admissions requirements.”

She said Radford University is “a warm, inviting, welcoming, nurturing, caring, academically focused and a very unique student success-centered campus. It has everything going on here. We want to put students where they will learn and succeed, and Radford University has a lot of energy here to make sure students have that path to success.”

Oct 11, 2017
Chad Osborne
540-831-7761
caosborne@radford.edu