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Presidential News ArchivesPresident Kyle Addresses Freshmen and Parents
President Speaks to the Future and Vitality of RU The Radford University academic year kicked off yesterday, as President Penelope W. Kyle addressed a capacity crowd of faculty, staff and distinguished guests during her convocation speech. Kyle spoke about the future of the university and the dedication of the campus community, expressing her enthusiasm for all that is yet to come for RU. Governor Kaine Gets RU Update During Campus Visit
President Kyle Welcomes New Students During Orientation
President's Report to the Board of Visitors, 4/24/08 Earlier this week, we welcomed the Board of Visitors of Radford University to the campus for its quarterly committee meetings and full Board meeting. During each Board meeting I always deliver the President's Report which updates the members of the Board of Visitors on all that has happened on our campus since they last met. Please see the President's Report to the BOV. RU Poised for Major Campus Facilities Transformation The Radford University campus is on the verge of a major facilities transformation thanks to the infusion of $211 million in funding from various sources. Wednesday, RU received its latest piece of great news from Richmond when the Virginia General Assembly approved an ambitious $1.5 billion bond package with $1.1 billion earmarked to support higher education. The bond package includes two important building projects for RU. Board of Visitors Offers President Kyle Contract Extension The Radford University Board of Visitors has reached an informal agreement with RU President Penelope W. Kyle for her retention as university president for five additional years beginning July 1, 2008. Board member Mrs. Nancy Agee will head the discussions with President Kyle leading to a formal agreement. President Confers Degrees During Winter Commencement Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle conferred more than 500 degrees during RU’s Winter Commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Dedmon Center Arena. A total of 529 students earned degrees, including 71 graduate students. Award-winning physics professor Rhett Herman delivered the Commencement address. “We don’t have to change the whole world to make a difference, just our own little pieces of it,” said Herman. “The cumulative effect of all of us doing this will then be impressive." President Lauds Governor's Bond Proposal Radford University has two major building projects included in the $1.65 billion bond package for higher education proposed by Governor Timothy N. Kaine on Dec. 13. The proposal includes $36.2 million for construction of a new building for the College of Science and Technology and $34.7 million for a new College of Business and Economics building. “I applaud Governor Kaine’s vision for the future of the Commonwealth and for his understanding of the critical role higher education will play in that future,” said RU President Penelope W. Kyle." President Kyle Elected Big South League Secretary Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle has been elected as the Big South Conference’s secretary of the league, the conference announced Monday. Kyle is beginning her first year as a member of the Big South’s Executive Committee. RU Creates New Colleges Radford University’s Board of Visitors approved the creation of The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Science and Technology. The new colleges were created from RU’s former College of Information Science and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences. “During the next decade there will be changes that will create revolutionary reform in higher education. The creation of these two colleges will better define Radford University and will highlight the strengths we bring to the emerging educational landscape,” says RU President Penelope W. Kyle. RU Honors Graduates at Spring Commencement
U.S. Senator Jim Webb was the guest speaker and told students: ”I’m fully confident that you will bring with you, wherever you may go, the real values that have always characterized Southwest Virginia: love of country; an abiding faith; a sense of service; and a determination to work hard.". Addressing the crowd of approximately 10,000 students, families and friends on a cool, overcast morning, he went on to say, “And I personally hope that you will embrace another value as well. In the scriptures we are told, ‘For unto whomsoever much is given, much shall be required.’ Our country, and indeed our world community, needs you to follow this simple idea now more than ever.” Webb told students that their generation’s legacy “should be that you restored basic fairness to the economic affairs of our nation.” President Kyle, Mayor Starnes to Open Special Olympics Games The annual Special Olympics Spring Games Track and Field Competition will be held Saturday, April 28 at Radford University’s Patrick D. Cupp Stadium. More than 200 Special Olympics athletes from across southwestern Virginia have been training for the event since late March. RU President Penelope W. Kyle and Radford City Mayor Tom Starnes will speak at the opening ceremonies, which begin at 9 a.m. RU Signs Articulation Agreement with CVCC
“This articulation agreement represents the culmination of efforts by both Radford University and Central Virginia Community College,” says RU President Penelope W. Kyle. “We all are dedicated to educating successful graduates for Virginia’s growing information technology industry." RU and VWCC Sign Articulation Agreement
RU Signs Guaranteed Admission Agreement with VCCS
Winter Commencement Honors Graduates and Faculty
President Kyle's Lock-Up Nets $700 for MDA
President Welcomes Congressman to Meeting
RU Inaugurates First Woman President
Angelou, Holton, Sadat Share Wisdom at Symposium
President Kyle Hosts Luncheon to Thank Scottish Rite
President Kyle Heralds Record State Funding as Key to Future The Virginia General Assembly and Governor Tim Kaine have good news for Radford University. The budget that Assembly conferees proposed to Governor Kaine, and the Governor has now approved, contains over $17 million in new operating general funds for the 2006-2008 biennium and approval for $19 million in capital projects. “This infusion of additional operational and construction monies will help us move the university’s strategic initiatives forward,” said President Penelope W. Kyle. President Kyle Hosts Welcome Dinner for Golden Reunion
RU Commission Charting Future of the University The Commission for the Future of Radford University, created and chaired by President Penelope W. Kyle, will help chart the future course of the institution. The Commission and its task forces, made up of Board of Visitors members, faculty, alumni, students, staff, and community and business leaders, are studying RU’s mission and researching the state of higher education nationwide to determine how Radford University can best serve its future students and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle reads to fifth graders at Belle Heth Elementary School in Radford recently as part of the school's celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday. RU Alumna Returns to Address Winter Graduates
Chinese Delegation Visits RU
President Kyle Speaks at Rotary Meeting
President Kyle Addresses Students in Oct. 19 Tartan Column Last week I began my fifth month as Radford University’s President. You could say my semester started June 1, so I understand all too well how students are feeling at this point -- stressed because there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish all we want to.
President Penelope Kyle presents a $30,000 check to Radford City Major Tom Starnes and Fire Chief Lee Simpkins. RU makes an annual donation to support fire and rescue services in the city. Verizon Grant to Promote Jobs, Small Business Development in Southwest Virginia
RU Family Health Clinic Mobile Unit Heads to Gulf
President Kyle and Board Host Faculty Reception President Penelope W. Kyle and the RU Board of Visitors held a reception recently for members of the faculty and their guests as an opportunity to celebrate the opening of the 2005 school year. To view some photos from the reception, click on the thumbnail images below or start with the first one and view them in order.
RU Enrollment at Record High, Academic Profile The Radford University Board of Visitors heard a spate of good news from President Penelope W. Kyle at its quarterly meeting Tuesday. Preliminary reports indicate the university’s enrollment should be the largest in school history. The current enrollment figure of 9,600 may change, but the final enrollment should top the previous high of 9,555 in fall 1989. At the same time, Kyle said, Radford’s academic profile improved. Average SAT scores rose 15 points to 1010. “That trend is exciting, but we want the average to continue upward,” she added. Kyle also reported to the Board on her first three months on the job. President Kyle and RU Foundation Thank Scottish Rite for Support
President Kyle Interviewed on WVTF RU President Penelope W. Kyle was interviewed this week on WVTF Public Radio. To listen to that interview, click on one of the links below. (Audio courtesy of Public Radio WVTF.)
President Enjoys Busy First Week in Office
Kyle Named New President at RU Penelope W. Kyle will be Radford University's sixth president. Kyle was selected March 3, 2005, by the university's Board of Visitors and will take office June 1. |
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President Penelope W. Kyle met with freshmen students and their parents Friday in a question-and-answer session in the Bonnie Hurlburt Student Center. Kyle and a group of RU administrators addressed numerous items including campus safety, student activities, campus and classroom involvement and campus construction.
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine came to Radford University on Friday to learn about RU's efforts and accomplishments related to the 7-17 Strategic Plan and to tour the campus. Greeted by a standing room only crowd in the Martin Hall Board Room, Governor Kaine was welcomed to the campus by the Rector of RU's Board of Visitors, R.J. Kirk. The Rector noted Governor Kaine's strong commitment to higher education in the Commonwealth and thanked him for his continuing interest in the success of Radford University.
This summer, President Kyle welcomed new freshmen and transfer students to campus during Quest, RU’s new student orientation program. During her video address, she described the exciting opportunities and challenges awaiting them as they begin their academic journey at RU.
President Penelope W. Kyle conferred 1,605 bachelor’s degrees and 320 master’s degrees during the 2007 Spring Commencement Cermonies Saturday, May 5, and praised the RU student body for being “second to none in the Commonwealth of Virginia."
Radford University and Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) signed an articulation agreement that allows CVCC students who earned their Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Systems Technology to transfer into one of seven IT programs at RU including information systems, enterprise systems development, web development, computer science, database, software engineering and networks. Students can then complete a four-year bachelor’s degree in information technology in two additional years.
Radford University and Virginia Western Community College signed an articulation agreement Monday that will allow VWCC students who have earned an associate of science degree in computer science to complete a baccalaureate degree at RU. The two schools also signed updates to a 2005 agreement that provides a similar pathway to VWCC students who have earned an associate of applied science degree in Information Systems Technology to complete a baccalaureate degree in any of the information technology programs offered at RU.
Radford University has signed a statewide guaranteed admission agreement with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) that will promote transfer and ease transition to the university for Virginia community college students. The guaranteed admission agreement allows community college graduates who complete an associate’s degree with a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or higher in a transfer-oriented program to transfer to Radford University with junior standing. “This is something I believe in,” said Radford’s President Penelope W. Kyle, who signed the agreement with Glenn DuBois, chancellor of Virginia’s community colleges.
Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle conferred approximately 470 degrees during RU’s winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 16. Eminent Professor of Anthropology Dr. Donna Boyd delivered the Commencement address.
If they weren’t in on the secret, people who passed by Martin Hall earlier this week may have thought President Penelope Kyle had gotten into a bit of trouble with the law. After all, it’s not often you see the university president being hand-cuffed and put into a police cruiser. But after the word got out, rumors quickly vanished. The “arrest” was all part of a local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) fundraiser.
President Penelope W. Kyle introduced Congressman Rick Boucher as the featured speaker at the recent American Heritage Rivers Initiative national meeting held at Selu.
Governor Tim Kaine, speaking at the inauguration of Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle, told Kyle that in undertaking leadership of a public university she is inheriting a “wonderful tradition in Virginia, one that was created by the patron saint of everything in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson.” Clear skies graced the outdoor ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 12 while flags representing the many countries of the RU student body gave a colorful backdrop to the speakers.
In celebration of RU’s presidential inauguration, Maya Angelou, Jehan Sadat and Virginia First Lady Anne Holton came together to discuss their experiences in leadership roles and to answer questions from students. RU's sixth president, Penelope W. Kyle, served as moderator for the inaugural symposium, "Women's Leadership in a Global Society" and noted the appropriateness of the discussion as RU installs its first woman president.
President Penelope W. Kyle and the Radford University Foundation hosted a luncheon to thank the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for its generous support of RU’s Summer Language Clinic and other outreach and scholarship programs within the Waldron College of Health and Human Services. These gifts have helped children with speech and language disorders and RU graduate students in the speech-language pathology program.
The Radford University class of 1956 celebrated its Golden Reunion recently, sharing stories, pictures and songs of when the group roamed the campus together 50 years ago. Thirty-eight of the 92 classmates who received degrees from RU in June 1956 attended the event highlighted by a welcome dinner hosted by RU president Penelope W. Kyle, campus tours and induction into the Golden Reunion Class.
President Kyle Takes Part in Special
A Radford University alumna who went on to become president of a Virginia university will return to her alma mater to give the commencement address Saturday, Dec. 17. Belinda C. Anderson, president of Virginia Union University, will join RU President Penelope W. Kyle as she presides over her first graduation at RU. Both women are the first females to lead their institutions.
A delegation from China's Zhejiang Education Institute spent a day at Radford University visiting with faculty and students. The four delegates came to discuss the relationship ZEI has with RU as a "sister university" and look at possible areas of future cooperation.
Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle told a group of New River Valley business and community leaders that educational institutions need to think of themselves as players in economic development and business creation. Universities like RU “are part of, not separate from the business community,” she said. Kyle was the guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg Rotary Club.
RU Makes Annual Donation to City Fire and Rescue Services
New and existing small-business owners in Southwest Virginia can get some much-needed mentoring and training through Radford University’s Southwest Region Virginia Small Business Development Center, courtesy of a $30,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. The center has counselors at Mountain Empire and Southwest Virginia community colleges who will help owners of start-up companies and existing businesses in seven Southwest Virginia counties develop business and marketing plans, secure funding, and create new jobs. RU president Penelope W. Kyle said the university is “proud of the opportunity to facilitate the Verizon Foundation’s vision for investment in the economy of Southwest Virginia.”
President Penelope W. Kyle has authorized the use of RU Family Health Clinic mobile unit to aid in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Gulfport, Mississippi. The mobile unit left campus on Thursday, September 8, for a two-week stay. Mobile unit driver and clinic assistant Michael Walker is making the trip, joining a caravan that includes a busload of third year medical students from Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) and National Guard troops. 
President Penelope W. Kyle and the Radford University Foundation hosted a luncheon to thank the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for its generous support of RU’s Summer Language Clinic and other outreach and scholarship programs within the Waldron College of Health and Human Services. The Foundation has facilitated nearly $600,000 in donations from the Scottish Rite. These gifts have helped children with speech and language disorders, uninsured families and RU graduate students in the speech-language pathology program.
President Penelope W. Kyle assumed office June 1 and immediately embarked on an extensive outreach plan to take the RU message to legislators, state government officials, alumni donors and residents of the Commonwealth. In addition to Richmond, Roanoke was a recent stop for President Kyle where more than 200 individuals turned out for a special reception to honor her and RU’s Distinguished Professor of Art Dorothy Gillespie. The occasion was an exhibit of Gillespie’s works at the Art Museum of Western Virginia.