Pillars of the Centennial

I. Academic Focus and Faculty/Student Research
II. Enhanced Culture of Service
III. Community-Building Celebrations

I. Academic Focus and Faculty/Student Research

In addition to ongoing activities and programs, the seven colleges that comprise the university are planning a series of lectures, colloquia, and other events that feature recognized leaders from every sector in Virginia. They will address economic issues and futuristic planning related to health care, education, the arts and humanities, science and technology, and business. Signature events include Centennial Charter Day, March 24, 2010, and a series of Centennial programs in the fall of 2010.

RU is an exemplary leader of faculty/student collaborations designed to engage students in research and scholarly activities that are rare for undergraduates, such as the annual production of professional publications and national conference presentations. Nearly 90 percent of RU student submissions were accepted for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, putting RU in the top 10 percent of institutions represented at the conference.

Guadalcanal groupIn 2008, a faculty-student collaboration took to the national stage when a team of RU faculty and students attempted to locate the remains of members of the U.S. Marine Goettge Patrol killed during the August 1942 Battle for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Biology professor Mark Cline has co-authored 17 published articles with his students. These are just two examples of RU faculty/student collaboration.

The Centennial offers an opportunity to maximize this tradition of faculty/student research and to recognize the best of such projects.

II. Enhanced Culture of Service

Radford University has always been more than just a campus. RU is a calling: a calling to learn, grow, create and, most importantly, a calling to serve. In February 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service honored RU with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.

In this spirit, RU has initiated a Centennial Service Challenge. The campus community, alumni and friends, and local and global communities are challenged to consider a contribution of service in honor of RU 100. An interactive global map will document service on campus, throughout the region and Commonwealth, and around the world.

III. Community-Building Celebrations

Annual events -- such as Homecoming, Commencement, and the Highlanders Festival -- are being targeted to build and show to the world the RU Centennial Spirit. In addition, special celebrations will include former members of the Board of Visitors, retired faculty and staff, and members of the Virginia General Assembly. Commemorative programs and Signature Centennial Events throughout 2010 will mark the century and anticipate the future.

Athletic events, visual and performing arts presentations, and engagement with Radford City and the Commonwealth of Virginia will serve to build a stronger sense of shared history and future. A calendar of 100 Signature Centennial Events will be included in the fall edition of The Magazine of Radford University.


RU Home Page ---- Centennial Contact: celebrate100@radford.edu