A Gift with Impact
By Mary Hardbarger
RADFORD FAMILY GATHERS TO DEDICATE VINOD CHACHRA IMPACT LAB
Local entrepreneur and enthusiastic Radford University partner and supporter Vinod Chachra, Ph.D., has given the University a significant financial donation that will support its new competency-based education (CBE) program, IMPACT (Innovative Mobile Personalized Accelerated Competency Training). In recognition of his generosity, Radford University will name the program’s laboratory the Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab.
Chachra, of Blacksburg, is the founder of VTLS Inc. and until recently served as its president and CEO. He is an internationally recognized lecturer, consultant and innovator in the field of information system planning. As a Radford University partner, Chachra has strongly supported the implementation and creation of IMPACT, a first-of-its-kind program among four-year public institutions in Virginia. IMPACT officially launched Oct. 1 with an initial focus on cybersecurity, an information technology security program in which Radford University is nationally recognized.
As a result of Chachra’s generous gift, Radford University is at the forefront of higher education technology innovation and providing lasting benefits in the region, across the Commonwealth of Virginia and throughout the nation and the world.
“This gift will be instrumental in Radford University’s innovative efforts to continuously infuse technology in all facets of teaching and learning,” said Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill. “Additionally, it will forever etch the internationally renowned Chachra name in the history of Radford University and inspire the next generation of Highlanders and others to make a significant and lasting impact in the cyber defense sector.”
The Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab will enable one of the first instructional design teams to embed learning science principles into every aspect of CBE design, thereby aligning with Radford University’s traditional image and mission as a teaching university. In addition, with this approach, the Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab has the opportunity to become a national leader in highly innovative and emergent fields of study (e.g. CBE instructional design, personalized learning, learning analytics, storybased learning environments, gamification, self-organizing learning environments and virtual reality).
The lab will be the incubator that lays the foundation for the sustainable future of learning and business practices at Radford University and possibly other universities in the Commonwealth and throughout the country.
The Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab will be an established lab space physically separate but adjacent to Radford University’s main campus. It will house office space and computer equipment.