Faculty Excellence

As a literary tourist, associate professor of English Courtney Watson is a frequent visitor to sites like Rowan Oak; and Key West, Florida; and Monroeville, Alabama; and Paris, where writers like William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty and Robert Wright lived, wrote, and set scenes that made them the beloved writers they are today. 

This week in Highlanders in the News: Longtime WDBJ7 producer and anchor Travis Wells joins the Hokies; push-ups prove profitable (and philanthropic) for softball player Tori Boyd; and a student, a professor and an alum have all recently made splashes in the realm of art. 

Earlier this year, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program was able to use office space and staffers from Radford University to expand its reach and its expertise across the New River Valley.

This week in Highlanders in the News: Ben Carlin ’12 and his brother, Jonathan, scale the heights of YouTube with their popular channel; chemistry professor Kimberly Lane, Ph.D., weighs in on the recent emergence of a formidable designer opioid; and the Radford University Emergency Management office takes part in active threat training.

This week in Highlanders in the News: Professor Emeritus of Economics George Santopietro, Ph.D., pens a Roanoke Times op-ed and takes a summer job; a tech-centric website rates Radford University in the upper half of its list of the top 10 online colleges in Virginia; and Digital Spy uses the school’s serial killer database to analyze a new Apple TV+ drama. 

"I wanted to teach at a school that focuses on teaching, said Katie Arnold, Ph.D. "That's what I care about and that's what Radford University cares about, too." The combination of teaching both undergraduate students and master's program students are some of the many reasons Dr. Arnold loves Radford University.

The new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), adopted by Radford University and consistent with its 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, is included in the university's 10-year Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaccreditation. The new QEP is called RISE: Realizing Inclusive Student Excellence-Highlanders RISE Together!

Radford University Associate Professor of Music Jennifer McDonel, Ph.D., writes, sings and records songs to help children ages 2 to 5 better learn mathematics through music.