BOV holds quarterly meeting Oct. 2-3

The Radford University Board of Visitors held its quarterly meeting Oct. 2-3 in the Mary Ann Jennings Hovis Memorial Board Room.

The Board’s Student Success Committee, Academic Excellence and Research Committee, Business Affairs and Audit Committee, University Advancement, University Relations and Enrollment Management Committee and the Governance, Administration and Athletics Committee met Oct. 2 in consecutive sessions.

On Oct. 3, the Board reviewed information discussed by the committees and approved the following:

• A resolution to ratify a previously approved degree proposal from a B.S. in Computer and Cyber Science to a B.S. in Cybersecurity, pending approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV);
• Changes to the Teaching and Research Faculty Handbook, section 1.4.2 Evaluation of Department Chairs and School Directors;
• Updates to the 2018 Six-Year Plan;
• The University’s 2018-19 Operating Budget of $223.5 million;
• Resolutions to recognize seniors Brittany Metrolis and Ben Thiss for their academic achievements and “exemplifying the strong qualities of a Highlander”; and
• A revision to the University’s mission statement, striking through the word “baccalaureate” and replacing it with “undergraduate,” pending approval by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

President Brian O. Hemphill reported to the Board on several accomplishments over the summer, including:

• Faculty, staff and students were globally engaged as they traveled and represented Radford University across the world.
• The IMPACT program celebrated its first graduate in cybersecurity.
• The alumni Hometown Tours were a great success with 31 stops in 25 cities across four states.
• University administrators and representatives demonstrated steadfast dedication and hard work in assisting with progress related to the merger with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and the planning of the Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity.
• A number of successful events were held to kick off the fall 2018 semester, including New Student Convocation and receptions for students, faculty, local business leaders and officials.

Faculty Representative to the Board of Visitors Jake Fox discussed results from an annual morale survey in which faculty members participated. The survey has been administered for about 15 years, and this year, it reflected several increases in satisfaction by survey participants.

Myriah Brooks presented her goals and objectives as Student Representative to the Board of Visitors and outlined several initiatives she is working on, including:

• Promoting higher education and Radford University to elementary, middle and high school students;
• Helping RU students who are balancing work and school by organizing study groups and connecting them to academic resources, such as the Harvey Knowledge Center; and
• Organizing community outreach initiatives, such as food and clothing drives.

The Student Success Committee was briefed by Student Government Association (SGA) President Julianna Stanley on initiatives to put Highlanders First:

• Student opinion listening tours;
• SGA tables in the Bonnie Hurlburt Student Center;
• ‘What Do You Want?’ Wednesday; and
• Student Appreciation Day.
  

The SGA is also working to promote engagement and awareness among Highlanders by:

• Boosting school pride;
• Supporting community service events, such as Radford Gives Back;
• Raising awareness of sexual assault;
• Assessing campus safety;
• Promoting mental health awareness; and
• Encouraging the use of the Live Safe application.

The Committee also heard from Vice President for Student Affairs Susan Trageser on a variety of issues, including Housing and Residential Life, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Center for Accessibility Services, student recreation and wellness, and student involvement. Two new living-learning communities were launched this fall – the Schoolhouse and Entrepreneurship. The Schoolhouse living-learning community had the highest occupancy for any new living-learning community at Radford.

Vice President Trageser also briefed the Committee on the Brother4Brother mentoring program, which has 15 mentors working with 30 mentees.

Assistant Vice President for Student Success and Retention James Penven and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Angela Mitchell briefed the Committee on the Starfish Early Alert system and a planned expansion to Starfish, which includes creation of additional roles, increased reporting and assessment capabilities, as well as enhanced and updated web presence. The Committee was also briefed on re-enrollment initiatives for fall 2018 and Fail Point prevention initiatives.

The Academic Excellence and Research Committee heard from Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kenna Colley who introduced several new academic initiatives on campus, including the Dalton Eminent Scholars award for faculty, the Highlander Venture Lab and the Harvey Knowledge Center in McConnell Library.

Provost Colley announced that 41 new faculty joined the university this fall and also introduced the new dean of the Davis College of Business and Economics, Joyendu “Joy” Bhadury, and interim dean for the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, Matt Smith.

The Business Affairs and Audit Committee was briefed on the annual and quarterly mandated board audits and ongoing campus capital projects.

Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer Chad Reed presented on the 2018 Six-Year Plan, which charts the University’s ongoing strategic activities. The Six-Year Plan update supports the implementation of student success and retention action plan, the increase of degree completion and adult learners through competency-based education and ensuring access for low- and middle-income families through need-based financial aid.

The Committee was also briefed on:

• The University Discretionary Fund Quarterly Audit Review and annual mandated audits in which the University was found to be in compliance;
• The nearly $34 million-project to renovate the existing Reed Hall and Curie Hall science buildings to complement the Center for the Sciences, expected to be ready to host classes by the spring semester of 2020; and
•  Initial planning for the Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity.

The University Advancement, Enrollment Management and University Relations Committee was briefed by Vice President for Enrollment Management Kitty McCarthy on enrollment and recruitment updates.

Highlights from the fall 2018 census include:

• An increase in the number of out-of-state freshmen students enrolled for fall 2018, from 156 to 166;
• An increase in high school GPA, from 3.24 to 3.25; and
• A 12 percent increase in number of freshmen applications for fall 2019 compared to fall 2018.

Vice President for University Advancement Wendy Lowery reported on the 2018 fiscal year (FY) giving. Total giving for FY 2018 was $15.2 million, a more than 41 percent increase from FY 2017.

Vice President Lowery also discussed several parent and family outreach strategies, including a new family focus group that will convene during the upcoming Family Weekend. Additional upcoming engagement opportunities include Homecoming 2018, Partners in Excellence and Presidential Tours.

Vice President for University Relations Ashley Schumaker presented on the FY 2018 Campaign Performance Review and the Strategic Approach FY 19 Campaign.

A major highlight of the 2017-2018 campaign year was more than 18 billion earned media impressions realized as a result of the NCAA March Madness tournament, totaling more than $44 million in equivalent ad value.

Vice President Schumaker also provided a report focusing on the university’s marketing approach, including building brand awareness and the university’s reputation, both near and far.

The Governance, Administration and Athletics Committee was briefed on advances and accomplishments in two areas: information technology and intercollegiate athletics.

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Danny Kemp outlined a variety of projects and initiatives that support student success and service, including:

• The largest upgrade of the university’s enterprise system in 10 years;
• Deployment of almost 170 multi-function devices across campus; and
• An aggressive schedule of summer activities across campus to upgrade the University information technology infrastructure and platforms, such as adding a suite of analytics tools to the D2L learning management system, completing phase 2 of the Radford student retention project and other technology upgrades to learning spaces across campus.

Vice President Kemp also reviewed the University’s new activities in support of protecting information security, including the implementation of two-factor authentication in which almost 5,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni are enrolled.

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Robert Lineburg reviewed the operational aspects of the Radford Athletics program’s efforts to ensure student-athlete safety and success. Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Chad Hyatt and Assistant Athletics Director for Sport Performance Scott Bennett briefed the Committee on the program’s internal safety and health education activities, staff certifications and procedures.

Athletics Director Lineburg also reviewed some of the academic successes of Radford student-athletes, including:

• 32 student-athletes posted 4.0 GPAs;
• 121 student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List; and
• 14 of Radford varsity teams earned team GPAs of above 3.0. with three teams posting team GPAs over 3.5, including volleyball and women’s cross-country that achieved a 3.6 GPA.