Radford University honors ‘champion of international education’ through naming of McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement

Radford University unveiled a new name for its international education center: the McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement.

The name acknowledges the “dedication and leadership” of Thomas D. McGlothlin, president of The McGlothlin Foundation in Bristol, Virginia, who “has been a champion of international education and engagement for years,” said Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., in a private ceremony May 19, 2021, on campus in Cook Hall.

“There is a great deal of appreciation for you, your leadership and your support of this institution,” President Hemphill said to McGlothlin, “and your mission to continue to drive that focus on international education and engagement.”

The McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement (MCGEE) supports students, faculty and staff who are interested in pursuing international initiatives that result in a positive impact for the individual and the Radford University community.  

The McGlothlin Center manages international admissions and recruitment, international student and scholar services and the intensive English program, which provides English language education for individuals who need assistance.

The Center also manages an education abroad unit that provides support to students, faculty and staff who are interested in pursuing study, research and teaching opportunities outside the United States. Interested individuals may apply for McGlothlin International Education Funds that are available through the Center.

At the ceremony, McGlothlin shared personal stories of traveling abroad and thanked Radford University “for all you do for students,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have all of them traveling soon and telling stories of their own.”

McGlothlin is an unwavering supporter of Radford University. For nearly two decades, the McGlothlin Foundation, along with Blue Ridge PBS and Radford University’s College of Education and Human Development, sponsored the McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence, which annually recognized the region’s best teachers. The University presented McGlothlin with The Spirit of the Tartan Award in 2018.

The McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement is located inside Cook Hall, which opened in 1998 and is named for McGlothlin’s mother, Sally Cook McGlothlin ’36.

To learn more, contact the McGlothlin Center for Global Education and Engagement at 540-831-6200 or globaled@radford.edu.