Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee visits RUC as part of annual meeting activities

On Nov. 19, members of the Commonwealth of Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations (SFAC) Committee visited Radford University Carilion (RUC) in Roanoke as part of the group’s annual meeting activities. The annual meeting was being held a few blocks from RUC at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

The group was welcomed by Radford University interim President Carolyn Ringer Lepre, Ph.D., over lunch in the administrative boardroom. Lepre spoke about the extensive history of healthcare and education in the Roanoke Valley and how thousands of students have been educated to care for the residents of Southwest Virginia for decades in this location.

“Radford University has a rich heritage of serving this area of Virginia by educating a variety of students,” Lepre said. “With the merger of Jefferson College of Health Sciences into Radford University in 2019, we expanded that heritage by increasing the healthcare programs we offer. Radford University is a vital part of filling a need for healthcare professionals that are desperately needed today.”

Lepre was joined at the meeting by other members of Radford University leadership, including J. Orion Rogers, Ph.D., interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs;  Chad Reed, vice president for Finance and Administration; Lisa Ghidotti, executive director of Government Relations; Susan Trageser, Ed.D., vice president for Student Affairs; and Margie Vest, assistant vice president for RUC Business.

Rogers spoke about the academic programs at RUC, followed by Reed, who elaborated on how RUC has broadened the reach of Radford University to new types of students.

“By creating RUC through the merger with Jefferson College,” Reed said, “we diversified who we serve and educate. RUC allows us to offer the Radford University experience to a wider audience, including established professionals and adult learners.”

After the lunch meeting, the group took a tour of RUC that included seeing the physician assistant and respiratory therapy labs, both on the ninth floor; the Virginia Intercollegiate Anatomy Lab (VIAL) and the doctor of physical therapy lab, both on the eighth floor; and the emergency services and occupational therapy labs on the second floor.

Senate rules establish a Committee on Finance and Appropriations to consider the budget of the Commonwealth, all taxation and all matters concerning the expenditure of funds of the Commonwealth, general and special revenues of the Commonwealth, bills, resolutions, and petitions for appropriations, and claims. The committee is composed of 16 members of the Senate. More information about this committee is available on its website.