Radford sets the stage for meeting of SCHEV
Radford University hosted the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) on campus last month, as the group met across two days to consider recent initiatives, proposals and other academic business.
Among other functions, SCHEV makes public policy recommendations to the governor and General Assembly, primarily in the areas of enrollment projections, institutional technology needs and budget planning. SCHEV meets six times a year, frequently at Virginia higher education sites.
The group came to Kyle Hall starting March 20 and held separate meetings of both its committee for resources and planning and its committee for academic affairs.
The following morning, March 21, SCHEV’s full council convened in Kyle Hall’s main conference room for a session that ran more than three hours.
Group Chairman Ken Ampy opened with his reflections on his recent tour of the university, during which he visited the Museum of the Earth Sciences and the school planetarium, got to fly a drone and watched members of the Student Managed Investment Portfolio Organization (SMIPO) working in the financial trading room of the Davis College of Business and Economics.
“There was a particular focus on the students as we walked around campus yesterday,” he noted, and said that as he thought back on the experience, “the word ‘cool’ kept coming to me.”
Ampy said he was also informed during his visit that 34% of Radford’s facilities are LEED certified.
“We believe that’s tops in the state, in terms of public institutions, and so I think that’s cool as well,” he said.
As the meeting got underway, President Bret Danilowicz greeted SCHEV and delivered a presentation he deemed “a whirlwind wake-up call for what happens on our campus here.”
Danilowicz walked the council through the various qualities that make Radford distinctive; the school’s plans to reach and retain new students; distinctive educational pathways and undergraduate research opportunities; and projects currently on the horizon, such as partnerships with the city and other local organizations.
The president’s overview included Radford University Carilion, the Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab – which represents the first competency-based education (CBE) program to be housed by a four-year public institution in Virginia – plus educator training, the school’s Military Resource Center, the campus’ still-under-construction 178,000 square foot Artis Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity and newer projects such as the Hub at Radford and the 61-mile New River Water Trail.
He also fielded questions from council members regarding the Highlander Success Center, provisional licensing for educators and the challenges of bringing students opportunities to work with potential employers.
On the latter subject, Danilowicz said that while he recognizes the value of student internships, he remains a stronger proponent of ongoing apprenticeships, through which students work with companies for about 10 hours each week during their full undergraduate careers.
Within that arrangement, he said, “Students have a mentor from the company, they have a four-year partnership [and] they’re adding value back to the company after that first semester on an ongoing basis.
“That’s the experience that I want to be pushing us towards,” the president explained.
Council member Alvin Schexnider told Danilowicz his visit to Radford’s campus had left him “enormously impressed.”
“I think the fact that we’re here certainly justifies [SCHEV’s] desire to meet on various campuses, because some exciting things are going on here,” Schexnider said. “I think the work you’re doing in partnering with the localities for strengthening economic development is just what we should be doing.”
Chairman Ampy also offered encouragement, telling Danilowicz: “When you introduced yourself and greeted us yesterday for the first time, I felt the enthusiasm you had for the institution, and I see it again here this morning and … I hope you’re here for a long time.”
The president thanked the group for bringing its meeting to Radford and for its encouraging remarks.
“I do appreciate your time visiting with us and our campus,” he told the council.
SCHEV also met with its Student Advisory Committee, whose members are currently enrolled at Virginia colleges and universities. Radford’s C’erra Rhodes, a psychology major and an on-campus resident advisor, is part of that group.
The council sought the advisory committee’s input on active student issues, and all four representatives present cited mental health and wellness as a concern, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“People rely a lot on their freshman year to interact and get the connections they need,” Rhodes explained. “But since COVID, a lot of people … they didn’t interact … and don’t know how to ask for help.
“Here at Radford we offer group sessions and one-on-one sessions,” she added. “So, if students want to interact or talk to someone, they can.”
Also during the March 21 session, council reviewed priority initiatives for the Pathways to Opportunity Plan as well as the 2023 General Assembly session and new SCHEV duties.
You can watch the entire session on YouTube; the agenda book is also online.
Topics covered during the March 20 meetings by the committees for resources and planning and academic affairs included proposed organizational changes and actions on programs at public institutions, a review of a new doctoral program and discussions on private postsecondary education school closures, the New Economy Workforce Credential Annual Report and the six-year plan process.
SCHEV’s next meeting will be May 15-16 at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia.