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Eugene Naughton ’89, president of The Dollywood Co., delivered the keynote address at University Convocation, Aug. 22.

Radford University welcomed its faculty and staff back to campus Friday, Aug. 22, with its annual University Convocation. There, President Bret Danilowicz reminded the gathering at Bondurant Auditorium – and those attending virtually at Radford University Carilion – of the significant milestones they collectively achieved in the last academic year while also making progress toward the future and a culture of care.

As the audience filed into the auditorium, they were treated to a lengthy slideshow highlighting the many achievements and awards garnered throughout the past year.

Executive Director of Faculty Development Heather Keith opened the ceremony, announcing the creation of the Highlander Center for Character and Public Impact, which will offer “professional development that facilitates an exploration of traits such as empathy, humility, hope and moral courage in classrooms and conversations across the disciplines.”

Danilowicz, who is beginning his fourth year at the university, opened his remarks expressing gratitude “and a strong sense of pride” for the university’s faculty and staff while listing a bundle of accomplishments. “If you take anything away from this convocation,” the president said, “I hope you recognize that you work at a university that is doing some amazing things.”

Among those were the strong season posted by the 2024-25 mock trial team, the opening of the new Artis Center, the opening of the College of Nursing at Radford University Carilion, the new undergraduate major in applied biotechnology and the first graduating class of the teacher apprenticeship program.

Another milestone the president touted was the university’s steady enrollment increases.

Danilowicz said that while it’s too early to provide final enrollment figures for fall 2025, early indicators show a slight overall growth. “We’re anticipating that we will increase almost 2% in undergraduate students and about 1% in graduate students,” he said. “That would come to an overall increase of about 1.5%, which translates into nearly 150 new students.”

The president reminded the gathering that last year’s student retention numbers increased, with the combined fall-to-spring retention and graduation rates climbing to 94%, a high point for the university since 2018. Fall retention numbers are expected to increase, too, the president noted.

“After we launched the Radford Tuition Promise in October 2023, it proved to be a game changer in our marketing and recruiting efforts – attracting a lot of new students to find their way to Radford last fall,” Danilowicz said. “And it continues to be one of the top reasons that prospective students are choosing Radford. This fall, just over 2,100 students will receive the Radford Tuition Promise, which is about 27% of our overall enrollment.”

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President Bret Danilowicz reflected on the significant milestones the the university achieved over the past academic year.

Danilowicz noted that Radford celebrated its “most ambitious and successful fundraising initiative to date,” led by the Division of University Advancement. The TOGETHER Campaign raised more than $106 million, which included more than 18,000 donors, nearly 56,000 gifts and the creation of 178 new scholarships. In addition, Radford’s employee participation rate was 27%, a number that exceeded the national average.

“That historic campaign,” Danilowicz said, “greatly enhances our ability to fulfill our mission by transforming the lives of current and future students.”

Athletics teams had another banner season, highlighted by the women’s golf team winning the first Big South Conference championship in the program’s history, all while achieving the university’s highest GPA, a well-above-par 3.88. The president said that 61 of Radford’s student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Eugene Naughton ’89, president of The Dollywood Co., delivered the event’s keynote address, saying with a smile that he was proud of the work being done at his alma mater. “The work the leadership is doing is really showing through,” he said, “and it is really nice to see, even from a distance. And I love coming back; I’ll never get tired of coming back.”

Naughton spoke about the ways Radford shaped him “as a human being” during his time on campus from 1985 to 1989, and shared that his boss, Dolly Parton, often tells him to “leave something good in every day.”

“And we remind each other of the good we left today,” he said of their daily wrap-up discussions after long days at the Tennessee theme park. “Maybe at a staff meeting, you can talk about that. Maybe you can inspire some of your students to talk about the good you all did today.”

This approach, Naughton said as he walked around the Bondurant stage, helps people to remain focused on the things they work so hard to create. 

The Radford alumnus said he would love to revisit campus next year and see and hear about how Radford’s students, faculty and staff have impacted the lives of other students. “I’m incredibly proud to remain a part of this university, and I’m really incredibly proud to see the growth and transformation that continues to happen every day here, and I wish you the best of luck this year.”

Angela Joyner and Sharon Roger Hepburn, co-chairs of the Strategic Planning Committee, updated the attendees on the progress of the university’s new plan for 2026 -2031, which aims to build on a culture of care at Radford. Speaking of the community of Highlanders who have worked on the plan, said Hepburn, chair and professor of Radford’s Department of History, “They care deeply about the future of our institution, the potential of our students and how we care for each other as a community. They’ve committed substantial time, listened carefully to their constituents, contributed innovative ideas and helped craft the plan’s core elements.”

After sharing some highlights and themes from the plan, Joyner, Radford’s vice president for Economic Development and Corporate Education, said the plan represents more than just strategic planning; “they represent our promise to each other and to the students we serve. The exciting direction we're heading isn't just about institutional success; it's about the lives we'll change, the communities we'll strengthen and the future we'll build together.”