Board of Visitors briefed on planned public health efforts, strategic plan

At the Radford University Board of Visitors meeting on Friday, March 20, university leadership presented plans to partner with key organizations to expand access to medical, mental and dental health services in Southwest and Southside Virginia.

University President Bret Danilowicz described progress toward establishing a Center for Rural Health, in collaboration with regional healthcare organizations, foundations and businesses. “We foresee that it will help communities across Southwest and Southside Virginia shape and sustain their own health and well-being,” he said.

The university is forming a Partner Council, which will first study regional health disparities and then develop action plans to address them. To help meet those needs, Radford will involve its students in nursing and health professions more directly with work-based education in rural settings. “In all this, we’ll ensure that these efforts complement – not compete with – the work of hospital systems and community health organizations,” Danilowicz noted.

He added that the Partner Council will further extend the outreach and impact of the center’s work, involving its own individual community networks and resources to broaden its impact.

Strategic Plan

The board also heard updates on initial work to implement and track progress on the university’s 2026-2031 strategic plan, Shaping Tomorrow – Together. Online dashboards have been established to provide transparency for progress on the specific objectives and strategies contained within the plan.

In addition, the board approved a motion of appreciation for Angela Joyner and Sharon Rogers Hepburn, who co-chaired the committee that developed the plan.

Board actions

The board voted to approve adjustments to tuition and fees for the 2026-2027 academic year.

In other actions, the board:

• Endorsed tenure for 10 faculty members.
• Approved a resolution certifying that the university is compliant with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s debt management policy.
• Extended the term of an existing property easement agreement the university has adjoining Norfolk Southern Railway.
• Changed the dates of its March 2027 quarterly meeting to March 11-12.

Key highlights

Danilowicz announced various notable achievements and measures of the university’s progress, including the following:

• Total student enrollment in the spring 2026 term is nearly 7,400 – an increase of about 7% over spring 2024.
• Students from Virginia account for 92% of enrollment.
• Over 92% of 2025 graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months.
• Overall undergraduate fall-to-spring retention and graduation grew to 95%, continuing a five-year upward trend.
• The university will launch the New River Valley Governor’s School in the Arts and Humanities in fall 2026.
• Advocacy Day in February was highly successful; 50 students and faculty met with state legislators in Richmond, as well as Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi. They also observed proceedings of the Virginia General Assembly.

Assistant Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives Lisa Ghidotti presented to the board a recap of the recently concluded session of the Virginia General Assembly. Her remarks included several actions relevant to higher education institutions, as well as the recent inauguration of Gov. Spanberger. She also noted that the legislature will reconvene in special session in April to finalize the commonwealth’s annual budget.

The board also heard presentations from its student representative, Dominika Butler, and from government relations fellows Alivia Turner and Taylor Plapp.

Committee reports

Throughout the meeting, board members reported on the various committee meetings that were held the previous day, March 19. Those included the following:

Academic Excellence and Student Success: Chair Betty Jo Foster ’69 provided an overview of strategic priorities for Academic Affairs. Various educational curricula may be adjusted to align with those priorities. Foster noted new accreditation for master’s degree programs in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling and healthcare administration, as well as continued development of interdisciplinary health education programs, with an emphasis on rural health. She charted the university’s continued strong performance in student enrollment and retention and highlighted several achievements by students and faculty.   

Business Affairs and Audit Committee: Chair Jeanne Armentrout ’81 summarized a report from the auditor of public accounts for the Commonwealth of Virginia, which included an independent accountant’s report on the university’s adherence to agreed-upon procedures for the NCAA Intercollegiate Athletics Program. The committee also discussed planned and completed actions from December 2025 through February 2026 to address issues found in previous audits. Vice President for Finance and Administration Rob Hoover briefed the committee on the status of multiple capital projects and information technology initiatives and provided an overview of how the university’s budget will be constructed for 2027.

Enrollment Management and Brand Equity Committee: Chair Jennifer Wishon Gilbert shared updates on the university’s enrollment and retention rates, which continue to show growth and stability in key measures. Gilbert also outlined Radford’s strategic communications goals and initiatives, including a campus-wide brand saturation project to promote affiliation, spirit and community for students, employees, alumni, prospective students and their families, and visitors.

External Engagement Committee: Vice Chair George Mendiola Jr. ’00, MBA ’02, reported on multiple highlights of the university’s economic development and corporate education initiatives, in areas including:

• Partnership with area businesses, associations and local governments
• Student success and experiential learning opportunities
• Community engagement and regional tourism
• Continuing education and workforce development
• Organizational excellence and culture

Mendiola also summarized highlights of advancement and alumni relations activities and priorities going forward, including planned giving and legacy engagement. A number of efforts are underway to deepen the long-term commitment of donors, including alumni and university retirees, through a relationship-first approach.

Student Affairs and Athletics Committee: Chair David A. Smith '85, M.S. '87, shared recent activities of the Student Government Association, including the recent Advocacy Day, when students traveled to Richmond to meet with their state legislators, as well as Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi. The committee also welcomed a presentation and remarks from Jake Weiss and Ashley Glover, student representatives to the SCHEV Student Advisory Committee. In addition, Smith summarized remarks presented by Susan Trageser, vice president for student affairs, which noted key successes with the division’s prior strategic efforts and outlined priorities under the new strategic plan. The successes include a student engagement rate (in-person involvement with multiple university events or programs) of 98% for first-time students and 92% for new transfer students. Smith also discussed recent events in intercollegiate athletics as reported by Robert Lineburg, director of athletics. These included the recent academic achievement of student-athletes, who cumulatively received a GPA of 3.45. He also noted the recent hires of men’s soccer head coach Andy Cormack and assistant coach Ryan Palmbaum, as well as excellent competitive results for the 2025-26 athletic teams.

Radford University Foundation: Mendiola provided the board with an activity report on the foundation. He observed that halfway through the 2026 fiscal year, investments and scholarship funding show continued growth and are on pace to meet or exceed the levels in fiscal year 2025.

Meeting materials and next date

Copies of the meeting agendas and board reports are available online, and a full video of the March 20 meeting can be streamed through YouTube.

The next meeting of Radford’s Board of Visitors will be held June 4-5, 2026.