Our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. In this column, we highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a little better, we’ll feature their stories.
Students of history
During the 1970s, desegregation efforts in public education saw both Black and white students relocated as a means of diversifying schools and classroom populations.
In 1971, integration sent white Henry County students to what is now G.W. Carver High School. They were eighth graders when they entered and, five years later, they graduated as seniors, forming the 104 members of the Class of 1976.
Last month, about half that class returned for a 50th reunion at West Piedmont Higher Education Center in Martinsville, and an Oct. 24 story by Robert Anderson for Cardinal News profiles eight of those students – including Highlanders Rob Lovell ’83 and David Wigginton ’81 – and looks at the ways their high school experience affected their lives.
Lowell talks about how his goal of working in football gave way, instead, to his prestigious work as a basketball coach, and he describes how a public speaking class he took at Carver helped cure his teenage shyness, paving the way to a career in education.
“Our teachers … they were teachers,” Lovell recalled. “If they hadn’t done the job they did, I never would have gotten into teaching.”
Wigginton, too, saw his work take some unexpected turns.
He earned his Radford degree in recreation administration but, after graduating, spent several years in lumber procurement and furniture manufacturing before launching a long career with Harrisonburg, Virginia’s parks and rec department.
Looking back on his high school days, Wigginton noted: “We had to grow up quick. We had one thing in common, and that was getting our education.
“We started socializing and playing sports together,” he explained. “We just came together as a school.”
‘An uplifting spirit’
Last month, Angelina Nice, a junior guard on the Radford women’s basketball team, became the first Highlander to be named a Kay Yow Cancer Fund Servant Leader.
The award, named in honor of the long-time head coach of the NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team, recognizes student-athletes who serve others and possess a commitment to leadership, both on and off the court.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that raises money for cancer research and for underserved programs that provide access to cancer healthcare.
Nice’s award was reported on Oct. 28 by the Winston-Salem Journal, among other outlets.
In that coverage, Radford head coach Mike McGuire said Nice embodies what the award stands for.
"She consistently demonstrates an uplifting spirit and team attitude in all that she does,” McGuire said. “Angelina has high expectations for herself but also cares deeply about others."
Award winners will wear a Servant Leader patch on their jersey throughout this season, at the end of which one recipient will be named Servant Leader of the Year, with a $25,000 grant given in their name to a local healthcare provider.
A courtside note: Nice, who’s from Round Hill, Virginia, recorded her first double-double as a Highlander on Nov. 7, scoring 10 points with 14 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky University.
Meeting a need
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, in the southern region of the United States – which includes Virginia – the faculty vacancy rate for schools offering baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs is just over 8%.
Fewer teachers means fewer nurses, who are already in short supply, but Radford is making it easier for future educators to enter the field. In January, the university’s new post-professional certificate in nursing education will welcome its first cohort.
On Nov. 9, WDBJ-7 shone a light on Radford College of Nursing’s 12-credit-hour online program, which can be completed in three to four semesters. Applicants must have a current registered nursing license and a Master of Science in Nursing from an accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
The station spoke to Wendy Downey, dean of the nursing college.
“Downey said getting nurses to move into teaching can be difficult because of the pay difference between academic and clinical jobs,” the station reported, “but she said nursing education offers flexibility and rewards of its own.”
The College of Nursing has won a Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) grant and provides low-interest loans to graduate nursing students, with up to 85% loan cancellation for graduates who serve four years as full-time nursing faculty members. Those funds can be applied for through the Office of Financial Aid.