Highlander Highlights: Week of May 4, 2026
May 08, 2026
Highlander Highlights shares with readers some of the extraordinary accomplishments happening on and off campus through the tireless work and curiosity of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Nursing students showcase research on reducing staff turnover
The College of Nursing held its Student Research Poster Fair on April 22 in Kyle Hall, where 65 students in 17 groups presented projects to faculty, peers and alumni.
The event highlighted research conducted in the Research in Nursing course. Assistant
Professor of Nursing Amy Woods, D.N.P. '15,
noted that judges and faculty “raved about the knowledge, professionalism and level
of engagement the students demonstrated.”
At the back of the room, Jasmine Locke, Avery Tucker, Tristian Widrig and Emma Young stood eagerly by their poster, titled “Caring for Caregivers: Reducing Nursing Turnover.” The students explored why nurses leave the field and how it can be prevented. They found long hours, patient-to-staff ratio and lack of support from administration as contributing factors. Young, a junior from Portsmouth, Virginia, expressed that solving this problem is important because it doesn’t just affect nurses. “When there aren’t enough nurses, patient care suffers as well,” she said. The group emphasized improved staff-to-patient ratio, supportive leadership and mental health support to reduce nursing turnover.
Throughout the process, the group realized how crucial the work environment is in nursing. Widrig, a junior from Christiansburg, Virginia, commented, “As we’re looking for jobs in the future, we’re going to want to look for a place that’s going to really take care of the nurses as well as the patients.”
In addition to practical knowledge, the team walked away with the third-place prize for their presentation.
SRWC staffers receive NIRSA honors
Two Student Recreation and Wellness Center staff members earned prestigious honors at the 2026 annual convention of NIRSA, an organization dedicated to advancing, promoting and regulating campus fitness and recreational sports programs across the United States and Canada.
Associate Director Jessica Rothe O’Conner ’18 received a Creative Excellence Award in the Print Collateral & Publication category for the booklet “SRWC Declassified: College Survival Guide.” Placed on every residence hall bed during move-in, the guide provided new students with information about all SRWC’s offerings: group fitness, outdoor programs, sport clubs, intramural sports and esports, along with info about the facility in general.
“We were looking to create something that could be given to all incoming students, so they knew what there was to offer in one place,” O’Conner said. An online version was also made accessible for all students, and a second edition “is definitely in the works for fall 2026,” she said.
D.J. Preston, the center’s director, was honored with one of NIRSA’s highest recognitions, the Juliette Moore Distinguished Leadership Award, which he described as a “professional surprise of a lifetime.” The award celebrates individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to leadership, service, mentoring and the advancement of diversity and inclusion within the profession. Preston, who received multiple nominations, was recognized for his sustained leadership, the development of impactful initiatives and a commitment to fostering equitable opportunities and a supportive community.
DEQ award to boost Radford’s food-waste prevention efforts
Radford University is one of 12 Virginia colleges and universities to receive funding from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to reduce food waste.
The funds will support a wide variety of food waste prevention, food rescue and composting initiatives, all designed to divert food from landfills.
Radford’s $203,000 award will be used for an in-vessel composting system and hiring students to assist with food recovery operations and training.
“By purchasing this unit, we will be able to compost both food waste from our dining operations and other organic material from our grounds crew,” said Sustainability Manager Aysha Bodenhamer. “Our intention is to use this compost for grounds and greenhouse operations on campus. In doing so, we will divert several tons of waste from the landfill that will save the university money in tipping fees, and we will lessen our greenhouse gas emissions.
“We plan to purchase the unit this summer and have it operational before the beginning of the fall semester,” Bodenhamer said. “It will be placed behind Dalton Hall to provide close proximity to our dining operations.”
The funds given for the food rescue and composting initiatives totaled nearly $98 million, provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction program.
We Are Radford winner for May
The We Are Radford employee recognition program is a monthly honor recognizing an individual whose daily interactions with students and colleagues represent the best of the Radford University experience. The winner for May 2026 is James Harman '92, art director in the Office of Marketing and Communication.
“You can find James walking campus any day of the week with pep in his step and a smile on his face,” his nominator wrote. “James is a longstanding professional at Radford who brings joy into every aspect of his work. He’s a wealth of knowledge and unofficially serves as an institutional historian. If you want to know the story about a person or event at Radford, James is your guy. He is always willing to share stories of times past. In his role, he’s talented, dependable and always delivers.”
Employees who have served at least one year at Radford are eligible to be recognized for upholding the university’s core values.
Compiled by Joya Garris and Pam McCallister