Radford University College of Nursing is where compassion meets excellence, and our proud students and graduates provide outstanding care every day as a result of their high-quality educational experience in our college. We are seeking to build on our excellence and growth trajectory to attract a cluster of Tenure Track Faculty and Special Purpose Non-Tenure Track Faculty to our community.
We are dedicated to cultivating skilled, empathetic nurses ready to meet the challenges of modern healthcare. With state-of-the-art facilities, experienced faculty, and a commitment to hands-on learning, we provide a nurturing environment that supports both academic and personal growth. This is an opportunity to build the nursing workforce of tomorrow based on our rich history and support of the communities of Southwest Virginia.
The institution now known as Radford University was founded by the Virginia General Assembly in the spring of 1910. The State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford grew out of a late nineteenth-century effort to expand Virginia's public school system and prepare a sufficient number of teachers. Today, Radford University is a public university enrolling nearly 7,800 students and boasts a beautiful 211-acre residential campus located close to the iconic Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Students at Radford University come from 46 states and 54 foreign nations, with the current student body the most diverse in the institution’s history.
Radford University is nationally recognized for many of its undergraduate and graduate academic programs, as well as its sustainability initiatives. Earlier this year, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education elevated Radford University from its previous classification as M1 (Master’s Larger Programs) to the Doctoral/Professional classification. In addition, the University was recently ranked by the U.S. News and World Report in the Top National Universities category while previously being ranked in the Regional Universities – South Region. The publication also recognized Radford University among the best universities in the south for veterans, one of the top green institutions in the nation, and one of the best undergraduate teaching programs nationally.
Radford University serves the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation through a wide range of academic, cultural, human service and research programs. Well known for its meaningful faculty and student relationships, innovative use of technology in the learning environment and vibrant student life, Radford offers students many opportunities to get involved and succeed in and out of the classroom. The grounds and facilities are conveniently arranged, beautifully maintained, and designed to meet the academic and extracurricular interests of the students. With a strong student focus, Radford University has over 200 clubs and organizations providing opportunities for student engagement, leadership development, and community service.
Radford University also offers a clinical-based educational experience for more than 1,100 students living and learning in Roanoke, Virginia, as part of Radford University Carilion (RUC), a public-private partnership established in 2019 with a focus on the cutting-edge delivery of health sciences programming, outreach, and service. Located in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, in the city’s Innovation Corridor, RUC provides a rigorous real-world learning experience to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in the health sciences. RUC boasts a faculty of practicing clinicians who, in a clinical setting on the campus of Carilion Medical Center, teach students to care for patients, conduct research, and explore how to manage organizations.
Radford University has additional learning environments at the Roanoke Higher Education Center, as well as in Abingdon at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
Radford University aspires to be the premier, innovative, student-centered university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond with a keen focus on teaching, research, and service.
As a mid-sized, comprehensive public institution dedicated to the creation and dissemination of knowledge, Radford University empowers students from diverse backgrounds by providing transformative educational experiences, from the undergraduate to the doctoral level, within and beyond the classroom. As an inclusive university community, we specialize in cultivating relationships among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other partners, and in providing a culture of service, support, and engagement. We embrace innovation and tradition and instill students with purpose and the ability to think creatively and critically. We provide an educational environment and the tools to address the social, economic, and environmental issues confronting the region, nation, and the world.
In 1966, Radford College was approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia Board of Nursing to develop a nursing program. The first students were admitted to the undergraduate program in 1969. Eleven members of the charter class graduated in 1973, and the program was granted initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing in 1976.
In 1979, Radford College was granted university status and, following a rapid growth period, the nursing program gained school status in 1982 and college status in 1984. Based on a needs assessment conducted by the Western Region Consortium for Continuing Higher Education, a track for registered nurse (RN) students was initiated in the fall of 1986. Off-site classes were established in select regions of Southwestern Virginia using a variety of distance education technology (audio teleconferencing and video/computers). Then in 1988, the Roanoke Higher Education Center site was established through an agreement between Radford University and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
In 1988, the graduate program in nursing started with a master’s of science in nursing (MSN) with a concentration in home health nursing followed by an advanced adult concentration in 1991. In 1995, two more MSN concentrations were initiated - a family nurse practitioner (FNP) concentration and a certificate program for both post baccalaureate and post master's students in Gerontological nursing. As a result of institutional reorganization in 1997, the School of Nursing became part of Waldron College of Health and Human Services.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, which opened in fall of 2010, was the first of its kind in Virginia to be offered in a distance-learning format and to both post-baccalaureate and post-masters degree students. It awarded its first doctoral degrees in 2011. As of a large Advanced Nursing Education (ANE) grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) and a series of Waldron College of Health and Human Services programs focused on improving regional health care, the Post-Master's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate began.
In 2005, regional nursing programs and the Executive Director of the Roanoke Higher Education Center (RHEC) met to explore ways of partnering with public and private entities to maximize the use of scarce resources, address the shortage of nursing faculty, and explore alternatives for clinical education of nursing students. Radford University School of Nursing assumed leadership in developing the concept and received funding in 2006 for the project for creating, maintaining and sustaining two Nursing Clinical Simulation Centers (CSC)—one at the Roanoke Higher Education Center (RHEC) and one in Radford (now at Cook Hall on the main campus in 2018). Both of these sites offer state-of-the-art high-fidelity simulation experiences and give all regional nursing programs access to this invaluable facility. Partners include Radford University, Wytheville Community College, New River Community College, Virginia Western Community College, and Patrick Henry Community College.
In early 2018, Carilion Clinic, Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS) and Radford University joined together again to announce the intent to merge JCHS into the Radford University family of colleges and departments. After 18 months of collaboration and planning, Radford University Carilion (RUC) enrolled its inaugural class of students in Fall 2019. The newly formed RUC campus added a traditional baccalaureate (TBSN) track, an accelerated baccalaureate program (ABSN) and two Masters of Nursing (MSN) tracks, Family Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Administration. In addition, RUC offers the traditional B.S.N. program with admission to Nursing from the first day of college.
In 2020, the School of Nursing hired its first inaugural dean, and in 2021 separated from Waldron College of Health and Human Services to become an independent academic unit, similar to a College. In August 2022, the School of Nursing faculty organization approved a new structure to create three distinct units for undergraduate, graduate, and Fast Track programs, each led by an Academic Unit Head (AUH). The School of Nursing as an independent academic unit was functioning similar to a college at the university level, so a name change from School of Nursing to College of Nursing was submitted by our faculty organization and passed by Faculty Senate in February 2023 and the Board of Visitors in March 2023 and approved by SCHEV in January 2024. The College of Nursing continues to grow - in the number of students, faculty, programs, and, ultimately, patients we impact in our region and across the nation. We continue to evolve our educational programs in response to the healthcare needs, delivery mechanisms, and technology advancements in the region, Commonwealth, nation and world.
Blending the art and science of nursing to prepare enlightened, compassionate professionals who will meet the diverse needs of the local and global community.
Radford University College of Nursing is committed to excellence in the development of professional nurses to meet changing local and global health care needs through education, research, practice, and community engagement.
The Radford University is home to the only public College of Nursing, and we have the largest amount of nursing graduates in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our state of the art and world ranked Simulation Centers are at the forefront of healthcare simulation for students and educators of the New River and Roanoke Valleys. The integration of innovation and evidence based practice and state of the art technologies provide active learning experiences that help produce quality healthcare professionals. Our centers offer advanced simulators, standardized patients, haptic devices, and authentic medical equipment and supplies that can be implemented into various learning experiences allowing the Clinical Simulation Center to fulfill its vision.
Each center has specific areas that represent both acute and primary healthcare settings to include: emergency and med/surg, birthing suites, pediatric rooms, clinic rooms, and a home-health fully-furnished apartment. Each center has a sophisticated digital audio-visual system. This system allows live or recorded video to be delivered to individuals, classrooms, and between sites.
Dean, College of Nursing
Radford University’s 2nd Dean of the College of Nursing, Dr. Wendy Downey, has spent her academic career fervently leading initiatives to reimagine the future of nursing education and to engage students and faculty in the exploration of learning. Since becoming Dean in 2024 and prior as the Interim Dean since 2022, she has led the way to significant changes in Nursing at Radford University. In 2023, the School of Nursing was approved by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia to become the College of Nursing, the first among public institutions in the Commonwealth. By the end of 2023, the college graduated the largest number of prelicensure nursing students ready to sit for their NCLEX licensure exam. Now with over 1300 students, the College of Nursing has become the largest college at Radford University for student enrollment.
Prior to her tenure as dean, Dr. Downey served in various leadership roles in the college and taught in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, specifically nursing research and adult med-surg. Her passion lies in curricular assessment and change, data-informed decision making, and collaborative efforts with practice partners in the region.
Dr. Downey has been embedded in the New River and Roanoke Valley communities, spending more than 20 years working for both Carilion Clinic and LewisGale Regional Health System managing various departments and leading hospital-wide initiatives. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Educational Leadership, a Master of Education degree in Exercise Physiology, and 3 baccalaureate degrees, including her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
Explore our academic offerings
Radford University's College of Nursing offers high-quality, accredited programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels—preparing students for leadership roles in clinical practice, education and healthcare systems.
Overview:
The principal functions of the faculty shall be to:
Teaching:
Advising:
Scholarship/Professional Service:
University Service:
Minimal Qualifications:
Every member of the nursing faculty shall:
Overview:
The principal functions of the faculty shall be to:
Teaching:
Advising:
Scholarship/Professional Service:
Minimum Qualifications:
The Search Committee will begin reviewing candidates immediately on a rolling basis and will continue until the positions are filled. Applications should include a 1) current CV and 2) a letter of interest that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications described above.
Inquiries of interest, nominations, and applications should be submitted electronically, in confidence, to marthur4@radford.edu
Additional tenure track and special purpose position opportunities for Radford Campus- coming soon!