RADFORD – A new strategic plan is in place to guide Radford University for the next six years.
The Radford Board of Visitors voted at its meeting Friday, Dec. 5 to adopt a resolution that would set the plan, “Shaping Tomorrow – Together,” in place in January 2026. The strategic plan, which runs through 2031, reflects the university’s spirit and promise to transform lives, build stronger communities and lead with purpose into the future.
Shaping Tomorrow – Together “leads us to the next exciting chapter in the university’s story,” said Radford University President Bret Danilowicz during his report to the board.
“We are now at an inflection point in our history,” the president continued. “We’ve come an extraordinarily long way in our last two years, and we’re positioned now for even greater things. The road map for the next six years will allow us to fulfill our mission of empowering brighter futures and building stronger communities. We’re going to be ignited by a culture of care that provides the services, resources and opportunities to support our well-being.”
The president praised the efforts of Vice President of Economic Development and Corporate Education Angela Joyner and Sharon Roger Hepburn, professor and chair of the Department of History, who led the efforts to create the six-year plan.
Before the resolution vote, Joyner and Hepburn offered updates on the plan’s progress since the board last met on Sept.16.
As the new strategic plan is set for implementation, Danilowicz highlighted successes from the previous two-year strategic initiative, which launched in 2023 with a focus on four institutional priorities: to define Radford’s distinctive nature, stabilize enrollment, drive regional economic development and streamline resources to increase efficiency.
Some of the notable outcomes included increasing brand awareness, expanding experiential learning and stabilizing enrollment. The university’s Tartan Transfer program, Radford Tuition Promise and the opening of The HUB in downtown Radford, adjacent to campus, emerged from the two-year plan.
In his report to the board, Danilowicz touted the university’s enrollment growth over the past two years, noting a 28% increase in the number of new freshmen and a 39% jump in the number of transfer students. In addition, Radford’s graduate student enrollment is at its highest in the institution’s history.
Danilowicz noted that 92% of Radford students are Virginians, and 94% of graduates are employed within six months of earning their degrees. “That’s something the commonwealth can be really proud of,” he said. “We are a state institution. We are proud of it, and it shows in our numbers.”
Other university successes highlighted by the president included:
Radford’s first Tartan Transfer summit was held on Oct. 23. The goal of Tartan Transfer is to create a seamless and supportive transition for community college students to Radford once they receive their associate degrees.
This year, 14 Radford students were selected for the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Scholars Transforming Through Research program. Radford had the largest single institution representation.
The president spoke about new economic development efforts, including those through The HUB and collaborative health education outreach in rural areas of Virginia.
The new Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities is scheduled to open on campus in the fall of 2026.
The NCAA recognized Radford University recently with two awards. One of those posthumously recognizes former women’s basketball coach Charlene Curtis with the 2026 Gerald R. Ford Award. Highlanders baseball coach Alex Guerra ’11 is receiving the 2026 Award of Valor for his quick actions to help rescue a man struggling against strong currents in the New River earlier this year. The NCAA is giving 14 awards, and Radford is receiving two of those, the president proudly emphasized.
Radford is expanding its club and intramural sports offerings “because it plays an important part in engaging students with our campus,” Danilowicz said. The university is expanding participation in rugby, ultimate Frisbee, esports, women’s flag football and pickleball.
In November, Radford hosted Virginia’s Senate Finance Committee on campus for its two-day annual meeting. Attendees included Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. Several students engaged in the meeting. “Our campus community had a very meaningful glimpse into public service, civic leadership and state government,” the president said.
Advocacy Day is scheduled for Feb. 3-4, 2026, at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.
At the recommendation of the Academic Excellence and Student Success Committee, the board approved the creation of the new Bachelor of Science in geospatial and earth sciences degree. The degree merges the Bachelor of Arts and B.S degrees in geology with the B.A. and B.S. degrees in geospatial sciences. In 2024, the departments of geology and geospatial sciences came together to form a new Department of Geospatial and Earth Sciences.
Friday’s meeting began with a presentation from elementary education major Kate Hudson, who spoke about her extensive experiences at the university, including serving as a Quest assistant and alumni ambassador, and participating in Advocacy Day. Hudson is also part of Radford’s Southwest Virginia Teacher Apprenticeship Consortium, a program that gives education majors hands-on experiences in classrooms in regional schools.
Throughout the meeting, board members reported on the various committee meetings that were held the day before, Dec. 4. Those included:
Academic Excellence and Student Success: Chair Betty Jo Foster ’69, Ed.D., provided an overview of the discussion on creating the new Bachelor of Science in geospatial and earth sciences degree.
External Engagement Committee: Chair Betsy Beamer ’81 reported on collaborative initiatives with the city of Radford, including student work examining the city’s unhoused population, the revitalization of a bike trail connecting Tyler Avenue to Bisset Park and an amphitheater project. Beamer noted additional projects with the town and county of Pulaski. She gave an update on The HUB, which now has 35 co-work memberships. Beamer informed the board of a report to the committee by Vice President of Advancement Penny White, who spoke about fundraising efforts for fiscal year 2026, saying $4.3 million toward the $6 million annual goal had been reached. Beamer reported on the success of Highlander Giving Day, an event that lasted one day, nine hours and 10 minutes – a number that reflects the institution’s 1910 founding – and raised $83,885 from 424 donors. Those numbers mark a 60% increase in dollars and a 30% increase in donors from the 2024 event.
Student Affairs and Athletics Committee: Chair David A. Smith ’85, M.S. ’87 shared highlights from a report given to the committee by Deputy Athletics Director Cory Durand. Some of the highlights were renovations to the softball stadium, which include the installation of an artificial playing surface. Smith mentioned the women’s soccer team winning the Big South Conference regular season championship, the seventh such title in the program’s illustrious history, all under head coach Ben Sohrabi. Smith reported that women’s basketball head coach Mike McGuire has now won more games than any basketball coach – men’s and women’s – in Radford hoops history.
The next meeting of Radford’s Board of Visitors will be held Mar. 19-20, 2026.
Chad Osborne for Radford University
