Radford University recently announced the first faculty appointments to the Academic Leadership
Fellows (AL Fellows) program.
The AL Fellows program is designed to support leadership development and continuing student support
through campus-wide faculty-student engagement.
AL Fellows is a collaboration between the Academic Success Center and the new REAL general
education curriculum. The program is made up of seven faculty members, one from each of the six
undergraduate colleges and one from the university’s School of Nursing.
The Academic Leadership Fellows and the colleges they represent are Kimberly Lane, Ph.D., Artis
College of Science and Technology; Wendy Eckenrod-Green, Ph.D., College of Education and Human
Development; Patricia (Trish) Winter, Ph.D., College of Visual and Performing Arts; Aysha Bodenhamer,
Ph.D., College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences; Jennifer Elias, Ph.D., Davis College of Business
and Economics; Kerry Vandergrift, Ph.D., Waldron College of Health and Human Services, and Helen
Reed, School of Nursing.
“Faculty engagement provides a foundation for institutional success, nimbleness and resilience and sets
the stage for students to receive a world-class academic experience,” said Corey Cassidy, executive
director of the Academic Success Center/
The AL Fellows will serve as “representatives for all undergraduate academic disciplines to support
student recruitment, new student onboarding, and ongoing student persistence and success,” Cassidy said.
All AL Fellows will serve a one-year term with a possibility for renewal. The faculty will participate in
training and collaborative planning within the Academic Success Center and serve as members of the
center’s advisory council.
During the summer of 2022, the faculty will serve as academic advisors to the Academic Success Center
on behalf of their academic programs during Quest, the University’s student orientation program. In
addition, they will recruit and support faculty from within their colleges or schools to develop and present
experiential activities to engage incoming students and families at the Becoming a Highlander! sessions.
The faculty’s “presence at the REAL Experience as well as at Admissions Open House and Highlander
Day events will provide a personal welcome to prospective majors who are exploring our academic
programs,” said interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs J. Orion Rogers. “We are
looking forward to their contributions as members of the Academic Success Center Advisory Council and
to their creative visions that will make the Becoming a Highlander! sessions even more engaging for our
newest members of the Radford family during Quest of 2022.”
Chad Osborne
Radford University
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