Families connect at final Quest reception

Hundreds of people beat the heat on Tuesday, July 8 during a Quest Family Reception.

July 8-9 marked the last session of the two-day orientation program, which is targeted toward new freshmen students and their families. The last transfer Quest session was conducted on July 11.

Following a morning schedule filled with campus tours and informational meetings, parents - minus their students - were guided to Young Hall, where they socialized with cold glasses of lemonade and snacks.

Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle visited with guests as they made their way through the refreshment line.

Amy Gaertner, Marion Fisher and Vivien McMahan found solace and new friendship in the shade. Each mother has a daughter who will be attending the university this fall. The women had met just that morning.

Fisher and her daughter, Madison, are from Pittsburgh. Fisher said Madison looked at larger universities that also offered the major and minor she wanted to pursue – special education and deaf education – but Radford was her college of choice.

"She liked that Radford was a smaller school," Fisher said. "And she was initially connected to the university through the Facebook page [Radford University Class of 2018]. So, she already felt connected before she even got here."

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Parents Amy Gaertner (from left), Marion Fisher and Vivien McMahan relax in shade during the Quest Family Reception on Jully 8.

Parents Lori Graham and Chris Reese of Montgomery County, Virginia, said their daughter, Alexandra, too, felt an early connection to the campus.

Alexandra participated in Summer Bridge, which is hosted annually by RU's College of Science and Technology for high school girls interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Radford University's Quest orientation program is offered each summer to parents and their students. It provides an overview of university culture, resources and services.

This summer, RU welcomed 1,981 new freshmen, 568 transfer students and 3,134 family members and guests to one of 12 orientation sessions.

"We received tremendous feedback from both students and parents," said Marc Jacobsen, associate director of New Student Programs. "There is no way we could have been as successful as we were without the endless support from our campus partners, the dedicated and enthusiastic student staff, as well as our committed faculty and advising center staffs.  We’re looking forward to welcoming all the new students in August and to a terrific year ahead."

Jul 22, 2014