On Nov. 6, Radford University President Bret Danilowicz was joined the heads of eight
Virginia Community College System (VCCS) schools for a signing ceremony to kick off
the Tartan Transfer program. The participating community colleges include Mountain
Empire, Mountain Gateway, New River, Patrick & Henry, Southwest Virginia, Virginia
Highlands, Virginia Western and Wytheville.
Every other week, our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things.
Here, we’ll highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international
news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject
matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a better place,
we’ll feature their stories.
“Transfer” of power
To announce its new Tartan Transfer program, Radford University hosted a Nov. 6 signing ceremony on its campus and welcomed
the presidents of the eight Virginia Community College System (VCCS) schools that
are participating – Mountain Empire, Mountain Gateway, New River, Patrick & Henry,
Southwest Virginia, Virginia Highlands, Virginia Western and Wytheville.
The program is an initiative that streamlines the transfer process for students coming
into Radford to earn their bachelor’s degrees. It improves educational affordability;
maximizes the number of credits carried over; offers personalized academic advising
plus career preparation through internship opportunities; and gives newcomers early
access to events and activities on campus.
“It’s very easy for us to apply and very easy for us to get help,” Resa Mattson told WDBJ-7.
Mattson, who's from Floyd County, earned her associate degree from New River Community
College and transferred to Radford in the spring of 2023. A senior now, majoring in
media studies with a concentration in media production and minoring in cinema and
screen studies and digital communication research and analysis, Mattson is on track
to graduate with her bachelor's degree next semester.
Assisting students like Mattson all part of the plan, according to Radford University
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communication Dannette Gomez Beane, who, in an interview with the station, said new opportunities make it possible for
some incoming Highlanders to get their associate and bachelor’s degree with no tuition
costs.
“We’re doing this because we don’t want students to take out loans, we don’t want
students to have to ask their parents for money, and we don’t want students to leave
college in debt,” she explained. “Also, to make sure they stay here, in the western
part of Virginia, and keep that talent here.”
Don’t panic, but you should probably be aware that the number of calendar squares
separating us from the holidays is dwindling even as you read this.
The tree lighting ceremony for Dickens of a Christmas in 2022. Screen capture courtesy
of The Roanoke Times.
One sure sign of that? The return of Delta Dental’s Dickens of a Christmas, downtown
Roanoke’s largest yuletide celebration, a consistently picture-book event that takes
place the first three Fridays in December – the 6th, 13th and the 20th this year,
to be precise.
Radford University in Roanoke is one of the sponsors, and, in fact, the Radford University
Carilion Main Stage will be the site of two of Dickens’ signature events: the lighting
of the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree at 6:20 p.m. on Dec. 6 and the Roanoke Valley
SPCA’s Pet Costume Contest, held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20.
In between those two nights, on Dec. 13, Roanoke’s Christmas Parade will wind from
Jefferson Street at Elm Avenue onto Campbell Avenue to pass Market Square before concluding
at Williamson Road.
The tree lighting will be broadcast live on WDBJ-7, while the parade – held rain or
shine – will be streamable on Channel 7’s sister station WZBJ24.
Experiencing the “IMPACT”
Radford University’s Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab was the site of the Region 7 Career and Technical Education (CTE) directors meeting
on Nov. 8.
Area leaders came together to discuss such topics as the lab’s Competency-Based Education
(CBE) programs – PACE (Pathways to Accelerated Career Education), for example – and
to tour the facility as well as Radford’s Innovation Hub.
“This gathering underscored the value of collaboration in bridging education and workforce
development,” said the IMPACT Lab’s Interim Executive Director Tom Bennett. “Through
initiatives like the PACE program, we are committed to delivering innovative, competency-based
learning solutions that empower students and professionals alike with skills that
are directly applicable in today’s economy.”