On Saturday, March 4, three Radford University Graphic Design majors took home "Addys" at the Western Virginia Advertising Awards in Roanoke. Seniors Valerie Ray and Emily Woods, and junior Britiany Rorrer, earned two Judges Choice Awards plus three Gold and three Silver awards between them in the student competition. The competition is sponsored by Roanoke's chapter of the American Advertising Federation to recognize excellence and creativity in advertising across all media platforms. Winning entries are eligible to enter the District 3 awards contest which covers Virginia and the Carolinas. From there, winners can move on to the national competition. Valerie Ray garnered both a Gold and Judges Choice award in the Sales Promotion Packaging category for a fictional brewery, Backyard Brewing, that subtly played on the university's Highlander identity. "The idea was Kilt Guilt Scottish Ale would be their first nationally distributed beer," Ray explained, "so it needed unique packaging to be set apart from the dozens of other craft brews available." "I created a wicked rendition of the Loch Ness monster with a kilt hanging from its mouth to imply it must have eaten a Scotsman." Ray said the product came out of a course project and the most difficult part was physically constructing the beer caddy. She had to print and then apply the paper to a regular grocery store carrier by hand. In addition to this, Ray also picked up a Gold for her Burpee Seeds packaging and a Silver for Nichols and Sheppard advertising. Emily Woods's Silver Addy came from her work rebranding Lipton Tea that she produced last fall in her Packaging and 3D Design class. The project asked her to redesign the Lipton Tea logo and branding currently seen in stores. "We also had to design six tea packaging boxes that each would hold 20 tea packets," Woods said. "Each tea packet had a restriction of only using two colors. The project in total had over 120 mockups between the tea boxes and the tea packets." Britiany Rorrer also did very well at the competition. She won a Silver for her Nature Anatomy poster series and both a Gold and Judge's Choice award for "Cooking and Cuisine." Her entry was featured in the ceremony's official program as was Ray's Kilt Guilt.

The Big South Conference announced Wednesday afternoon that Konstantinos Raptis has been named Big South Player of the Week after his flawless singles and doubles record last week that led Radford to a pair of wins.

Senior Stephanie Sheline and sophomore Jackson Hunter have been selected as Radford's nominees for two awards given by the Virginias Collegiate Honors Council (VCHC). Radford has more past winners of these awards than any other institution.

Last month, Radford University Eminent Professor of Anthropological Sciences Donna Boyd, Ph.D., and senior anthropological sciences major Tori Pate presented their research on skeletal trauma at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences' 75th annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Heather Keith, executive director of faculty development at Radford University, co-authored a book, "Lives and Legacies of People with Intellectual Disability," that was included in Association of College and Research Libraries' CHOICE list of DEIA Resources.

In only its second year, the Radford University mock trial team made incredible progress at the American Mock Trial Association regional tournament Feb. 18-19 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Coach Don Martin, instructor of criminal justice, said the team has competed in only three in-person tournaments in the history of the program. In those tournaments, Radford's best performance was a one win and tie (out of eight possible ballots to win). At the regional tournament in February, Radford University's A team won four ballots and won in head-to-head competition against Lafayette and Elon. A total of five ballots are necessary to advance to the next stage of the playoffs, and the A team came close. The team lost by two ballots with a score of 99-97 and 98-96. The B team faced one of the best teams in the country, UVA, and perennial power house, Richmond. The team now turns it focus to preparing for next year, forming a student organization and recruiting incoming freshmen for next year.

Radford University students Devon Jones and Alex Williams have recieved the NAMM Foundation President's Innovation Award. The awards, made possible by the generosity of NAMM members and donors, provide funds to emerging industry leaders, college students and faculty to participate in The 2023 NAMM Show, April 13-15, in Anaheim, California. The President's Innovation Award honors college students who demonstrate excellence in the field of music. Winners have proven dedication to pursuing a career in music, including in the areas of music performance, music education, media, sound engineering/audio, event technology, production, administration, management and/or marketing, along with product creation and innovation. This year, the award will recognize and welcome 59 student recipients from 19 states, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.

Two Radford University student veterans will appear on an upcoming segment of "Military Makeover with Montel." The episode airs on the Lifetime TV at 7:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 19. The student veterans are highlighted in "Operation Career," a segment that highlights businesses and organizations, such as Radford University, that help former military members and their families as they transition into civilian life after service. Cullen Chavis '19 also joined the team for the day off camera to offer current students insight into his career and the benefits of the Military Resource Center.

Two Radford University students, Caleb Belcher and Jaxon Turner, were recognized as 2021-22 Scholastic All Americans in August by National Collegiate Rugby. This annual program recognizes high performing student athletes across college rugby. Men's rugby and women's rugby were founding members of Radford's Sports Club Council (SCC). Since its inception, the SCC has helped develop 22 sport clubs with more than 450 participants. These clubs participate in collegiate leagues similar to those of varsity teams. National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) is focused solely on the growth and development of collegiate rugby teams, student-athletes, and coaches. NCR evolved from the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO), founded in 2007. Initially created to support the growth and development of small college rugby, the organization now serves men's and women's college rugby programs of all sizes.

The Big South Conference announced today that 59.92 percent of eligible student-athletes earned Presidential Honor Roll status for their work in the classroom in 2021-22 -- the third-highest percentage since 2004. To be named to the Presidential Honor Roll, student-athletes must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better for the recently-completed academic year, and this past season, 2,441 out of 4,074 eligible student-athletes achieved the benchmark. Radford University led all Big South institutions for the first time since 2012-13, as RU had 77.83 percent of its 230 eligible student-athletes on the Presidential Honor Roll -- one of five members to have at least 70 percent of 3.0 students. High Point University placed 76.60 percent of its 282 eligible student-athletes on the list, followed by Presbyterian College at 73.39 percent (182-of-248), UNC Asheville at 71.92 percent (146-of-203) and Winthrop University at 71.31 (174-of-244) for the year. An additional four members reached the 60 percent plateau for 3.0 GPAs: Gardner-Webb University (67.84), Longwood University (65.89), Campbell University (65.84), and USC Upstate (60.78). The Big South had 207 student-athletes receive Commissioner's Award distinction in 2021-22 for having a 4.0 GPA. Gold Award scholars (3.75-3.99) totaled 559 while another 570 received Silver Award (3.50-3.74) accolades in 2021-22 for a combined total of 1,336 student-athletes with at least a 3.50 GPA last year - 54.73 percent of all Presidential Honor Roll members at or above that threshold.

Radford University presented 1,165 undergraduate and graduate degrees during the 2022 spring commencement exercises. On Friday, May 6, 250 graduate degrees were awarded during a hooding ceremony at the Dedmon Center on campus in Radford, Virginia. On Saturday, May 7, 915 degrees were presented on Moffett Lawn. Stacey Price '99, M.S. '01 delivered the keynote address at the graduate hooding ceremony Friday night. "Congratulations to all of you. You made it!" said Price, a Washington, D.C.-based social entrepreneur who leads a retail incubator that supports nearly a thousand entrepreneurs. "You not only made it through all of the classes and the papers and the exams, but I want to you take a moment to acknowledge that you did it with the weight that you have felt over these last two years." Alumnus Nick Mayhugh, '18, delivered the message, "Be the best Highlander you can be," as undergraduates eagerly awaited receiving their degrees Saturday morning during spring commencement ceremonies on Moffett Lawn. Mayhugh, who won three gold medals in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in August 2021, delivered the keynote address under gray, rain-threatening skies at Saturday morning's ceremony. He offered an inspirational message to the class of 2022, speaking about his journey from being diagnosed with and overcoming a mild form of cerebral palsy and his transition from Highlander soccer player standout to an international track star.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the 2022 Study Abroad Grant recipients. The grants, worth $1,000, were awarded to 125 students nationwide.

Radford University has released its Dean's List for Fall 2021. Appearing on the Dean's List is the most prestigious academic recognition RU students can receive for their performance during a semester. Students will be placed on the Dean's List if they meet four specific criteria. They must have 12 semester hours of coursework graded A-F; earn GPA's of at least 3.4 for all courses not graded on a pass-fail basis; obtain no grade lower than "C"; and no incomplete grades.

Private Ahava E. Heart of Silver Spring, Maryland, received special recognition from the Jewish Interest-Free Loan Association of Atlanta (JIFLA) as a winner of the "She's a Maccabee" Award. The annual Chanukah awards honor powerful Atlanta women who use their talents, passions and strong commitment to the Jewish community to help others. "Ahava embodies the tradition of the Jewish woman warrior! She is the direct third generation serving in the United States Armed Forces. She is enrolled in the U.S. Army Nursing ROTC program at Radford University in Virginia, with the career goal of serving as a U.S. army nurse. Continuing her family's Maccabean Jewish woman warrior tradition, with this exception - she will be saving lives instead of taking them," JIFLA wrote. For more information, go to the atlantajewishtimes.com.

Six business students who will graduate this month received acknowledgment at the Davis College of Business and Economics Honors Ceremony, held Dec. 1.

Approximately 30% of undergraduates at Radford University are first-generation students. The Center for Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) opened its doors at the beginning of the fall 2021 semester with this in mind.