ru magazine.spring09

RADFORDUNIVERSITY
TheMAGAZINEof
SPRING 2009
RADFORD
H M’
B C
A P
RADFORDUNIVERSITY
Champions of
SustainabilitySustainability
HOW ONE UNIVERSITY
IS HELPING SAVE
THE WORLD

Dear Friends,
Sustainability comes in many shapes and sizes.
It’s in the compact fluorescent bulbs we put in our
lamps. It’s in the biodiesel that we fuel our buses. It’s in
the paper and cans we take time to recycle.
Here at Radford University, it’s all those things,
but it all starts in our people — the faculty, staff
and students who each day take steps both large and
small to make our campus, and
ultimately our world, a better,
healthier place to live.
There’s Dr. Dennis Grady, our
unofficial “Green Dean,” who has
spent this year charting Radford
University’s sustainability initiatives
as chairman of a campus-wide
committee that has been analyzing
every facet of RU life to determine
where precious resources — both
natural and fiscal — can be saved.
There’s Julio Stephens, hired
a year ago as RU’s first Sustainability Coordinator,
who has served as Dr. Grady’s right hand,
supervising on a day-to-day basis a host of recycling
and conservation efforts and ensuring we weigh the
environmental impact of the policies we propose
and plans we implement.
There’s Brittany Christian, a quiet chemistry major
on our track team who, as president of the student
club Green Team, has championed a host of activities
to raise awareness among students of their critical role
within the larger, interdependent world.
This level of enthusiasm and synergy is what I hoped
for when I announced the creation of RU’s Sustainability
Steering Committee in the summer of 2008. It is this
story that I am so pleased to be sharing with you in this
issue of The Magazine of Radford University.
But while sustainability is often defined as efforts
made to conserve our natural resources and reduce our
carbon footprint, it has other meanings as well.
Such as student Travis Byrd, a junior from Bassett,
who has raised more than $100,000 to date for the
university’s Annual Fund through the RU Telephone
Outreach Program. Each year, the Annual Fund
supports such ongoing projects as arts, athletics and
academic scholarships.
“I feel it is important to give back to the university
because it reconfirms a commitment alumni made to
this university when they walked across that stage at
graduation,” Travis said. “Giving back helps the alumni
by strengthening their degree.”
That’s sustainability.
Or our men’s basketball and tennis teams and
women’s soccer and softball teams who each won Big
South Conference championships this year and raised
Highlander pride and RU’s profile throughout the nation.
We are proud to present these stories in these pages, for
each of these achievements sustains this community that is
Radford University.
Thank you for your support and commitment to
this very special place.
Sustainably yours,
Penelope W. Kyle
President
A Message from the President

Contents spring 2009
2 Upfront
30 Athletics
32 Alumni Section
Profiles
Careers
Weddings
Little Highlanders
Obituaries
12 RU Sustainability
How one university is
helping save the world
Facilities
Dining
What else?
“Not Your Typical Committee”
“Diverse” curriculum
The Green Team
Earth Day
Feature

2 the MAGAZINE of RADFORD UNIVERSITY
upfront
Storm clouds brewed outside,
but the inside of Dedmon
Center was full of light
as Virginia Governor Timothy M.
Kaine joined Radford University on
Saturday, May 9, to applaud its new
graduates during the Spring
Commencement of the 96th session.
Despite the weather, the mood
of the graduates, their families and
Kaine remained bright. “I really am
more optimistic about Virginia and
our nation because of my interaction
with college students,” Kaine said.
Kaine, who received during the
ceremony an honorary Doctor of
Letters degree presented by
President Kyle and RU Rector
Thomas E. Fraim, Jr., ‘87, also took
the opportunity to promote the
importance of higher education to
the state’s economy and Radford
University’s place within it. “What
a wonderful history you have,” he
said. “More importantly, what a
wonderful future. We’re expecting
an awful lot out of you.”
Following Gov. Kaine’s remarks,
Rector Fraim told the assembly that
Radford University has undergone
transformative change since its
founding in 1910 due in large part
to the alumni of the institution.
“With 99 years of history, Radford
University has already earned a proud
name for itself,” he said. “As we soon
embark on our second century of
service to the Commonwealth of Vir-
ginia, always remember that the luster
of this name will only grow brighter.”
Spring Commencement 2009

Spring 2009 3
President
Penelope W. Kyle
Board of Visitors
Thomas E. Fraim Jr. ‘87 Rector
Nancy E.Artis ‘73 Vice Rector
Nancy H.Agee
J. Brandon Bell
C. Nelson Harris ‘87
Mary Ann Hovis ‘65
Darius A. Johnson
Wayne Saubert Faculty Representative
Juliann Abercrombie Student Representative
Interim Director of University Relations
Michael Hemphill
Managing Editor
Mindy Buchanan-King
Graphic Designer
James T. Harman ’92
University Photographer
Lora Gordon
Contributors
Don Bowman
Gene Dalton
Kathie Dickenson
Printed by Fry Communications, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Randal J. Kirk ‘76
Stephen A. Musselwhite
Mark R. Pace ‘93
Walter Rugaber
Cora S. Salzberg
Ronald R.Wesley
Bonnie Roberts Erickson
Tim Mullins ’87
Chad Osborne
RADFORD
UNIVERSITY
TheMagazineof
The Magazine of Radford University is published by the
Office of University Relations. “RU” is the trademark of this
publication. Mail contributions, letters and address changes
to The Magazine of Radford University, Box 6916, Radford
University, Radford,Va. 24142. Radford University does
not discriminate in the administration of its educational
programs, activities, admission, or employment practices.
This edition is printed on
100 percent recycled paper.
Student Government Association President Matt Williams ’09
welcomes Gov. Timothy Kaine as President Penelope W. Kyle
and Rector Thomas E. Fraim, Jr., ’87 applaud.

upfront
The Corporation for National and Community
Service honored Radford University with a place on
the President’s Higher Education Community Service
Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a school
can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and
civic engagement.
The university was honored largely for spending
almost 2,000 student service hours in projects at
Mountain View Cemetery, a site located just off the
Wilderness Road, over which thousands of pioneers
traveled. The cemetery is the principal site for burials
of former slaves and members of the local black
community from 1865 to 1965. Since 2001, RU staff
and students have volunteered their time alongside
community members to clear brush and provide a
respectful burial ground for former members of the
African American community. Students partnered
with the community to conduct a search of cemetery
RU Named to Presidential Honor Roll for Community Service
boundaries to determine the number of people buried
on the site, interviewed members of the churches
about ancestors buried at the cemetery, and developed
recommendations for maintenance and development
of the cemetery as a community heritage site.
Several RU service clubs, including Men of
Standards, continue to work on the site. The project is
coordinated by RU’s Center for Experiential Learning
and Career Services. Project members hope this model
of historical site preservation, community service and
academic research encourages other universities to
engage their students to teach racial and cultural
understanding.
Honorees for the award were chosen based on the
scope and innovation of the projects, percentage of
student participation, incentives for service, and the
extent to which the school offers academic service-
learning courses.
I
n January, the State Council of Higher Education
for Virginia (SCHEV) unanimously approved the
university’s proposal for a Doctor of Nursing Practice
(DNP) degree, marking the third time in a one-year
period RU has received
SCHEV approval for a
graduate-level program.
“This shows the level
of faith that SCHEV and
the Commonwealth of
Virginia have in RU’s
ability to produce quality
graduate programs,” said
Raymond Linville, dean of
RU’s Waldron College of
Health and Human Services.
“This program will put more
nurses out on the front lines
who possess the highest
level of clinical education.
This is a win-win situation.”
Provost Wil Stanton said, “RU has made another
great stride toward meeting the vision laid out in its
7-17 strategic plan: to be among the top 50 masters
institutions in the nation.”
According to Linville, RU’s DNP program will be the first
program of its kind in Virginia to offer a doctoral degree to
post-baccalaureate degree nursing students. It will also be
offered to post-masters degree nursing students.
A move to the doctoral level is in alignment with the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing position
statement to prepare advanced practice nurses at the
highest clinical level by 2015.
Third Doctoral Degree Approved
The first admitted students to the DNP program,
which will be offered in an online distance-learning
format, are scheduled to begin classes in the fall of
2010. It is anticipated that the program will enroll
25 students in its first year and employ two faculty
members and one administrative professional that
specializes in computer distance learning.
The DNP degree joins the Doctor of Psychology
(Psy.D.) degree in Counseling Psychology, which
admitted its first class of students in the fall of 2008,
and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program,
which has received $500,000 from Roanoke-based
Medical Facilities of America to fund RU’s first
endowed chair and $100,000 from Pennsylvania-based
Genesis Rehab Services to create a laboratory at RU
dedicated to motion analysis, an integral focus in the
study of physical therapy.
The DPT program will seek accreditation by the
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy
Education of the American Physical Therapy
Association. The program will submit an Application
for Candidacy, which is the formal application
required in the pre-accreditation stage. Submission
of this document does not assure that the program
will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status
nor does it assure that the program will be
granted accreditation.
RU’s Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
program has hired a founding chair and director of
clinical education and recently received Developing
Program Status from the Accreditation Council for
Occupational Therapy Education. The program will
begin admitting students to start in the fall.

Spring 2009 5
upfront
T
he Radford University College of Business and
Economics (COBE) has maintained its business
accreditation by AACSB International—The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-
serving global accrediting body for business schools
that offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral
degrees in business and accounting.
AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in
business education and has been earned by less than
five percent of the world’s business schools. Today,
there are 567 business schools in 33 countries that
maintain AACSB accreditation.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment
for our dedicated faculty, staff
and students, and I would like to
commend and thank my colleagues
for their hard work to ensure we
achieved this remarkable honor,”
said Faye Gilbert, dean of COBE.
“Our re-accreditation by AACSB
only emphasizes RU’s commitment
to cultivate a high quality, challenging
and rigorous academic environment.
Additionally, this announcement underlines RU’s
goal set forth in its 7-17 strategic plan to become one of
the nation’s leading public comprehensive institutions.”
COBE is dedicated to providing an active learning
environment focused on developing responsible
business professionals who can work collaboratively
to compete in a dynamic global economy. Most COBE
undergraduates are from Virginia and are full-time
students of traditional college age. COBE graduate
students represent a diverse mixture of students
who are in the workplace, recent graduates from
undergraduate programs and international students
from a variety of countries.
College of Business and Economics Maintains
Prestigious AACSB International Accreditation
AACSB International consists of more than
1,100 educational institutions, business and other
organizations in 70 countries that are dedicated
to the advancement of management education
worldwide.
“AACSB commends the faculty, deans, directors
and administrative staffs of each institution for their
exemplary work in helping their schools earn the
highest honor in business school accreditation,” said
John J. Fernandes, president and chief executive officer
of AACSB International.
Achieving accreditation is a process of rigorous
internal review, evaluation and adjustment
and can take several years to complete.
During these years, the school develops
and implements a plan to meet
21 AACSB standards requiring a
high quality teaching environment,
a commitment to continuous
improvement and curricula responsive
to the needs of business.
“It takes a great deal of
commitment and determination to
earn and maintain AACSB accreditation,”
said Jerry Trapnell, executive vice president and
chief accreditation officer of AACSB International.
“Schools not only must meet specific standards of
excellence, but their deans, faculties and staffs make
a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure
that the institution will continue to deliver high quality
education to students.”
Other universities that have earned their
maintenance of accreditation in business include
Boston College, Case Western Reserve University,
Cornell University, New York University, The
Pennsylvania State University and the University of
Notre Dame.
Certifying Excellence
Additional RU Programs Achieve Accreditation
In April, the university’s criminal
justice program received
certification for its master’s of
arts and master’s of science
programs from the Academy of
Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS),
an international association that
fosters professional and scholarly
activities in the field of criminal
justice. RU is one of only three
institutions nationwide with
criminal justice graduate programs
that have earned ACJS recognition.
Just days prior to the criminal
justice department’s announcement,
the RU Police Department (RUPD)
received its second reaccreditation
by the Virginia Law Enforcement
Professional Standards Commission
(VLEPSC). The RUPD was the first
university police department in Virginia
to achieve VLEPSC accreditation in
October 2000 and earned its first
reaccreditation in November 2004.
Also in April, RU’s speech-
language pathology (SLP) graduate
concentration announced that it
had maintained its accreditation
by the Council on Academic
Accreditation in Audiology and
Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)
of the American Speech-Language-
Hearing Association. The CAA is
the only accrediting agency for
audiology and speech-language
pathology education programs
recognized by the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation and
the U.S. Department of Education.

upfront
D
uring the week of Feb. 23, campus overflowed with alumni, faculty, staff and
students gathered for one purpose: to celebrate Homecoming 2009. The week
featured a variety of basketball games (men’s, women’s and alumni), game
show, step show, Alumni Teaching Day, a sold-out Entrepreneur Express workshop, poker
tournament, Presidential Brunch and a pep rally. The men’s basketball game against Liberty
on Feb. 28 was a sellout. Participation in all other Homecoming events totaled nearly
1,400, including 400 at a Saturday Alumni Tailgate. Indeed, the week offered something
for everyone.
Plans are already underway for Homecoming 2010. To find out more, contact the
RU Alumni Office at alumni@radford.edu or call 1-888-4RUGRAD.
Homecoming 2009 Featured Hoops and More
Dr. Greg Alouf ’92 speaks to a group of
pre-med students during Alumni
Teaching Day.
Alumni groups gathered at the alumni lunch and tailgate
parties prior to the men’s and women’s basketball games.
President Kyle and members of the Parent Executive Committee gather at the
Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
Art Parakhouski scores against Liberty.
Photograph by magnifico

Spring 2009 7
upfront
President Kyle with members of the 2008 National Champion
Radford Rugby team.
Dorms on campus were decorated as part of
a Homecoming Spirit Competition sponsored
by the Residence Hall Association.
The RU
women’s
basketball
team huddles
before their
game with
Presbyterian.
President Kyle and Athletics Director Robert Lineburg
presented the 2008 Big South Championship trophy to head
coach Mike Anderson and the RU men’s tennis team.
The annual NPHC Step Show was part
of 2009 Homecoming activities.
Members of the Phi Sigma Pi team get involved
with the ThinkFast Game Show.

U.S. Senator,Virginia’s First Lady Visit Campus
F
orty students, a group of faculty, Board of Visitors
members and President Kyle took to the halls of the
General Assembly on Feb. 5 to share the Radford
University story with the Commonwealth’s legislators.
Called RU Advocacy Day and spearheaded
by the Radford University Student Government
Association, the event gave the RU students
— all volunteers — an opportunity to become
familiar with Virginia’s legislative process and
their respective delegates and senators who were
gathered for the 2009 session.
RU Advocacy Day at General Assembly
I
n addition to Gov. Tim Kaine’s
visit to RU as the keynote speaker
for spring commencement, the
university welcomed two more top
political leaders to campus.
In March, Kaine’s wife
and Virginia’s First Lady Anne
Holton visited RU to open the
Transformation Kick-Off Forum
hosted by the School of Social
Work. The forum, part of a
larger series held throughout the
Commonwealth, highlighted a goal
to position Virginia as a leader in
improving the long-term outcomes
for the state’s at-risk youth.
Prior to the forum, Holton
visited with members of LEAD,
the university’s student leadership
program focused on experience,
academics and development. Holton
answered questions from students
before joining university administration
for lunch in Dalton Dining Hall.
In April, U.S. Senator Mark Warner
encouraged nearly 250 RU business
students to “stay in the fight,”
insisting that their elected officials
take action to reform entitlement
and defense spending, reduce the
federal deficit and make meaningful
investments in energy and healthcare.
“The best asset this country
has is you guys,” Warner told the
audience.
After the class, Warner put into
action his basketball savvy, taking to
the court inside the Dedmon Center
for a pickup game with the Big South
Conference championship RU men’s
basketball team. Warner’s staff said that the senator
requested the game as a way to honor the squad, which
earned its first bid in a decade to the NCAA Tournament.
Warner’s visit to RU was part of a 17-event
southwest Virginia swing that gave him the
opportunity to discuss his first 90 days in office, which
included votes on an emergency stimulus package
to jump-start the economy and new investments in
energy, healthcare and education.
President Kyle introduced the senator to the McGuffey
Hall gathering of business students. She was a member
of Warner’s administration when he was governor
of Virginia. Kyle praised Warner as one of the best
executives for whom she has ever worked.
A co-founder of Nextel, Warner helped create the
Virginia Health Care Foundation, which has provided
healthcare to more than 600,000 under-served Virginians,
and SeniorNavigator.com, a referral network for older
Virginians and their caregivers. In 2004 during his tenure
as governor of Virginia, Warner chaired the National
Governors Association, and in 2005, TIME Magazine
named him one of “America’s Five Best Governors.”
Gov. Tim Kaine meets RU’s finest.
First Lady Anne Holton
answers questions by
members of LEAD,
RU’s student
leadership program.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner
speaks to business students.
Warner poses with Head Basketball Coach
Brad Greenberg, President Kyle and members
of the men’s basketball team.
upfront

Spring 2009 9
Norleen Pomerantz, vice president of student
affairs, said the 2009 student representation was the
largest in the seven-year history of the RU Advocacy
Day program.
RU’s SGA, the campus chapter of the NAACP, the
campus group Men of Standards, and the College of
Business and Economics’ Student Managed Investment
Portfolio Organization (SMIPO) were among the
campus groups represented by the volunteers.
The event was listed on the General Assembly
calendar as “Radford University Day.”
Delegate Dave
Nutter, RU’s
representative
in the House of
Delegates, meets
with a group led
by Vice President
of Student
Affairs Norleen
Pomerantz,
right.
RU’s commitment to
cultivating a safe
work environment received
state recognition recently when
Dennie Templeton, director of
distance education and emergency
preparedness, received the Governor’s
Award for Workplace Safety
and Health during Virginia Public
Service Week May 4-10. The award
was created to salute employee
achievement in seven categories that
highlight the talent and commitment
to service the state workforce
provides the citizens of Virginia.
“Dennie is a valued member of
our university community, and I
am thrilled that his professionalism
that we witness each and every day
was recognized at the state level,”
said President Kyle, who, along
with Provost Wil Stanton, joined
Templeton as he received the
award from Gov. Tim Kaine.
The Workplace Safety and Health
award goes to a state employee
who “leads the way in promoting a
safe and healthy work environment,
suggests workplace improvements,
and promotes and supports the
importance of a safe and healthy
work environment,” according to
the state Department of Human
Resource Management that
coordinates the awards program.
According to Templeton’s
nomination, “Few individuals have
the intellect, skills, dedication and
‘juggling ability’ to manage this
magnitude of responsibility, and
even fewer can do so with the
sense of calmness, collegiality and
good humor that Dennie brings to
his job on a day-to-day basis.”
Templeton’s achievements
during his time at RU include:
• Contender and finalist for the
Campus Safety Conference
and Campus Safety Magazine
2008 Safety Director of the Year
Award, an award program that
honors the top police chiefs and
security directors of our nation’s
hospitals, schools and universities.
• Developed and implemented
RU’s emergency plans, protocols
and strategic processes designed
to ensure the welfare and safety
of the university community in
the event of an emergency.
• Engaged the extended commu-
nity in RU’s emergency planning
process by including local and
regional first responder agencies
in tabletop exercises as well as
full scale emergency drills.
• Convened a committee of uni-
versity faculty and staff with ex-
pertise in information technolo-
gy, communications and budget-
ing to review and assess various
Emergency Preparedness Director Receives
Governor’s Award for Workplace Safety
options for campus notification
systems. The result has been the
purchase, installation, successful
testing and implementation of a
highly functional, versatile and
cost-effective campus-wide mass
notification system.
• Utilized his expertise in distance
education technologies to
develop plans and processes that
would allow academic continuity
and course delivery, without
jeopardizing the welfare and
safety of the RU community, in
the event of a lengthy closure of
the university.
Dennie Templeton, left, receives award
from Gov. Tim Kaine.
The award goes to a state employee who leads the way in
promoting a safe and healthy work environment, suggests
workplace improvements, and promotes and supports the
importance of a safe and healthy work environment.
upfront

upfront
Alarge-scale land abandonment
is taking place in Russia, and
Radford University geography
professor Grigory Ioffe will be
conducting field research in his
home country to help locate
abandoned lands and their potential
environmental and social impact.
Ioffe, a Moscow native,
received a $124,000 national
grant award from NASA as part
of a larger award for the project
Radford University graphic
design students were awarded
12 ADDYs during the March
Advertising Federation District
3 competition sponsored by the
Advertising Federation of the
Roanoke Valley (Ad Fed).
Winners were:
• Winter 2009 graduate Zach Bush
of Annville, Pa., four golds and
one silver
• Junior Ben Rush of Spotsylvania,
two golds and one silver
• Spring 2009 graduate
Chelsea Clark of Hagerstown,
Md., one gold and two silvers
• Spring 2008 graduate Nathan Long of Radford,
one silver
The students’ professors are Ken Smith, Ed LeShock
and ADDY project director John O’Connor. “This is a
major milestone for the RU graphic design program,”
said O’Connor. “The ADDYs are among the top
Art Students Bring Home 12 Prestigious ADDY Awards
awards given annually to professionals and students
in the field of advertising and graphic design. The
professionals in attendance had high praise for the
students and our program.”
Ad Fed is a nonprofit professional organization
dedicated to advertising. Members include those
affiliated with graphic design, marketing, television, radio,
photography, printing and web design.
From left to right: Assistant professor Ken Smith, Ben Rush,
Zach Bush, assistant professor John O’Connor, Nathan Long
and Chelsea Clark.
“Land Abandonment in Russia:
Understanding Recent Trends and
Assessing Future Vulnerability and
Adaptation to Changing Climate
and Population Dynamics.” Ioffe
is collaborating with three other
researchers, including Kirsten
DeBeurs of Virginia Tech, who is
directing the project.
It is estimated that Russia’s
population will shrink by a
staggering 29 percent by 2050. The
aim of the “Land Abandonment
in Russia” project is to investigate
potential sustainable productivity of
remaining croplands in Russia under
climatic and demographic changes.
“Our modeling approach
will predict how possible
future climates could influence
abandonment patterns in Russia
and how adaptive strategies could
affect rural re-colonization and
re-cultivation patterns,” Ioffe said.
Ioffe’s responsibility will be to
locate abandoned lands through
fieldwork so that those lands can
be easily identified on satellite
images. “Satellite imagery reflects
natural vegetation and fields of
wheat or rye in a different way,”
Ioffe said. “But there’s one more
category, which is kind of mixed:
abandoned fields subject to
spontaneous, wild reforestation.”
The RU professor’s work on the
project will begin in August and last
three years. The research grant is
Ioffe’s sixth national research award
since 1995. Last May, Ioffe received
a $50,000 grant from the National
Council of Eurasian and East
European Research for the project
“The Poorly Illuminated Periphery
of Europe: The Geography of
Russia’s Shrinking Population.” The
project began in October 2008 and
is scheduled to be finished in 2010.
Currently, Ioffe is writing a
textbook, Global Studies: Russia
and the Eurasian Republics. The
book will be his 10th, six of which
have been published in the U.S.
Ioffe’s last book, Understanding
Belarus and How Western Foreign
Policy Misses the Mark, was
published by the Rowman and
Littlefield Publishers in 2008.
Geography Professor Studying Land Abandonment in Russia
Grigory Ioffe

Spring 2009 11
upfront
M
ore than 6,000
miles and eight
hours separate
RU student Rick Agosta
from his friends and
fellow students. While
they were likely finishing
up their classes for the
day, the exercise, sport
and health education
major from Manassas was
just a few hours short
of reporting for his daily
duty at FOB Kalsu military
base, located south
of Baghdad.
Agosta joined the
Army in early 2003,
completed basic and job
training in December
2003 and enrolled at RU
in the spring of 2004. He
is on his second tour of
duty in Iraq, and though
he has had to start and
stop his education a few
times, Agosta remains
focused and plans to hit
the books again when
he returns from duty
in August.
A Civil Affairs
Specialist, Agosta works
with Iraqi citizens, setting
up projects that range
from school renovations
to building new schools
and medical facilities.
Agosta says, “Civil Affairs
is there to win the hearts and
minds of the local populace. Name
a project that needs to be done
and Civil Affairs can work to get it
done.” His team is currently doing
school renovations and working on
a water treatment facility.
On his first tour, Agosta said
nothing could prepare him for the
culture shock when he ventured
outside the base. He says, “It was
a scene from another planet.” This
tour is a bit different in that he is
based in a large agricultural area
dotted by small towns and fields as
Student Rick Agosta on Second Tour in Iraq
far as the eye can see. “The threat
level on this tour has dropped
considerably from last tour, and
that was even hard to get used to,”
he says.
Though several members of his
family have a military background,
Agosta said he had many reasons
for joining the Army. One of them
was 9/11. “After 9/11, I wanted to
serve for my country and my loved
ones,” he explains. “I did this for
myself, but at the same time,
I never wanted any of my loved
ones to have to go over and put
their lives in harm’s way. That is
why I am proud to do
what I am doing for my
country, my loved ones
and the people we help.”
Being an Army Reserve
soldier and a student at
the same time has been
challenging, he says.
Before his most recent
deployment, Agosta
would report for the Army
Reserve one weekend
a month. Agosta says,
“Your weekend is taken
in the sense of travel and
studying. I would drive
to Maryland on Friday
afternoon and wake up
early Saturday and Sunday
to do my training. After
final formation on Sunday,
I would pack up my car
and drive five hours or
longer back to Radford just
to get back at a decent
time to try and get some
rest before the next day’s
classes. It becomes a task
to try and study and get
prepared for tests over a
drill weekend. And tests
always seem to be
the Monday after a
drill weekend.”
Though thousands of
miles separate Agosta from
life on campus, a strong
network of support from
family, classmates and
professors helps him feel that a
part of him is still here. He stays in
contact via e-mail and Facebook
and maintains an ongoing dialogue
with professors.
Professors Susan Miller and Bev
Zeakes are helping Agosta register
for fall semester. Miller says, “He
is one of the best ambassadors we
can have to show the people of
Iraq that we are a caring society
that knows children are our future.
I feel safer because Richard is there,
but I am looking forward to his
return this summer.”
He is one of the best ambassadors we
can have to show the people of Iraq
that we are a caring society that knows
children are our future.
Professor Susan Miller

for northern Virginia and metro Washington, D.C.;
Meredith Marks is serving as the assistant director
for University Advancement with primary fundraising
responsibility for far southwest Virginia, North Carolina
and South Carolina; and Kelly Underwood serves as the
director of University Advancement for athletics.
The Radford University Office of University
Advancement has hired three new staff members
to enhance the university’s efforts in securing private
contributions vital for RU’s long-range goals.
Maq Trivedi is the director for the Office of
University Advancement with fundraising responsibility
University Advancement Adds Three to Staff
Maq Trivedi Meredith Marks Kelly Underwood
Radford University welcomes
Steven W. Nape as its
first vice provost for enrollment
planning and management.
“We are thrilled that
Dr. Nape will be joining
our team to enhance the
university’s enrollment
management efforts,” said
Provost Wil Stanton. “This
position is critical in our efforts to recruit, admit,
enroll and retain outstanding students. Dr. Nape has
been described as a ‘rising star’ in this field, and I
look forward to working with him.”
RU Welcomes New Vice Provost
A native of Lawrenceville, N.J., Nape, 39, began his
career at Gordon College in Barnesville, Ga., where he
served as director of institutional research and director
of enrollment services. Since 2000, he has been part
of the administration at Randolph-Macon College in
Ashland, serving as director of admissions and, most
recently, dean of admissions and financial aid. At RU,
Nape will have administrative oversight for the Office
of Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid and the
Registrar’s Office.
Nape earned a B.A. with a double major in philosophy
and economics at the University of South Carolina (USC),
where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor
society. He also earned a Ph.D. in economics at USC.
Radford University’s
College of Business and
Economics (COBE) has tapped
Elizabeth Jamison as the new
director of its Master of Business
Administration program.
“This is a really exciting
time to be in this position,”
said Jamison. “The college
and university are heading in a
remarkable direction.”
COBE’s most recent initiatives include a cutting-
edge global capitalism course and plans for a
$44.2 million signature building designed to house
the entire college. Groundbreaking is scheduled
for 2010.
Elizabeth Jamison Named MBA Program Director
Jamison, who formerly served as the director of
RU’s Leadership Development Center, will oversee the
move from a 30-hour credit program to a 36-hour
program. There will also be a change in the number
of prerequisites, which will be reduced from nine to
four courses.
She is also dedicated to increasing enrollment in the
Radford and Roanoke programs.
“A master’s degree in the field of business is a hot
commodity, and it is vital in order to stay competitive,”
she said. “RU’s MBA program is going to be the top
business program for business people who want to
continue to progress.”
COBE and the MBA program are accredited by the
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB International).
Steven W. Nape
Elizabeth
Jamison
upfront

Spring 2009 13
Two Radford University
alumnae, Jayanne Bridges ’92
and Elizabeth Lester M.S. ’80,
were named the 2009 recipients of
the prestigious McGlothlin Awards
for Teaching Excellence.
The Tenth Anniversary
McGlothlin Awards ceremony was
held on Monday, April 6, at RU.
The awards rank among the largest
individual teaching awards in the
nation and are available only to
educators from selected parts of
Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia
and Kentucky. Each year two award
winners, one teaching in grades
K-5 and one in grades 6-12, receive
$25,000 each, with the stipulation
that $10,000 must be used, within
a year, for international travel
and/or study to broaden the
thinking and experience of the
winning teachers and further
enhance their excellence as
professional educators.
Among the six finalists for the
2009 awards was another RU
alumna, Rebecca Boone ’74, who
teaches at Troutville Elementary
School in Botetourt County.
Bridges teaches at Christiansburg
Alumnae Receive $25,000 McGlothlin Awards
for Teaching Excellence
Middle School in Montgomery
County and Lester at Patrick Henry
Elementary School in Martinsville.
Teresa Hash of Marion Intermediate
School in Smyth County, Mary
Slone of South Floyd High School
in Floyd County, Ky., and Erin
Wigginton of Pulaski County High
School were also finalists for
the awards.
The awards ceremony featured
keynote speaker Randell Marie
Bynum, director of “The Electric
Company” Outreach for Sesame
Workshop, and Grover of “Sesame
Street.” In a cameo appearance,
familiar, sweet, blue, “Global”
Grover, who spoke about his travels
around the world to places like
Japan and Africa, enraptured the
audience and stage party.
Before the ceremony,
presentations and activities
offered by RU faculty and student
volunteers drew dozens of children
and their families to campus for
a Family Celebration of Teaching
and Learning. Bynum gave a
presentation for teachers, future
teachers and parents on building
children’s literacy skills using
“The Electric Company,” which
has been recreated for today’s
children’s needs.
During the awards ceremony
and a reception following,
Tom McGlothlin, president of the
McGlothlin Foundation of Bristol,
was honored for his conception
and patronship of the awards,
through which 20 teachers
in the region have received
recognition and the opportunity for
international travel and study. The
18 previous winners have traveled
the far reaches of the earth and
brought back new perspectives
and knowledge to share withThe awards rank
among the largest
individual teaching
awards in the nation.
upfront
their students, fellow teachers
and communities.
Since 1999 Blue Ridge PBS has
worked alongside the McGlothlin
Foundation to administer the
awards. For the past seven years
RU has partnered with the
McGlothlin Foundation and Blue
Ridge PBS in hosting the McGlothlin
Celebration of Teaching and the
McGlothlin Awards ceremony.
McGlothlin award winners Jayanne Bridges ’92, left, and
Elizabeth Lester M.S. ’80
Tom McGlothlin chats with Grover
after the awards ceremony.

Photograph by Gene Dalton
Dennis Grady,
RU’s “Green Dean”

Spring 2009 15
To a university community, Fall Convocation is
like New Year’s Day — a time for resolutions,
a fresh start, a chance for change.
For Fall Convocation, August 28, 2008, change was
on Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle’s
mind when she stepped to the podium to address a
capacity crowd of faculty, staff and distinguished guests.
She welcomed new faculty and staff, announced
the approval of new graduate degrees like the
doctorate of physical therapy, and revealed new
facilities and amenities on campus. Then she made a
pronouncement that would impact Radford University
and its corner of the globe for years to come — the
creation of a Sustainability Steering Committee.
SustainabilityHow one university is helping save the world

“Sustainability is a priority of the Commonwealth and
a major initiative at most colleges and universities across
the nation,” Kyle later explained. “This committee will
examine various strategies to help RU become a greener
campus and a leader in resource conservation.”
This would not be a committee that, like many a New
Year resolution, would burn with energy at the opening
gavel, only to fizzle and expire like a gym membership
in March. Kyle expected the committee to give RU a
thorough workout — indeed, a workout that would
forever diminish the university’s resource appetite.
“The Board [of Visitors] and I take seriously our
responsibility to be effective environmental stewards,”
Kyle said. “This is especially true during these trying
economic times when conserving our resources and
generating new resources is more important than ever
before. I am convinced that we can move forward in a
more sustainable manner if we draw upon the incredible
talents of our faculty, staff and students.”
It was an ambitious, yet daunting, task, and to lead
this effort she tapped Dr. Dennis Grady.
On the surface, Grady did not seem the obvious
choice. Preferring tweed coats and simple striped ties
to tie-dye and sandals, the straight-laced professor
was not the stereotypical environmentalist. Nor did he
know RU very well, having just arrived that summer
to become the new dean of the College of Graduate
and Professional Studies.
Yet he was the ideal choice. He came from
Appalachian State University and had served as lead
academic in the University of North Carolina campus
system for sustainability. He had authored the report
that led UNC President Erskine Boyles to set up a system-
wide Sustainability Commission to reduce the campus
system’s carbon footprint.
“With the Blue Ridge Mountains, New River and
Appalachian Trail close by, RU is located in one of
the most beautiful places in the country,” said Grady.
“We have a responsibility to preserve and protect
these resources.”
As the newly appointed “Green Dean,” Grady first
assembled his committee — a group of 12 faculty, staff
and students representing a cross-section of the campus.
At the committee’s first meeting in October, Kyle
challenged the members “to be creative, innovative and
bold in recommending a course of action that will reduce
our environmental footprint and bring recognition to
our university as a leader in sustainability.”
To meet the challenge, the committee realized
it needed to broaden its ranks. It established 12
subcommittees to investigate sustainability opportunities
throughout RU:
• New Construction and Renovations — examine
issues related to “green” building practices or
renovations, including certification by the Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green
Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green
Building Council. Chair — Roy Saville, director of
Facilities Planning
• Curriculum — examine how sustainable
education programs might be developed and how
environmental literacy could be incorporated into
the curriculum. Chair — Judy Guinan, associate
professor of biology and former director of RU’s
Environmental Center
• Measurement — develop data and metrics to
measure and report on greenhouse gas emissions
and other sustainability indicators. Chair —
Debra Templeton, director of Institutional Research
• Energy/Water Conservation and Use —
study ways to increase energy efficiency programs
across campus and recommend campus-wide
policies for reducing electrical demand. Chair —
Tommy Manning, director of Facilities Management
• Recycling — examine ways to increase the amount
of waste recycled and policies reducing the amount
of waste produced. Chair — Julio Stephens,
sustainability coordinator
• Grounds/Habitats — examine ways that the
campus’ natural assets can be tended in a more
sustainable manner. Co-chairs — Judy Guinan and
Tommy Manning
• Transportation — examine ways to increase fuel
efficiency of the campus motor fleet and the use
of alternative fuels/vehicles while reducing vehicle
emissions by students, faculty and staff. Chair —
Tommy Manning
• Purchasing — explore ways to increase the use
of local food in food contract and green product
purchasing, as well as holding vendors to higher
levels of sustainability. Chair — Gary Tilley, director
of Materiel Management
• Food Services — explore ways to reduce waste
and water usage under the university’s contract
with Chartwells Dining Services. Chair — Bill Dalton,
director of University Services
• Student Involvement — look at best practices and
programs for involving students as drivers of campus
sustainability. Co-Chairs — Brittany Christian and
Sarah Heintzelman, RU Green Team members; Trae
Cotton, dean of students; and Katherine Lavinder,
assistant dean of students
• Investments — examine how the university invests
its portfolio in socially responsible companies and
funds. Chair — Steven Beach, finance professor
• Public Awareness — publicize the ongoing
work regarding sustainability activities on campus.
Chair — Michael Hemphill, interim director of
University Relations

Spring 2009 17
Julio Stephens,
RU’s sustainability
coordinator

The committee also decided it needed to chronicle RU’s
sustainability efforts already underway. This responsibility
was given to Julio Stephens who, as implied by his job
title as RU’s sustainability coordinator, could attest that
the committee would not be starting from scratch.
“For years, RU has been doing a lot in terms of
sustainability,” Stephens said. “We just haven’t been
bragging about it enough.”
Facilities
In 2001, RU began renovating Floyd Hall, a residence hall
originallybuiltin1964.Fortherenovation,TommyManning,
director of Facilities Management, decided to employ some
high-tech devices in the nearly 40-year-old building.
Manning had infrared motion sensors mounted
on the walls in each dorm room along with magnetic
contacts in each window. The technology allowed for
the heating and air conditioning units to scale back to set
points if the sensor detected the room was unoccupied
or the window was opened.
“We were wasting too much energy with open
windows,” Manning would later explain. “It just seemed
the right thing to do.”
These same devices were installed in Peery Hall,
Stuart Hall and Trinkle Hall during the renovation of
those residence halls from 2002 to 2004. Meanwhile in
Norwood Hall, built in 1939, the dual-temperature valves
in the building’s mechanical systems were changed to
improve efficiency.
Other enhancements allowed heating and air
conditioning systems across campus to be monitored
directly from the Facilities Management office under
the direction of Jo Ann Alger, RU’s building automation
engineer who had recently received her Certified Energy
Manager certificate. “If a student calls and says, ‘My
room is cold,’ I can check my monitors and say, ‘Well,
you may want to close your window,’” Alger said.
In addition to these high-tech sustainability devices,
Facilities Management employed equipment setbacks/
shutdowns and cycling, ice storage and load shedding to
cut back on heating and air utilities, replaced 100 shower
It just seemed the right thing to do.
Tommy Manning, director of Facilities Management

Spring 2009 19
heads in Jefferson and Madison halls to reduce water
flow from 2.8 gallons per minute to 2.5, and changed
every light bulb on campus that could be a compact
fluorescent with a compact fluorescent. Manning also
distributed boxes of the bulbs to housekeepers so they
could swap out any rogue incandescent bulbs.
Proud of the university’s accomplishments, Alger
and Stephens documented utilities usage, assembled
the paperwork on these renovations and submitted
the complete package to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). In December, EPA awarded
RU its prestigious ENERGY STAR certification for Floyd
and Norwood halls. The honor recognizes buildings that
use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical
commercial buildings and release 35 percent less carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere. Alger is now working
to finalize the paperwork to get other RU buildings
ENERGY STAR certified.
“This will hopefully only be the first step in a long walk
as RU evaluates its energy efficiency across campus,”
said Stephens.
Dining
Similar to RU’s residence halls, the Sustainability
Committee discovered that campus dining halls were
also going green before green was cool.
Progress on this front was due in large part to
Chartwells Dining Services, the private firm contracted
by RU in 2002 to manage its dining facilities in Dalton
Hall and Muse Hall. Chartwells’ corporate policy was to
buy as much as possible foods grown within a 150-mile
radius in an effort to sustain the local economy (after all,
sustainability isn’t just about the environment).
Other policies included offering balanced choice
meals focusing on total health and purchasing cage-free
eggs, sustainable seafood, milk products free of growth
hormones, antibiotic-free meats, trans fat-free oil, and
social and ecological certified coffees.
Inside the kitchen, food was scrutinized just as closely.
“Training the staff in the kitchen was one of the first things
weneededtodo,”saidChartwellsresidentdistrictmanager
and chef Ben Southard. “Trim Trax, where employees who
are preparing the food keep track of the usable waste,
was a new way of thinking. We track the kitchen waste
separately, we weigh it and the staff competes among
themselves to lower the amount of waste.”
The spirit of sustainability only increased once the
food hit the serving lines. In 2003, Chartwells began
“Project Clean Plate” to reduce food waste. This
initiative expanded on Earth Day 2008 when the RU
dining halls went “tray-less.” Instead of loading up a
tray with several plates or bowls of food, diners could
now only order what they could carry.
The result? More than 20,000 trays per week no
longer needed washing, a move that reduced energy
and chemical costs. Food waste dropped by an average
of four ounces per student per meal. Campus-wide, that
equaled 5,000 pounds of food each week. Less waste
for the landfill and less waste in Chartwells’ food budget
resulted in higher quality meals for its customers.
For the waste that did eke out, the university
partnered with Poplar Manor Enterprises (PME, LLC) of
Floyd, a business operated by 2007 RU graduate Mindy
Farley who serves as its chief officer. PME converts
the discarded food and paper products from RU into
compost. “Vegetables, paper scraps, cardboard, bones
from meats, almost everything that is scraped off the
plate in Dalton can go into a compost pile and be
reworked into the soil or a soil amendment,” Southard
said. “This has changed how we handle our waste.”
Chartwells also donated excess food to local food
banks such as Fairlawn’s Our Daily Bread, Radford’s
Beans and Rice program and student groups. In 2008,
the campus dining service converted 7,500 gallons of
used cooking grease into biodiesel.
Dalton Hall also cut energy waste. Facilities
Managementremovedthetintedfilmoverthewindowsto
allow more “day-lighting” and rewired its lighting circuits
Campus dining halls were going green
before green was cool.
Photograph by John McKeith

The foundations of the American
dream are opportunity, change
and forging a new future. Radford
University associate professor of
mathematics and statistics Steve
Fawthrop and his family are fulfilling
their dream to break free of the
grid and live in a more
sustainable fashion.
At the center of their
drive is a 4,000-square foot
strawbale home that the
Fawthrops have built on
23 acres in Floyd County,
a project that has
been a labor of love and learning.
Inspired by a desire to be indepen-
dent, engineered and designed by
their efforts, and built with their
hands, the Fawthrop family home
is a monument to one family’s desire
to “make the world a better place.”
“We knew it was the right thing
to do, but had no clue how to
proceed,” said Fawthrop. “We were
looking around for the right way
to go, and my wife saw a special on
strawbale construction. We traveled
to Oregon one vacation and helped
others build strawbale homes in
Minnesota to learn how before we
relocated here. ”
The Fawthrops broke ground
seven years ago and moved into
their home in June 2005. The
home is constructed of standard-size
strawbales grown in Montgomery
County that are stuccoed on the
exterior and framed and drywalled
on the interior. The structure boasts
the advantages of a traditional
stick-built home and has an
extraordinary insulation “R-rating”
of 42 as compared to the current
Virginia code insulation specification
of R18.
Making the home all the more
sustainable and efficient are the
48 solar panels that adorn the garage
roof and feed the solar battery bank
that powers the house’s traditional
line-up of appliances: freezers,
refrigerator, computers, washer, oven
and well. The laundry is dried by the
wind, while a propane water heater
that Fawthrop described as a “conces-
sion” heats the water for the showers.
“We usually generate more
electricity than we need, but the
power grid is not yet designed for
us to feed our excess generated
power,” said Fawthrop. “Occasionally
our monthly electricity bill will be
$1.50 more than the minimum
$11 hook-up fee, which means we
were simply wasteful.”
As anyone who has built their
dream home understands, the
project is never completed. For the
Fawthrops, interior work remains
to be done to make the living spaces
livable. They also want to build a
greenhouse to boost the family’s
self-sufficiency and pare down the
grocery list, which is minimal since
the family maintains a garden and
stores its harvest for year-round
consumption.
“We are not doing anything spe-
cial. When we started, we were just
troubled by the feeling that we were
destroying the planet,” said Fawthrop.
“By living this way, we would like
to think we are making the world a
better place and, hopefully, helping
to point the way for others.”
Fawthrop is bringing his passion
for sustainability to RU as a member
of the sustainability curriculum
committee, which is charged with
assessing and recommending
enhancements to the university’s
academic offerings in the interest
of expanding environmental
literacy. He points with pride to
the fact that his classes have been
almost paper-free for two years and
smiles when he says that makes it
easier for him to manage his class
load as it all takes place digitally.
Professor Steve Fawthrop Builds His Dream House

Spring 2009 21
to reduce the number of overhead lights. These changes
saved more than 26,000 kilowatts per month — enough
energy to supply the average American household with
power for a year. Chartwells’ operation also began to
utilize more energy-efficient equipment such as induction
burners, Turbo Chef ovens, a new dishwasher that saves
more than $30,000 per year in utilities and a new catering
truck that gets 22 miles to the gallon.
In the fall of 2008, Chartwells began working with
the Sustainability Committee to set new goals that
included a move toward renewable packaging and
replacing styrofoam take-out containers with eco-
friendly containers. “We’re looking at several different
options, and one of those is a reusable container called
Eco Clamshells, a hard plastic container,” Southard said.
“The Virginia health department has not approved it yet,
but we are working with them to see what we can do.”
What else?
Stephens’ list of ongoing sustainability achievements
grew and grew:
• RU had already joined the Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education,
which is dedicated to promoting sustainability in all
sectors of higher education.
• Facilities Management already had a fleet of six
electric vehicles and one solar-electric vehicle for
use around campus and had retrofitted its buses,
mowers and other diesel-powered equipment to run
on biodiesel fuel.
• RU provided a shuttle around campus and to
neighboring retail centers to help discourage
students from driving short distances.
• Housekeepers already used some Greenseal cleaning
products in addition to paper towels and toilet
tissue made mostly from recycled paper, while
groundskeepers used spring water for certain
irrigation needs.
• Vending and snack machines already featured
“energy misers,” a technology that cuts energy
consumption by as much as half in the machines.
• In addition to a certified energy manager and
sustainability coordinator, RU also employed a
recycling coordinator, recycling technician and
sustainability work study. This renewed emphasis
on recycling led to the creation of drop-off sites for
cardboard boxes during fall 2008 move-in weekend,
which boosted cardboard recycling by 30 percent
compared to the previous year.
• The bookstore already sold environmentally friendly
products, including organic clothing and foods as well
as paper and notebooks made with recycled content.
• RU already had an Environmental Center and a
student environmental group called the Green Team.
It became obvious to Stephens and the rest of the
committee that RU had much to be proud of. Their work
now was to raise the bar even higher and determine
what to do next.
“Not Your Typical Committee”
By December, the Sustainability Steering Committee had
blossomedto20membersrepresentingavarietyofstudents,
faculty, staff, deans and directors with roots twining
throughout RU’s campus. With “Green Dean” Grady at the
helm, the committee received reports each month about
the work undertaken by the dozen subcommittees, which
by now had recruited more than 75 members.
“This is not your typical committee,” Grady said
during the December meeting. “We are about ideas
and action, not just talk.”
Or as he would explain to a Roanoke Times reporter,
“We provide a place for cool ideas to come forward.”
Out of the subcommittee work, the Sustainability
Steering Committee, during its January and February
meetings, began to approve a list of guidelines that
could be acted on immediately. The committee also
crafted ambitious policy recommendations to present
to President Kyle and the Board of Visitors, including a
recycling policy that stated:
“All departments that generate waste at Radford
University should make waste minimization and recycling
a top priority and an integral component of their daily
operations. Each department shall consider the life-
cycle costs and environmental aspects associated with
purchases and are encouraged to purchase items with
recycled content and minimal wastes and packaging
as appropriate. Every employee and student has the
responsibility to exercise these behaviors, making
Radford University a more sustainable campus and
helping to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Other guidelines and recommendations included:
• All new construction and renovation capital projects
will be designed and built to achieve a minimum
LEED Silver rating using the evaluation protocol
published by the U.S. Green Building Council.
New Construction and Renovations subcommittee
• Room energy management set points will be
68 degrees Fahrenheit in winter months and
74 degrees Fahrenheit in summer months to curb
utility costs. Energy/Water Conservation and Use
subcommittee
• All contracts must submit an annual vendor
sustainability report by June 30, and the university
will consider a written “green” purchasing policy
similar to one incorporated by Duke University.
Purchasing subcommittee
• RU will discontinue the production of paper
telephone directories beginning with the 2009-10

22 the MAGAZINE of RADFORD UNIVERSITY Photograph by Gene Dalton

Spring 2009 23
academic year. The university will thereby avoid
consuming a considerable amount of unnecessary
paper to produce information already accessible via
the university’s website. “We may be able to save a
couple of hundred trees next year just by having an
online phone book instead of a paper phone book,”
Grady said. Student Involvement subcommittee
• RU will pursue having areas of campus formally
recognized as wildlife habitats by the National
Wildlife Federation (NWF) and be recognized as a
leader in campus tree management by the Arbor
Day Foundation as part of the Tree Campus USA
program. To date, the RU storm water wetland
is now a certified wildlife habitat by the NWF.
Grounds/Habitats subcommittee
• To curb fossil fuel use and emissions from motorists,
RU will develop initiatives to encourage carpooling,
telecommuting, bicycle usage and mass transit for
its faculty, staff and student body. Transportation
subcommittee
• To limit landfill waste, guidelines will be developed
to reduce disposal of electronic waste (old
computers, cell phones, printers, etc.); promote
recycling of glass, metals, mixed paper and
cardboard with additional drop-off sites on campus
and in Radford through a collaboration with the city;
and encourage the purchase of high post-consumer
content recycled products. Recycling subcommittee
• Funds invested on behalf of RU will go toward
“companies that are developing viable technologies
that will really help the environment,” explained finance
professor Steven Beach. Investments subcommittee
“Diverse” curriculum
Changing light bulbs and shower heads is one thing.
Changing lifestyles and mindsets is another.
To that end, Sustainability Committee member
Judy Guinan has been in charge. As associate biology
professor and former director of RU’s Environmental
Center, Guinan headed the subcommittee looking at
RU’s environmentally themed course offerings.
“Some RU faculty, staff and students have long
been actively involved in environmental issues,” Guinan
said. “Faculty from disciplines ranging from the arts to
the sciences have focused their teaching and research
interests around understanding our role within natural
ecosystems and working towards finding ways to limit
negative impacts and conserve our resources. RU is
making a commitment to sustainability on our campus,
and this, coupled with the progress we are making
in incorporating these issues into our curriculum, will
assure that we practice what we teach.”
The Environmental Center webpage touts some 30 RU
courses that contribute to the academic commitment to
English Professor
Rick Van Noy explores
nature with son Sam and
daughter Elliott.

24 the MAGAZINE of RADFORD UNIVERSITY Photograph by Gene Dalton

Spring 2009 25
The Green Team: Saba Fasil,
Beth Meyer, Brittany Christian,
Alyssa Marlowe, Kelle Urban
and Jessie Hecht

global sustainability, including environmental psycho-
logy, conservation biology, environmental regulation,
hydrogeology and biogeography. The center is currently
updating this list, which will include nearly 100 courses.
Testifying to the breadth of this curriculum is the
popular literature and the environment course. The class
was implemented in 2001 and is designed to examine
the relationship between humans and the environment
in literature. Utilizing some of the most notable authors
in the field as guides along the way, students enrolled in
the environmental literature course “look at how literary
interpretations of the land have influenced attitudes
toward nature and how nature has in turn nurtured the
creative imagination,” said Rick Van Noy, who wrote
the original proposal to establish the class and is one of
the instructors. (English professors Justin Askins and Jim
Minick also teach the course.)
“Quite simply, this course aims to educate RU
students about how human well-being is dependent
on healthy ecosystems and how our actions can harm
them,” explained Van Noy. “Ultimately, I want students
to think more deeply about how the natural world has
been important to them and to care enough to do
something to ensure its long-term health.”
The course generally begins with the work of leading
naturalist author Henry David Thoreau, who is perhaps
best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living
in natural surroundings. Students then study what Van
Noy describes as the “landmark works of an emerging
ecological ethic.” That includes Aldo Leopold, a noted
American ecologist, forester and environmentalist
whose A Sand County Almanac is largely thought to be
the driving force behind an increased interest in ecology
as a science.
Recently, Van Noy has incorporated more lessons
about engaging children in natural world concerns due
to the number of students studying to be teachers. It is
a personal interest of Van Noy, who is the author of A
Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids with Nature
through the Seasons, which won top prize in March in
the book category of the 2009 Phillip D. Reed Memorial
Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern
Environment. (Incidentally, his book gets its title from
a Rachel Carson essay, The Sense of Wonder. Carson
is widely considered the impetus behind the modern
environmental movement. Her work Silent Spring
brought attention to environmental problems caused
by the use of synthetic pesticides.) Through a collection
of poetic essays based on real experiences, Van Noy’s
book helps parents and children tap into their creativity
and discover the importance of venturing outside and
developing a sense of wonder.
Of course, several outdoor trips are integrated into the
class schedule, including adventures to the New River and
Wildwood Park, where students learn about the natural
and cultural history of their surrounding environments.
“A literature class, specifically, is important because
how we represent an object can affect our behavior
toward it,” said Van Noy. “By reading stories and telling
new ones we can create a culture where we lead more
sustainable and meaningful lives.”
A newer academic offering involves a trans-Atlantic
collaboration between RU’s International Education
Center (IEC) and the Université Blaise Pascal (UBP)
in Clermont-Ferrand, France. UBP recently received
approval to begin a new bachelor’s program in
sustainable development and plans to enroll its first
student contingent this fall. The IEC is preparing to
bring RU faculty working on sustainability together with
their French counterparts to see what might develop
in the areas of faculty-student collaborative research
opportunities and possible curricular partnerships.
Just as ambitious of a curricular undertaking is
RU’s newly approved School of Environmental and
Physical Science, which is scheduled to officially come
into existence on July 1. This school will bring under
its umbrella the Forensic Science Institute and the
disciplines of geology, geography and physics. Out of
the new school will potentially blossom new courses
and majors in such fields as physical anthropology and
environmental science.
The Green Team
But the meaning of all this work — the infrared sensors
and LEED certifications, cage-free eggs and solar-powered
carts — would be limited without the constituency that
lies at the heart of a university: the students.
As finance professor Beach noted, “Universities have
a responsibility to impart the skills necessary to actually
do something productive. We must train students, our
future leaders, in ways that allow them to make sensible
decisions about the proper use of our resources, including
the preservation of things that are truly important.”
For this reason, Grady ensured that students had seats
at the Sustainability Committee table. One belonged to
Brittany Christian, president of the RU Green Team.
Like Grady, Christian did not wear sustainability
on her sleeve. A demure chemistry major from Cary,
N.C., Christian seemed more comfortable in a quiet
laboratory than heading the university’s environmental
club. Outside the classroom, she was a star on the RU
track and cross country teams.
Indeed, her mainstream attitudes sparked the Green
Team’s motto for Earth Day 2008: “Redefining the
Tree-Hugger.”
But if her persona defied the stereotype, her passion
did not. In 2008, she worked with a research team that
was awarded the opportunity to attend the People,
Prosperity and the Planet (P3) competition sponsored
by EPA. At the competition, the team presented their
research on the Mall in Washington, D.C., all in the
spirit of green chemistry and saving the environment.
They received an honorable mention from a field of
more than 60 colleges and universities.

Spring 2009 27
“There’s something really nice
about the idea. You just
pedal away, with your body putting
this object in motion.”
Roanoke resident River Laker
is describing the feeling of riding
a bike. Anyone who has ever been
on a bike knows that feeling, the
luxury of movement and fluidity.
But in a culture dominated by the
convenience of a car, few would
choose to use a bike as their only
means of transportation. But that’s
exactly what Laker has done.
You see, Laker, a former RU
exchange student from Folkestone
in Great Britain, is carless.
In December 2008, he made
a spontaneous decision to sell his
car. His choice was fueled not by
environmental reasons, but because
of the frustration he felt owning
a car: the traffic flow, the upkeep
and the dependence on gas. So
one Friday he put his 1991 Volvo
station wagon up for sale, and two
days later, it was gone.
“It was just nice to get rid of it,”
he explained. “There is a sense of
freedom to not having a car.”
His goal is to make it through
six months without a car, a
benchmark set when he met with
Roanoke Ride Solutions director
Jeremy Holmes. It was Holmes
who encouraged Laker to blog
about his adventures, and now this
self-dubbed “Car Less Brit” has
followers from around the world.
His blog (carlessbrit.tumblr.com)
features everything from quick
River Laker Bicycles in a Car’s World
Stills from video clips found
on River Laker’s website
carlessbrit.tumblr.com
notes about his day’s journey to a
bevy of self-made videos highlighting
resident artists and fellow bike
riders. This social network medium
also serves as a platform to promote
programs Laker has coordinated for
local libraries, including an emerging
artists series (emergingartists.
tumblr.com) and the Car Less
Brit Experiment with programs
designed to highlight environmental
concerns. (Laker is the resource
development coordinator for
Roanoke’s libraries).
Laker’s newest venture is the
Car Less Brit Museum, a project
he wanted to take on just “to see
what it’s like to run a museum for
six months.” The museum will
feature rotating exhibits, with the
first serving as a review of Laker’s
adventures to date.
And yes, Laker is now much more
aware of the impact his decision
makes upon the environment. On an
average day, he bikes 20+ miles and
has determined that his carbon offset,
which represents a reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions, is roughly
73 pounds every five days.
And when his six months of
carlessness are up? “At this moment,
I may never get a car again.”

Travis Byrd, a junior from Bassett
majoring in media studies at
Radford University, has reached a
milestone that few students are able
to claim. He has singlehandedly
raised more than $100,000 for the
university’s Annual Fund, a giving
program that supports such
ongoing projects as arts, athletics
and academic scholarships.
Byrd has raised that money as
a member of the RU Telephone
Outreach Program (TOP), an
opportunity he discovered through
a club fair he attended during his
freshman year. He signed up as a
way to get involved with the
university. He has now been a
member since the fall of 2006 and
accepted the title as supervisor of
the call center last fall.
“This gives me the chance to
make a difference while making
some money at the same time,”
Byrd said. “Radford University
helped me become a more
independent person. It is my belief
that RU is not only providing me
with a great education, but the
ability to mature as an individual.”
Through his work with TOP,
Byrd has become one of many
campus members working to
promote the sustainability efforts of
the university.
“TOP students communicate
the university’s efforts to go green
by informing prospective donors
about such initiatives as the use of
biodiesel fuel in the campus motor
fleet and the ENERGY STAR®
approved buildings on campus,
including Norwood and Floyd
halls,” explained Byrd. “We also
encourage our donors to contribute by
credit card so we avoid paper waste.”
Prior to his work with TOP,
Byrd developed his experience
serving as a telemarketer at the
Civic Development Group in
Martinsville.
“That put me a step ahead
going into the TOP program,” he
said. “I definitely could not have
Staying on TOP
Saving Earth
raised more than $100,000 at RU
without the excellent training and
motivation I received from Danica
Mingee, assistant director of the
RU Annual Fund.”
Byrd also served as co-chair
of the senior class gift campaign,
which is designed to encourage
seniors to give at least $20.09
in honor of their class year. He
participated in the campaign as an
intern with RU’s Assistant Director
of Special and Annual Giving
Cassandra Dove. Byrd helped
organize events for seniors,
including socials counting down
to graduation in May.
Byrd’s involvement in these
RU initiatives is more than just a
résumé builder; he is passionate
about the work he does.
“I feel it is important to give back
to the university because it reconfirms
a commitment alumni made to this
university when they walked across
that stage at graduation,” he said.
“Giving back helps the alumni by
strengthening their degree.”
In fact, Byrd is so
motivated by the work he
does at RU that he is
considering a
job in the
business after
graduation.
“I plan to
pursue a career
in sports broad-
casting, but I could
also see myself
continuing with a
career in annual
giving with RU or
another university.”
Travis Byrd

Spring 2009 29
In October 2008, Christian and the Green Team
helped sponsor the RU Campus Sustainability Awareness
Program, which showcased RU’s past, present and
future work “to become a more sustainable campus.”
On the committee, Christian accepted as her main
task the responsibility of making Earth Day 2009 an event
befitting RU’s new commitment toward sustainability.
She spent the winter and early spring recruiting clubs
throughout the university to participate. She scheduled
open houses and tours of the campus Greenhouse,
earth museum and Planetarium. She coordinated a tree-
planting and an outdoor movie, “The Eleventh Hour,”
on Heth Lawn.
“This is really important work, and I want as many
students as possible to get involved,” she said.
Thankfully, other students had begun doing just that.
On an individual scale, there was freshman Benjamin
Garlic who, when he discovered his high school was going
to discard an old tuba, salvaged the instrument, painted it
red and played it this season in the RU Pep Band.
On a more collective stage, the university’s Governor’s
Quad residential halls sponsored in December 2008 a
four-night workshop, GQ Upcycles!, that taught quad
residents how to recycle what would normally be useless
or outdated objects and turn them into creative gifts.
Some of the projects included making bracelets out of
soda can tops, pendants using green tea cans, neckties
to create wallets and coin purses, and cardboard
gingerbread ornaments.
Earlier this year, GQ Upcycles! was named the National
Educational Program for the month of December by The
National Association of College and University Residence
Halls, Inc.
Angela Ward, assistant director and area coordinator
of RU Residential Life, said the project set “an example
for schools around the country as to how to incorporate
sustainability efforts into everyday activities within the
residence halls.”
Dean of Students Trae Cotton added that projects
such as GQ Upcycles! enhance the campus’ reputation
as a conservation leader. “Students have learned that
recycling goes beyond just separating paper and plastic
and sorting them in containers. Recycling is really a lens
through which we look at our world.”
Earth Day
On Wednesday, April 22, Brittany Christian stands
on Heth Lawn, surrounded by students and faculty
members manning brightly decorated tables that line
the walks, each promoting the many sustainability
endeavors on campus.
Earth Day has finally arrived, a celebration of the
impact each individual can make on the well-being of
the planet. It was an event that started in 1970 as a
response to widespread environmental deterioration.
That year, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson called for
an environmental teach-in with more than 20 million
participants involved. Today, it is estimated that more
than 500 million people in 164 countries participate in
Earth Day activities.
Christian’s work and dedication, and that of her
fellow Green Team members, have come to fruition on
this brisk but clear day. Students stop
at each information table to inquire
about every topic from sustainable
art to YToss?, a move-out recycling
program encouraging students to
donate usable items to the local
YMCA during move-out instead of
tossing them in the trash.
Participants take advantage of tours through the
university’s Planetarium, Greenhouse and Museum of
the Earth Sciences while student volunteers, joined by
President Kyle, plant an American hornbeam tree in
front of Russell Hall to commemorate the day.
Earlier that day, President Kyle tells Grady that she
will follow his committee’s recent recommendation
and sign the American College & University Presidents
Climate Commitment, a high-visibility effort by college
and university presidents to address global warming.
Signatories commit to eventually neutralize their
institution’s greenhouse gas emissions and to accelerate
their sustainability research and educational efforts.
The involvement of Christian and her peers in
coordinating and successfully carrying out an event like
Earth Day emphasizes the importance environmental
awareness has in their lives. With a full class load and
participation in a variety of extracurricular academic and
athletic endeavors, these students are quietly raising
their voices in support of a brighter, greener future just
by showing up and lending a helping hand.
The day truly is a representation of the hopes and goals
established in the creation of RU’s Sustainability Committee.
President Penelope W. Kyle, right, helps
students plant a tree on Earth Day.
www.radford.edu/rugreen/

Clockwise from top left: Softball became the fourth
RU athletics team to claim the Big South Conference
championship title during the 2008–09 season. An
impressive 20-4 record propelled the men’s tennis team
into the NCAA tournament. Men’s basketball made a
remarkable run through the Big South tournament and
to the NCAA tournament before falling to the eventual
national champions. The women’s soccer team advanced
to the NCAA Tournament following its conference
tournament title. Women’s basketball scores a winning
season under first-year coach Tajama Ngongba. Women’s
soccer kicked its way to a 14-2-6 record.
athletics
Picture Perfect
Highlanders Success
in Photographs

Spring 2009 31
athletics
Coaches Corner
Men’s basketball coach Brad Greenberg,
men’s tennis coach Mike Anderson and
softball coach Mickey Dean were each named
Big South Coach of the Year. Women’s soccer
coach Ben Sohrabi was named the 2008
VA SID Coach of the Year.

Class Notes for this edition were
written by Margarette Dobbins,
Alumni Services Assistant, and
Catherine Phillips ’07, M.S. ’09.
Forward correspondence for
Class Notes to the RU Alumni
Association, Box 6914, Radford,
VA 24142, or email alumni@
radford.edu. Photographs may
be submitted.
Careers
1959Donna Rowland Bourdon,
McAllen, Texas, a real estate agent with
Schwarz Company Realtors, retired
in January.
Patricia La Prade McGarvey, Owosso,
Mich., received the Distinguished
Service Award from the Michigan
Association of Retired School Personnel
in May 2008.
1963Joanne Melton Barbour,
Roanoke, retired after teaching for
44 years, the last 36 at South Salem
Elementary.
1967Anna Ward McLain, Panama
City, Fla., is the principal at Parker
Elementary School in Bay County.
1969Regenia Knupp Wine,
Waynesboro, is an adjunct math teacher
at Blue Ridge Community College.
1972Janie Robinson Meggers,
Roanoke, a retiree of the Roanoke
City Department of Social Services, is
a licensed realtor with ReMax Valley
Realtors. She is also co-owner of
Transitions Consulting, Inc.
1973Sharon Webb Carroll, Salem,
retired at the end of the 2008-09 school
year after 36 years of teaching in the
Roanoke County School system.
1974Pam Miller, Mechanicsville, is
co-owner of Environmental Equipment, Inc.
1975Charlie W. Steele (M.A. ’77),
Brevard, N.C., is minister of music at
the Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian
Church, adjunct music faculty member
at Brevard College, and conductor of
the Transylvania Choral Society.
1976Suzanne Gibson Vance, Clear
Brook, is pastor of the North Frederick
Charge of the United Methodist Church
in the Winchester District.
1978Randy K. Matney, Roanoke, is
chief probation and parole officer for
the Virginia Department of Corrections
in Rocky Mount. He serves on the
Board of Directors for STEP, Inc. in
Franklin County and on the Social Work
Advisory Board for Ferrum College and
is an adjunct professor in criminal justice
at RU.
1980Elizabeth Wood Lester (M.S.),
Ridgeway, received a 2009 McGlothlin
Award for Teaching Excellence from the
Bristol-based McGlothlin Foundation in
April. She is a first grade teacher at Patrick
Henry Elementary School in Martinsville.
1981Leslie Bradley Michael,
Waynesboro, is a kindergarten teacher
at Wenonah Elementary School.
1982Callie Moore Dalton, Roanoke,
has been recognized for her exceptional
performance ranking in the top
one percent of all real estate sales
professionals in North America by the
Realty Alliance. She also received Long
& Foster’s 2008 Overall Top Team
award in recognition as the top listing
agent and top selling agent for the
southwest region.
August John Hoffman (M.A.),
Hudson, Wis., a psychology professor at
Metropolitan State University in St. Paul,
Minn., has written a textbook, More
Than Tolerance: Bridging Ethnic and
Cultural Divides via Community Service,
which has been accepted for publication
by MacFarland Publishers.
1983Phoebe Butler Ajibabe, Newport
News, is an assistant professor of health
education at North Carolina A&T State
University in Greensboro, N.C. In March,
she received the university’s Most
Outstanding Faculty Research Award for
the Ronald E. McNair Eighth National
Research Symposium. Her research
has been presented at the national
conventions of the American Public
Health Association and the American
College of Sports Medicine.
Barbara Croy, Memphis, Tenn., is
voice service delivery manager for
International Paper.
Edward F. Ramsey, Chesapeake, a
retired lieutenant colonel of the United
States Marine Corps who served in
Desert Shield/Desert Storm, is a SOF
analyst/trainer for Northrop Grumman.
1984Eileen Clark Bramlet
(M.S.), McLean, is vice president of
Communication and Public Relations
for Software & Information Industry
Association (SIIA).
Cindy Staylor Church, Richmond, is a
continuing education consultant for the
Library of Virginia.
Brian “Chris” Cork, Alpharetta, Ga.,
is the CEO and cultural architect of
Brian Cork Human Capital in Roswell.
He is also the founder and resident
entrepreneur of Ministry Accelerator,
and he coaches for the Atlanta
Soccer Academy.
1985Sharon Stanley Hill, Salem,
was selected as the 2008 Roanoke
County Educator of the Year by the
Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of
Commerce. She is an English teacher at
Glenvar Middle School.
Kelsie Tyler Hornby, Williamsburg,
owner of Elegant Designs, Inc., received
three interior design excellence awards
in 2008 from the ASID Virginia Chapter
and the IIDA Virginia/West Va. Chapter.
Albert Mah ’85,
Radford, was
named executive
director of the
RU Foundation.
Sean Quinlan, Richmond, is a sales
representative with Klingspor Industrial
equipment.
1986Jim Bodenmiller (M.S.),
Springfield, Ohio, is the Springfield
City Manager and teaches classes
for Wittenburg University, the Ohio
Fire Executive program and the Ohio
Association of Chiefs of Police.
1988Greg Lomax, Chesapeake, is a
school counselor at John Yeats Middle
School in Suffolk.
Rebecca Ritch Proctor, Waldorf, Md.,
is a school nurse for Charles County
Health Department.
Kimberly Rice-Brown, Savannah, Ga.,
is the director of public relations and
admissions for the Calvary Day School.
Lance Sanderson, Los Angeles, Calif.,
is a captain, Boeing 737-800 for Delta
Airlines.
1989Mark Rader, Leesburg, Ga.,
has been promoted to CEO of HCA’s
Palmyra Medical Center in Albany, Ga.
Lori Lowack El Shanti, Mohnton,
Penn., was named the community
banking president for Wachovia’s six-
county central Pennsylvania market.
1990Melanie Nelson Lawless,
Patrick Springs, is an instructor of
nursing at Patrick Henry Community
College in Martinsville.
Alicia Riddle Lingerfeldt, Cornelius,
N.C., is director of broadcasting
for Performance Racing Network
in Concord.
classnotes
Radford Alumni e-News
is a monthly electronic
publication designed to
engage alumni with
all of RU’s exciting
developments, alumni
events both on campus
and in your community,
and enlighten readers
on ways to support
your alma mater.

Spring 2009 33
A
s a Radford University graduate, the
value of your education and experience
is dear to you in terms of memories and
its reflection of your academic achievements.
Your continued investment in RU as a donor, a
participant and a representative is vital as the
university enters its second century of service.
As a donor to the Radford Fund, the annual fund
drive that generates financial resources to improve
the lives of students and the university, you are a
valued benefactor. Your gift to the Radford Fund will
provide students additional resources needed to grow
academically and begin a promising career. Or it can
help a faculty member create a unique and valuable
learning opportunity that will trigger more students’
curiosity and motivation.
From an organizational perspective, your personal
support as an alum is valuable as a reflection of your
ongoing commitment to the university. Cumulative
alumni support is a factor used by
U.S. News & World Report when
ranking RU against its peers and
corporations, and foundations look
for a strong alumni giving record
when determining what universities
they will support. Finally, your
gift, no matter what the size, will
inevitably add value to your degree
as it helps enhance the overall
reputation of Radford University.
To make your contribution,
please visit the Radford University
homepage at www.radford.edu
and click the “Make A Gift” icon. In doing so, you
will be making a secure and valued investment in
the Radford Fund that will benefit so many others.
You may designate your
gift to support an area
or program at RU that
remains important to you,
and you may be confident
that your undesignated gift will be valued as a concrete
contribution to RU’s effort to enhance the outstanding
academic, leadership and service-learning experiences
available to RU students.
Beyond your support as a Radford Fund donor,
there are a variety of ways in which you can give
back to your alma mater. The Radford University
Alumni Association encourages you to participate
and reconnect with classmates during Homecoming
and reunions, serve as a chapter leader or Highlander
contact, participate in the Centennial Service
Challenge, cheer for the Highlanders, share your
expertise as an alumni teacher, recruit future students,
hire a Highlander, subscribe to the Alumni e-News
and engage in official Radford social networking on
Linkedin and Facebook.
Radford Fund Appeal
Laura Turk
Laura B. Turk ’87, M.S. ’90
classnotes
Making a Difference
Melanie Hovatter and Erin Fowler are
two examples of how the Radford
Fund helps RU students fulfill their dreams
of academic success.
Both received scholarships from the Radford
Fund, and in their acknowledgement letters,
Hovatter and Fowler addressed those who had
given so that they might achieve their goals
at Radford.
“You are helping me realize my potential
and passion. The world is a better place by
having generous people like you in it. You set
an example for my generation to reciprocate,”
wrote Hovatter, the recipient of the Evelyn
Bracey Scott Endowed Scholarship.
Wrote Fowler, winner of the Phi Sigma Pi
Scholarship and the Dr. Gail Stone Endowed
Partial Scholarship: “I am very honored to
receive this prestigious award, and I am very
thankful for the financial help it offers. This
gift is truly appreciated because it has opened
many opportunities for my future, and
hopefully I can use the knowledge I gain in
college to make the world a better place
for everyone.”
The needs for today’s student are great,
making your gift that much more important.
Please act now and help Radford University
help others.
RU7-17
The Radford Fund

Carolina Sparrow Lopez, Versailles,
France, works for BT Global Services.
1991John Ogden, San Francisco,
Calif., is owner of Progressive Design
Playgrounds in Oceanside.
1992Jeffrey Barnette, Ashburn, is
associate treasurer for the Government
of the District of Columbia.
Jayanne Kellam Bridges, Radford,
received a 2009 McGlothlin Award for
Teaching Excellence from the Bristol-
based McGlothlin Foundation in April.
She is a teacher at Christiansburg
Middle School in Montgomery County.
Beth Moore Dalton, Radford, was
named the 2008 Realtor of the Year
by the New River Valley Association of
Realtors. She is an agent with Coldwell
Banker Townside Realtors.
Dawn Willingham Eischen, Chester, is
the public affairs manager for the Virginia
Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Antwanette George Goodloe,
Virginia Beach, co-pastor of Greater
Hope of Deliverance Ministries, is a
senior grants accountant at Eastern
Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.
Tonya Ayers Reavis, Galax, is a web
department manager for Professional
Networks, Inc.
Christopher Spiers, San Francisco,
Calif., is the office manager for Crate
and Barrel.
1993Alisa Casciano Carter, Holly
Springs, N.C., is a licensed professional
counselor with Fuquay Family
Counseling Practices in Fuquay Varina.
1994Aaron Frank, Citrus Spring,
Fla., is founder and CEO of
Moneycoach911.com.
Michael Kraft, Lake Monticello,
is an export regulatory compliance
representative for Northrop Grumman
in Charlottesville.
1995Thomas M. Brewster (M.S.),
Falls Mills, a member of the Virginia
Board of Education, has been selected
by the National Association of State
Boards of Education to chair a year-
long NASBE study group, in partnership
with Communities in Schools, focusing
on solutions to the issue of student
dropout rates.
Dawn Myers Crigger, Christiansburg,
director of Park Services of the Virginia
Tech Corporate Research Center,
has attained the Certified Property
Management Designation.
Lisa Park Winston (M.S.’02), Roanoke,
is the accreditation manager for the
Western Virginia Regional Jail.
1996Christina Deatherage (M.S.),
Wake Forest, N.C., is managing director
for Showlogic.
Tilly Fuak Gokbudak, Reidsville,
N.C., is an English teacher at Danville
Community College.
1996Brian T. Hamilton, Christiansburg,
is the economic development director
for Montgomery County.
classnotes
Centennial
Service Challenge
100Experience the power of
Radford University has always been more than just
a campus. RU is a calling — a calling to learn, grow,
create and, most importantly, a calling to serve.
In 2010, RU will commemorate a century of
service to the Commonwealth. A key aspect
of the celebration is the Centennial Service
Challenge. The campus community, alumni and
friends, and local and global communities are
challenged to consider a contribution of service.
The Centennial Service Challenge asks that you:
• THINK creatively about service in terms of
The Power of 100;
• DESIGN a service project or participate in one
already established;
• SERVE in honor of RU’s Centennial;
• DOCUMENT the service with images
and narrative;
• SUBMIT your service for entry on the
RU interactive global map.
Celebrating the Century
Forging the Future
What is The Power of 100?
In honor of RU’s 100 years,
perhaps your class sends 100
holiday cards to a nursing
home, or your office collects
100 bags of trash along a
highway or river, or your family
volunteers for 100 hours at a
local charity. Any individual,
any group or any organization may accept the
Centennial Service Challenge.
In the coming months, more details will be
available about other Centennial plans, but start
thinking of creative ways to carry RU’s Centennial
spirit into your community. Be part of the future
RU will forge.
For more information, contact Barbara-lyn Morris,
RU alumna and Centennial co-chair, at
(540) 605-0489 or bbmorris@radford.edu.
http://www.radford.edu/centennial

profile
Spring 2009 35
A
s Director of the Office of
Virginia’s First Lady, Asha
Benson Holloman has met
some interesting people: Queen
Elizabeth, for example, to whom
her daughter Anisa happily
presented a bouquet of flowers,
and to whom her father, who grew
up in British-governed India, paid
his respects. She has also mingled
with President Barack Obama and
First Lady Michelle Obama.
In October 2006, Holloman had
another brush with fame at her
alma mater when she traveled with
Virginia’s First Lady Anne Holton
to attend RU President Penelope
W. Kyle’s inauguration. Gov. Tim
Kaine spoke at the inauguration
ceremony, and Holton shared the
stage with poet Maya Angelou and
former First Lady of Egypt Jehan
Sadat at the symposium “Women’s
Leadership in a Global Society.”
The event completed a circle for
Holloman. She told Sadat, face-
to-face, the deep impression that
Sadat had made on her 20 years
earlier. Holloman, who completed
her RU degree in fashion merchan-
dising in December 1985, marched
in the May 1986 commencement
ceremony, where Sadat, a former
RU Distinguished Visiting Professor,
was the featured speaker. Meeting
Sadat and Angelou, another former
RU Distinguished Visiting Professor,
were two thrills for Holloman
during her return to campus. The third
was witnessing the inauguration of
Radford’s first woman president.
Donald Dedmon was RU’s
president when Holloman was
a student. She remembers the
construction of the Dedmon Center
and other changes taking place on
campus, but what she remembers
best is the warmth of the people
of Radford.
“I didn’t know anyone at Radford,
and I remember standing at the
window of the stairwell in Tyler
Hall crying as I watched my parents
leaving for the first time. What
helped me was that the people in
the community were so embracing
of the students. My parents
understood that, too.”
Another strong Radford memory
is of Fernande Gard, a professor
who taught sewing — and
perfectionism. Gard had spent
her childhood in Belgium during
the Holocaust. “She stressed how
fortunate we were to have the
opportunity to be in school. She
wanted us to count our blessings
and to make the most of what we
had.” She did not mince words.
After Holloman struggled with
making a dress form, Gard
gave her this assessment:
“Your lady is bloated.” In spite
of her stern face, Holloman
said, Gard was “as sweet as can
be. She was very serious, and she
wanted us to be serious because
we were preparing for our future.”
Readied by her professors and
an internship at the Radford
Leggett store, Holloman embarked
on a career in retail. She worked in
Washington, D.C., as a department
manager for the iconic Woodward
& Lothrop, then in Richmond as a
manager trainee with La Vogue,
and as a La Vogue store manager
in Tidewater before she returned to
settle in her native Richmond.
At that point, because she and
her husband were ready to start a
family, she left the retail business.
Holloman began volunteering for
the City of Richmond, filling in
wherever needed, including the
City Manager’s Office. Over time
she took a position in the mayor’s
office, where her customer service
skills came in handy for fielding
constituent concerns. She worked
for three mayors, including Tim
Kaine, and when Mark Warner
became governor, Holloman went
to work for him in the Office of
Constituent Services.
Soon she was asked to work
for First Lady Lisa Collis, and when
Kaine moved into the Governor’s
Mansion, she applied for her
current position. In First Lady
Holton’s office, located in the
carriage house on the mansion
grounds, Holloman is responsible
for correspondence, scheduling,
travel arrangements, staffing the
First Lady at events and
coordinating the First Lady’s schedule
with the Governor’s busy schedule.
She describes Holton as
“wonderful, caring, compassionate”
and appreciates the good fortune of
Circle of Success
Asha Benson Holloman
her position: “Someone once said to
me, ‘Do you realize that you’re the
only person in the Commonwealth
of Virginia that has your job?’ I had
never thought of it that way.”
Holloman’s husband, Bob, “a
Hokie” with a degree in industrial
engineering, owns the Holloman
Group LLC, an engineering consulting
firm, and Kollege Kicks, an online
retailer of sneakers bearing college
logos. They live in Glen Allen with
their two daughters, Anisa, 11,
and Ria, 8, whose East Indian
names reflect the heritage of
Holloman’s father.

ru magazine.spring09

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