Today's Stories:
The Reopening of the Dedmon Center
New Director of MBA Program Named
RU Hosts Inauguration Viewing; MLK Commemoration Tonight
University Advancement Office Adds Two to Staff
Project MERGE Directors Present Work to National Peers
RU Launches Sustainability Website
Athletics Update
Alumni News: Grad Opens Business in Central Virginia
Kudos: Professor Robert Trent
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Today's Top News

The Reopening of the Dedmon Center
It was a welcoming return when the RU men's basketball team took to the court last night as part of the official reopening of the Dedmon Center. Highlander fans streamed in to see the results of the $15.7 million renovations, which included a new roof system, basketball court and lighting.

The Highlanders soon put the new court to the test as they took on Big South Conference foe VMI in a battle for first place in the Big South. For complete game coverage see the RU Athletics website. To view photos from the festivities and the game, please vist the RU Home Page.

The women's team will get its turn to play in the refurbished Dedmon Center on Saturday when they compete with Coastal Carolina at 3 p.m.

Campus News

RU Announces New Director of MBA Program
Radford University's College of Business and Economics has tapped Elizabeth Jamison as the new director of its Master of Business Administration program.

To learn more, see the RU News Release.

RU Hosts Inauguration Viewing;
Commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tonight
On Tuesday, the RU campus community paused on the first day of the spring semester to witness history in the making. Students, faculty and staff filled The Bonnie to watch as Barack Obama became the United States' first African-American president.



The memorable event preceded tonight's celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. L. Douglas Wilder, the Commonwealth of Virginia's 66th governor and the first African-American governor in the U.S., will serve as the keynote speaker.

The evening celebration begins at 6 p.m. in the foyer of the Douglas and Beatrice Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts, named for Douglas Covington, the first African-American president of RU, who served from 1995 to 2005.

To learn more, see the RU News Release.

University Advancement Office Adds Two to Staff
The Radford University Office of University Advancement is pleased to announce the hiring of two new directors, Maq Trivedi and Meredith Marks, to enhance the university's efforts in securing private contributions vital for RU's long-range goals.

To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Project MERGE Directors Present Work to National Peers
College of Education and Human Development faculty members Elizabeth Altieri, Kenna Colley and Leslie Daniel were invited by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to present their initial curriculum review process as a model for other programs via a live, interactive national web conference on Friday, Jan. 16. Altieri, Colley and Daniel, all professors in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership, are directors of Project MERGE, a curriculum transformation project funded by a $500,000 grant from OSEP. The audience for the presentation comprised 46 directors of other OSEP-funded curriculum transformation projects from universities across the country.

RU Launches Sustainability Website,
Participates in National Recycling Competition
A new rugreen website, by RU Sustainability Coordinator Julio Stephens, documents the university's efforts to become a leader in resource conservation.

The university is also participating in RecycleMania 2009, a 10-week contest that is already underway.

Radford Athletics Update
The men's basketball team officially re-opened the Dedmon Center Wednesday night, and now it's the women's turn to get back on the home court. Coach Tajama Ngongba's Highlanders play four of their next six games on the DC hardwood beginning with a contest Saturday against Coastal Carolina at 3 p.m. They also play at home Monday at 7 p.m. against Charleston Southern. Heading into the weekend, the Highlanders have won three of their last five and stand 3-2 in Big South play.

The men's team under coach Brad Greenberg hits the road this weekend, traveling to Liberty Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest with the Flames. That contest is the first of three straight away games for the Highlanders, who don't play at the DC again until Feb. 7.

In other sports news, junior Raschad Kelso set a school record in the 200 meter dash and freshman Brett Olinger established a new mark in the 60 meter hurdles at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational last weekend. Meanwhile, the men's tennis team cruised to a 6-1 win over Florida Gulf Coast in its season opener Friday. For more on these and other stories, visit the RU Athletics web site.

Alumni News

RU Graduate Opens Business in Central Virginia
RU alum Chris McClellan '07 has opened the first professional hunting guide service in central Virginia. A Recreation, Parks and Tourism major with a concentration in outdoor recreation, McClellan is now the manager and head guide of Sailor's Creek Outfitters in Rice, Va. The business is located in the middle of Sailor's Creek Battlefield, the site where General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia lost 7,700 men. The defeat prompted Lee's decision to surrender at Appomattox Court House three days later.

RU professor Mark Wagstaff taught McClellan and had the opportunity to visit his former student's business. "The experience was fantastic. I experienced one of the few professional guiding services in central Virginia," he said. To learn more, see Wagstaff's article about his time at Sailor's Creek Outfitters.

Kudos

RU Professor Featured on New CD
Robert Trent, director of RU's guitar and lute studies, performs on Traveler's Tales, a new CD of works by American composer Byron Petty. Recorded on the Townhall label, Trent is featured on several tracks, two of which were written specifically for him.

The Back Page

In January 1987, RU was awarded $133,000 to host the Governor's School in visual and performing arts.

RU in the News

The Roanoke Times
Revamped Gym and Outlook at Radford
The place smelled like a home-improvement store Tuesday afternoon, fresh paint and lumber and you-can-do-this spirit all merging beneath a high ceiling.

Richmond Times-Dispatch
Welcome Home
Name the only college basketball team in the state that has sold out every home game this season.

Richmond Times-Dispatch
RU-Va. Tech is Unlikely, Brothers Say
Radford coach Brad Greenberg is the older brother of Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. As long as they remain in those jobs, don't look for a Highlanders-Hokies game.

The Roanoke Times
'Driving Miss Daisy': Still Relevant?
RU theatre professor makes directorial debut at Mill Mountain Theatre.

Recent Releases from University Relations

Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra Headlines January Arts Calendar >>Story

Professors, Students Studying Diverse Ecology at Selu >>Story

Coming Up at RU

1/22, Martin Luther King Day Commemoration at RU
1/24, WBB Home vs. Coastal, Dedmon Center
1/24, MBB at Liberty
1/26, WBB Home vs. Charleston Southern, Dedmon Center
1/26, Faculty Recital, Covington Center
1/28, Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, Preston Hall
1/30, Women's Swimming & Diving vs. N.C. A&T
1/31, MBB at Gardner-Webb

(See RU Calendar for more information and listings)

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