Radford University - History

History

Radford was founded in 1910 by Dr. John Preston McConnell as a women's college as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford. The college was a normal school and offered a two-year degree in "rural arts".

In 1924 the school was renamed the State Teachers College at Radford and began an evolution toward a true college. Its primary focus was on training teachers for the rural Appalachian region nearby. In 1943 the college was renamed the Women's Division of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and merged into what is now known as the Virginia Tech which was 15 miles (24 km) away in Blacksburg, Virginia.

As the 1960s began, Virginia began to desegregate its gender specific schools, and Virginia Tech began to admit women on its main campus. This led to a separation in 1964 and a renaming as Radford College. Over the next decade, the "finishing school" atmosphere of the college was dismantled. In 1972 the college began to admit men and developed a graduate school.

In 1979 the school became Radford University. Today, the school is a comprehensive state university. About 45% of the students come from southwestern Virginia, 40% from other parts of Virginia, and 15% from out-of-state. Penelope W. Kyle, J.D., M.B.A., became Radford's sixth president June 1, 2005, after a career in business and government, most notably as director of the state lottery.

In 1913, Radford University's school colors started off as purple and gray. In the 1970s, the colors were changed to the MacFarlane tartan of red, white, blue and green, to go with the school's Scottish theme. More recently, despite opposition from some students and alumni, the university administration abandoned the unique tartan scheme and adopted red and white as the school's athletic colors.