Radford University officials told the Board of Visitors that the Radford Tuition Promise has driven enrollment growth and student retention and that university leaders will ask the Commonwealth for targeted funding to expand health‑science capacity.

University presenters said the Tuition Promise reached thousands of undergraduate students and underpinned the institution’s first net enrollment growth since 2019. The board heard multiple data points: the transcript records an overall figure of 7,812 students reached in recent reporting and states that 2,292 in‑state full‑time undergraduates were eligible for the Tuition Promise, representing roughly 45% of new freshmen and 33% of returning students.

As the 2025 General Assembly session approaches, the board was told the university will continue to advocate for preplanning funds to build a new academic facility in Roanoke to consolidate health‑science programs that are currently housed in multiple locations. Separately, the university asked for an additional $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 to recruit and retain nursing faculty, citing rapid growth in the College of Nursing (the transcript reports a year‑over‑year undergraduate growth figure of 37% and projected further growth).

President and other presenters framed the requests as workforce investments: the session record states that Roanoke‑based health programs have near‑term employment placement rates for graduates and that additional faculty funding is necessary to sustain program growth and address statewide nursing shortages.

Board members and committee presenters discussed the Tuition Promise’s design and noted that university leaders believe the program remains financially solvent for the near term and will continue to be reviewed annually. Students who benefitted from the program — including Hannah Rourke and Roxanne, who addressed the board — offered testimony describing how the Tuition Promise shaped their decision to enroll at Radford.

Next steps noted in the meeting: government‑relations staff provided board members with laminated talking points for legislative advocacy and said they will update the board during the March meeting about outcomes from the 2025 session.