Roanoke College names leader for new campus-community initiative

Lisa Stoneman, an experienced educator and innovator, has been tapped to serve as the first leader of a new forward-thinking initiative: Roanoke College-Roanoke Valley (RC-RV). 

RC-RV is being formed with an ambitious vision of expanding access to workforce development, continuing education and flexible learning opportunities for people and employers across the region. It will work hand-in-hand with partners in business, industry and community groups to tailor programs to the needs of the Roanoke Valley. 

Stoneman, a researcher and professor who was most recently chair of Roanoke College’s Education Department, will serve as the initiative’s executive director for curricular innovation and digital learning. In that role, she’ll begin bringing together partners and developing new learning models to make higher education and professional development more attainable for non-traditional students. 

Early possibilities include online and hybrid programs, weekend and evening courses, professional certificates, dual enrollment or even an accelerated three-year bachelor’s degree option. Building the foundation for these innovations will be the focus of the next year.  

This undertaking was one of the key recommendations to emerge from a year-long, campus-wide strategic planning process that recently culminated in the release of a bold, six-year plan: Imagine Roanoke. 

RC-RV aligns with the college’s larger mission of serving 21st century learning needs and cementing itself as a sought-after educational partner by regional leaders and employers. 

“RC-RV positions us to be the college of the valley, fully integrated into our regional community,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Kathy Wolfe. “Dr. Stoneman is of and for this community. She brings a social justice lens as well as expertise in educational program development to the task of expanding access to a Roanoke College education for a broader array of learners." 

Stoneman, a first-generation college graduate and Roanoke College alumna, has a passion for education and fostering student success. She’s taught at Roanoke College for over two decades, rose to head of her department and led the creation of a new master’s degree — only the second graduate program offered at Roanoke College — in education. 

She was instrumental in launching the Bridges Program, which was picked as a research partner by the National Center for Research on Educator Diversity, and Explore@RC,  which offers high school students a leg up on their college dreams. 

She’ll continue working with Explore@RC in her new position and pursue more ideas to expand opportunities for K-12 students. 

Stoneman is a recipient of the Garren Excellence in Diversity Award, Maxey Award for Community Leadership and the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Science Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English at Roanoke College and her master’s and doctoral degrees in curriculum and instruction at Virginia Tech. 

“I am excited to bring together my passions for program design and collaboration with my lifelong interest in making higher education more accessible,” Stoneman said. “As a working class, first-generation college student who came to academia in adulthood, I know the challenges that can get in the way of starting — or finishing — a college degree. I am gratified to be creating solutions for those challenges, so others have the opportunity to reach for their career and life goals.” 

To learn more about RC-RV and opportunities to get involved, contact stoneman@roanoke.edu.