On track

Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series describing key objectives in Roanoke College's strategic plan, and how the College has succeeded in accomplishing those objectives. In part one: enhancing academic programs; creating internship and career opportunities; experiential learning; and athletic opportunities.

Public Health Major  

Strategic Plan: Enhance existing academic programs and add new ones that make a Roanoke education nationally competitive and regionally distinctive.

Emma Duff '19 is intrigued by the broader issues of health care, beyond the clinical diagnosis and treatment of disease. A scribe in the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Emergency Department and a certified emergency medical technician, Duff aspires to a health care career focused on education and outreach to promote better health within communities.  

Duff is among the first group of students to pursue Roanoke's new Public Health Studies major. Classes began this fall, and she will add an extra semester to her Roanoke experience just so she can complete a double major in public health studies and chemistry.  

"I like the aspect of thinking outside of the box in health care and thinking about environmental or social factors that affect a person's health," says Duff, who is from the Roanoke Valley. "Public health is a field where there are so many ways to approach the same problem."  

The Public Health Studies program offers an interdisciplinary approach to health care, emphasizing how health is related to all aspects of human life and how societies serve the health care needs of their people.  

With the health care industry facing multiple challenges and a greater demand for well-rounded health professionals, the program seemed like a good fit for the College, says the program's coordinator, Dr. Shannon Anderson, an associate professor of sociology. The Roanoke Valley is home to numerous health care facilities, including hospitals, non-profits and clinics, providing ample opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships between the College and the community.

"We felt like this was a great way to stay true to our liberal arts focus and encourage students to step outside of themselves, try new things and think broadly within the health care framework," Anderson says. "We will get them engaged with the community throughout the program."  

Students enrolled in the program will take core courses such as global health and epidemiology, along with exploring subjects of their own interest. They are required to complete independent research projects or internships. As seniors, they will work in small groups to help local nonprofits with grant writing. The program can prepare students for a variety of careers, including physician, hospital administrator, social worker or health care analytics.

"Within the liberal arts framework, this program allows us to draw on the skills of many different disciplines, and it allows students to have homes in many different areas," Anderson says. "There are wonderful ways of incorporating unexpected courses from the humanities, general education, the arts and other disciplines. That's the exciting thing about doing this type of program within a liberal arts context. We're thinking about public health from lots of different angles and preparing students for basically any kind of future."    

Maroon Mentors  

Strategic Plan: Connect alumni, parents, and corporations to career options and internships for students.  

A computer science major, Frankchesco Leveratto '20 hopes to become a software engineer. The opportunity to receive guidance from a Roanoke alumnus successful in that field has given him a realistic, insider's view of the job and a chance to develop his own professional skills.  

Leveratto, of Springfield, Virginia, was paired with Matt Cleveland '06, through Maroon Mentors. The program matches current Roanoke students with alumni willing to offer career advice, review resumes, provide networking opportunities and allow job shadowing. In some cases, the pairings may lead to internships or job interviews. Cleveland-a software engineer at Rackspace, a Texas-based cloud computing giant with an office in Blacksburg, Virginia-has offered Leveratto career advice and guidance on interview preparation.  

"Matt has guided me on things that can't really be taught in class, and it's put into perspective the things I can achieve once I graduate," Leveratto says. "After graduation, there can be a lot of uncertainty as to what direction to go with your career. This program exposed me to my career path, and it helped confirm that software engineering is something I really want to do. The value added from this program is the certainty and ability to step forward knowing that I'll have a direction to go."  

Maroon Mentors began in 2013 as the Alumni Mentoring Program, a pilot program offered to sophomores who were declared business or economics majors that matched them with alumni working in business careers and living in areas near the College. Since its inception, the program has expanded to include students of all majors and alumni from all geographic regions, including large cities such as Washington, D.C. More than 500 alumni and over 100 students have volunteered to participate, says Jonathan Lee '95, Roanoke's director of alumni and family relations.  

"Alumni want to give back to the College in a way that directly impacts the students," Lee says. "They loved their experiences here, and they want to make sure the students who are here now have the same quality experience."  

Cleveland hasn't forgotten the support of faculty and staff who helped him succeed. He participates in Maroon Mentors as an expression of gratitude.  

"My professors and some staff spent a lot of time helping me succeed," Cleveland says. "I went to graduate school at a large university, and it was there I really gained an appreciation for the value of my education. I was well-prepared by my liberal arts background. It's always daunting to start a career straight out of college. I have the time, so I wanted to help someone else the same way I was helped as a student."

Experiential Learning

Strategic Plan: Increase the number of students involved in research, artistic endeavors, independent study, study abroad, internships, service learning, and leadership experiences to the highest levels in Roanoke's history.

Josef Simme '18 is passionate about wildlife and conservation biology. Throughout his time at Roanoke, the senior biology major has pursued a variety of field research and study abroad experiences to complement what he's learned in the classroom.  

A May Term study trip to India in 2016 sparked Simme's interest in traveling abroad and learning about other cultures. Supported by a stipend from the Roanoke College Honors Program, Simme studied at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, from February to June. While there, he worked closely in a research lab with graduate students, collecting preliminary data for a larger research project on geckos. He will use the data for his Honors Distinction Project.  

"I've learned so much at Roanoke, and it was a great experience to see how I can take that knowledge and see how it applies in different areas around the world," says Simme, of Raleigh, N.C. "That experience of doing field research and making connections with other scientists will set me apart when applying to graduate schools."  

At Roanoke, learning happens in many places beyond the classroom: in the lab, through internships, or through service-learning and study abroad experiences. These opportunities bring theory to life, helping students further develop skills in critical thinking, oral and written communication, and problem solving.

In addition to his Honors Distinction Project, Simme is working with Dr. Rachel Collins, associate professor of biology, on a research project to earn honors in the biology major. He is studying coyote habitat use and how coyotes affect other carnivores and omnivores. The project involves the use of wildlife cameras to collect data on animal behavior. Last year, Simme worked with Collins on a short project on the red-billed blue magpie at the Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke.

For Collins, it has been rewarding to watch Simme's development as a scientist. He's learned to find and interpret research articles, and develop his own research study. He's also experienced first-hand the challenges and pitfalls of field research.  

"Joe is interested in studying wildlife for a living, so he's gotten a really unique set of experiences that he can stitch together on his path to being in the field of wildlife biology," Collins says. "These real-world, in-depth experiences complement what he's learned in the classroom and in the labs. Now he has a really good idea of what the field of wildlife involves. He's also just really matured as a scientist, and all these skills he's learned will help him to succeed in graduate school and in his career."  

Creating, expanding athletic programs

Strategic Plan: Provide opportunities for athletics to ensure regional and national competitiveness.  

For Reilly Bird '21, of Ontario, Canada, swimming is everything. An Olympic hopeful who earned a bronze medal in last year's trials, Bird is one spot away from a qualifying place for the 2020 games. As a high school senior, Bird was looking for a college that offered superb academics along with the opportunity to continue swimming competitively.  

At the same time Bird was conducting her college search, Roanoke's newly hired swim coach, Scott Thacker, was starting up the College's new women's and men's Division III swimming programs. He connected with Bird through a recruiting website and invited her to visit campus.  

"I fell in love with the school the instant I stepped off the plane," says Bird, a pre-med major who recently was named Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women's Swimmer of the Week. "The student athletes here at Roanoke are very dedicated to their sports. And the professors are interested in the students and in their sports. It helps to have that support."  

The two programs will swim at the Salem YMCA, located on Roanoke's Elizabeth Campus. The YMCA features an eight-lane, 25-yard pool that includes a scoreboard and accommodations for fans, officials and timers. With the addition of men's and women's swimming to the Maroons' NCAA Division III-sponsored sports, Roanoke now has 21 athletic programs.  

"I am thrilled to not only have the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level, but to also embark on the challenge to start and build a complete men's and women's swimming program," Thacker says.  

The track and field program has become more and more popular, with more than 80 students participating. The College recently expanded the program's personnel to include two full-time staffers and one part-time staff member.  

Roanoke's athletic facilities, including the Cregger Center and the Donald J. Kerr Stadium, provide superb workout and training spaces for over 400 student athletes. These spaces make an excellent first impression on prospective students, providing evidence of the College's commitment to top-notch, competitive athletics, says Director of Athletics Scott Allison '79.  

"From the standpoint of recruiting quality student athletes, these students are looking for a good education, and they want to compete with other students and coaches who are committed to being successful," Allison says. "When they show up on campus and see a facility like the Cregger Center or Kerr Stadium, their impression is, 'Wow! These people really care about quality.' That helps us attract outstanding student athletes."  

To read the full Roanoke College Strategic Plan, visit roanoke.edu/2017plan. Click here to see the new issue of Roanoke College magazine.