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2016 SESSION

16102341D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 126
Offered January 13, 2016
Prefiled January 12, 2016
Commending Penelope Ward Kyle.
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Patrons-- Yost, Howell and Carr; Senators: Chafin and Edwards
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WHEREAS, Penelope Ward Kyle, who set high standards for student achievement and helped Radford University earn national accolades as its first woman president, retires in 2016 after more than a decade of service; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle joined the Radford University community in 2005 as the university’s sixth president and its first woman president; she immediately established the Commission for the Future of Radford, which created the university’s strategic plan; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle also helped develop the 2008 - 2018 Campus Master Plan and established the university’s provost position; during her tenure, the university set records for its largest enrollment and largest freshman class, and the student body reached new milestones in diversity; and

WHEREAS, under Penelope Kyle’s leadership, Radford University secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for capital projects; the university completed major renovations on several campus buildings and opened multiple new buildings and facilities, including the Center for the Sciences, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and a new building for the College of Business and Economics; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle helped Radford University receive approval to offer its first doctoral degree in 2008; in 2015, the university offered 67 degree programs and two certificate programs at the undergraduate level and 22 master’s and three doctoral degree programs at the graduate level; and

WHEREAS, during Penelope Kyle’s presidency, the Radford University Highlanders athletics programs have been recognized for excellence on and off the field, including academic performance, victories in the Big South Conference, and National Collegiate Athletics Association tournament appearances; Penelope Kyle was named president of the Big South Conference in 2011, becoming the first woman to hold the office; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle reaffirmed Radford University’s commitment to protecting the environment by signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Change Commitment in 2009, and the university has been recognized as a Top Green College by the Princeton Review every year since 2010; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle helped Radford University achieve reaccreditation under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and earn national recognition from U.S. News & World Report as one of the Top Up-and-Coming Schools in the nation in 2010, one of the Best Regional Universities for four consecutive years, and one of the Best Colleges and Universities in the Southeast every year since 2008; and

WHEREAS, in addition to her duties as president of Radford University, Penelope Kyle has served the Southwest Virginia community and the entire Commonwealth as a member of numerous boards and commissions, including the board of directors for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation for Educational Exchange between the United States and Canada, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Governor’s Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence; and

WHEREAS, Penelope Kyle holds degrees from Guilford College, The College of William and Mary, and the University of Virginia; prior to joining Radford University, she worked as an educator, an attorney, and the longtime executive director of the Virginia State Lottery, and she was the first female officer of CSX Corporation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Penelope Ward Kyle, the visionary and highly admired president of Radford University, on the occasion of her retirement in 2016; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Penelope Ward Kyle as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for her commitment to the students of Radford University and leadership in the field of education.