Fall 2025 Board Update
During its annual fall meeting on Oct. 29-31, the Roanoke College Board of Trustees saw rapid growth in all six areas of the college’s strategic plan, “Imagine Roanoke,” and learned more details about the innovative changes that are propelling the college into the 21st century higher education market.
“These are critical components for creating momentum to strengthen enrollment, grow revenue, and catalyze a culture that is more agile, change-ready, entrepreneurial and fast-moving,” wrote President Frank Shushok Jr. in his report to the board.
Board-week events kicked off on Wednesday, Oct. 29, when all students, faculty and staff were invited to join board members for a community lecture on the necessity of character by Ryan Olson, Ph.D., a research professor at the University of Virginia and senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Olson’s scholarly work on moral formation and leadership is highly relevant to the college’s third strategic imperative: “To make the exploration of purpose, the pursuit of character, and the graduation of leaders a distinction of a Roanoke College education.” Faculty and staff also were invited to join the board for a social following the lecture.
Olson also opened the board’s official business on Thursday with a plenary session during which he talked about the college’s $50,000 capacity-building grant for the Educating Character Initiative. Roanoke received the grant earlier this year and is using the funds to build plans that will weave character education into every aspect of campus life.
In his plenary, Olson shared the many reasons character education is a worthy investment, saying there is a growing global movement in support of character-building initiatives and extensive funding available for institutions that do it well. He said it is important to start work at the local level to emphasize the importance of character in leadership, agree on non-negotiable values, teach lasting habits and set an example for other institutions.
Kathy Wolfe, dean of the college and vice president of Academic Affairs, later reported that the college’s work on the Educating Character Initiative is building up to a letter of inquiry for a $1 million impact grant that would allow the college to expand the project.
Also front and center at this board meeting was strategic imperative No. 6 in the college’s strategic plan, which calls for creating and maintaining a culture of philanthropy and responsible financial stewardship. In his board report, President Frank Shushok Jr. emphasized that college leaders must reduce expenses. He likened the college’s many assets and initiatives to sprouting seeds, pointing out that a failure to “thin out” fledgling plants forces them to compete for space and nutrients—just like a failure to strategically cut costs in some areas and build revenue in others will erode the college’s ability to remain viable.
David Mowen, vice president of finance and administration, updated the board on a college-wide cost analysis that has involved input from every corner of the institution. With an ultimate goal of reducing annual spending by $7.5 million over the next three years, a task force has already identified around $6 million in potential savings that can be achieved without impacts to the core mission, staffing or monetary compensation. President Shushok expressed his appreciation for the collaborative manner in which faculty and staff participated in the financial discernment process. The task force will continue to work with the administration to reduce spending, identify new revenue generators, and strengthen the college’s financial outlook amid challenging times in higher education.
The board passed the 2026-27 budget resolution, along with a resolution to meet rising operational costs—including food and utility costs impacted by inflation—with a 3.5% increase in undergraduate tuition and board, and a 3.0% increase in room fees.
Mowen also reported that the college is staying on track with the goals in its master plan, which align with strategic imperative No. 2 to improve the residential experience at Roanoke. The renovation of Crawford Hall is unfolding quickly, and that project remains on target for fall 2026. The McConnon Discovery Center, which is midway through construction, also remains on time and on budget to open in fall 2026. In addition, a new muralwas recently completed at Maroon Village by local artist and alumnus Jon Murrill ’09, with solar panels and more landscaping to follow. Finally, Mowen celebrated improvements to the student success facilities in Fintel Library and the Bank Building.
Athletic Director Curtis Campbell reported that the completion of the Athletic Performance Center in Alumni Gym will allow the Athletic Department to shift its fundraising efforts to restoring the athletic training space in Bast Gymnasium, which will supplement existing space in the Cregger Center. He also said that three of the college’s newest initiatives, football, marching band and cheer, are performing well and growing rapidly—and that the college will soon add women’s flag football, an emerging NCAA and Olympic sport, to its vast varsity offerings. Finally, Campbell emphasized the importance of character-building through sports, as well, and proudly shared that the average GPA for male student-athletes at Roanoke is 3.1, while the women’s teams average an impressive 3.5.
Jay Ellison, vice president for student success and the Roanoke experience, celebrated significant improvements to the college’s first-to-second-year retention rate, which now sits at 80.8%, the highest in more than a decade. Second-to-third-year retention is at 89%. In the Student Succes presentation, Ellison and his team explained their multipronged approach to advance another strategic imperative, “to foster student success and wellbeing.” That approach includes a new reporting structure, four new academic coaches who are solely dedicated to student success, intentional programming and increased outreach to students in need of support.
The board approved seven new faculty appointments and seven faculty sabbatical requests for 2026-27.
Vice President for Advancement Nate Stewart shared that the college’s fundraising results this year are trending well ahead of last year. He introduced consultant Chris Dudley of Advancement EDU, a longtime advancement leader at High Point University who spoke to the board about his evaluation of Roanoke College’s fundraising efforts. Dudley praised the college’slaser focus on fundraising prioritiesand said Roanoke has the ingredients it needs to bring in new major gifts, including strong leadership and organizational structure, a clear case for support and a compelling strategic plan. In addition to the $36 million needed annually for student financial support, priorities should include athletic giving and community engagement, Dudley said, encouraging the college to “paint the town maroon.”
Continuing the theme of character development, the board was treated to time with a few outstanding current Maroons. During Thursday’s lunch, they heard from student members of President Shushok’s First-Year Leadership Council, and on Friday, they met several students who work as Maroon Ambassadors in the Admissions Office.
In final business on Friday, the board approved a resolution to grant emeritus status to board member Kathryn Harkness ’73, who has tirelessly served the board since 1994. Harkness received a standing ovation for her contributions over the last 31 years and was presented with a framed copy of the resolution. Cara Kenney ’98 was also honored for her service as Alumni Association President as her term comes to a close.
Trustee Daniel Strelka ’89 was named chair of the Finance Committee, while Trustee Micah Spruill ’11 was named chair of the Investment & Real Estate Subcommittee.
In a final celebration of character and leadership, the board unanimously approved resolutions to appoint two new members to the Roanoke College Board of Trustees:
Chris Turnbull ’00 earned a B.A. in English at Roanoke and an M.S. in public relations management from University of Maryland Global Campus. He has extensive experience in public relations and corporate communications, including 11 years at Carilion Clinic, where he now serves as chief of staff. He was previously a member of the college’s President’s Advisory Board, and he is currently the treasurer and a member of the board of directors for Cardinal News. Turnbull is married to Carrie (Mullen) Turnbull ’00, a veterinarian who owns and practices at Staunton River Vet Clinic.
Michael Haley ’73 holds a degree in business administration from Roanoke, where he was captain of the golf team and conference golfer of the year in 1972-73. He had a successful career as a furniture manufacturing and sales executive before transitioning into the private equity field, where he was an operating partner in several companies, including Fenway Partners, Investcorp and Caxton-Iseman. Haley has also served on the boards of civic organizations in Martinsville, Virginia, where he makes his home, including Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Big Brothers-Big Sisters. He was a member of the Roanoke College Board of Trustees from 2013-2023.
After the board meeting wrapped up on Friday afternoon, many trustees stuck around Salem through Saturday to enjoy the Roanoke College football team’s victory over Guilford College at Salem Stadium.
The board will convene again on Feb. 5-6, 2026, for its annual winter meeting.