Mark Lambert is a Director of University Relations for Radford University Carilion
Mark Lambert has been named the Director of University Relations–Roanoke-based for Radford University Carilion, a new health sciences campus in Roanoke that was founded as a result of RU’s merger with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences.
Mark says the merger puts a campus of Radford University in downtown Roanoke – a town whose motto is now “from train town to brain town. “Jefferson College of Health Sciences was owned by the Carilion Clinic Health system and was based in Roanoke, Virginia. In January 2018, Carilion Clinic, Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Radford University joined together to announce the intent to merge Jefferson College of Health Sciences into the Radford University family of colleges and departments. It took 18 months of collaboration and planning. With final approvals from the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as regional and program accreditors, we were granted the go-ahead for the merger, and Governor Northam signed the approval to become effective on July 1, 2019.”
Mark says the relationship “mimics the structure that was initially in place for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in which there is a public/private partnership. RUC offers about 23 degrees in Roanoke, and because of our proximity to and partnership with Carilion Clinic, the students have a foot in the door to their careers before they even graduate.”
Mark had served the Jefferson College of Health Sciences for 12 years as Senior Consultant for Communications and College Relations – in short, their one and only communications person. At E&H he double majored in Mass Communications and Art so he felt prepared for the challenge. “Everything at E&H helped prepare me for this work. I can definitely say that from the basic communications and art classes to my senior projects, every experience was an important step to doing what I do today. The classes provided me with skills and confidence I didn’t have when I stepped onto campus.”
And his work was honored in 2019 as he received Jefferson College’s “Mission Possible” Award – the last to be given before the merger. It is presented to an employee who goes above and beyond, and Mark says he was particularly honored by the recognition.
Now that Mark is in a new position within a new structure, he says his role is multifaceted. “I am one of four Directors in University Relations with RU. The other three handle digital strategy and marketing, media relations and design, respectively. I do all of those for the Roanoke campus and work with each of them and their teams to ensure all of our marketing and branding is consistent and professional.” He was also just named as the new beat writer for the Waldron College of Health and Human Services, and will be writing about future healthcare professionals both on main campus and in Radford every day.
Ironically, Mark says it was a small college atmosphere at Emory & Henry that prepared him for this big university position, citing that a smaller learning community helped him grow intellectually and personally. He is also grateful for the Bonner Scholars Program. “Not only did it help me attend E&H financially, I look back on it now as a very, very important part of my life at that time. I am eternally grateful for that opportunity.”
Open gallery
Mark Lambert
E&H Class of 1995