Lisa Rowan

The project will add much-needed space to the small-animal side of the facility, which opened in 1987.

Statewide, chronic absenteeism dropped from 19% in 2022-2023 to 16% in 2023-2024.

Sandel has overseen more than $138 million in new building construction and renovations, and the college’s foundation has grown from $1 million to $34 million in assets under management.

The HOPE scholarship widens a current program offering free tuition for local students attending the private university in Roanoke.

A group of 29 alumni last month sued the association. In its response, the association maintains that it is a private entity and so could not have stymied members’ right to free speech.

The suit claims that the university fired the plaintiff after she told human resources that she is a trans woman and planned to legally change her name.

The private university has publicly asserted that no crime has been committed But officials haven’t offered answers about the scale of what it’s calling financial mismanagement.

The Martinsville-based institute and its foundation have been at odds since early 2023, when the foundation rebranded itself and broadened its scope.

Community Builders is a pilot program funded by the state for two years. It seeks to prevent gun violence by showing rising eighth graders options for college, the workforce and community involvement.