Lisa Rowan
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Education reporter @cardinalnewsva. Just lurking. On Bluesky, maybe.
Articles by Lisa Rowan
Podcast about the mystery of French soldiers supposedly buried in Prince Edward County
History lovers, Virginia buffs and myth-busters alike, this episode of Cardinal News 250 digs into one of central Virginia’s most persistent legends: the claim that 70 French soldiers are buried in Kingsville near Hampden-Sydney College after dying of smallpox during the American Revolution.
Bill to establish VMI task force clears House, with changes
A bill proposing to review whether the Virginia Military Institute should remain a state-sponsored college passed in the House of Delegates in a 71-24 vote Thursday, with changes that reduce the severity of its plans to scrutinize the institution. HB 1377 proposed creating a task force to evaluate the quality of education received by students, known as cadets, at VMI and to determine whether the state-run senior military college should keep its state funding.
Emory & Henry to offer free tuition to some Virginia students
Emory & Henry University has announced a free tuition program for eligible students from Virginia. The new program, launching for new and transfer students enrolling for fall 2026, will cover tuition for in-state students after other federal and state aid is applied. Eligible students must come from a household with an adjusted gross income of $85,000 or less and a FAFSA student aid index of 3,000 or less.
Pentagon warns it could take 'extraordinary measures' in fight over VMI's future
A Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday that the department “reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity” of the Virginia Military Institute amid scrutiny of the college by state leaders and lawmakers in Richmond. The Department of Defense declined to elaborate on what those “extraordinary measures” might be. “We do not have anything to provide beyond the tweet,” said a duty officer with the Pentagon’s press operations when asked about the statement.
Buchanan County to provide short-term funding for Appalachian School of Law
The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors and the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority plan to grant up to $6 million to the Appalachian School of Law to get it through a short-term financial crisis. The private law school’s long-term future in Grundy remains uncertain.
Averett finalizes sale, leaseback deal for athletic campus
Averett University announced Monday that it will sell its North Campus facility to the Danville Regional Foundation and the Danville-Pittsylvania Regional Industrial Facility Authority for just over $18 million. The deal, which was finalized Jan. 26, includes the property and facilities of North Campus, Averett’s 70-acre athletics hub about a 10-minute drive from its main campus in Danville.
Mountain Empire embarks on restructuring amid challenges for community colleges
Faced with financial and enrollment challenges coupled with an evolving student body, Mountain Empire Community College has undergone a “strategic restructuring” that cut $2 million out of its annual budget and laid off 14 employees. The move comes as community colleges across the commonwealth are looking at ways to adjust their offerings to meet changing student needs.
Pair of bills would look at stripping governance, funding from VMI
Two Democrats in the commonwealth’s House of Delegates have taken aim at the Virginia Military Institute. The bills follow five years of scrutiny of the culture and leadership of the public military college in Lexington. In addition, Virginia’s new governor has taken action to remake the governing board at the school after Democratic lawmakers have criticized it for being too conservative under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Del.
Podcast about the Battle of Great Bridge
The Battle of Great Bridge, in modern-day Chesapeake, was the first significant land battle in Viginia during the American Revolution. The American victory in December 1775 pushed the British back into Norfolk and eventually led to the destruction of that city on Jan. 1, 1776. (See our previous story on the battle.) Dive into the Battle of Great Bridge and its significance in the American Revolutionary War in our latest Cardinal 250 podcast.
Then & Now education: Roanoke's Excel Center, SOL score changes, C.B. Claiborne documentary
Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: short takes on several education-related stories. * * * Then: In August, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys welcomed the first students to the Excel Center, a high school for adults.
Then & Now politics: USAID cuts at Virginia Tech, transportation museum study, Appomattox polling places, food bank funding
Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: short takes on several stories from the realm of politics. * * * Then: The Trump administration froze funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development in February, calling the agency’s humanitarian and development projects a waste and abuse of federal funds.
Virginia Tech freshman enrollment from Northern Virginia tracks with previous years
Virginia Tech’s population of new freshmen from Northern Virginia held steady for fall 2025, despite concerns that federal cuts by the Trump administration would curtail enrollment from that part of the state. Fall headcount data for Tech shows an increase in first-time college students attending from Culpeper, Prince William and Stafford counties, along with Alexandria and Manassas. Fairfax County, the largest public school division in the commonwealth, saw 917 new freshmen go to Tech.
Podcast about the burning of Norfolk
Take a front-row seat to one of the most consequential moments of the American Revolution. Host Lisa Rowan and journalist Andrew Lawler revisit Norfolk’s dramatic winter of 1775–76, when Black soldiers fought for Lord Dunmore, Patriots dug in at Great Bridge, and Virginia’s only city became the battleground that pushed the colonies toward independence.
University of Lynchburg to pilot 3-year bachelor's degree programs
The University of Lynchburg will soon offer two bachelor’s degree programs designed to be completed in three years instead of the traditional four. The private university’s new degree options in applied public health and applied educational studies will allow students to graduate with 96 credit hours. The university already offers 120-credit-hour programs for public health and educational studies and will continue to offer the standard four-year option.
Then & Now: 3 out of 4 state auto theft prevention grants went toward license plate readers in fiscal 2025
Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: an update on a grant program that helps pay for surveillance technology. The Virginia State Police awarded nearly $1.43 million in equipment grants to 112 law enforcement agencies in fiscal 2025, which ended June 30.
Appalachian School of Law considers merger with Roanoke College amid financial challenges
The Appalachian School of Law in Grundy is considering a merger with Roanoke College due to low enrollment and a lack of money. The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors discussed the potential change during an emergency meeting Friday that was called just a day prior. It’s unclear why the meeting sprang up so unexpectedly. At the start of the meeting, board chair Craig Stiltner said its purpose was to decide whether to allow the private law school to merge with Roanoke College in Salem.
Write-in winners prepare to take school board seats across Virginia
Jerri Harman is back on the school board in Bland County. She was first elected in 2014. She ran again in 2017 and 2021, but lost both times. In 2021, she was one of three people vying for the Rocky Gap District seat. That wasn’t the case this time. “The general assumption was that someone would officially file to run by the June 17, 2025 deadline,” Harman said by email.
Averett University announces ‘simplified’ tuition plan to begin in 2026
Averett University will reset its tuition for incoming students starting in fall 2026, a move that aims to make the cost of attending college more transparent. It will also start offering automatic admission for some qualifying students to the private university in Danville.
DEI cuts at Virginia Tech total more than $8 million
Virginia Tech has reallocated $8.4 million in diversity, equity and inclusion expenditures, a committee reported this week during a meeting of the school’s board of visitors. The university has been scrutinizing its programs since the spring to comply with the Trump administration’s efforts to scrub DEI from American colleges and universities.
Podcast on Lord Dunmore's Emancipation Proclamation
Host Lisa Rowan sits down with Virginia-born journalist Andrew Lawler to discuss Lord Dunmore’s Emancipation Proclamation, which offered freedom to some enslaved people … but there was a catch. Listen now to learn more. Or view it on YouTube: Find our full list of Cardinal 250 podcasts here. Related stories Lisa Rowan covers education for Cardinal News. She can be reached at lisa@cardinalnews.org or 540-384-1313.... More by Lisa Rowan
Mobile learning lab brings hands-on science activities to students across Virginia
On a drizzly fall morning, about 50 fourth-grade students from Belle Heath Elementary School in Radford arrived at Virginia Tech for a field trip that included a scavenger hunt in the student center and lunch in a dining hall. One of the stops on the visit to the Blacksburg campus wasn’t a building, but a vehicle: the 4-H Pathway to Learning mobile lab, a 43-foot trailer hauled by a heavy-duty pickup truck.
NCI board dismisses merger proposal, but open to exploring options
The board of directors of the New College Institute has dismissed a proposal that would have endorsed putting the state-run higher education center in Martinsville under the umbrella of Patrick & Henry Community College. The board voted unanimously at its meeting Wednesday to table the proposal by member Mark Crabtree and requested that the board chair direct the workforce and academics committee to review potential merger options.
University of Lynchburg offering buyouts to faculty in ongoing effort to cut costs
The University of Lynchburg is offering buyouts to faculty in an ongoing effort to reduce its deficit. The offer was first announced to tenured and tenure-track faculty on Nov. 6, Heather Bradley, vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications at the private university, said by email Monday.
White defeats Facciani for Roanoke County School Board seat
Challenger Ryan White has defeated incumbent Cheryl Facciani for the Windsor Hills seat on the Roanoke County School Board. The tally was updated Monday to include provisional ballots, which added to the slim lead White held on election night. White received 49.95% of the vote, while Facciani received 49.11%. White won by 74 votes, according to the unofficial results posted on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Just under 1% of votes went to write-in candidates.
Determining winner for third Roanoke County school board seat could take days
The Roanoke County School Board race for the Windsor Hill seat may come down to provisional and absentee ballots. Ryan White, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, holds a slim lead over incumbent Cheryl Facciani, who was first elected in 2021. White had 49.89% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, while Facciani had received 49.19%. They are separated by 60 votes, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
Greenway and Linden win reelection to Roanoke County School Board; third race too close to call late Tuesday
An attempt to flip three Roanoke County School Board seats held by incumbents fell short Tuesday. Longtime incumbents Tim Greenway in the Vinton District and David Linden in the Hollins District won their reelection campaigns. The third race, in the Windsor Hill District between incumbent Cheryl Facciani and challenger Ryan White, was too close to call late Tuesday. In the Hollins District, David Linden was reelected with about 63% of the vote over challenger E.
How state funding and new approaches are helping Virginia college students get the internships they need to get ahead in their early careers
Every decision Ava Davis of Lynchburg made about going to college came down to math. “I knew that I would have to pay for all of my school myself,” she said. The financial aid she got from Longwood University in Farmville included an athletic scholarship to play soccer, but the academic demands of studying physics and her athletic schedule prevented her from working during the school year. Summer was her only chance to make money to cover whatever expenses her financial aid didn’t.
Bristol students will have ‘promise’ community college tuition program starting fall 2026
Virginia Highlands Community College and its foundation announced Thursday a program offering tuition-free education to students from Bristol, Virginia. The Bristol Virginia Promise Program will be open to recent high school graduates from Bristol, starting with the high school class of 2026. The program is open to public school students, along with private and homeschooled students who have lived in Bristol for at least 12 months prior to graduating high school.
Some Virginia colleges and universities celebrating enrollment growth
Several colleges saw enrollment hold steady or grow this fall, despite ongoing pandemic-era rebuilding and changing attitudes around higher education. Over the past several years, colleges and universities have been bracing for an enrollment cliff, a declining number of college-age students that’s exacerbated by nationwide discussion about whether getting a bachelor’s degree is worth the high price tag.
Greenway's election fraud charge to be dismissed pending community service
A Roanoke County School Board member may have a misdemeanor charge for election fraud dismissed if he completes 100 hours of community service within six months. Roanoke County General District Judge Jaqueline Talevi signed off on the plan Thursday morning after Tim Greenway, who represents the Vinton District of the school board, entered a plea of not guilty. Greenway was charged on Oct.
Podcast: Western Virginia's role in the revolution
Host Lisa Rowan sits down with local historian Eric Monday to explore western Virginia’s surprising role in the American Revolution. From frontier skirmishes to the communities that shaped the fight for independence, discover how the region’s people and places helped forge a new nation. Check out our other Cardinal 250 podcasts: George Mason University professor Rosemarie Zagarri talks about the pivotal role women played in the “social media” of their time.
'Promise' program launches to cover tuition for community college students in Patrick County
Students in Patrick County will be the latest to benefit from a program offering free community college tuition. Starting in fall 2026, Patrick County public, private, homeschooled and GED students will be eligible for the Patrick Promise. The last-dollar support program, to be applied after all other federal, state and institutional aid at Patrick & Henry Community College, will cover books, tuition and fees for county students for up to two and a half years.
Averett gets bondholder OK for North Campus sale/lease-back deal
Averett University has secured approval from its bondholders to sell and lease back its athletic campus. The vote also waives lingering violations on the university’s bond debt. The private university in Danville announced Wednesday it had achieved the required 50% approval vote of bondholders. “Now that the vote is complete, we can begin the process of closing on the sale/lease-back of the North Campus.
Longtime Roanoke County school board member charged with election-related misdemeanor
Tim Greenway, a Roanoke County School Board member running for reelection this fall, has been charged with an election-related misdemeanor. Online Roanoke County General District Court records show that a class 1 misdemeanor charge was filed Wednesday. Greenway was released on a summons, the online record says. An arraignment was scheduled for Thursday but was continued; another hearing has been set for Oct. 16.
4 things to know about applying for college financial aid this fall
Two years ago, the rollout of a new online system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid was marked with glitches, delays and frustration that in some cases left students feeling uncertain about whether they’d be able to afford to go to college. Most of the issues from that debacle have been resolved. This year, the application portal even went online a few days ahead of the scheduled Oct. 1 opening date for students planning to attend college in the 2026-2027 academic year.
3 seats at stake on Roanoke County School Board this fall
Three seats on Roanoke County’s five-person school board are up for election this fall, with three incumbents facing off against newcomer challengers. Though school board members run as independents in Virginia, many run with endorsements from local parties. The candidates for school board in Roanoke County represent a wide range of views across the political spectrum, but have more in common than voters might expect.
University of Lynchburg president to retire next year
President Alison Morrison-Shetlar will retire in 2026, the University of Lynchburg announced Wednesday. Morrison-Shetlar became president of the private university in Lynchburg in summer 2020, succeeding Kenneth Garren, who held the position for nearly 20 years. “I have decided it is the right time to pass the torch to a new leader who will guide this exceptional institution into its next chapter,” Morrison-Shetlar said in an email to the university community on Wednesday.
Virginia's SOL scores, school attendance rates show modest improvement
Correction 11:33 a.m. Aug. 29:The map titled “Math: School divisions with 2025 SOL pass rates at or above the statewide rate” has been updated. An earlier version showed incorrect pass rates. Students showed increased proficiency across the five subjects tested for the Virginia Standards of Learning. Those gains, however, were modest and largely continue to lag behind pre-pandemic pass rates. The Virginia Department of Education released 2024-2025 SOL test results Wednesday.
State of Surveillance: Everyone's watching
Roanoke, VA (Cardinal News) Going to church. Eating at a restaurant. Getting to work and back home each day. Visiting a friend across town, or family in another city. Buying groceries. Getting on or off the highway at a small town or at one of the area's largest cities. kAmx7 J@FVG6 5@?6 2?J @7 E96D6 E9:?8D @? 2 C68F=2C 32D:D :? E96 A2DE 76H J62CD J@FVG6 =:<6=J 366? 5C:G:?8j 2?5 :7 J@F =:G6 :? $@FE9H6DE @C $@FE9D:56 ':C8:?:2[ 492?46D 2C6 J@FVG6 366? C64@C565 @?
Miyares says Roanoke College discriminated, retaliated against students in case of transgender swimmer
Roanoke College discriminated against members of its women’s swim team by allowing a transgender student to participate and then retaliating against athletes who raised concerns, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Monday.
How many schools can one education reporter cover in a year?
How many counties and cities does Cardinal News cover? Go ahead, take a guess. Here’s a hint: It’s probably more than you’re thinking. The answer: 58. (Sometimes, we tack on a few more if we’re doing a deep dive with statewide impact, such as our State of Surveillance series.) As Cardinal’s education reporter, that means my coverage spans nearly five dozen public school divisions. When you add in community colleges and four-year college campuses, that adds 25 schools to my list. Yeah. It’s a lot.
Transformation of Rockbridge career and technical education center brings renewed attention to hands-on high school programs
Rockbridge County’s renovated career and technical education facility has only been open since January. But the new look for the building attached to the county high school is already a big hit. The 1970s-era facility, formerly known as the Floyd S. Kay Technical Center, was dark. It offered little natural light.
VMI names retired Marine Corps lieutenant general as new superintendent
The Virginia Military Institute has named its next superintendent. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David Furness was announced Friday as the institute’s 16th superintendent, the top leadership role at the public military college in Lexington. The announcement came just hours before VMI’s newest cadets, known as rats, matriculate on Saturday. He succeeds (Ret.) Maj. Gen.
Averett University plans to sell athletic campus to Danville Regional Foundation, additional 'regional investors'
Averett University is planning to sell its athletic campus in Danville in its ongoing effort to stabilize its finances. A document dated Aug. 11 outlined the private university’s plan to sell the 70-acre E. Stuart James Grant North Campus on Mount Cross Road to investors for $18.15 million. The notice was posted on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, which enforces regulations on municipal bonds.
Averett suit against investment firm ordered to arbitration over depleted endowment
Averett University’s dispute with its former investment firm will be addressed in arbitration, a federal judge ordered Wednesday. The private university in Danville sued investing firm Global Strategic Investment Solutions and the school’s former chief financial officer in March. The suit claimed that the two colluded to hide budget deficits and drain Averett’s endowment to cover the university’s shortfall.
Radford to host new governor’s school for arts and humanities
A new governor’s school is coming to the New River Valley. The Virginia Board of Education approved the New River Valley Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities on Thursday after hearing a presentation on the proposed school a day prior. The board waived its typical second review of the proposal and voted unanimously in favor of establishing the new school. Radford University will operate the program, focusing on arts and humanities, beginning in fall 2026.
Goodwill puts final touches on new high school for adults in Roanoke
In a few weeks, a new high school will open its doors in Northwest Roanoke. The approximately 50 students who walk into class at the Excel Center on Aug. 25 won’t be teenagers, but rather adults looking for another chance to complete their high school diplomas. The school, operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, sits in the center of the Melrose Plaza development and is getting finishing touches this month ahead of a grand opening celebration on Thursday.
State of Surveillance: Everyone's watching
Roanoke, VA (Cardinal News) Going to church. Eating at a restaurant. Getting to work and back home each day. Visiting a friend across town, or family in another city. Buying groceries. Getting on or off the highway at a small town or at one of the area's largest cities.
Where your legislators stand on HEAT funding paying for public surveillance
Using funds for auto theft tipsters to pay more than a million dollars a year for surveillance technology is a step too far for some legislators in Virginia. Last year, only one tenth of one percent of the Help Eliminate Auto Theft fund budget went toward that law’s stated purpose of paying citizen tipsters. Instead, about one-third of HEAT’s $4.4 million budget went toward equipment grants for local law enforcement agencies.
How do you get 850 students to improve their attendance? In Norton, it’s all about relationships
Improving attendance at Norton public schools sometimes looks like tracking down one chronically absent student at a time. Sometimes, that entails going to find them at their part-time jobs. Sarah Davis, the attendance specialist at the small Southwest Virginia school division, recalled one student who was skipping afternoon classes so she could pick up extra shifts at a local fast-food chain.
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