A service-learning trip to Arizona benefits students and the migrant community at Casa Alitas.
Valentina Selnick-Escobar never expected to see such poignant memorials on the border wall separating the United States and Mexico when she began a service-learning trip to Tucson, Arizona, with VCU assistant professor Anita Nadal. “We went to the border on the last day of our trip and it was surreal to see the wall in person,” said […]
MENTOR Virginia transitions to self-sustained nonprofit in August
After building its board and organizational capacity, MENTOR Virginia will complete the transition to a self-sustained nonprofit organization in August. VCU is a founding partner of MENTOR Virginia, and for the past 25 years, has provided various administrative support functions for the organization, including human resources, leasing arrangements and technology support. MENTOR Virginia is an […]
Amanda Hall Named Director of Community-Engaged Research and Special Projects
A recognized community-engaged educator and scholar, Hall will serve VCU in the Center for Community Engagement and Impact By Jenny Pedraza Amanda Hall, Ph.D., has been named the director of community-engaged research and special projects for the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Community Engagement and Impact (CEI). In this position, Hall will work in partnership […]
VCU Experts, Nonprofit Leaders Discuss How to Support Vulnerable Populations During Pandemic
By Jenny Pedraza More than 150 people participated in the webinar, “Plan a Better Future: Health Equity Considerations During COVID-19” hosted May 13 by The Community Foundation, Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the inequality and health disparities that exist for seniors, people of color and other vulnerable populations. The […]
VCU Living-Learning Programs Update
With the spirit of innovation in mind, the VCU ASPiRE, VCU Globe, and VCU LEAD Living-Learning Programs (LLPs) will be merging into one new LLP, beginning with the fall 2021 semester. This brings together the combined strength of each of these three communities while creating efficiencies and maintaining a focus on student success and career […]
Center for Community Engagement and Impact Announces 2020 Excellence in Service-Learning Awardees
Faculty were recognized for their innovative teaching practices and commitment to sustained community-university partnerships. By Jenny Pedraza The Center for Community Engagement and Impact has announced the 2020 Excellence in Service-Learning awardees. David Coogan, associate professor of English; and Marcia Winter, assistant professor of psychology, both in the College of Humanities and Sciences, were recognized […]
Ten VCU Interns Head to Carver Classrooms through America Reads Program
Interns work 15 hours per week assisting with literacy activities. By Jenny Pedraza This fall, 10 Virginia Commonwealth University students will intern at George Washington Carver Elementary School in the City of Richmond, assisting teachers during students’ language arts period. Part of the America Reads program, student interns are paid through the Federal Work-Study program, […]
A spare minute with the CEI: Tito Luna, neighborhood outreach director, Center for Community Engagement and Impact
As Virginia Commonwealth University’s neighborhood outreach director, Tito Luna serves as a liaison to VCU’s surrounding neighborhoods, working closely with a team of neighborhood representatives and the VCU Neighborhood Team. Luna helps link faculty, staff and students to opportunities for collaboration with neighborhoods and other community partners, with a special focus on developing programs and […]
A spare minute with the CEI: Stephanie Odera, associate director, Graduate RVA
Stephanie Odera is the associate director of Graduate RVA in the Center for Community Engagement and Impact. Graduate RVA is a college access network that seeks to right educational inequalities in the Richmond region by significantly increasing postsecondary completion rates, with a special focus on underrepresented minorities. A social work practitioner, Odera has more than […]
Health Hub Spotlight: Elizabeth Prom-Wormley
We Are Listening: How Community Input is Developing a Culture of Connected Wellness at the Health Hub By Jenny Pedraza In the spring of 2017, Elizabeth Prom-Wormley, assistant professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Family Medicine and Population Health in the Division of Epidemiology, was asked to serve on an executive steering committee […]