Structural Biologist Carlos Escalante is Breaking Down Barriers for Student Researchers
The veteran researcher says, “I’ve had many breaks along my career and I want to give back.” As a young boy combing the beaches of his native Acapulco, Mexico, Carlos Escalante had big dreams about studying big things. “I wanted to be a marine biologist and I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau television programs, exploring […]
Fostering student success motivates biology professor Fernando Tenjo-Fernandez as he approaches his 20th year at VCU
Enthusiasm from his students encourages Tenjo-Fernandez to find new and innovative ways to keep them engaged. You could measure the success of Fernando Tenjo-Fernandez, Ph.D., by all of the hats he’s worn since arriving at VCU in 2003: associate professor of biology, associate chair for the Department of Biology, co-chair of the Men of Color […]
Psychological Readiness and Return to Campus
A new eLearning module on Psychological Readiness and Return to Campus developed by VCU’s Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success (IES), in partnership with Human Resources’ Office of Learning, Development & Organizational Culture, will be released in Talent@VCU on June 22, 2020. This course endeavors to help each of us to become more self-aware and better prepared for […]
Aashir Nasim, Ph.D. shares remarks at the June 5, 2020 Board of Visitors meeting
Dr. Nasim, in a Friday morning web conference call, shares his thoughts on COVID-19 and its disproportionate impacts to underrepresented minority communities, Black Lives Matter and what his office has been doing to advance diversity and equity at VCU. Read his full statement.
Monuments not easily removed in education, healthcare and justice: a call to the 21st century urban public research university
When I was an undergraduate student in the 1990’s, I wrote an opinion essay that called for the renaming of the John C. Calhoun Expressway in Augusta, Georgia. The essay later was published, in part, as an editorial in my home city’s conservative-leaning newspaper. Calhoun, a former South Carolina senator and U.S. Vice President, was […]
Queer in the Time of COVID
When we made the rapid transition to remote instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were resolute in our efforts to reconfigure our administrative and academic infrastructure and operations in a manner that was as inclusive as possible. We provided emergency housing and food to students in need, organized a fund to support our […]
Reimagining Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility: Emerging from the COVID-19 Chrysalis
Our world as we know it is changing by the second. With such uncertainty in even our day-to-day existence, why would accessibility matter? How could this experience reshape the inclusion of individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities in our everyday lives? At VCU, we’ve been challenged to rethink and reimagine how we can connect virtually, […]
The Challenge is in the Moment, The Time is Always Now
James Balwin wrote “the challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.” In this way, we must continue to make our future university “responsive to and grounded in our community-of-experience.” This requires us to “dig deep” into our past in order to view what possibilities lay ahead for us. We mustn’t shy away […]
Virginia Commonwealth University Recognized as Top College for Diversity and Diversity Champion
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has been selected to receive the 2019 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, with special distinction as a Diversity Champion, from INSIGHT into Diversity magazine. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout their […]
