A university on the world stage
We know well that VCU is well-regarded around the world because of our commitment to excellence in every way. I have had the pleasure of visiting colleagues in Spain, China, Qatar and many other nations who know VCU as the home of innovation, creativity, health care and an unparalleled academic experience. Around campus, I have talked with our own students who come from India, Saudi Arabia and dozens of other places, choosing VCU because they want not only to change the world, but to lead it.
I am proud of the ways in which we have taken our place on the world stage.
I am also proud of how we welcomed the world to Richmond last week.
As Richmond hosted the UCI Road World Championships, one of the largest spectator sporting events on earth, countless people from across the globe came to our city and our campus to see their favorite cyclists. They also saw a world-renowned university in a world-class city.
The black-and-gold of VCU was everywhere. On signs and streets. On bridges and banners. On hats and shirts of race fans. And, most prominently, on my colleagues from VCU Health who provided exemplary medical care to riders and fans. One rider who suffered a minor injury, after falling during a race, said he has never received better care than that which VCU Health provided.
Our physicians, nurses, therapists and other caregivers represented VCU and VCU Health so wonderfully. They showed once again why we are more than just the No. 1-ranked hospital in Virginia; we are internationally premier.
The UCI Road World Championships marked an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our region and our university. I am grateful to those at VCU and beyond who planned well and worked hard for the week’s events.
Grand occasions like this can be fruitful, but they are always complex. Thank you to so many who represented us so well. This certainly includes many from Facilities Management, University Relations and VCU Police. It includes nearly 700 event volunteers from across VCU, who continue our commitment to community service and engagement. It includes our extraordinary staff who ensured that university business progressed uninterrupted. It also includes my faculty colleagues and our students, who used the world stage as an unprecedented learning experience, not an academic disruption.
The UCI Road World Championships were fun. They were big, and important globally.
But big, important things happen at VCU every day because of our people, whether it’s what we discover or create, how we heal and how we serve, how we welcome the world or how we lead it.
That’s what world-class universities do.
Note: For VCU coverage of the UCI Road World Championships, visit vcu.exposure.co or browse through a special photo album on Facebook.
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