Following the public comment period today at VCU Board of Visitors meeting, Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos issued the following statement:

“I, along with the Dean of University College, share the same passion and commitment of our faculty colleagues to the success of the students that we serve together. That commitment includes our relentless focus on assuring that Focused Inquiry courses are appropriate in size, taught by highly-qualified faculty members, and are financially sustainable. Accordingly, decisions were made last year to not renew the contracts of some Focused Inquiry professors.

“In enacting those staffing decisions, we have honored, and continue to honor, the terms of all existing contracts, meaning that impacted faculty members received one- or two-year notices (depending on the terms of their existing contract) that their contracts would not be renewed. VCU is acting responsibly and within its rights. No contracts were terminated.

“No question, decisions like these are difficult, and they impact the real lives of our colleagues. Affected individuals deserve our professional empathy. The Office of the Provost, and VCU HR, are working to support these individuals, along with anyone from throughout the academic enterprise, who are experiencing a career transition.”

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Categories Provost