Provost Monthly Academic Report (Dec.2025)
Message from the Provost
Dear Colleagues,
I am filled with gratitude for the care, creativity, and resilience that define this special community, as I reflect on my time serving as your interim provost. Together, we have navigated transition with integrity, strengthened policies that honor the full scope of faculty contributions, and advanced initiatives that position VCU as a leader in discovery, innovation, and student success.
What has struck me most is the constancy of your commitment to students, to scholarship, and to one another. You model a culture of care that is the framework of our work together. We see it in the way you teach, advise, research, and lead. It is evident in the thoughtful dialogue that shaped our promotion and tenure revisions, in the bold ideas emerging from Convergence Labs, and in the partnerships that extend our impact far beyond campus.
This year also marked important milestones in celebrating faculty excellence. We honored the third class of NIRA award recipients and launched the inaugural EPIA award, both affirming the extraordinary impact of faculty across research, teaching, and community engagement. At the same time, the COACHE survey learnings are guiding us toward meaningful improvements in faculty support, clarity in communication, and structures that reflect the realities of academic life at VCU.
There is a saying that you can’t go home again. My journey shows otherwise. Serving as VCU’s provost from 2010 to 2014, then returning in this season of transition, has reminded me that home is not just a place, but a community of people committed to care, innovation, and impact. Together, we have proven that you can return — and in doing so, help shape a future even brighter than the past.
You are the reason that I believe in VCU’s future. We are building a university that does more than respond to change, we define it. We are creating pathways that honor faculty roles across teaching, scholarship, and service; advancing research that improves lives; and centering students in every decision. These are the hallmarks of a university that is not only R1 in designation but R1 in spirit: resilient, responsive, and relentlessly focused on the work that matters. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me, and for the extraordinary work you do every day to shape the future of this institution and the communities we serve.
With appreciation,
Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Celebrating VCU Faculty
- Olivia Landry, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of VCU’s Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, has published a new book, Cinema of Crushing Motherhood: A New Feminist Cinema, that examines 21st‑century films portraying the complex realities of motherhood and challenges traditional “good mother/bad mother” tropes.
- Steven Lindauer, longtime chair of VCU Orthodontics, is being honored upon his retirement, marking the close of a distinguished 36-year career that elevated the program’s national reputation and shaped generations of orthodontists.
Initiative Updates
- VCU’s new Promotion Policy and Promotion and Tenure Policy were approved by VCU’s Board of Visitors at their November 21 meeting. Congratulations and thanks again for the collaborative faculty feedback that strengthened these policies at every step of their creation and adoption.
- VCU and the city of Richmond launched a pilot program installing left‑turn hardening measures at four campus intersections to slow turning traffic, reduce conflicts, and improve pedestrian safety.
- VCU and AI Ready RVA launched a partnership to advance AI education, research, and community innovation, positioning Richmond as a national model for inclusive, human‑centered AI literacy.
- Chief Stephen Adkins of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe of Virginia spoke at VCU’s Cabell Library on Nov. 18, sharing insights on tribal history, culture, and sovereignty while highlighting the importance of education and community partnerships.The talk is part of the VCU Provost Lecture Series, co-sponsored by the Humanities Research Center, the VCU Office of the Provost, and VCU Libraries.
- VCU marked International Education Week by showcasing global partnerships, faculty opportunities, and student programs that highlight the university’s expanding international engagement and commitment to global learning.
- Lloyd Young has been appointed executive director of VCU’s da Vinci Center for Innovation, where she will lead interdisciplinary programs advancing design thinking, entrepreneurship, and industry partnerships.
- Acquiring the Altria Center for Research and Technology could be just what VCU needs to continue its ascension as a leading R1 research university and expand research capacity, foster industry partnerships, and accelerate innovation across disciplines.
Upcoming Faculty Learning Opportunities
- Teaching with Lucid: Real-Time Collaboration in Action | January 20, 2026 | 12:00–1:00pm | Virtual, via Zoom | Register here
- Peer Review Made Easy with Harmonize | January 27, 2026 | 12:00–1:00pm | Virtual, via Zoom | Register here
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Categories Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Monthly Academic Update