Office of the Provost Prospectus Newsletter (June 2026)
Strengthening community through partnership
As we move into the summer months, I want to thank our faculty for the thoughtful feedback during the recent open comment period. Your input is vital to meaningful policy development, ensuring our work reflects the realities of academic life and the principles of shared governance. We further acknowledge the need for early community engagement in the policy process and are committed to improving the process moving forward.
Last year, we piloted the Faculty Mentoring Program to support faculty connection, professional growth and long-term success across career stages. We encourage faculty to explore the program and participate as mentors or mentees as we advance a culture of support and community across VCU.
In commitment to workplace excellence, we continue to reflect on insights from the 2025 COACHE Faculty Survey. In the months ahead, we will partner with faculty champions to help prioritize key findings and identify areas where university-level action will have the greatest impact on faculty experiences.
Sincerely,
Kathleen M. Rudasill, Ph.D. Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Research and impacts
From operating room to innovation sprint: VCU Convergence Neuroscience and da Vinci Center drive collaboration
What happens when surgeons, designers, engineers and entrepreneurs tackle the same problem? At VCU’s inaugural Neuroscience Design Jam, innovators across these fields worked side by side to transform real-world clinical challenges into innovative medical device concepts with the potential to improve patient care.
Hosted by the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation, in collaboration with VCU Convergence Neuroscience and VCU TechTransfer, the event gave a firsthand look at how ideas move from the operating room to prototypes, patents and potentially the marketplace.
VCUarts students’ mural partnership with CoStar Group
Across towering LED displays inside the lobby of the new CoStar Group Riverfront Headquarters, artwork created by students from VCUarts is transforming digital illustration and animation into immersive public art experiences. For students, the experience offered more than a portfolio project. It provides an opportunity to see their work presented at scale while navigating the collaborative realities of professional creative production.
“Virtual Murals was a unique opportunity to apply four years of artistic and technical experience toward a professional project. Collaborating with real clients at CoStar Group and with Professor Sterling Hundley was such a privilege,” said Sam Anderson, senior.
VCU faculty member’s research aims to help companies operate responsibly
What responsibility do companies have to the communities they serve? For Baobao Song, Ph.D., the answer is deeply personal. Inspired by a family tragedy linked to unsafe consumer products, Song has built an internationally recognized research program focused on corporate social responsibility and how organizations can better serve people, communities and the public good.
Song’s scholarship is helping shape conversations around ethical business practices, stakeholder trust and social impact. Discover how her work is advancing public relations research while encouraging organizations to think beyond the bottom line.
VCU Convergence strategizes the future of neurodegeneration science
Key breakthroughs in treating Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases will come not from a single lab, but from experts working across disciplines. Through VCU Convergence, researchers, clinicians and faculty from across the university are joining forces to tackle one of the most complex health challenges of our time.
The effort brings together expertise from medicine, nursing, pharmacy and the health professions to lay the groundwork for a major research initiative focused on brain health and neurodegeneration. Learn how this collaborative approach is positioning VCU to advance discovery, improve care and support individuals and families affected by these devastating conditions.
“The time is now for us to collectively build on the immense progress of our neurodegeneration scientists, VCU Richmond Brain Health Initiative and VCU Health Guide program to continue to innovate and support individuals and families managing brain health and dementia locally and nationally.” Faika Zanjani, Ph.D.
VCU Excellence in Community Engagement Awards
Each year, the VCU Division of Community Engagement recognizes changemakers who dedicate themselves to collaboration and service that stretches beyond campuses. These honorees were nominated by colleagues and community partners in recognition of the depth and impact of their work.
Excellence in Community Engaged Research Award Katherine Y. Tossas, Ph.D., VCU School of Public Health
Excellence in Community Engaged Teaching Award Emily Smith, M.F.A., VCU School of the Arts, Department of Interior Design
Excellence in Community Engagement Award, Faculty or Staff Emily Zimmerman, Ph.D., VCU School of Public Health
Excellence in Community Engagement Award, Student, Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Nina Dashti-Gibson, M.D. and Ph.D. candidate
The legacy of Inger Rice, VCU Rice Rivers Center benefactress
What began as a gift of land became a living legacy for generations of students and researchers. Philanthropist Inger Rice, whose vision and generosity helped establish the VCU Rice Rivers Center along the James River, passed away at age 96, leaving an enduring mark on the university, the environment and the Richmond community. From advancing life sciences education to creating a place where students can learn from nature firsthand, Rice’s impact continues to shape research, conservation and discovery.
“She was especially eager to hear how the center was engaging students, understanding instinctively that no modern technology can replicate the wonder and complexity of a living laboratory,” said Chris Gough, Ph.D., executive director of the VCU Rice Rivers Center.
VCUarts researchers’ 3D scanning system on display at Cabell Library
A stream of students, faculty and staff gathered inside The Workshop at the James Branch Cabell Library for an open house, where emerging 3D scanning technologies, from LiDAR to motion capture, were on display.
At the center of it all was Box Stage 2, a portable 3D imaging system designed to capture highly detailed surface scans at a fraction of the cost or complexity of traditional Hollywood-grade “light stage” systems. The system was developed by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts researcher Ernesto Rodriguez Cruz. Box Stage will be available for students and the broader VCU community to test through the summer.
Share your VCU pride from around the globe
Rams are all over the world. As we commence a new academic year, the VCU Social Media Team is collecting photos and videos of the VCU community’s travels abroad. Share your globetrotting black and gold pride by Friday, June 12, to be featured in a special video.
Categories Newsletter