Join us in shaping our Uncommon Future!
Dear VCU community,
VCU is driven by a singular purpose: to help Uncommon Heroes build a better future for all. To accomplish this, we need your help.
President Rao has charged us to develop our next strategic plan, and we are calling upon every member of our community to help shape the path toward an Uncommon Future at VCU.
As a modern public research university, innovation is part of who we are. Here, success is not measured by where you begin, but by how far you go, what you discover and who you become. Our mission is to make life better… not just for some of us, but for all of us. We do that by graduating and inspiring Uncommon Heroes who create, discover, lead and serve.
We believe that achieving this vision requires focused ambition across the following priorities:
- Revolutionizing the student experience to graduate Uncommon Heroes
VCU will transform the student experience so our students thrive, graduate on time and leave prepared to elevate humanity. VCU will be a destination of choice for hard-working, talented students from all backgrounds. We will deliver engaging teaching, hands-on learning, research experiences and career preparation that expand opportunity, strengthen social mobility and prepare graduates who are in demand and ready to make life better and healthier for all of us. - Igniting discovery led by Uncommon Heroes
VCU will attract exceptional faculty and staff whose teaching, research, creativity, care and service improve lives, advance health and enrich communities. VCU will be a destination for innovative, caring and boldly original leaders who choose to build their careers here because this is where they do their most meaningful work. We will foster a culture of impact, urgency, focus and collaboration so faculty and staff can pursue discovery, drive economic prosperity, strengthen communities and solve difficult challenges others can’t … or won’t.
Higher education stands at a pivotal, defining moment. As expectations evolve, we have the opportunity to redefine its promise, break free from the status quo and drive meaningful, lasting change.
What are your boldest ideas for how we can achieve this? What are the barriers that we need to overcome? What’s missing from our prompts above? We want to hear your most audacious ideas, disruptive concepts and forward-thinking strategies.
VCU’s next strategic plan will be strongest if our community shapes it. Join us in building our Uncommon Future. Visit uncommonfuture.vcu.edu.
Sincerely,
Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.
Executive vice president and provost
Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.Acc., CPA
Senior vice president, chief operating and financial officer