Office of the Provost

Reflecting on a legacy of community engagement In 2028, VCU will celebrate its 60th anniversary. Established as an urban-serving institution, VCU was intentionally designed to engage with and meet community needs. As we reflect on this mission, our purpose is clear: to amplify impacts and demonstrate value for the public good.  A helpful framework for […]

Can we tap into the power of AI without Earth paying the price? Artificial intelligence can help scientists make sense of massive datasets, drive new innovations and predict how ecosystems will change. Yet its benefits are heavily dependent on data centers that rely on local water and power resources, affecting the environment and public perception. […]

Through collaboration with multiple VCU units and the City of Colonial Heights, two VCU students left their mark while gaining real-world experience, college credit, and a paid internship. VCU undergraduate students Patrice Mazyck and Camila Ballesteros spent the summer interning with the City of Colonial Heights. They made impactful contributions by supporting the city’s HR […]

The da Vinci Center for Innovation and the VCU Brandcenter kicked off the fall semester with a first-of-its-kind collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center’s Tech Transfer Program. In a single day, teams of students were handed real NASA-patented technologies and asked to imagine what these inventions could become right here on Earth. The result was […]

The convening, organized under the VCU Convergence mental health theme, produced a working list of projects on professional development, youth clinical services and community partnerships. What do you do with a problem that changes shape every time you try to solve it?The VCU Convergence Mental Health group, with the help of the VCU da Vinci […]

What if the experience you already have could count toward a degree? The job that taught you to manage a budget or lead a team. The volunteer work or professional training that helped you build real skills. Until recently, those valuable opportunities wouldn’t count towards a college degree. VCU’s new Office of Prior Learning is […]

VCU’s Shift Labs bring students, faculty and community partners into the same room to test bold ideas and build practical solutions. Supported by the Office of Innovation and Strategic Design, the Shift Education Lab is where that work meets the K-12 classroom. We talked with director Brandin Conrath, Ph.D., about what it means to “shift” […]

Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number projected to nearly double by 2050. At Virginia Commonwealth University, researchers are adamant that the path forward is led through collaboration. As part of VCU Convergence, an interdisciplinary team of neurodegeneration experts is advancing full-cycle brain health research, from bench science to community-based clinical […]

Photo credit: Erin Borges On June 17, the VCU Academic Internships Office (AIO) gathered partners from across VCU for an open conversation about what it takes to host an intern on campus and the impact that successful experiential learning opportunities on campus have on students.  The key question driving the morning was practical: how can […]

VCUarts Communication Arts students premiered large‑scale animated digital murals at CoStar’s new headquarters, showcasing Richmond‑inspired motion art. The project provided real‑world creative production experience, highlighted collaboration with industry mentors, and demonstrated students’ technical skill, artistic range, and ability to design immersive public visual environments.