Office of the Provost

Last week, President Rao delivered the annual State of the University address. Amidst all of the inspiring stories and accomplishments, I was struck by two key themes: interdisciplinarity and impact. As a nationally-ranked, public research university, we are asking our students to consider how they will help solve some of our most challenging societal problems; these are problems like healthier communities, a stronger economy, a more resilient environment, a safer society, faster cures and smarter and more ethical technologies. Perhaps the only thing that these challenges have in common is that they cannot simply be solved through a single focus.

Join Virginia Commonwealth University as we honor the life, legacy, and enduring vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through an evening of dialogue, reflection, and artistic expression centered on the power of thriving communities. Events run January 19-23, with a keynote celebration on January 22.

Explore VCU’s November Academic Report featuring major updates to Promotion and Tenure policies, faculty honors, student success highlights, and new learning opportunities. See how faculty voice is shaping institutional change and advancing excellence across teaching, scholarship, and service.

VCU Community Engagement: new $5K Data Dissemination Grants, Reading Buddies launch, CERSC cohort, and Health Hub progress—translating faculty research into community impact.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s October 2025 Academic Report highlights transformative faculty-led initiatives, national recognition for online learning, and groundbreaking research in health, psychology, and violence prevention. With record-breaking COACHE survey engagement, VCU is advancing interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusive scholarship, and mentorship across career stages.

VCU’s Convergence Labs initiative launches a university-wide effort to foster interdisciplinary research, experiential learning, and community impact. With three enterprise themes—AI, Neurosciences, and Health Outcomes—this signature program reflects VCU’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and preparing students for the future of work. Led by nationally recognized faculty and supported by hundreds of contributors across campus, Convergence Labs marks a bold shift in how higher education structures discovery and engagement.

VCU’s Division of Community Engagement highlights a season of co-created scholarship, youth development, and civic partnerships. From planning grants to pickleball, this post explores how academic inquiry and community wisdom are building something powerful—together.

A welcome message from the VCU Provost celebrating the start of the 2025 academic year, highlighting new interdisciplinary initiatives, student success strategies, and the university’s enduring culture of care.

Maghboeba Mosavel, Ph.D., the current head of VCU’s Division of Community Engagement is being promoted to vice provost, effective immediately, said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., VCU’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Dr. Mosavel has done an outstanding job of both reorganizing and energizing VCU’s Community Engagement team after it was moved into the […]

VCU has a complete draft of the Carnegie Community Engaged University Reclassification Self-Study report. It has been a tremendous effort across the campus. We want to take this opportunity to recognize what we have accomplished and share highlights of what we have learned. The ProcessOver the past year, we conducted two unit-level surveys and one […]