[{"id":1546,"date":"2026-09-09T14:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1546"},"modified":"2026-09-09T12:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:23:43","slug":"join-us-in-shaping-our-uncommon-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/09\/09\/join-us-in-shaping-our-uncommon-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Join us in shaping our Uncommon Future!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear VCU community,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VCU is driven by a singular purpose: to help <em>Uncommon Heroes<\/em> build a better future for all. To accomplish this, we need your help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 <em>Uncommon Future<\/em> at VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2026 not just for some of us, but for all of us. We do that by graduating and inspiring <em>Uncommon Heroes<\/em> who create, discover, lead and serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The UNCOMMON FUTURE starts now\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d698Be55JIs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We believe that achieving this vision requires focused ambition across the following priorities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Revolutionizing the student experience to graduate <em>Uncommon Heroes<\/em><\/strong><br>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.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Igniting discovery led by <em>Uncommon Heroes<\/em><\/strong><br>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\u2019t &#8230; or won\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What are your boldest ideas for how we can achieve this? What are the barriers that we need to overcome? What\u2019s missing from our prompts above? We want to hear your most audacious ideas, disruptive concepts and forward-thinking strategies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VCU\u2019s next strategic plan will be strongest if our community shapes it. Join us in building our Uncommon Future. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/uncommonfuture.vcu.edu\">uncommonfuture.vcu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.<\/strong><br>Executive vice president and provost<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.Acc., CPA<\/strong><br>Senior vice president, chief operating and financial officer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VCU is driven by a singular purpose: to help Uncommon Heroes build a better future for all. To accomplish this, we need your help. VCU invites the community to help shape its next strategic plan by sharing bold ideas that advance student success, fuel discovery, strengthen impact and build an Uncommon Future for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1874,"featured_media":1547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[415],"tags":[418,243,417,416],"class_list":["post-1546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategic-plan-2032","tag-strategic-plan-2032","tag-strategic-planning","tag-uncommon-future","tag-uncommon-heroes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1874"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1546"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1551,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1546\/revisions\/1551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1553,"date":"2026-09-09T13:55:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T17:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1553"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T17:58:19","slug":"faculty-fellows-program-brings-together-educators-and-administrators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/09\/09\/faculty-fellows-program-brings-together-educators-and-administrators\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Fellows Program brings together educators and administrators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly a decade, the VCU initiative has been expanding perspectives and creating career opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like many professors, <a href=\"https:\/\/operations.provost.vcu.edu\/leadership\/\">Tim L. Davey<\/a>, Ph.D., was focused squarely on teaching and research. When he was a junior faculty member in Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s School of Social Work, he served on the occasional universitywide committee, but his classroom was his primary home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As his leadership roles grew, including serving as the school\u2019s director of field instruction, associate dean for research and community engagement, and eventually interim dean,<a href=\"https:\/\/operations.provost.vcu.edu\/leadership\/\">&nbsp;<\/a>Davey broadened his perspective. Now serving in VCU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/\">Office of the Provost<\/a>&nbsp;as vice provost for faculty recruitment, he has been merging academia and administration through the Faculty Fellows Program, which he established in 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wanted to give other people the chance to get exposure to central administration,\u201d Davey said. \u201cI thought I would always be a professor. I didn\u2019t know that I could have a career in administration. So I wanted to provide an opportunity for other colleagues to peek behind the curtain and be involved in universitywide initiatives and projects.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now in its ninth year, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/professional-development\/faculty-fellows-program\/\">Faculty Fellows Program<\/a>&nbsp;allows participants to work part-time in the Office of the Provost while maintaining a teaching course load \u2013 so they can experience complementary sides of the higher education coin. Fellows gain administrative experience, which could introduce a career option outside the classroom, and they share their faculty perspectives directly with VCU leadership, helping to create and implement initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFaculty expertise is needed in so many instances of administration,\u201d Davey said. \u201cIt\u2019s a win-win. When I was in social work, all I really knew was social work. But when I moved over into the provost office, and when fellows join, they get a better understanding as to how the university as a whole functions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Faculty Fellows Program has produced more than 35 fellows, with many choosing to pursue careers in higher education administration. One of Davey\u2019s recent fellows now works in a high-level administrative position at the Ohio State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants embrace how the program broadens their lens into higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve come to see how the landscape can sometimes change beneath you and how important it is, when that happens, to see that setbacks can present you with opportunities,\u201d said current faculty fellow <a href=\"https:\/\/fi.vcu.edu\/our-faculty\/faculty-directory\/marx.html\">Andrew Marx<\/a>, Ph.D., a professor in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fi.vcu.edu\/\">Department of Focused Inquiry<\/a>. \u201cI think I\u2019ve become more open to change and more prepared to make a better case for change elsewhere. Beyond that, it feels like my ability to collaborate with colleagues outside of standard committee settings has vastly improved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marx added that serving as a fellow has raised his appreciation for engaging with worthwhile projects \u2013 and that he\u2019s not alone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne other interesting thing about this experience has been seeing how administration at this level involves so many stakeholders,\u201d he said. \u201cThat has opened opportunities to meet new people in different offices and programs here and learn a great deal about the many contributors to VCU\u2019s mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This story was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/faculty-fellows-program-brings-together-educators-and-administrators\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/faculty-fellows-program-brings-together-educators-and-administrators\">VCU News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For nearly a decade, the VCU initiative has been expanding perspectives and creating career opportunities. Like many professors, Tim L. Davey, Ph.D., was focused squarely on teaching and research. When he was a junior faculty member in Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s School of Social Work, he served on the occasional universitywide committee, but his classroom was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2255,"featured_media":1554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1553"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1559,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553\/revisions\/1559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1535,"date":"2026-08-28T16:30:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1535"},"modified":"2026-08-31T11:19:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:19:07","slug":"faculty-office-hours-f26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/28\/faculty-office-hours-f26\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidance on faculty office hours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: this post was <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/02\/06\/guidance-office-hours\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/02\/06\/guidance-office-hours\/\">originally published on February 6, 2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear VCU faculty:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We hope your semester is off to a great start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose of this message is to address the topic of office hours. It is designed to complement VCU\u2019s protocols on course modalities, which are posted to this&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2023\/09\/27\/guidance-regarding-course-modalities\/\">blog<\/a>&nbsp;and located in chapter 2 of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/academics.provost.vcu.edu\/help\/academic-affairs-handbook\/\">Academic Affairs Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the primary points to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deans may work within their academic unit structures to operationally define this guidance and review and approve exceptions to these guidelines. If needed, deans may consult with the Office of the Provost before making final decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All full-time and part-time VCU faculty members who are teaching courses will maintain open office hours.\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Excluded courses include clinical\/practicum courses, independent studies, directed research or other types of courses where office hours do not apply.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cBy appointment\u201d office hours do not count as open office hours; they are considered additional office hours. Faculty are encouraged to be as accessible as possible to students by appointment who are unable to attend open office hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open office hours must be offered in the same\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/registrar.vcu.edu\/registration\/registration-guide\/course-modality\/\">modality<\/a>\u00a0as the course.\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In-person courses require in-person office hours.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fully online courses require fully online office hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hybrid courses require a mix of office hours that mirror how the course is delivered, with the preponderance of office hours having an in-person component.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a general principle, faculty will offer a minimum of two open office hours weekly for each 3-4 credit course they are teaching.\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Faculty are encouraged to spread the open office hours evenly throughout the week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Department chairs are responsible for ensuring that faculty are maintaining open office hours in the appropriate modality, quantity, and frequency.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Office hours must be posted in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/policy.vcu.edu\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DA334CAAD4FA65C4D6B1D5CCD654F8?slu=08DE4D43ED4BE64324BC0CD635CB1435\">syllabus<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/policy.vcu.edu\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DC4D9415918A19F5E7CBCE884653BC?slu=08DE4D43ED4BE64324BC0CD635CB1435\">Canvas LMS<\/a>&nbsp;and on the faculty member\u2019s office door where students can readily locate them.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open office hours are a crucial part of student success, and fundamental to the college experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for all you do to promote student success. We hope this office hours guidance will provide you with what you need to ensure a positive instructional experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andrew T. Arroyo, Ed.D.<br>Senior vice provost for academic affairs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Ph.D.<br>Senior vice provost for faculty affairs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The purpose of this message is to address the topic of office hours. It is designed to complement VCU\u2019s protocols on course modalities, which are posted to this blog and located in chapter 2 of the Academic Affairs Handbook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1874,"featured_media":1227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7,5],"tags":[329,414],"class_list":["post-1535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-affairs","category-faculty-affairs","category-provost","tag-guidance","tag-office-hours"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1874"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1535"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1543,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions\/1543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1533,"date":"2026-08-28T16:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1533"},"modified":"2026-08-31T11:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:17:07","slug":"course-modalities-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/28\/course-modalities-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidance regarding course modalities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: this post was <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2023\/09\/27\/guidance-regarding-course-modalities\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2023\/09\/27\/guidance-regarding-course-modalities\/\">originally published on September 27, 2023<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear VCU faculty and staff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hope your fall semester is off to a great start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose of this message is to address the question of course modalities. Multiple stakeholders, including VCU Faculty Senate leadership, have asked academic affairs to issue clear and specific guidance on this topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the primary points you should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Faculty will teach their course(s) in the modality originally scheduled. Please see the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2023\/08\/24\/faculty-preparation-fall-2023\/\"><strong>2023 welcome message<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;from senior vice provost for faculty affairs, Dr. Mangala Subramaniam.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beginning spring 2024, new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1TDTkNKo9a1r_J6ux5WWvdWmjV10yKg6eEv84SWAcWmM\/edit#gid=0\"><strong>course modality definitions<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;will take effect. If there is a need to change the course modality, this is done&nbsp;<strong>prior&nbsp;<\/strong>to the beginning of the semester following protocols within the school. A course modality change during the semester requires an exception request made by a school\/college dean to the Office of the Provost via the interim senior vice provost for academic affairs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Face-to-face<\/strong>&nbsp;means everyone is in the same physical location at the same time. Faculty who find it necessary to miss class for any reason, including illness or travel, will follow their school\/college procedures for ensuring the course content is delivered. The procedures may include as options: rescheduling the class, providing a recorded lecture or other asynchronous content, teaching synchronously via Zoom or securing a substitute.&nbsp;<strong>Moving a one-off class period to Zoom is not an option unless it is part of an academic affairs-approved school\/college procedure.<\/strong>&nbsp;Please consult your dean\u2019s office for more information.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students who sign up for face-to-face classes are expected to attend in-person. Please see VCU\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bulletin.vcu.edu\/academic-regs\/university\/attendance\/\"><strong>attendance policy<\/strong><\/a>. Faculty are not expected to provide students with live Zoom links or record their lectures for later viewing in Canvas by students who did not attend. Students who miss class may be directed to follow up with classmates and\/or the instructor to obtain the material.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For pedagogical reasons, faculty may wish to incorporate supplementary content to be posted in Canvas online and made available consistently to all students.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hybrid&nbsp;<\/strong>means a class is offered some of the time face-to-face and some of the time fully online on a&nbsp;<strong>predetermined schedule<\/strong>&nbsp;that is posted before the start of the semester and clearly indicated with dates in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/policy.vcu.edu\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DA334CAAD4FA65C4D6B1D5CCD654F8\"><strong>syllabus<\/strong><\/a>. The rules for a face-to-face class govern the hybrid class on the dates when everyone is scheduled to be together in person. The course will be delivered based on the predetermined schedule or modality and cannot change after the semester is underway except in extenuating circumstances. Such a change will be managed by the school\/college dean or dean designee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hyflex&nbsp;<\/strong>means the faculty are always face-to-face in a physical classroom, but students may choose their modality. Faculty teaching in the hyflex modality are in-person for every class. The face-to-face rules for faculty absences apply to faculty teaching in the hyflex modality.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Technology must be appropriately robust in hyflex classrooms. Before classes are scheduled in the hyflex modality, the dean\u2019s office must verify that the learning experience will be adequately immersive for students who attend online.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fully online<\/strong>&nbsp;means everyone is 100% online in the university\u2019s LMS, Canvas.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Traditional face-to-face programs&nbsp;<em>may<\/em>&nbsp;offer some course sections fully online.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, face-to-face programs must be available primarily in-person. Students enrolled in face-to-face programs should not be able to complete their program fully online. Programs where students can earn 50% or more of the credential online require SACSCOC notification as a substantive change. School\/college deans should consult with the Office of the Provost via the interim senior vice provost for academic affairs if there are any questions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VCU-approved fully online programs have Z-codes in Banner and are located on the admissions application.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Faculty teaching fully online sections must be aware that their student roster may include a combination of students who are enrolled in traditional face-to-face programs and students who are enrolled in fully online programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VCU Online has talented instructional designers who can assist with developing engaging fully online courses and programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>VCU is committed to providing equal access to its academic programs, including information, digital technologies, and resources, to students with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes developing accessible courses and providing reasonable accommodation as described in an Accommodation Letter from \u2013 for the Monroe Park campus \u2013&nbsp; Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity (SAEO) or \u2013 for the MCV campus \u2013 the Division of Academic Success (DAS). Students with disabilities are held to the same academic standards as other students with or without accommodation. VCU implements accessibility standards for university Electronic and Information Technology (\u201cEIT\u201d) and user support services for individuals with disabilities. All university EIT is expected to comply with the VCU Web Standards &amp; Guidelines. Captioning of videos and other media is required as set forth in the Captioning standard, and any media that is shared as part of a course must be available in a captioned format, whether it is created by faculty or publicly available (e.g., YouTube). Before scheduling a modality other than face-to-face, faculty must consider accessibility requirements for online instruction. For more information, see&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/policy.vcu.edu\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DA32A63EDBBCF97D763F03A8321CE2\"><strong>Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation policy<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We are aware that some students have started live streaming face-to-face classes from their own devices to classmates who are not in attendance. Faculty may prohibit this practice, and they may restrict students from recording their lectures without prior permission, provided the policy is clearly indicated in the syllabus. If prohibited by faculty, these practices may be considered a violation of the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity policy.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the event of inclement weather or emergency, the university will issue guidance regarding class cancellations and the possibility of temporarily switching modalities. Faculty will follow university guidance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While VCU is in the process of defining what it means to be a \u201chybrid university,\u201d and while we are expanding high-quality fully online academic programming, the reality is that the in-person place-based experience has been and will continue to be central to VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, a mission critical part of what makes VCU special and what attracts students to us is our urban location in the heart of Richmond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for all you do to promote academic and student success. I hope this course modality guidance will provide you with what you need to ensure both consistency and guidance across the instructional experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andrew T. Arroyo, Ed.D.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The purpose of this message is to address the question of course modalities. Multiple stakeholders, including VCU Faculty Senate leadership, have asked academic affairs to issue clear and specific guidance on this topic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1875,"featured_media":1016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[413,329],"class_list":["post-1533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-affairs","tag-course-modalities","tag-guidance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1875"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1533"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1541,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions\/1541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1528,"date":"2026-08-27T14:35:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1528"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:36:34","slug":"2026-distinguished-faculty-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/27\/2026-distinguished-faculty-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU honors seven with 2026 Distinguished Faculty Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally Published by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/vcu-honors-seven-with-2026-distinguished-faculty-awards\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/vcu-honors-seven-with-2026-distinguished-faculty-awards\">VCU News<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Their work touches on medicine, the humanities, public service and education.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virginia Commonwealth University has announced seven recipients of the annual Distinguished Faculty Awards, which recognize achievement in teaching, scholarship, service and overall excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis year\u2019s Distinguished Faculty Award winners have not just distinguished themselves in teaching, scholarship and service \u2014 they have shown what excellence means at a major research university,\u201d said Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., VCU executive vice president and provost. \u201cThrough their mentorship and innovation, our faculty winners continue to inspire the next generation of leaders and scholars across our campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The honorees will be recognized at the VCU Faculty Recognition Gala on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Jefferson Hotel.&nbsp;(In prior years, Distinguished Faculty Awards winners were recognized at the universitywide Faculty Convocation. In an effort to prioritize high-impact engagement and respect faculty time during the busy start of the academic year, the university will no longer hold that event.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are this year\u2019s recipients of VCU\u2019s Distinguished Faculty Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Award of Excellence<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/intmed.vcu.edu\/about\/team\/richard-sterling-md-msc-facg-agaf-faasld.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Richard Sterling<\/em><\/a><em>, M.D., School of Medicine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As associate chair for research for the Department of Internal Medicine and chief of hepatology, Sterling has helped transform how clinicians worldwide assess liver fibrosis. This disease, a buildup of scar tissue after repeated or long-term injury, affects more than 1 in 9 U.S. adults. Many Americans don\u2019t know they have liver fibrosis, as it can progress silently for years, or even decades, with few symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sterling led the groundbreaking development of the Fibrosis-4 Index, a formula used to help estimate the probability of advanced liver fibrosis. FIB-4 can be calculated from information found in routine blood tests. Prior to the formula, a liver biopsy, which is invasive and potentially risky, was required to identify patients likely to have advanced fibrosis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While FIB-4 was originally developed for patients with HIV or hepatitis infections, the formula is now one of the most widely used and inexpensive tools to assess many other liver diseases. Millions of patients have benefited from FIB-4, and it is considered one of the most important advances in non-invasive liver disease assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through his leadership, Sterling has helped build the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/liverinstitute.medschool.vcu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health<\/a>&nbsp;into an integrated center for advancing research, education and clinical care for liver and metabolic disease. Alongside his colleagues, he has helped grow VCU\u2019s hepatology program into one of the leading liver centers in the United States, with the VCU Liver Transplant Program performing approximately 200 transplants each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOver more than three decades at VCU, Dr. Sterling has established himself as an internationally respected physician-scientist, visionary academic leader and transformational educator whose work has advanced the university\u2019s mission and significantly improved the lives of patients worldwide,\u201d said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Distinguished Scholarship Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/hmaes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Hermine H. Maes<\/em><\/a><em>, Ph.D., School of Medicine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more than three decades, Maes has led advances to understanding of the genetic and environmental influences underlying human behavior and health. Through twin and family study designs, her research disentangles the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental influences that shape behaviors. She has helped improve the way scientists study genetics, developing and teaching statistical methods used by researchers around the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maes has made major contributions to the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development, one of the longest-running and most influential twin registries in the world. This study has tracked approximately 2,800 twins from adolescence into young adulthood, enabling groundbreaking insights into the origins of substance use, psychiatric disorders and related behavioral traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As associate director of mentoring for the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Maes has demonstrated a passionate dedication to preparing the next generation of scholars through an NIH-funded training program in Psychiatric and Statistical Genetics, which has been continuously supported for more than 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThrough her sustained record of innovative research, international leadership in methodology, and dedication to mentoring and interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Maes has established herself as a truly outstanding scholar in her discipline,\u201d said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Distinguished Service Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/khs.vcu.edu\/directory\/acevedo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Edmund Acevedo<\/em><\/a><em>, Ph.D., College of Humanities and Sciences<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acevedo\u2019s career has been defined by sustained, wide-ranging service, from department leadership to national professional organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two decades at VCU have taken him from chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences to associate dean for the College of Humanities and Sciences. Along the way, Acevedo has built a research record cited more than 4,000 times, work that has run alongside a steady stream of service to VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now serving as the senior associate director of the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, Acevedo has guided the department through institutional change and oversaw undergraduate enrollment growth of nearly 400%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>His research has produced significant work outside the classroom, showing why physical activity protects the body against cellular wear and tear from chronic stress and offering a new lens on how exercise guards against disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As director of faculty development and research for the You First at VCU, First-Generation Student Success and Research Center, Acevedo built programs that gave first-generation and Asian American students a stronger foothold in their academic careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond VCU, Acevedo has served as president of the American Psychological Association\u2019s Division 47 and the Southeast chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, extending the university\u2019s reach and reputation nationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThrough his unwavering commitment to service, Dr. Acevedo has undeniably made substantial contributions to his field, as well as to the professional development of myriad students and colleagues,\u201d said Catherine Ingrassia, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. \u201cHe continues to bring a level of excitement and professionalism to the College of Humanities and Sciences, contributing to a foundation of excellence that allows CHS to grow and succeed as a vibrant hub of education and scholarship at VCU.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Distinguished Teaching Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wilder.vcu.edu\/directory\/people\/sarah-jane-brubaker-phd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Sarah Jane Brubaker<\/em><\/a><em>, Ph.D., L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brubaker is known for creating classroom environments that are rigorous, intentional and deeply human. A hallmark of her approach is to respectfully tackle complex and sensitive topics, striking a balance between sharing diverse perspectives while incorporating students\u2019 own experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brubaker founded the Graduate Certificate in Gender Violence Intervention, an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented program that has prepared more than 100 professionals working in the field. This program stands as a sustained teaching innovation, translating scholarship into applied learning and equipping students to engage directly with issues in professional and community contexts. Through initiatives such as \u201cDisrupting Criminalization in Education,\u201d she has also connected students to community-based work, reinforcing the relationship between academic inquiry and lived experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDr. Sarah Jane Brubaker is an exceptional educator whose influence extends far beyond the classroom,\u201d said Robyn McDougle, Ph.D., interim dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. \u201cFor more than 25 years, her rigorous, student-centered teaching and steadfast commitment to mentorship have shaped generations of scholars and public-service professionals. The Wilder School is proud to celebrate her remarkable contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/chi-ning-chang-phd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Chi-Ning Chang<\/em><\/a><em>, Ph.D., School of Education<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chang has built a research program at the intersection of artificial intelligence, advanced quantitative methods and education. His work has translated emerging technology into practical tools for mentorship and career development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chang\u2019s work on hybrid human-AI mentoring systems addressed gaps in graduate student support that widened during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to help students in need today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He founded the GET Centered research project, an initiative that examines how AI-assisted mentoring can support international STEM graduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The project has translated into applied workshops, including a 2025 collaboration with the College of Engineering, School of Business and Office of the Provost, connecting Chang\u2019s methodological research directly to student career preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His scholarship has produced 33 peer-reviewed publications with nearly 700 citations, secured more than $1.67 million in federal funding and earned national recognition through his service as chair of the American Educational Research Association\u2019s Structural Equation Modeling and Multilevel Modeling Methods Special Interest Group. He has also extended that expertise into VCU\u2019s AI ecosystem, developing a graduate course for the VCU Convergence Applied AI Graduate Certificate and serving on its curriculum committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDr. Chang\u2019s accomplishments demonstrate a remarkable trajectory for an early-career scholar,\u201d said Kelli Feldman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education. \u201cHe has established a distinctive and forward-looking research agenda, secured competitive external funding, published influential scholarship and made meaningful contributions to student mentoring and professional service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Outstanding Term Faculty Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/mhhackne\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Mary Helen Hackney<\/em><\/a><em>, M.D., School of Medicine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hackney, throughout her time at VCU, has made a commitment to educating future physicians, advancing cancer care and improving health equity across Virginia. She has served as a faculty model for teaching, scholarship, clinical research and service to her patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hackney has emphasized improving cancer care to underserved communities through her role as director of the Rural Cancer Outreach Program at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role, she developed and sustained a statewide network that brought oncology services, including chemotherapy, screening, survivorship care and palliative services, to rural populations across Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hackney has also defined herself through her work in the classroom, crafting a teaching philosophy that emphasizes compassionate communication, patient-centered care and critical thinking \u2013 skills essential to the physicians of tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDr. Hackney\u2019s work bridges the missions of academic medicine \u2014 teaching, discovery and service \u2013 and demonstrates how a term faculty member can have profound and lasting influence on students, colleagues, patients and the broader community,\u201d said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><u>University Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Joshua P. Cole, Ph.D., School of Education<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education for eight years, Cole has defined himself as a leader in classroom excellence and instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cole emphasizes inclusive excellence and an innovative approach to pedagogy through several graduate-level courses he teaches, including Equity in Leadership as well as Multicultural Education and Professional Writing. In the classroom, he creates an environment that sustains intellectual rigor and provides students a bridge between theory and practice to help them understand and apply leadership concepts as future educational practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside the classroom, Cole has also made an impact at VCU. He served as executive director of the Office of Strategic Engagement in the School of Education from 2019 to 2022, helping secure more than $1 million in funding that led to initiatives advancing educational outcomes for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are delighted to celebrate Dr. Joshua Cole and this well-deserved recognition, which also highlights the important contributions our adjunct faculty make to our students and academic programs,\u201d said Kelli Feldman, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Commonwealth University has announced seven recipients of the annual Distinguished Faculty Awards, which recognize achievement in teaching, scholarship, service and overall excellence. Their work touches on medicine, the humanities, public service and education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1874,"featured_media":1529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[33,183,179],"class_list":["post-1528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-affairs","category-provost","tag-distinguished-faculty-awards","tag-faculty-achievement","tag-faculty-awards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1874"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1528"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1531,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions\/1531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1526,"date":"2026-08-26T13:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T17:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1526"},"modified":"2026-08-31T15:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T19:05:16","slug":"vcu-convergence-seed-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/26\/vcu-convergence-seed-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU Convergence awards nearly 70 faculty members $150,000 in seed grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The projects supported through the grants bring different perspectives together to tackle complex, \u2018wicked problems\u2019 that no single discipline can solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding solutions to today\u2019s most consequential societal challenges requires collaboration between disciplines. That mission is the heartbeat of <a href=\"https:\/\/convergence.vcu.edu\/\">VCU Convergence<\/a>, a universitywide commitment to crossing boundaries between research, curriculum and experiential learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To stoke the interdisciplinary fires, the VCU Convergence Team Planning Grant Program was established and has awarded $10,000 grants for 15 projects comprising nearly 70 faculty members. The unique funding model is reserved for projects of three or more full-time Virginia Commonwealth University faculty from at least two different schools or colleges that focus on problems that defy single-discipline solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe quality and ambition of these proposals show what is possible when we bring different perspectives together to tackle challenges that no single discipline can solve,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/andrew-t-arroyo-edd.html\">Andrew Arroyo, Ed.D.<\/a>, senior vice provost of academic affairs for VCU. \u201cBy investing in transdisciplinary collaboration today, VCU is shaping the future of problem-driven research and academics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The partnerships help catalyze community impacts that tackle \u201cwicked problems.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWicked problems are dynamic,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/daniel-gutierrez-phd-lpc-csac.html\"><strong>Daniel Gutierrez, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, assistant vice provost for VCU Convergence. \u201cIf you take a single-discipline approach to the problem, you may not even notice how it is changing. The causes are interconnected, the boundaries of the problem keep moving and even defining what the problem is depends on where you stand in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Project overviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cAdaptation and Content Validation of a Preservice Classroom Management Coaching Program via Community Partnership\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A partnership between the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education will adapt a novel preservice teacher coaching program to better prepare VCU elementary education teacher candidates to use research-based strategies to support youth with ADHD. Classroom-based strategies aim to meet the high demand for support by fostering collaboration among mental health experts, educators and school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/ashley-s-boyd-phd.html\"><strong>Ashley Boyd, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vcuhealth.org\/find-a-provider\/profile\/alex-holdaway\"><strong>Alex Holdaway, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Medicine<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/joan-rhodes-phd.html\"><strong>Joan Rhodes, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Education<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cAI-Driven Dynamic and Contextualized Reference Range Determination: For the Case of Ferritin Reference Range\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project aims to address current limitations in determining the reference range for ferritin, the level of iron, in blood, which can lead to delayed care and poor patient outcomes. Researchers will use AI and large-scale, real-world data to derive reference ranges that are more closely aligned with actual health outcomes. By integrating expertise across disciplines, the team seeks to advance clinical decision-making and healthcare delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/directory.business.vcu.edu\/profile.php?urn=chenx\">Xunyu Chen Ph.D.<\/a>,<\/strong> School of Business<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/directory.business.vcu.edu\/profile.php?urn=leeo\"><strong>One-Ki Daniel Lee, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Business (Lead)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Won Sok Lee, School of Medicine, Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cAI-Guided Inquiry Learning (AGIL@VCU): A Common Framework for Creating &amp; Managing AI-Era Vertically Integrated Projects\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VCU Vertically Integrated Projects are credit-based, multi-year, transdisciplinary undergraduate research teams embedded in faculty research. These researchers will use AI-based rubrics and datasets to develop a standardized VIP Creation Toolkit and workflow automations to help guide any VCU faculty member in launching and measuring outcomes of a VIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/moe-debbagh-greene-phd.html\"><strong>Moe Debbagh Greene, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/bridget.mcinnes\/\"><strong>Bridget T. McInnes, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/wijesinghe-dayanjan-shanaka.html\"><strong>Dayanjan <\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/wijesinghe-dayanjan-shanaka.html\"><strong>Wijesinghe<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/wijesinghe-dayanjan-shanaka.html\"><strong>, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Pharmacy (Lead)<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cArtificial Intelligence for unRivaled Pharmaceutical Engineering: A Convergence-Based Research and Educational Approach (AIR-PHE)\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To support the future of pharmaceutical engineering AI research, educational programs and student experiential learning, this project will develop a research plan that aligns AI efforts at VCU with external funding opportunities in government and industry. The AIR-PHE team will produce a white paper and sponsor an AI in Pharma R&amp;D and Manufacturing Symposium, slated for the fall of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/ellis-keith.html\"><strong>Keith Ellis, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Pharmacy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/john-fife-phd.html&apos;\"><strong>John Fife, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Education<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/preetam.ghosh\/\"><strong>Preetam Gosh, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/nastassja.lewinski\/\"><strong>Nastassja Lewinski, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/charles.mcgill\/\"><strong>Charles McGill, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/bridget.mcinnes\/\"><strong>Bridget McInnes, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/tamer.nadeem\/\"><strong>Tamer Nadeem, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/thomas.roper\/\"><strong>Thomas D. Roper, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering (Lead)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/leah.spangler\/\"><strong>Leah Spangler, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/wijesinghe-dayanjan-shanaka.html\"><strong>Dayanjan Wijesinghe, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Pharmacy<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.vcu.edu\/directory\/xu-qingguo.html\"><strong>Qingguo Xu, D.Phil.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Pharmacy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cBody Intelligence: Examining Computational Algorithms from Dance and Choreography\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This initiative will investigate how to inform computational design and digital studies to offer a disruptive alternative to dominant Big Tech AI paradigms that diminish the human experience and, in particular, human bodies. Through workshops, the research will frame perception and movement as integral to how humans think and learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/english.vcu.edu\/directory\/alford.html\"><strong>Caddie Alford, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Humanities and Sciences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/philosophy.vcu.edu\/directory\/faries.html\"><strong>Frank Faries, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Humanities and Sciences<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arts.vcu.edu\/directory\/kate-sicchio\/\"><strong>Kate Sicchio, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of the Arts<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cCLAIM \u2014 Convergence Learning with AI in Medicine\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Preparing medical students not just to use AI but to evaluate it critically will shape how the technology is applied in academic and clinical practice. This work will support students with hands-on experience in building AI tools, establish guidelines for their use, develop faculty expertise and best practices, and set expectations for AI tool use in coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/garbera2\/\"><strong>Adam Garber, M.D<\/strong><\/a>., School of Medicine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Patrick Fadden, M.D., <span style=\"color: initial\">&nbsp;McGuire-Holmes VA Medical Center<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/erdem.topsakal\/\"><strong>Erdem Topsakal, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering (Lead)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/streets\/\"><strong>Sarah Street, M.D<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">., School of Medicine<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/warrenkx\/\"><strong>Kenneth Warren, Ed.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Medicine<br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cDecoding the Neural Architecture of Social Volition: Integrating Large-Scale Electrophysiology, Single-Cell Calcium Imaging, and Computational Attractor Modeling to Enable Therapeutic Targeting of Social Apathy\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social apathy, the profound loss of motivation to initiate social engagement, is among the least treatable symptoms in conditions like Alzheimer&#8217;s and autism. To better understand what is happening in the brain, researchers want to develop AI models to track activity across hundreds of neurons over time to determine changes under different conditions. The findings could help determine which neural systems control the decision-making process of social motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/pgoswamee\/\"><strong>Priyodarshan Goaswamee, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Medicine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/dean.krusienski\/\"><strong>Dean Krusienski, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/zhangg8\/\"><strong>Guang-Wei Zhang, M.D<\/strong><\/a>., School of Medicine (Lead)<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cDesigning a Clinical Workflow to Integrate Nutrition Insecurity Screening\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project aims to integrate a scalable workflow for screening and referring patients with food and nutrition insecurity into routine clinical care. To achieve this, the multidisciplinary team will evaluate existing screening tools, map out how food and nutrition insecurity screening can be integrated into existing clinical workflows, and examine key implementation barriers and facilitators from the perspectives of patients, community partners, clinicians and health system leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/ana-diallo.html\"><strong>Ana F. Diallo, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Nursing (Lead)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/kimberly-battle.html\"><strong>Kimberly Battle, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/genevieve-beaird.html\"><strong>Genevieve Beaird, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ha.chp.vcu.edu\/team\/nathan-w-carroll-phd.html\"><strong>Nathan W. Carroll, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Health Professions<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/kathie-hendrick-falls.html\"><strong>Katherine Falls, MSN<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: initial\">Kimberly Lewis, M.Ed., VCU Medical Center<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ha.chp.vcu.edu\/team\/shu-fang-shih-phd-msc-mba.html\"><strong>Shu-Fang Shih, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Health Professions<br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cEngineering Biomimetic Brain Ultrasound Phantom and Deep Machine Learning Models for B-Mode Structural Fidelity and Acoustic Validation in Acute Brain Injury\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Innovation in portable brain ultrasound tools is helping practitioners identify brain conditions like bleeding or swelling on-site. But these scans can vary based on techniques and interpretations. These researchers aim to build a realistic artificial brain model that mimics a real brain when scanned, then use it to teach and test AI so ultrasound can more reliably detect brain injuries at the bedside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/jayasimha.atulasimha\/\"><strong>J. Atulasimha, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/national-academy-of-inventors-honors-five-vcu-college-of-engineering-researchers\"><strong>Casey Grey, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/ravi.hadimani\/\"><strong>Ravi Hadimani, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering (Lead)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/neurology.vcu.edu\/about\/team\/aarti-sarwal-md-faan-fncs-fccm-fasn-rpni.html\"><strong>Aarti Sarwal, M.D<\/strong><\/a>., School of Medicine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cMulti-modal Medical Vision Language Models for Toxicity Prediction in Radiation Therapy Planning as a Foundation for AI-based Individually Optimized Dose Planning\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Radiation therapy is highly effective for cancer treatment, but side effects can severely impact patients&#8217; quality of life and survival. To better target tumors and individualize treatment to maximize tumor control and minimize side effects, researchers are leveraging multimodal Medical Vision Language Models to analyze both visual (CT\/dose images) and text (clinical conditions) to model complex organ toxicity. The project aims to transform radiotherapy planning into an efficient, automated and individualized process to improve treatment outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/milos.manic\/\"><strong>Milos Manic, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/eweiss3\/\"><strong>Elisabeth Weiss, M.D<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">., School of Medicine<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/yuanl2\/\"><strong>Lulin Yuan, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Medicine<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cOne Health One Welfare: Meeting Community Mental Health Needs through the Human-Animal Bond\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interface of mental health and human-animal bonding is an emerging area of social work, medicine and public health. Often, pet owners at risk of mental disorders, homelessness and trauma will forgo treatment if it impacts their ability to care for their companion animals. To address these health disparities, this project will develop curricula and service-learning opportunities to position VCU as a leader in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/kecarlyle\/\"><strong>Kellie Carlyle, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Public Health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/socialwork.vcu.edu\/directory\/people\/cassie-desena-jacobs.html\"><strong>Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Social Work<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/socialwork.vcu.edu\/directory\/people\/gary-s-cuddeback.html\"><strong>Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Social Work<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/socialwork.vcu.edu\/directory\/people\/klara-prachar.html\"><strong>Klara Prachar, M.S.W.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, &nbsp;School of Social Work<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/townsendld\/\"><strong>Lisa Townsend, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Medicine<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a><strong>\u201cProject Z: Acadenap\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers will prototype and support the production and sale of a student-designed, student-focused nap pod, the \u201cAcadenap.\u201d With an objective of improving academic success and mental health, the project will also support curricula development at the intersection of sleep wellness and venture education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pediatrics.vcu.edu\/about\/expertise\/detail.html?id=jaccardo\"><strong>Jennifer Arccado, M.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Medicine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/laleh.golshahi\/\"><strong>Laleh Golshahi, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Engineering<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fi.vcu.edu\/our-faculty\/faculty-directory\/richardson.html\"><strong>Kirk Richardson, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Humanities and Sciences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cReimagining Health in the Age of AI: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Communication, Decision-Making, Ethics, and Care in Complex Systems\u201d (microcredential)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This transdisciplinary team is exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping communication, decision-making and care delivery within increasingly complex health systems. They will develop a new microcredential, entitled AI for Health Communication, Decision-Making, Ethics, and Care Delivery, that will equip current and future health professionals to evaluate bias, fairness and responsible care delivery in AI-enabled environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/kecarlyle\/\"><strong>Kellie Carlyle, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, School of Public Health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/rehab.chp.vcu.edu\/ourteam\/alena-c-hampton-phd-lcp.html\"><strong>Alena Hampton, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Health Professions.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chs.vcu.edu\/about\/directory\/dean-and-senior-leadership\/marcus-messner-phd.html\"><strong>Marcus Messner, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Humanities and Sciences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cReuse It or Lose It? Teaching Sustainability-Focused Critical Thinking, Crucial Conversations and Emotional Intelligence to Healthcare Learners in an Interdisciplinary Setting\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By examining the use of reusable versus single-use surgical instruments, this project aims to develop strategies to reduce environmental and financial waste to health systems. Through a transformative leadership lens, this team aims to foster critical thinking, mindfulness and conversation skills across disciplines to prepare future healthcare leaders for complex operational challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chp.vcu.edu\/about\/team\/beales-julie.html\"><strong>Julie Beales, M.D<\/strong><\/a>., College of Health Professions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vcuhealth.org\/find-a-provider\/profile\/ricardo-bello\"><strong>Ricardo Bello, M.D<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">., School of Medicine<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/terry-jones.html\"><strong>Terry Jones, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chp.vcu.edu\/about\/team\/macdonald-kristin.html\"><strong>Kristin MacDonald, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Health Professions<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sustainability.vcu.edu\/about\/staff\/\"><strong>Anna Malone<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, VCU Sustainability<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/directory.business.vcu.edu\/profile.php?urn=csreina\"><strong>Christopher Reina, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Business<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/audrey-roberson.html\"><strong>Audrey Roberson, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nursing.vcu.edu\/people\/directory\/debra-shockey.html\"><strong>Debra Shockey, D.N.P.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, School of Nursing<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chp.vcu.edu\/about\/team\/waters-leland.html\"><strong>Bert Waters, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, College of Health Professions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cVCU AI Innovation Lab: A Transdisciplinary Makerspace for AI-Driven Hardware Innovation\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The VCU AI Innovation Lab will create a shared, interdisciplinary makerspace where students converge to design, prototype and test AI-powered hardware systems. Projects producing functional prototypes will serve as natural engagement points for industry mentors, community organizations seeking technology solutions, and startup incubators looking for talent pipelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/slss.vcu.edu\/directory\/faculty\/affiliate-faculty\/benton.html\"><strong>William Benton, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, University College<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/worldstudies.vcu.edu\/directory\/means.html\"><strong>Bernard Means, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: initial\">, College of Humanities and Sciences<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/egr.vcu.edu\/directory\/erdem.topsakal\/\"><strong>Erdem Topsakal, Ph.D.,<\/strong><\/a> College of Engineering<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About VCU Convergence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>VCU Convergence is committed to connecting for the common good. It reimagines how VCU fosters innovation, collaboration and real-world impact. VCU Convergence brings together faculty, staff, students and community partners across disciplinary boundaries to advance outcomes through transdisciplinary research, interdisciplinary curricula and transformative student opportunities.<br><br>This initiative is organized around six inaugural themes across VCU: Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Health Outcomes, Mental Health, Neurodegeneration and Sustainability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>VCU Convergence represents what\u2019s possible when higher education breaks barriers and operates without walls. Join the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSd7j3blqj3anvsHoSnydPZxHW9Y-knSYdiU1FqoH6d4YcKUWw\/viewform\"><strong><em>VCU Convergence email list<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em> or contact <\/em><a href=\"mailto:convergence@vcu.edu\"><strong><em>convergence@vcu.edu<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;to get involved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The projects supported through the grants bring different perspectives together to tackle complex, \u2018wicked problems\u2019 that no single discipline can solve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2392,"featured_media":1525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[346],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-convergence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1526"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1544,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1526\/revisions\/1544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1516,"date":"2026-08-20T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1516"},"modified":"2026-08-20T08:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:49:10","slug":"a-new-year-of-growth-service-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/20\/a-new-year-of-growth-service-and-community\/","title":{"rendered":"A new year of growth, service and community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear VCU students, faculty and staff,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the 2026-27 academic year!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To those of you who have just arrived back on campus or are joining us for the first time: welcome&nbsp;\u2014 we are so glad you are here. To those who have worked and taken classes over the summer: thank you for your continued dedication to VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The start of an academic year brings with it the boundless energy of new beginnings and the endless opportunities of transformative growth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I step into my first full academic year as VCU\u2019s executive vice president and provost, I find myself reflecting on what makes VCU truly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/massmail.vcu.edu\/trk\/click?ref=z173r7sgll_0-344a9_0_0x35d45ex0884\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">uncommon<\/a>. It\u2019s not just our academic rigor or research excellence; it is our heart, our shared purpose and our deep commitment to one another.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we begin this new chapter together, I challenge each of you to embrace the spirit of service that defines our community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For our students: service is where learning meets purpose. Whether through volunteering, civic engagement&nbsp;or simply lifting up a classmate, your service to our Richmond community bridges classroom knowledge with real-world impact.<br>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For our faculty and staff: your service to our university \u2014&nbsp; mentoring students, guiding shared governance&nbsp;and supporting campus life \u2014 is the foundation upon which VCU thrives. Your dedicated stewardship shapes the environment where our students can successfully learn and grow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am reminded of the line penned by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend: &#8220;No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of it for another.&#8221; In a period of history marked by harsh class divides, poverty and institutional indifference, Dickens believed that society improves through acts of service, personal kindness and mutual support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many ways in which you can be of service this semester. In addition to the second annual&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/massmail.vcu.edu\/trk\/click?ref=z173r7sgll_0-344a9_0_0x35d45fx0884\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VCU Day of Service<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/massmail.vcu.edu\/trk\/click?ref=z173r7sgll_0-344a9_0_0x35d460x0884\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Division of Community Engagement<\/a>&nbsp;offers numerous opportunities to serve our broader community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This semester, we are also embarking on an exciting reimagining of our strategic plan. Through focus groups, town halls and digital engagement, I strongly encourage you to make your voice heard. Our collective vision will only be as bold and inspiring as the diverse voices who shape it. Be on the lookout for official announcements in the coming weeks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you for your energy, your passion and your dedication to VCU. I am honored to serve as your provost and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Art Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., MBA<br>Executive vice president and provost<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear VCU students, faculty and staff, Welcome to the 2026-27 academic year!&nbsp; To those of you who have just arrived back on campus or are joining us for the first time: welcome&nbsp;\u2014 we are so glad you are here. To those who have worked and taken classes over the summer: thank you for your continued [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2410,"featured_media":1519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,339],"tags":[411,160],"class_list":["post-1516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-provost","category-provost-messages","tag-academic-year-2026-27","tag-welcome-message"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1516"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1521,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516\/revisions\/1521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1507,"date":"2026-08-20T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1507"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:12:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:12:03","slug":"recognizing-the-vcu-faculty-who-elevate-possibilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/20\/recognizing-the-vcu-faculty-who-elevate-possibilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 50 VCU faculty honored for their research and teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><em>The 2026 NIRA and PEIA awardees elevate VCU\u2019s reputation and the student learning experience.<\/em><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Virginia Commonwealth University, excellence is not only measured by achievement; it is defined by the ambition to reach for what others might call the impossible. Every day, our faculty challenge conventions, open pathways to discovery and transform student potential. Their endeavors extend beyond the lab and classroom, creating lasting impacts that contribute to a better world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recipients of this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/faculty-recognition\/nira\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/faculty-recognition\/nira\/\">National\/International Recognition Awards (NIRA)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/faculty-recognition\/peia\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/faculty.provost.vcu.edu\/faculty-recognition\/peia\/\">Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation Awards (PEIA)<\/a> exemplify possibility in action. They push the boundaries of their disciplines, forge collaboration and catalyze new ways of thinking and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collectively, these honorees embody the convergence of talent, rigor and purpose. From discovery that changes how we see the world to education that changes how students see themselves, they represent VCU at its best \u2014 and the future of what a university can make possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the NIRA and PEIA honorees for 2026, who will be recognized at the VCU Faculty Recognition Gala on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Jefferson Hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2026 NIRA Recipients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery day, our NIRA faculty recipients are pushing boundaries in the creation of new knowledge and helping us understand the world in different ways,\u201d said Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president and provost for VCU. \u201cThese world-class faculty members perform at the very top of their discipline, serving as internationally acclaimed academic leaders and contributing to VCU\u2019s continued global prominence and record-breaking growth of our research enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>College of Humanities and Sciences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kai Bosworth<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>School of World Studies<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Andrew Crislip<\/strong>, professor, <em>Department of History<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Matt Hartman<\/strong>, professor, <em>Department of Chemistry<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heather Jones<\/strong>, associate professor,<em> Department of Psychology<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Daeha Joung<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Department of Physics<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Danielle Kirkman<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Olivia Landry<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women&#8217;s Studies<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fantasy Lozada<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Department of Psychology<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Amy Rector<\/strong>, professor, <em>School of World Studies<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Michael Reshchikov<\/strong>, professor, <em>Department of Physics<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of the Arts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sasha Waters Freyer<\/strong>, professor, <em>Photography and Film<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Yiwen Wei<\/strong>, assistant professor, <em>Art Education<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Carrie LeCrom<\/strong>, professor, <em>Center for Sport Leadership<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>C\u00e9sar Zamudio<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Marketing<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One-ki Daniel Lee<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Information Systems<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Dentistry<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Shillpa Naavaal<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Department of Pediatric Dentistry<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Luciana de Oliveira<\/strong>, professor, <em>Teaching and Learning<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Foundations of Education<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kamden Strunk<\/strong>, professor, <em>Foundations of Education<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Nursing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lisa Shah<\/strong>, assistant professor, <em>Adult Health and Nursing Systems<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Pharmacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dr. Karolina Aberg<\/strong>, professor,<em> Pharmaceutics<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Public Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dipankar Bandyopadhyay<\/strong>, professor, <em>Biostatistics<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hayley Cleary<\/strong>, professor, <em>Criminal Justice<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Christopher Whyte<\/strong>, associate professor, <em>Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2026 PEIA Recipients <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShaping the leaders and visionaries of the next generation starts in the classroom,\u201d Saavedra said. \u201cOur PEIA winners ignite curiosity, foster deep learning and transform the lives of students every single semester. Through classroom creativity and care, they elevate the excellence of our entire university and demonstrate how teaching is both an art and a craft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>College of Engineering<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reza Mohammadi,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>College of Health Professions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jenny Inker,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Gerontology<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>College of Humanities and Sciences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jessica Brown,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Department of Psychology<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ellen Carpenter,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Department of Psychology<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Allison Tharp,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Focused Inquiry<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stephen Vesely,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jonathan Waybright,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>School of World Studies<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Susan Zacharia, <\/strong>associate professor, <em>Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Honors College<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Christy Tyndall,<\/strong> associate professor, Honors College<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of the Arts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sara Reed,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Interior Design<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eric Rivera,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Dance and Choreography<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hilary Wilder,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Painting and Printmaking<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Katie Gilstrap,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Marketing<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Dentistry<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alexandra Howell,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Oral Diagnostic Sciences<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Beth Bukoski,<\/strong> professor, <em>Educational Leadership<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Serra De Arment,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Counseling and Special Education<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Katherine Dabney,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Teaching and Learning<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kaitlin Hinchey,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Counseling and Special Education<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Carol Schall,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Counseling and Special Education<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Nursing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cate Matzke,<\/strong> assistant professor, <em>Adult Health and Nursing Systems<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>School of Pharmacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cait Gibson,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Pharmacotherapy &amp; Outcomes Science<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Chernoh Wurie,<\/strong> associate professor, <em>Criminal Justice<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recipients of this year\u2019s National\/International Recognition Awards (NIRA) and Pedagogical Excellence and Innovation Awards (PEIA) exemplify possibility in action. They push the boundaries of their disciplines, forge collaboration and catalyze new ways of thinking and learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2392,"featured_media":1512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[185,66,410,182],"class_list":["post-1507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-affairs","tag-national-international-recognition-awards","tag-nira","tag-pedagogical-excellence-and-innovation-awards","tag-peia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1507"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1523,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1507\/revisions\/1523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1485,"date":"2026-08-12T10:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2026-08-12T10:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:43:43","slug":"vcu-convergence-brings-central-virginias-school-based-mental-health-leaders-to-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/12\/vcu-convergence-brings-central-virginias-school-based-mental-health-leaders-to-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"VCU Convergence brings central Virginia\u2019s school-based mental health leaders to campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The convening, organized under the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/academics.provost.vcu.edu\/vcu-convergence\/\"><strong><em>VCU Convergence<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em> mental health theme, produced a working list of projects on professional development, youth clinical services and community partnerships.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do you do with a problem that changes shape every time you try to solve it?<br>The VCU Convergence Mental Health group, with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/davincicenter.vcu.edu\/\"><strong>VCU da Vinci Center<\/strong><\/a>, recently met to tackle this big question. Coined the School-Based Mental Health Think Tank, this workshop brought scholars from several disciplines together with school divisions, community organizations and state agency staff.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;School-based mental health is not a challenge that any one discipline can solve. It sits at the intersection of education, health care, family systems, public policy, technology and community life, making it both urgent and inherently complex,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/daniel-gutierrez-phd-lpc-csac.html\"><strong>Daniel Gutierrez<\/strong><\/a>, Ph.D., assistant vice provost, VCU Convergence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Gutierrez, meaningful progress requires experts and communities to define problems together, challenge disciplinary assumptions, and develop solutions grounded in real-world conditions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong>VCU&#8217;s Convergence methodology is well-suited for this work because it does not attempt to eliminate complexity, but rather provides a structured way to integrate diverse forms of knowledge, generate actionable projects, and address wicked problems with greater rigor, relevance, and equity.&#8221; <\/strong><strong>\u2013 Daniel Gutierrez, assistant vice provost, VCU Convergence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gathering together<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bringing the spirit of VCU Convergence to life, the room was filled with a multidisciplinary group of thought leaders from across VCU and the greater Richmond community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with Gutierrez and other faculty and staff members, some of the VCU representatives present included<a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/about\/portfolio\/details\/findlingr\/\"> <strong>Robert Findling, M.D.<\/strong><\/a>, chair of psychiatry in the <a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.vcu.edu\/\"><strong>School of Medicine<\/strong><\/a>;<a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/about-us\/directory\/full-directory\/patrick-mullen-phd.html\"> <strong>Patrick R. Mullen,<\/strong> <strong>Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, professor and chair of counseling and special education and interim chair of foundations of education in the <a href=\"https:\/\/soe.vcu.edu\/\"><strong>School of Education<\/strong><\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/davincicenter.vcu.edu\/connect\/our-team\/\"><strong>Lloyd Young<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> executive director of the VCU da Vinci Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>&#8220;It was an honor to be part of convening such a diverse group of experts committed to improving school-based mental health, and it reinforced my belief that our greatest innovations emerge when we intentionally connect people, perspectives and purpose.&#8221; &#8211; Lloyd Young, executive director, VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Community partners included a mix of social workers, counseling professionals and child mental health experts from public schools in Charles City, Hanover County, Richmond and Fredericksburg. Other key participants included St. Joseph&#8217;s Villa, the Hanover County Community Services Board, the Armstrong Leadership Program and the Virginia Department of Education, among other notable collaborators.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"626\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-1024x626.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1489 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/626;aspect-ratio:1.6358325219084713;width:417px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-1024x626.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-768x470.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-1536x940.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/A08A2008-scaled-e1786476756556-2048x1253.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe workshop was an outstanding expression of the mission of VCU Convergence.\u201d said Findling. \u201cThere was a palpable sense of enthusiasm, open communication, and collaboration throughout the entire workshop.\u201d<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Starting with what already works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first exercise asked a simple question: what&#8217;s already working, and what can the group build on? Participants pointed to more entry points into support than schools usually get credit for, including therapeutic classrooms, group counseling, restorative circles and life skills curriculum. They also described a fuller safety net, running from screening and risk assessment to crisis response and stabilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On staffing, schools rely on counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses and family support specialists. Participants also talked about growing that pool, through training and bringing on new staff over time. They pointed to systems like tiered interventions, referral pathways and social-emotional curriculum as what makes the support work. They named the conditions that help it stick, like funding, strong leadership support and dedicated time in the school day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cThe school-based mental health think tank sought to bring together a diverse sample of partners to discuss the current state of the field and develop a roadmap for building collaborations and making a positive impact in this area.\u201d <\/strong><br><strong>&#8211; Patrick Mullen, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Counseling and Special Education; Interim Chair, Foundations of Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1487 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;aspect-ratio:1.4992888417882142;width:451px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1.jpeg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Four groups, four problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workshop participants split into four groups by population: youth, teachers and administrators, clinicians and staff, and families and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Youth group focused on emotional regulation, mindfulness modeled by adults, and belonging built through pods, clubs, sports and after-school programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teachers and administrators called for clearer roles and for mental health to be a core priority, not an add-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clinicians pointed to role ambiguity as a drag on teamwork. Strong support requires a mental health professional, administrator and teachers working together, with student and caregiver input. Their fix: map resources, define roles, build a shared data platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Families raised concerns about distrust and stigma, but argued that trust already exists.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cCollaboration is essential to supporting the whole child. Too often, professionals work in silos, which can result in duplicated services and create unnecessary challenges for students and their families. Bringing all stakeholders together fosters a more coordinated, comprehensive approach that enhances communication, reduces redundancy, and ultimately strengthens the support and services families receive.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><br><strong><em>&#8211; Karla M. Allen, MA MEd., Coordinator of Counseling Services, Hanover County Schools.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1486 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;aspect-ratio:1.4992888417882142;width:405px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image.jpeg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What comes next<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The convening&#8217;s impact is already taking shape in the next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants left with a plan, with collaboration at the forefront of the strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plans are also underway to create professional development and microcredentials in school-based mental health, designed to support educators and community partners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This fall, the counseling and special education department and the School of Education is launching a new course, <strong><em>CLED 210: Introduction to School-based Mental Health<\/em><\/strong>, which seeks to deepen understanding of this topic so people who work in schools and outside them can better understand it and the ways they can support youth mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cWe hope the outcomes from this meeting expand, leading to widespread, impactful activities and partnerships within VCU and our local and global communities.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><br><strong>&#8211; Patrick Mullen, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Counseling and Special Education; Interim Chair, Foundations of Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the groups continue their work, participants hope that the collaboration seen in this workshop will continue to help drive better mental health outcomes for K-12 students.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1488 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;aspect-ratio:1.4992888417882142;width:418px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/image-2.jpeg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>\u201cSupporting the mental health and well-being of children and young people requires us to think beyond the boundaries of any one profession or discipline. Schools are places where education, health, families and communities come together every day, which makes interprofessional collaboration especially important. The School of Education is proud to bring our expertise in school-based mental health, educator preparation and community engagement to this work and to partner with colleagues across VCU and throughout the region to develop solutions that respond to the real challenges facing students, families and schools.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><br><strong><em>&#8211; Dean Kelli Feldman, VCU School of Education<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Learn more about <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/academics.provost.vcu.edu\/vcu-convergence\/\"><strong><em>VCU Convergence<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you or someone you know needs support, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call or text 988, or chat online at <a href=\"http:\/\/988lifeline.org\"><strong>988lifeline.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2240,"featured_media":1493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[346],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-convergence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2240"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1501,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions\/1501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1475,"date":"2026-08-06T12:14:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/?p=1475"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:15:06","slug":"a-new-path-to-the-finish-line-vcus-office-of-prior-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/2026\/08\/06\/a-new-path-to-the-finish-line-vcus-office-of-prior-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"A new path to the finish line: VCU\u2019s Office of Prior Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019t count towards a college degree. VCU\u2019s new <strong>Office of Prior Learning<\/strong> is built to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Credit for prior learning<\/strong>, or CPL, awards college credit for verified knowledge gained outside the traditional classroom. For students, it can shorten the road to graduation and lower the cost of getting there. For those looking to return to school, it can provide the momentum to get started again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opportunity is significant. Across the country, <a href=\"https:\/\/nscresearchcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCNCReport2025.pdf\"><strong>roughly 43.1 million adults have earned some college credit but never finished a degree<\/strong><\/a>.<strong> <\/strong>Many of them are eager to return to finish what they started and reach the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a public R1 institution, VCU is well-positioned to lead in a prior learning framework in the commonwealth and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Office of Prior Learning serves as the central hub for this work. It coordinates and administers CPL across the university, develops policies and assessments suited to each major, advises students and trains faculty as assessors. It also partners with offices and academic programs across campus to develop tailored processes and make sure credit is awarded consistently and counts where it should.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For anyone who paused their education, the message is simple. The experience you have gained still counts, and there is a path to put it to work toward your degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>&#8220;At VCU, we believe that learning happens everywhere. The Office of Prior Learning demonstrates our commitment to experiential learning by validating the unique expertise and professional experience that every adult learner brings to higher education. We&#8217;re excited to support adult learners and campus partners in creating new pathways to accelerate academic and career success.&#8221;\u00a0 <\/em>&#8211; Mariah Crilley, Ph.D. Assistant Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs and Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The office is also making strides in developing its leadership. Mia Liadis, Ph.D the new associate director, will join the team on July 10 to help guide its work and expand opportunities for current and returning students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong><em>After working at VCU for over a decade, I have had the pleasure of seeing the variety of experiences that our students bring to campus. The Office of Prior Learning marks a major step forward for our community. We will champion the experiences of adult learners and nontraditional students by centering the knowledge that they already bring to the table, and we will support them as a resource on campus. We are excited to work alongside faculty as we create a central resource for credit for prior learning processes. It\u2019s an honor to take part in this work.&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><br><br><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong>&#8211; <strong>Mia Liadis, Ph.D., Associate Director, Office of Prior Learning\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1997\" height=\"2560\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1477 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-scaled.jpg 1997w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-799x1024.jpg 799w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-768x985.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-1198x1536.jpg 1198w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1060\/2026\/08\/Mia-Liadis-Headshot-1-1-1597x2048.jpg 1597w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1997px) 100vw, 1997px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1997px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1997\/2560;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interested in learning more? Email the Office of Prior Learning at <a href=\"mailto:priorlearning@vcu.edu\">priorlearning@vcu.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019t count towards a college degree. VCU\u2019s new Office of Prior Learning is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2240,"featured_media":1476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[409,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-office-of-prior-learning","category-student-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2240"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1475"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1483,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1475\/revisions\/1483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/provost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]