<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Provost has released the draft list of final recommendations<\/a> on the Office of the Provost blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Provost has released the draft list of final recommendations on the Office of the Provost blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":67,"date":"2023-09-01T17:17:22","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T17:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=67"},"modified":"2023-09-01T17:17:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T17:17:23","slug":"aug-25-2023-tapping-into-the-collective-intellect-of-our-faculty-and-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/09\/01\/aug-25-2023-tapping-into-the-collective-intellect-of-our-faculty-and-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Aug. 25, 2023: \u201cTapping into the collective intellect of our faculty and staff.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos addressed the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force on Friday, August 25, 2023. The Provost’s remarks coincided with the conclusion of the first phase of the task force\u2019s work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me begin by thanking you for all of the time and effort you have invested into the work of this task force. I appreciate what it means to spend a part of your summer in these conversations; and I appreciate just how hard this work can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this was easy, we wouldn\u2019t see daily news stories about the higher education sector struggling under the perfect storm of the enrollment cliff, increased competition, and technological innovation like artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this was easy, we wouldn\u2019t be reading headlines about the plight of a flagship university in a neighboring state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this was easy, we wouldn\u2019t need to work together as a task force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I join you this morning, we\u2019re seeing some encouraging signs about what\u2019s happening at VCU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those items, individually and collectively, may be answers to our prayers but they are not promises for VCU\u2019s future. You are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m really here this morning to listen to you. I\u2019m excited to hear the report-outs from the workgroups and get a sense of where the task force stands as we begin the fall semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And before I sit down, I want to emphasize two points. Just two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first is that the expectations of this task force remain the same as they were when you were invited to this work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This task force is how we pursue the goal of Quest 2028 to \u201cignite student success through curricular innovation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re looking to you to consider the number of, and structure of, VCU\u2019s academic units, offering recommendations designed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, we\u2019re hoping your recommendations will improve financial sustainability and point to where strategic investments should be made to increase performance and make VCU more competitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps there\u2019s an easier way to consider this: If you were given the funding \u2013 say half-a-billion-dollars to create a new university today, what would it look like? Of course, that\u2019s an oversimplification. But you have to admit that the institution that you would build from scratch doesn\u2019t look like what we have today. So, how can we innovate to be more like what you envision?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second point I would like to make is that this iterative process is both the height of shared governance and the launch pad for bold innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe strongly that our willingness to collaborate will determine VCU\u2019s future as a university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only by tapping into the collective intellect of our faculty and staff, with intention, can we modernize our academic structure and create the university of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m talking about harnessing the epiphanies that occur in one-off conversations across our campuses every day. I\u2019m talking about bringing to the table all of those notions of what could be, and even better, what should be that occur when smart, passionate people get talking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe in VCU\u2019s faculty and staff. I trust the perspectives you bring to this, whether you\u2019re new to VCU or you\u2019ve spent your whole career here. I admire the courage you bring to your scholarship, to your teaching, and to your campus service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I enter my third year as your provost, I\u2019ve seen a lot of VCU and VCU Health and the people who make it all work to know that your best is enough \u2013 more than enough \u2013 to generate the ideas that will propel this institution forward \u2013 through Quest 2028 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are times when I believe the role of provost really comes down to doing two things well: picking the right priorities and surrounding yourself with the best people to accomplish those priorities. In this case, that means all of you, right here, working through this iterative process \u2013 and I feel good about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, thank you once again for all that you are doing as a member of this task force. And, I look forward to learning what you\u2019ve come up with to this point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos addressed the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force on Friday, August 25, 2023. The Provost’s remarks coincided with the conclusion of the first phase of the task force\u2019s work. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Let me begin by thanking you for all of the time and effort you have invested into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":65,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":57,"date":"2023-08-18T16:15:48","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T16:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=57"},"modified":"2023-08-18T16:15:51","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T16:15:51","slug":"meeting-update-aug-16-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/08\/18\/meeting-update-aug-16-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Update: Aug. 16, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n After a brief opening by the co-chairs, the Task Force broke into work groups for the majority of the meeting. At the next meeting, to be held on Friday, Aug. 25, each group will provide a summary report of their findings and begin the next phase of their work. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a brief opening by the co-chairs, the Task Force broke into work groups for the majority of the meeting. At the next meeting, to be held on Friday, Aug. 25, each group will provide a summary report of their findings and begin the next phase of their work. The meeting agenda and slide deck […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1828,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1828"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":54,"date":"2023-08-14T15:46:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T15:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=54"},"modified":"2023-08-14T15:46:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T15:46:49","slug":"meeting-update-aug-9-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/08\/14\/meeting-update-aug-9-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Update: Aug. 9, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n This meeting focused on work in individual work groups. The co-chairs and deans were available for questions. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This meeting focused on work in individual work groups. The co-chairs and deans were available for questions. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":50,"date":"2023-08-04T15:04:42","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T15:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=50"},"modified":"2023-08-04T15:04:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T15:04:44","slug":"meeting-update-aug-2-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/08\/04\/meeting-update-aug-2-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting Update: Aug. 2, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n Deans Boyd and Ogbonna provided an update on the next steps of the work groups. On Aug. 25 the work groups will transition into exploring opportunities for creativity and innovation in the structure of VCU\u2019s academic enterprise. In addition, Mike Jones, director of business intelligence in VCU Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS), provided an overview of data that is available for the work groups to reference in their work. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Deans Boyd and Ogbonna provided an update on the next steps of the work groups. On Aug. 25 the work groups will transition into exploring opportunities for creativity and innovation in the structure of VCU\u2019s academic enterprise. In addition, Mike Jones, director of business intelligence in VCU Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS), provided an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":45,"date":"2023-07-31T13:01:29","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T13:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=45"},"modified":"2023-07-31T13:12:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T13:12:14","slug":"meeting-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/07\/31\/meeting-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n Phase 2 – Information Gathering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting Date: July 26, 2023 (Zoom)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The work groups met for the full meeting and continued the process of information gathering. The work groups organized methods for looking at the internal workings and program offerings of their assigned VCU units, as well as the structure, organization and programmatic offerings of other institutions of higher education. Dean Boyd and the dean liaisons for each work group were available for questions and guidance. There was no set agenda or slide deck for this meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Phase 2 – Information Gathering Meeting Date: July 26, 2023 (Zoom) The work groups met for the full meeting and continued the process of information gathering. The work groups organized methods for looking at the internal workings and program offerings of their assigned VCU units, as well as the structure, organization and programmatic offerings of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":41,"date":"2023-07-26T19:28:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=41"},"modified":"2023-08-16T12:41:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T12:41:46","slug":"task-force-scaffolding-and-first-two-meeting-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/07\/26\/task-force-scaffolding-and-first-two-meeting-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Task force scaffolding and first two meeting updates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n Phase 1 – Charge and Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting Date: July 10, 2023 (in-person)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The kick-off meeting of the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force was held on campus at the James Branch Cabell Library. The members were welcomed by university leadership<\/a> and provided an overview of the task force charge and purpose. Garret Westlake, executive director of the DaVinci Center for Innovation, discussed the various stages of change and led an exercise where each individual could identify the rational and emotional forces that factor into change management. Task force co-chairs Naomi Boyd, dean of the School of Business, and K.C. Ogbonna, dean of the School of Pharmacy, then led the members in a collaborative SWOT analysis of VCU\u2019s academic structure. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phase 2 – Information Gathering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting Date: July 17, 2023 (Zoom)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Deans Boyd and Ogbonna provided an overview of the results of the SWOT analysis performed at the previous meeting. Examples of other universities that have successfully navigated structural changes were reviewed and the members were reminded that the committee charge is to \u201cdevelop academic structure recommendations.\u201d Those recommendations should \u201ccreate efficiencies, promote broader programmatic collaboration, increase interactions between Schools and Colleges, and provide unique educational experiences for attracting students.\u201d Phase 1 – Charge and Purpose Meeting Date: July 10, 2023 (in-person) The kick-off meeting of the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force was held on campus at the James Branch Cabell Library. The members were welcomed by university leadership and provided an overview of the task force charge and purpose. Garret Westlake, executive director […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":39,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":25,"date":"2023-07-05T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=25"},"modified":"2023-07-03T13:28:16","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T13:28:16","slug":"new-growing-programs-evidence-of-a-healthy-academic-structure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/07\/05\/new-growing-programs-evidence-of-a-healthy-academic-structure\/","title":{"rendered":"New & Growing Programs \u2013 Evidence of a Healthy Academic Structure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n Earlier messages discussed the \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d<\/a> facing the higher education sector and the enrollment growth<\/a> most of Virginia\u2019s big public universities enjoy despite those challenges. So, how are they doing that, exactly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To a large degree, they are driving their enrollment growth by leveraging new academic programs created over the past decade, as you can see in the graphic attached to this message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half of the ten programs with the fastest-growing majors at the University of Virginia were created within the last decade. That\u2019s true of four of the ten fastest growing programs at both Virginia Tech and George Mason University. Further, Old Dominion University\u2019s top ten growing majors include three recently created programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n VCU, meanwhile, has created virtually no new baccalaureate degree programs with appreciable growth over the same period. In circumstances where we have market-relevant programs that match what\u2019s offered at the other universities they have yet to reach their full potential to drive enrollment at VCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That brings us to the questions before the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n VCU has unique strengths<\/a> and faculty with an unlimited capacity to innovate<\/a>. It was no accident when National Science Foundation (NSF) director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan said VCU\u2019s ability to advance science and innovation, and do so inclusively, makes it one of America\u2019s universities that \u201cmatter for the future\u201d during a campus visit<\/a> this year. We need an academic enterprise that leverages those things we do well and helps us do them more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have questions, comments, or thoughts about the work of this task force? We\u2019d appreciate it if you would share them with us. Please send us a message at <\/em>repositioning@vcu.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Earlier messages discussed the \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d facing the higher education sector and the enrollment growth most of Virginia\u2019s big public universities enjoy despite those challenges. So, how are they doing that, exactly? To a large degree, they are driving their enrollment growth by leveraging new academic programs created over the past decade, as you can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":16,"date":"2023-06-29T08:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T08:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=16"},"modified":"2023-06-29T16:55:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T16:55:40","slug":"an-enrollment-outlier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/06\/29\/an-enrollment-outlier\/","title":{"rendered":"An Enrollment Outlier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n We strive to be unique at VCU. Afterall, that\u2019s one of those UN-words that undergird the university\u2019s relatively new UNcommon marketing campaign<\/a>. We embrace our UNstoppable<\/strong> students, their UNtraditional<\/strong> approaches to problems large and small, and the UNlimited<\/strong> potential they offer the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (In fact, we need their help as we confront the \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d<\/a> facing higher education explored in our previous message.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n VCU\u2019s enrollment numbers have positioned the university as an unfortunate outlier<\/a>: we are the only large, public university in the commonwealth with declining enrollment, and that\u2019s been the case for four consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In each of those years, VCU has seen an increase in applications, acceptances, and each fall\u2019s entering class of new students has been bigger than the last. We\u2019re simply losing too many students along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force is being launched to offer recommendations on how the university\u2019s academic enterprise should be structured to better engage those students at VCU, support their academic journey, and achieve their career aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s students grow up as technology natives. There\u2019s really nothing they can\u2019t find on the other end of a mobile app or a web browser. The VCU student experience must break through that with learning opportunities that are tangible, contextual, and more meaningful than traditional lectures, textbooks and term papers could ever be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VCU\u2019s academic enterprise must become both more efficient and more dynamic to better support our creative faculty members. It must encourage and support them in creating a more vibrant pipeline of new degree programs; a carefully curated collection of existing programs that rise to meet their potential and serve more students; and eliminate bureaucratic barriers that hamper innovation for no discernable reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By bringing together faculty and staff members from across our disciplines, and across our campuses, and harnessing their creativity, experience, and expertise, there is no question that we can flip the script and position VCU as an enrollment outlier with robust growth and student success numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have questions, comments, or thoughts about the work of this task force? We\u2019d appreciate it if you would share them with us. Please send us a message at <\/em>repositioning@vcu.edu<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We strive to be unique at VCU. Afterall, that\u2019s one of those UN-words that undergird the university\u2019s relatively new UNcommon marketing campaign. We embrace our UNstoppable students, their UNtraditional approaches to problems large and small, and the UNlimited potential they offer the world. (In fact, we need their help as we confront the \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":18,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":13,"date":"2023-06-27T15:38:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T15:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/?p=13"},"modified":"2023-06-27T15:38:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T15:38:31","slug":"higher-educations-perfect-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/repositioning\/2023\/06\/27\/higher-educations-perfect-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher Education\u2019s \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n There are challenges specific to VCU that compel us to reposition the university\u2019s academic enterprise. The One VCU Repositioning Task Force being assembled for that work, however, must go further than meeting just our current needs; they must position VCU to thrive amidst the circumstances threatening America\u2019s entire system of higher education. Three factors, occurring simultaneously, are creating a \u201cPerfect Storm\u201d for postsecondary education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first is the demographic cliff<\/a> that we are approaching. Thanks to declining birth rates, beginning in 2025, there will simply be fewer individuals around who are in the typical college age of 18-24. This will intensify the competition among colleges and universities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This may be a silver lining for VCU. That shrinking applicant pool will be more ethnically diverse and more populated by those who are first-generation students. Those are VCU students. We know them. We serve them. And we can leverage our experience meeting their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, traditional colleges and universities no longer hold a monopoly on higher education. Employers, big and small, are competing in that space. They offer their own training programs<\/a> that include their own credentials \u2013 and they promote the connection between their programs and career opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, an increasing number of employers, including the Commonwealth of Virignia<\/a> and states across America<\/a>, are removing the requirement of a college degree as a prerequisite for thousands of job openings. It\u2019s not hard to understand that families considering these options through the lens of their stressed household budget, ask hard questions about the return on investment offered by a traditional baccalaureate degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
The task force members were then assigned to one of eight work groups<\/a> charged with gathering information on designated VCU units. The work groups met in separate breakout rooms. Each group was assigned a dean liaison and designated a group lead. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"