A group of people standing in an open room next to windows
VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D.; Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at VCU; and Arthur Kellermann, M.D., senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences, welcome more than 80 new faculty members to VCU ahead of the fall semester. (Photo Kevin Morley, University Marketing.)

Aug. 19, 2022

More than 80 new faculty welcomed to VCU

Events geared to new faculty on topics ranging from promotion to research will be held throughout the year.

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By Jamie Stillman

More than 80 new faculty were welcomed to Virginia Commonwealth University on Aug. 16 as part of the annual New Faculty Orientation. The day-long event provided opportunities for networking, engaging with university leadership, and learning tips for success from faculty peers.

Remarks at the event were given by VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D.; Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at VCU; and Arthur Kellermann, M.D., senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences.

“This is the first step in charting what I hope will be a rewarding career at VCU for each of you,” Sotiropoulos said. “Programs like this are an integral part of VCU’s culture of care. We are working hard to build an environment within which you can dream big and set and achieve bold aspirational goals for your teaching, research and service endeavors.”

According to Jill Gordon, Ph.D., interim senior vice provost for faculty affairs, the new faculty experience at VCU has been reimagined with three goals in mind: to CONNECT faculty peers across disciplines to develop professional and personal collaborations; to DISCOVER and access key resources, organizations and auxiliary units at VCU that are critical to faculty success; and to ENGAGE in discussions about supporting students success, funding opportunities, inclusive teaching practices, navigating IRB, planning for writing success and building mentorship networks.

To ensure that the new faculty can continue the conversation, the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence will be hosting events on various topics throughout the year. Upcoming topics include “Meeting Students Where They Are,” “Charting Your Path to Promotion and Tenure,” and “Mapping Your Research (Funding) Trajectory.” Each session will include intentional time to listen to the faculty, answer any questions they may have and continue to support a culture of care and a path towards excellence. Due to challenges presented by the pandemic, faculty hired in 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be invited to these events.