VCU news

By Elinor Frisa

A new academic year is in full swing, and as students settle into classes and the rhythms of college life, it’s time to take a look at what is new and different at Virginia Commonwealth University.

News to chew on

VCUDine continuously seeks to make campus dining options more nutritious, more convenient and more tailored to student needs, not to mention tastier.

Market 810 at Shafer Court Dining Center, the university’s all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, has added a station called True Balance, which prepares meal options without gluten as well as the nine most common food allergens – egg, milk, peanut, tree nuts, shellfish, soy, wheat, fish and sesame. This is the second True Balance on campus – the first is at AVO Kitchen on West Cary Street – but the Market 810 station provides an option closer to the center of campus.

Another new option is Ramwich, a deli concept inside Ram City Market on West Grace Street that allows students to select made-to-order options as well as five campus-chef-created Italian-style street food sandwiches.

In recent weeks, VCUDine launched Grubhub kiosks at select locations, allowing a more convenient way for customers to order, in addition to the Grubhub mobile app and at the register. (Meal plan users, take note: When using a swipe at a Grubhub kiosk, make sure the total is over $7.31; if not, select dining dollars or another method of payment.)

In addition, mobile ordering at campus Starbucks locations has been enabled, and customers can now use their Starbucks app and rewards.

Safety first

In the latest annual safety survey, 92% of VCU students, faculty and staff who responded said they felt safe or very safe on campus. There is no easy button for creating a safe university environment; it takes many people, resources and programs, some big and some small, and much of it happens behind the scenes – you can read about VCU’s wide-ranging safety efforts in this new VCU News series.

This year brings a number of safety improvements. The “Heads up, Phones down” campaign is hard to miss if you’re walking around campus. These bold yellow signs at crosswalks remind pedestrians to stay alert at busy intersections.

Passengers on the Pulse (Richmond’s free bus that travels along Broad Street) and GRTC’s Route 5 bus will notice VCU Police safety ambassadors frequently riding along with them. And VCU Police expanded its fleet of e-bikes, allowing officers to cover more ground on campus – particularly parking decks and lots – and quickly get to campus locations that are difficult to access by car.

Inside buildings, many automated external defibrillator/first-aid kits have been upgraded and now include opioid overdose kits. Also of note: VCU Police is contracting with a new security company, Sentry Force, to provide the more than 200 additional personnel who help keep campus safe, in addition to VCU Police’s nearly 100 sworn police officers.

Policy updates

In light of the protests this past spring at colleges across the country, including VCU, the university has updated several policies. The goal is to ensure that all members of the VCU community feel and are safe, welcomed and respected.

The interim Campus Expression and Space Utilization Policy provides definitions and requirements for “expressive activity on university property in its various forms, including, but not limited to, verbal expression, non-verbal expression, posting materials, chalking, and all displays.” The policy includes details on which on-campus locations are available to members of the public for expressive activity, how to go about reserving such spaces, what counts as a “major event” and more.

Additionally, the university has an interim Concealment of Identity Policy regarding the wearing of facial coverings, as well as an interim Student Code of Conduct Policy that touches on the right of free speech or assembly in the educational environment.

Although the interim policies are effective immediately, the university community will have opportunities to provide feedback during this academic year before they become final.

Spaces and places

While there is always construction at VCU (including the CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation), no new buildings are slated to open this academic year. But the summer brought the opening of the Technology Operations Center at 707 W. Broad St. It houses office space for VCU Technology Services as well as a data center and network operations hub for VCU and VCU Health.

Speaking of hubs, students will notice some changes at several popular spots on the Monroe Park Campus. The Cary Street Gym has a new rock-climbing wall, which has tripled in size from the previous climbing wall. With more than 4,000 square feet of climbing surface and 22 climbing lanes, it can accommodate 66 climbing routes and has advanced features that allow the Outdoor Adventure Program team to teach advanced technical rock-climbing skills. For those who want to keep their feet on the ground, The Commons boasts a new mural painted by communication arts student Reese Bedinger. And the Student Media Center, home to The Commonwealth Times, WVCW Radio and more, has moved from Broad Street to new space inside the Cary and Belvidere Residence Hall at 301 W. Cary St.

Navigating campus also just got easier, thanks to a new interactive campus map. Searchable and filterable, the map provides 3D renderings of campus buildings as well as addresses, photographs and information on the units and programs housed within them. A drop-down menu in the top left corner lets users toggle between the Monroe Park and MCV campuses as well as other satellite locations. The map offers wayfinding and construction updates, among other features.

Take pride in black and gold

Over the summer, VCU released a bold, new black-and-gold license plate, available for purchase by drivers registered with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The plates let drivers show their VCU pride everywhere they go, but they also support students: $15 from each purchase goes toward need-based student scholarships. For VCU fans who’d rather wear their pride, a new online storefront makes it easier to find and purchase VCU swag by bringing together retailers authorized to sell official VCU merchandise.

In the name of good health

VCU’s newest school got a new name over the summer. In July, the School of Population Health became the School of Public Health. Last year, VCU brought together four departments – Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, and Social and Behavioral Sciences – to establish the new school.

Earlier this year, the Council on Education for Public Health granted candidacy for accreditation to the VCU school to begin its transition to become a school of public health. CEPH is the leading accrediting body for schools of public health, and with its acceptance of the school’s application to transition accreditation categories, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia granted approval to change the name of the school, which was the first in Virginia to have an accredited public health program. It currently offers a Master of Public Health degree with three concentrations: applied public health, epidemiology, and cancer health equity science (the only such concentration in the nation). It also offers dual degrees with M.S.W., M.D. and Pharm.D. programs. 

Global awareness

The Global Education Office is offering several new microcredential digital badges that provide educators and students specialized instruction to meet the evolving landscape of college and beyond.

Global Zone training, which is geared toward faculty and staff, teaches them how to best serve VCU’s international student population. The program comes with a sticker that can be used as a quick visual indicator that the faculty or staff member has had special training to support international students.

The Peace Corps Prep badge is open to all undergraduates even if they don’t plan to join the Peace Corps. Students who successfully complete the program gain knowledge and experience that make them more competitive Peace Corps applicants, but the program also helps them prepare for a global workforce.

Most recently, GEO has added a new badge for students who participate in a study abroad experience through VCU. Participants must attend both pre-departure and returnee orientation as well as the study abroad itself. The badge signifies that, as a result of their study abroad, the student can articulate, critically reflect on and integrate global knowledge, concepts and experiences into their academic, personal and professional lives. 

New faces in leadership

VCU has a number of deans, interim deans and cabinet members who have started in their roles in recent months:

• Andrew Arroyo, Ed.D., has accepted two new leadership roles since the 2023-24 school year ended. He is now senior vice provost for academic affairs (having served as interim in that position for more than a year) as well as interim dean of VCU’s University College. He was previously assistant and associate vice provost for academic programs and an associate professor of educational leadership, as well as the inaugural director for academic programs and policy. Arroyo’s scholarly focus is on higher education with special emphasis on minority-serving institutions.
• After serving in an interim capacity for more than a year, Hernan Bucheli, Ed.D., was named vice president for strategic enrollment management and student success in July. During his tenure as interim VP, undergraduate new student enrollment increased, and VCU experienced its first increase in overall enrollment in over a decade. Bucheli joined VCU in 2023 from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, and his career has included being a partner in a higher education consulting firm and serving institutions as chief enrollment officer, vice president and vice provost, senior vice president and provost, and vice president for external relations.
• Amy R. Darragh, Ph.D., was named dean of the VCU College of Health Professions, effective Aug. 15. Darragh comes to VCU from The Ohio State University, where she served as director and vice dean in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. A licensed occupational therapist, Darragh has centered her teaching on dynamic learning environments, universal design principles and psychological safety. Her recent research includes NIH-funded phase II and phase III clinical trials in pediatric neurorehabilitation and virtual simulation interventions for young adults and adults.  
• Starting in mid-April, Patricia Kinser, Ph.D., was appointed interim dean of the School of Nursing. An endowed professor, she was previously the school’s assistant dean for research, scholarship and innovation. Her research focuses on helping mothers, families and children thrive, with ongoing funded research on biobehavioral mechanisms of and interventions for perinatal depression, long-term sequelae of SARS-COV-2and methods to improve screening for and prevention of depression symptoms. She is an alum of VCU and joined the faculty in 2012. 
• Following the retirement of Cathleen Burke, Alison Miller was named chief human resources officer effective July 1. She had been serving as interim assistant vice president for human resources. Miller, who was the recipient of the Alcott HR Stewardship Award from Richmond SHRM in 2023, has more than 25 years of experience in leading and designing HR solutions that support the needs of a diverse organization. Before joining VCU in 2017, she was a member of the HR leadership team at the University of Virginia.
• At the end of the 2023-24 academic year, Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., was named senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer. She joined VCU in 2016 as vice president for administration, and in her expanded role, she continues to oversee facilities, human resources, parking and transportation, police, real estate, safety and risk management, sustainability and technology services, while also being responsible for oversight of enterprisewide financial and business operations, including accounting, budget, finance, treasury, procurement and business services. Weiss has more than 21 years of experience in higher education finance, operations and management.

Academics for the future

This school year, VCU is adding four degrees, three certificates and 10 concentrations to its academic program offerings – a list that is already more than 200 strong. The new degree and certificate programs, several of which are available online, are:

• B.A. in computer science
• B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences
• B.S. in supply chain management
• M.S. in data science
• Graduate certificate in child welfare
• Graduate certificate in learning sciences
• Graduate certificate in sustainability, health and health care

 

You can read more about the above programs and view a list of new concentrations in this August 2024 VCU News article.