VCU news

By Mike Porter

At Virginia Commonwealth University’s December commencement ceremony on Saturday, keynote speaker Chris Tsui shared his experiences as a successful restaurateur and some of the lessons he has learned during his career inside – and outside – the industry.

Tsui touted the importance of being willing to take risks in order to succeed, saying, “whatever you do, whatever path you take, take that risk – but make it a calculated risk.”

“Push your limits! Be comfortable being uncomfortable,” said Tsui, a VCU alum and the founder and president of EAT Restaurant Partners, which operates 12 dining locations in the Richmond area. “The difference between an amateur and a professional is that an amateur gives up and the professional speeds up.”

The ceremony, which was held at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, honored VCU’s more than 2,300 August and December graduates, including approximately 1,600 who are earning bachelor’s degrees. The university also hosts an assortment of in-person graduation ceremonies at the department, school and college levels.

Tsui urged graduates to “keep learning, have great friends, have fun.”

“Virginia Commonwealth University Class of 2024: Be unafraid, be unbelievable, be unstoppable,” he said. “Let's go, Rams!” 

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., advised graduates to use the critical thinking skills and intuitive abilities that they have refined at VCU to question those who attempt to influence how they feel and think.

“You can choose to focus on the many things that are positive,” Rao said. “It's your life. Positive things, positive thoughts build positive energy. Positive energy leads you to do good things – not just for yourselves, but for other people. You are going to be big influencers. And I'm here to tell you, with great happiness, that great things are going to happen for all of you, and all of that's going to start with when you begin to envision great things.”

Joseph H. Seipel was awarded the Presidential Medallion posthumously at the ceremony. The award recognizes individuals for extraordinary achievement in learning and commitment to the mission of VCU. Seipel retired as dean of the School of the Arts in 2016, and under his leadership, the school’s prominence grew exponentially – and the arts scene around it flourished. Seipel joined the faculty of the Department of Sculpture in 1974, eventually becoming chair of the department in 1985. He became associate dean of VCUarts in 2001 and then dean in 2011. He later served as interim director of the Institute for Contemporary Art after his retirement. Seipel died in June this year.

In addition, VCU alums Tonya Parris-Wilkins, D.D.S., and Joseph Wilkins, DPT, received the Edward A. Wayne Medal. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions or provided exemplary services to VCU. Tonya currently serves as chief of dentistry at the Hampton Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Joe is president of Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. Tonya served on the School of Dentistry advisory board, was a trustee of the VCU Foundation and was a member of the VCU Board of Visitors. In 2012, Tonya and Joe endowed the Parris Wilkins Scholarship in the School of Dentistry. Both are members of VCU’s fundraising campaign cabinet.