Noted author, VCU professor to discuss creativity in the business of higher education

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education

Noted author Richard Florida and selected faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University will discuss the growing role that creativity plays in shaping higher education and its ties to regional economic development at “Creativity in the Educational Enterprise:  A Panel Discussion,” 11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 31 at VCU’s School of Engineering auditorium, 601 W. Main St., Richmond. 

Florida is the author of the national bestseller “The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life,” which has stimulated a national debate about the causes and consequences of economic growth and development.  

Florida, who will be introduced by VCU President Eugene P. Trani, will engage in the discussion with five VCU professors:

• Donald J. Abraham, Ph.D., professor and chair, medicinal chemistry, conceived the Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, which is one of the first in the United States to integrate structural biology and drug discovery. 

• Joseph H. Seipel, professor, department of sculpture, associate dean for academic affairs and director of graduate studies, VCU School of the Arts, is an active artist with studio productions that are monumental in scale and range from conceptually based objects to multimedia pieces and robotics.

• Van R. Wood, Ph.D., professor of international marketing and Philip Morris chair in international business, VCU School of Business, is a specialist in international business and has worked as an international trade authority in Chile.

• Gary E. Wnek, Ph.D., professor and founding chair, chemical engineering, was co-recipient of the Eastern New York Intellectual Property Law Association ‘Inventor of the Year’ award for the development of new membrane materials for fuel cell applications. 

• Rosalyn Hobson, Ph.D., department of electrical engineering, is an expert in the area of neural networks and control systems.  As one of the founding members of the faculty, she has worked extensively in course and curriculum development and has taught 11 classes. 

Walter R.T. Witschey, Ph.D., director of the Science Museum of Virginia, will moderate the discussion. Witschey also serves as president of the International Association of Science-Technology Centers and president-elect of the Virginia Academy of Science.

The panel discussion will serve as the inaugural Henry A. McGee, Jr. Lecture in Engineering, Technology and Society. This annual lecture is named after the founding dean of the School of Engineering and honors his creativity in setting the foundation for a thriving and successful School of Engineering. 

The panel discussion is free and open to the public.