VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business will host its first ever artist-in-residence during the upcoming 2016­–2017 academic year.

Celebrated artist Noah Scalin will help the school institute its new strategic plan, which aims to drive the future of business through the power of creativity. Scalin will conduct several creative-thinking seminars, guest lecture in courses, create large-scale artwork installations with the students and spearhead a 30-day Creative Sprint challenge in October and during the spring semester. These will connect VCU School of Business students, faculty and staff with elements of the strategic plan through experiential learning, creative problem-solving curricula, innovative research and creative culture.

“Having an artist-in-residence is unique for a business school and will distinguish VCU as a leader in combining business and creativity,” said Ed Grier, dean of the VCU School of Business. “Creativity is one of the most sought-after skills for 21st-century business leaders and VCU is at the cutting edge in recognizing the value artists can bring to the table in this area.”

VCU is at the cutting edge in recognizing the value artists can bring to the table.

Scalin founded and co-runs the art and innovation consulting firm Another Limited Rebellion, which works with clients such as GE, Altria, Capital One, Gap, Intuit and Mozilla. He is creator of the Webby Award-winning Skull-A-Day project and the author of five books on art, design and creativity. His art has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally, including the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago and Krause Gallery in New York. He has been featured in dozens of publications, including Fast Company, Business Destinations, Wired, USA Today, The Telegraph and The New York Times.

The VCU School of Business ranks in the top 5 percent of business schools worldwide due to its AACSB International-accreditation. The school offers a wide range of programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels. As a top urban, public research university, students are encouraged to make cross-disciplinary connections while pursuing their passions within the field of business.

The school officially launched its strategic plan in spring 2016. Current achievements of the new strategic plan include a required creativity and ideation course for all sophomore business students and an EPIC idea challenge, where faculty, staff and students pitch ideas to receive funding to take on new impactful initiatives.

For more information, contact Katherine Oliver at lkoliver@vcu.edu.