Commencement Speaker Announced
Kay Coles James, former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, will deliver the featured address during VCU’s 2014 December commencement ceremony. James has also served as Virginia secretary of health and human resources, dean of the School of Government at Regent University and assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During the commencement ceremony, James will be awarded the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, VCU’s highest form of recognition. Details are at VCU News. |
Great Place Initiative Holiday Contest
The CH&S Great Place Initiative and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences have partnered together to create a Walking Team for the College. Faculty and staff have until 5:00 pm today, December 9, to submit a name for the Walking Team. The name that receives the most votes will be chosen as the official name of the CH&S Walking Team and the faculty or staff member who submitted the name will receive a prize. View the flyer here. |
Be a VCU Globe Faculty Fellow
 VCU Globe is now accepting applications for its Faculty Fellows program. Fellows teach VCU Globe students upper-level 3-credit seminar/elective courses which cover a variety of topics. Eligible applicants hold full-time appointments within academic units at VCU, work as adjunct faculty at VCU or represent a Richmond-area community partner. The application deadline is Jan. 23. For more information and to apply, click here. |
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Panbehchi to Display Photography
 Lulú De Panbehchi, instructor in the School of World Studies, will present an art show at the Richmond Public Library on January 2. The show, Liquid Visions in Pink and Blue, is part of the RVA First Friday series. Lulú makes her photographs with toy cameras and film that has been soaked in a solution of water and household cleaners, food, medicine, and other ingredients. She discusses her work at pechakucha.org. |
New CreateAthon Executive Director
 Peyton Rowe, an associate professor of advertising in the Robertson School, has been named executive director of CreateAthon, one of the marketing industry’s leading pro bono programs. Peyton has been involved with CreateAthon for ten years. She brought CreateAthon onCampus to VCU in 2008. Since then, 68 nonprofit organizations have benefited from more than an estimated $1.3 million in pro bono services. Read more here. |
Holiday Open House
The annual VCU Holiday Open House will be held on Tuesday, December 9 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Student Commons, hosted by President Rao. View the invitation here. |
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Humanities Conference Proposals Due
The 2015 Virginia Humanities Conference, which will be hosted at Marymount University in Arlington, will be organized around the timely theme of The Humanities and/in the Public Sphere. The deadline for receipt of panel proposals is Monday, December 15. The conference will take place April 10-11, 2015, and proposals can be submitted online here. Proposals for PANEL sessions should identify all participants and include both an overview and a brief abstract of each presentation, where possible. |
Work/Life Resources Fair
On December 10, Work/Life Resources hosts a fair in the University Student Commons, Commonwealth Ballroom B.
Attendees will have the opportunity to visit vendors who offer discounts to VCU employees. Click here for a list of participating vendors. For more information, please contact Debbie Fitzgerald at dmfitzge@vcu.edu.
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Donations for VCU Family in Need
An employee in the College has a son living in Texas whose family has survived a hurricane but they unfortunately lost all of their possessions. The College will be collecting monetary donations and gift cards until December 10 to help this family through a difficult period. Read more about their story here. For questions contact Michelle Wilde at jmwilde@vcu.edu. |
Faculty Council Update
Our Faculty Council is reviewing and updating the College's bylaws this year, and will continue to review Departmental bylaw changes. They will also be considering topics to include: SACS reaccreditation and the revised QEP, the concept of shared governance, the proposed revisions to VCU's budget model, and the potential of using ePortfolios as an assessment tool in the College. If you have suggestions or concerns regarding the College's Bylaws, please email Sarah Seashols-Williams at sseashols@vcu.edu before December 9. Visit their webpage for meeting dates, minutes, and more. |
Diploma Ceremony Schedule
 Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 13. The schedule of our Departmental Diploma Ceremonies can be found here. Visit the College's Google calendar to add individual ceremonies to your calendar. More graduation information can be found at VCU's Commencement website. |
Enjoy the Holidays!
If you have news or an event coming up in January let us know! Our first newsletter of 2015 comes out January 13. We will submit your news and events to the VCU Calendar, Telegram, this newsletter and our social media outlets. Keep your colleagues informed by keeping us informed! |
Dr. William Bosher Jr., Professor of public policy and education in the Wilder School, died Sunday, November 30. A funeral service was held December 5 at Fairmount Christian Church. In a recent President's post Dr. Rao wrote that he remembered Bill as a "thoughtful, creative and respected educational leader in Virginia, who did as much as anyone I know to help ensure that generations of young Virginians had every chance to pursue their dreams." Read more of Dr. Rao post 
Claudia Emerson, former poet laureate and professor in the Department of English, died Thursday, December 4. A memorial service will be held this Thursday, December 11, at 2:00 pm. at Second Presbyterian Church, 5 N. Fifth St., in downtown Richmond, and another at 11:00 am, Friday at Chatham Presbyterian Church in Emerson’s hometown of Chatham, in Southside Virginia. The Claudia Emerson Fund has been established for those wishing to contribute. More details 
Dr. Jeffrey Gibson, BS Biology ’87, recalls his first taste of academic research assisting Dr. Charles Blem and Dr. John Pagels in the Department of Biology collect salamander specimens from the banks of the James River after flooding. The opportunity to gain hands-on experience alongside other student and faculty researchers was enough for Jeff to know he wanted to explore more opportunities in campus laboratories. The skills and encouragement Jeff received during those first specimen collections in 1986 have informed 20 successful years of medical research and collaboration. “It was VCU that helped give me that foundation.” Read more about Jeff and his work on our 
