Higher Education Advocacy Day at the State Capitol
takes place on January 12. |
Higher Education Advocacy Day Thursday
All faculty are invited to participate in Virginia Higher Education Advocacy Day, this Thursday, January 12 beginning at 8:30 am. Participants should meet at the Theater Row Building, at 730 E. Broad Street, 4th floor conference room. Read the Higher Education Advocacy Day position paper here. See the full schedule of events here. For more information contact Pat Cummins or Carmen Rodriguez. |
Grant Funding Info Session Tomorrow
 The Council for Community Engagement (CCE) provides one-year Community Engagement Grants and one-year Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) Partnership Development Grants. Award ups to $20,000 will be made for Community Engagement Grants. Awards up to $10,000 will be made for CEnR Partnership Development Grants. An information session will be held tomorrow, January 11th at 9:00am in room 3100 of the ALC, to assist in interpreting the guidelines and assess the feasibility and merit of project ideas. Proposals are due by February 24, 2017. Learn more or contact Tessa McKenzie for more information. |
VCU's Annual Report Website Now Live
VCU's recently announced the creation of an Annual Report website with information, stories and facts from the 2015-16 academic year. The theme of the annual report is "What would Virginia Commonwealth University be without 'yes'?" Interdisciplinary Science alum and current Master's student in Biology, Kevin Amir Ghaffari, founder of the non-profit I RISE, is one of the featured stories. The College's 2015-16 annual report can be viewed online here. |
|
HRC Spring Schedule of Events
 The Humanities Research Center has announced its Spring 2017 Speaker Series: What the ‘Literary Greats’ Have to Say to Us Today. Topics include Is Shakespeare Beyond Race?, What’s it Worth? Shakespeare’s Value Then and Now, From Whiteboys to White Nationalism: A Joycean Prophecy of the Trump Phenomenon, and Jane Austen Then and Now: Reinventing a Literary Legend. See the full schedule and list of speakers here. The Spring 2017 Meet VCU's Authors schedule of speakers is also available here. |
Unconscious Bias Workshop Tomorrow
The Office of Faculty Affairs invites faculty to attend a workshop, "Unconscious Bias in the Classroom," on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in Hibbs Hall, Room 203. The workshop will be led by guest speaker Leslie Traub and will focus on how these unconscious or implicit biases manifest in educational settings, particularly with respect to the expectations of teachers and students. Register here. For more information, contact Tiffany Freitas. |
Quest Impact Awards Deadline Sunday
 It's not too late to apply for the Quest Global Impact Awards! The awards fund proposals to develop new and innovative programming in support of VCU’s global priorities, which are improving the recruitment and retention of international students and scholars, increasing the global engagement of VCU students and faculty, and expanding VCU’s global footprint through our research, teaching and service. The deadline for submission is Sunday, January 15th by 5:00pm. The winners will be announced no later than March 1, 2017. Learn more and apply. |
|
Evans Named ACSM Fellow
 Ronald Evans (Kinesiology and Health Sciences) was recently named a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, recognizing his professional achievement and competence in the related disciplines of sports medicine via education, published works, and professional practice. ACSM advances and integrates scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. Congratulations Ronnie! |
Apply to be a VCU Globe Faculty Fellow
VCU Globe is accepting applications for their Faculty Fellows program. Applications from faculty in a wide variety of academic disciplines are encouraged. Fellows teach an upper-level 3-credit seminar/elective course to VCU Globe students. The application deadline is Friday, Jan. 20. For more information, contact Jill Blondin at jblondin@vcu.edu or visit the VCU Globe website. Apply here. |
|
|
Disney Institute Coming to VCU
 The Disney Institute's professional development course, Disney's Approach to Quality Service, will be coming to VCU on June 1, 2017. This one-day event is being sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and is open to the public. Early-bird registration is $400 for VCU attendees and closes on February 17th. Learn more and register here. |
State of the University Address Jan. 26
 President Michael Rao invites you to join him for the State of the University Address on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 11am in the Cabell Library Lecture Hall, Room 303. Seating is limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP by January 24. For special accommodations, contact Arianne Dowdell at (804) 828-8851. |
Celebrating the Legacy of MLK
 VCU will be holding MLK Celebration Week from January 16 - 27, 2017 to honor and raise awareness of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There will be educational programs and activities, including a book collection drive, candlelight vigil, campus climate discussion, and keynote speaker, Morehouse College professor Marc Lamont Hill. Learn more about the week's events. |
|
Help Us Publicize Your News and Events
If you have news to share this is a great place to do it! Please submit news and events to Janelle Scutt at jscutt@vcu.edu. 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! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cliff Edwards (World Studies) was honored at the December University Commencement ceremony with VCU's Presidential Medallion. He was recognized for his 40 years at VCU. His many achievements include developing our religious studies program. He has also received the VCU Excellence in Teaching Award and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, Outstanding Faculty Award. The Presidential Medallion, established in 1984, recognizes individuals for their extraordinary achievement in learning and commitment to the mission of VCU. Congratulations Cliff!
Dr. Chioke I'Anson (African American Studies) has recently been a featured voice on NPR stations across the country. After attending a storytelling conference at NPR in June, and winning funding from the NPR Story Lab, the director told I'Anson he liked the way he sounded and to keep in touch. He then auditioned and the rest is history! This spring he will be teaching a special African-American studies course on podcasting, Podcasting While Black. "It is my hope that the students in this class will come away with better communication skills and a better sense of the available opportunities in public radio.”
Sixto Cancel (Political Science '15) was recently named a 30 Under 30 - Social Entrepreneurs (2017) by Forbes Magazine. When attending VCU he was a part of the first pre-accelerator cohort through the Venture Creation University program. He is the creator and CEO of Think of Us, a web and mobile life-coaching platform that helps foster youth navigate their transition to adulthood. 
