Book smart Donations to the Friends of VCU Libraries annual book sale translate to support for rising student leaders
Why we give ...
“I have never felt obliged to donate to VCU; I simply want to donate. I want to give back to the next generation of students. I value the degrees that I’ve earned from VCU, which is why I want the future of VCU to be even more extraordinary. The growth and innovative technology that I have seen throughout the campus since I have graduated is outstanding. It feels rewarding to know that in some small way, I have been able to contribute to that growth.” Michelle Ferrera (B.S.’01/E; M.S.’01/HP) Black & Gold Loyalty Society member with her husband, Marc Ferrera, M.D. (B.S.’99/H&S; M.D.’03/M), with seven consecutive years of giving
The Black & Gold Loyalty Society honors donors and their partners who have made gifts to VCU for five or more consecutive years. To learn more about the Black & Gold Loyalty Society, visit support.vcu.edu/loyalty.
The men’s chorus performs “There Is Nothing Like a Dame” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit musical “South Pacific.” See article, Page 24.
Photo Steven Casanova, VCUarts
Features idea 2 Novel A partnership with the Friends of VCU Libraries advisory
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On the same page
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The gift that keeps on giving
board gives the Emerging Leaders Program a percentage of the libraries’ book sale profits for community projects.
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Class act
A doctor spearheads a fundraising campaign to galvanize his former classmates to create a student scholarship in memory of their late friend.
An early reading program based at the School of Education has helped more than 2,200 families and children, thanks to years of support from the Virginia Literacy Foundation. Strong philanthropic support from longtime donor C. Kenneth Wright (H.L.D.’11) has the benefit of inspiring further research funding in the form of federal grants.
On the cover Joy Tran and Shelby Forosan, students and Friends of VCU Libraries book sale volunteers
Photo Jud Froelich
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Jay E. Davenport, CFRE • Assistant Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Engagement Melanie Irvin Seiler (B.S.‘96/H&S), miseiler@vcu.edu Development and Alumni Communications Kristen Caldwell (B.S.’94/MC), kcaldwell2@vcu.edu; Emma Coates, ekcoates@vcu.edu; Mitchell Moore (B.S.’07/MC; M.S.’08/E), mooreml3@vcu.edu; Jud Froelich, ajfroelich@vcu.edu; Brelyn Powell, blpowell@vcu.edu Impact is published quarterly by the Virginia Commonwealth University Office of Development and Alumni Relations. The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the editorial staff or the university. © 2019, Virginia Commonwealth University, an equal opportunity, affirmative action university campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 1
NOVEL IDEA THE FRIENDS OF VCU LIBRARIES BOOK SALE FUNDS STUDENT PROJECTS T O TA C K L E C O M M U N I T Y I S S U E S B Y B R E LY N P O W E L L
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Photo Jud Froelich
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fter the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, that occurred during a racially charged protest in August 2017, Shelby Forosan and a group of her peers from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Emerging Leaders Program saw an opportunity to promote healing when they returned to campus for the fall semester. “Charlottesville is so close to Richmond, so it felt very close to home,” Forosan says. “It seemed like we needed some kind of event to talk about hate and show that it won’t be accepted on campus at VCU.” An initiative of the VCU Division of Student Affairs, the Emerging Leaders Program provides scholarship assistance to a select group of students and supports their development as rising leaders on campus through curricular and cocurricular experiential learning opportunities. As part of the program, students work in groups to identify problems on campus or in the surrounding community and then develop projects to solve them.
Friends of VCU Libraries board volunteer Scott Tilley (left) sorts books alongside Emerging Leaders Program students Joy Tran and Shelby Forosan and fellow Friends of VCU Libraries board volunteer Renate Forssmann-Falck.
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Patrons at the Friends of the VCU Libraries book sale in October 2018
Forosan and her project group spent the fall 2017 semester planning and organizing an event in spring 2018 to encourage thoughtful conversation about how VCU students could combat hate by embracing diversity and treating others with respect. They set up a booth at the entrance of VCU’s University Student Commons where students could fill out thought-provoking surveys and sign a pledge to respond to hate constructively and with civility. Before joining ELP in her first year at VCU, Forosan was uncomfortable initiating controversial conversations. Now she mentors other students as an ELP intern and is comfortable not only having these conversations but also encouraging them among others. “I’m usually shy and reserved,” she says, “but ELP has helped me develop my communication skills and made me feel more confident stepping outside of my comfort zone and speaking up about issues that are important to me.”
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Other ELP projects have included a peer mentorship program to help students with disabilities acclimate to the university, a program to help transfer students transition to VCU and an initiative to enhance faculty-student interaction outside the classroom. In previous years, ELP students were also responsible for raising money to fund their community projects. Fundraising took up many hours, giving the students less time to implement their ideas. But in 2016, ELP entered a labor- and profit-sharing partnership with the Friends of VCU Libraries advisory board that involved promoting and staffing the group’s annual book sale. In return, 30% of the sale’s profits are donated to ELP to cover all expenses for student projects. “Each group requests funds to support their initiatives,” says Jimmie Gahagan, Ph.D., who oversees ELP as director of VCU’s LEAD living-learning program. “Typically, each group receives between $200 and $400, but the amount can vary depending on the scope of their work.”
Because of this partnership, Forosan and her teammates knew they could dream big for their event without the burden of wondering whether they could afford it. They used their portion of the profits to provide food and refreshments for students who visited their booth. “Knowing that we had funding from the book sale, we were able to put our focus on reaching out and connecting with students,” she says. “It helped us keep our attention on our project goals.”
LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
Photo VCU Libraries
Thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs, all donated by members of the community, are sold at discounted prices each year at the Friends of VCU Libraries book sale. By partnering with ELP, VCU Libraries now shares what has long been a steady source of funding for their programming with student leaders making a difference on campus. Preparation for the sale begins several months out and requires many hours of staff and volunteer time. Collecting, sorting and displaying the hundreds of boxes of donated books is a physically taxing process, but having a dependable pool of student volunteers has brought a renewed energy to the effort, says Friends of VCU Libraries member Scott Tilley. “The book sale is so important to the VCU Libraries community, but it is a major undertaking to pull off,” he says. “The ELPs are an outstanding group of young people. They rise to every challenge, working right alongside us. They’re polite, respectful and true team players – eager to learn from us and each other.” Volunteering at the book sale gives ELP students an opportunity to practice the leadership skills they are learning in the program. “We see it as a leadership laboratory,” Gahagan says. “They’re learning about leadership in the classroom, but during the book sale, they get to actually apply those skills in their interactions with patrons, board members and other volunteers.” Working with the Friends of VCU Libraries also exposes ELP students to examples of leadership in action. “The Friends of VCU Libraries have such rich, diverse professional backgrounds,” Gahagan says. “Not only do the students get to know them through the partnership, but they get to witness how they voluntarily give their time and energy to benefit the VCU community.”
For ELP intern Joy Tran, a third-year math major and aspiring teacher, this has been particularly inspiring. “Leading by example is important to me,” says Tran, who plans to graduate in 2020. “It’s nice to see university leaders set that standard in their work with students, and I hope to set a similar example for my students one day.” The collaboration is mutually beneficial, says VCU Dean of Libraries and University Librarian John Ulmschneider. “The Friends are thrilled with the opportunity to work with VCU’s energetic and engaged students, and students embrace the opportunity to learn from Friends members,” he says. “It’s an enriching experience for everyone.”
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The book sale has surpassed each previous year’s revenue since the Friends of VCU Libraries joined forces with ELP in 2016, with the 2018 sale raising $21,360. The partnership has exceeded all expectations, Gahagan says, and their 30% share provides more than enough funding to cover ELP’s student projects. The surplus proceeds are used to purchase promotional and recruitment materials for the program. “We are actively exploring new ways to use the leftover funds to support experiential learning opportunities for students,” he says. “Funding can be hard to come by for students considering studying abroad or accepting ONLINE EXTRA To hear an unpaid internship, so we are from ELP students about how developing a program that will the program has affected use the surplus money to provide their VCU experience, visit support.vcu.edu/elp. small grants for ELP students who are interested in those opportunities.” This effort, Gahagan notes, aligns with the university’s Relevant, Experiential and Applied Learning initiative, which seeks to engage students in meaningful, hands-on work directly applicable to their personal and professional goals. “It’s just such a unique partnership,” he says, “and we want to continue using the proceeds in ways that enhance the VCU student experience.” To learn more about VCU Libraries, contact Kelly Gotschalk (B.F.A.’90/A; M.A.’97/A), director of development and major gifts, at (804) 827-1163 or kjgotschalk@vcu.edu.
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Class act School of Medicine graduate spearheads scholarship drive for late classmate BY JULIE YOUNG
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Photo Bonnie Arbittier/Rivard Report
Ramesh Grandhi, M.D., in his previous role at the University of Texas Health-San Antonio
n fall 2006, Ramesh Grandhi, M.D. (M.D.’07/M), received a Dean’s Merit Scholarship from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “It is always humbling to realize that your educational institution cares to make a difference in terms of easing the financial burden on students,” says the White Plains, New York, native. “It will always be something for which I will be exceedingly thankful.” Just 17 months after receiving the scholarship, Grandhi experienced a tragic personal event that ultimately moved him to establish a scholarship to benefit others. In fall 2007, Grandhi’s former School of Medicine classmate and close friend Suzanne Munson, M.D. (M.D.’07/M), began experiencing flu-like symptoms while working as a resident in pediatric psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Munson underwent lung surgery for an unremitting pneumonia. She suffered complications and died from a pulmonary embolism that December. Grandhi and Munson had met in Washington, D.C., while he was pursuing a master’s degree at Georgetown University. They reconnected at VCU and became close friends in their medical school social circle in Richmond, Virginia. “No one had a bad thing to say about her,” Grandhi says. “She was just a delightful person, quirky and funny.” After graduating from VCU, Grandhi entered residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center specializing in neurosurgery, then joined the faculty of the University of Texas Health-San Antonio as a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon. In 2018, Grandhi left Texas for the University of Utah, where he is now an assistant professor of neurosurgery with a research focus on patients with brain and cerebral vascular injuries. Grandhi’s friend was never far from his thoughts throughout his eight years of training. He wanted to memorialize her in some way, but lacked the time and financial resources. But in 2015, Grandhi began to rally his medical school classmates around the idea of establishing the School of Medicine Class of 2007 Suzanne F. Munson M.D. Memorial Scholarship in Munson’s memory. Grandhi made a $10,000 gift and solicited his classmates via Facebook, letters and emails. He enlisted the help of Andrew Bogle, M.D. (M.D.’07/M), an orthopaedic surgeon in Richmond, Virginia, and his Class of 2007 Reunion co-chair, in hopes of funding the scholarship by the class’s 10-year reunion. campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 7
Ramesh Grandhi (left) with former classmates Jennie Draper and Andrew Bogle at the School of Medicine Class of 2007 Reunion in 2017. Right: Suzanne Munson and Grandhi
Bogle, too, had received scholarship support in medical school. He was an enthusiastic fundraiser and donor. “I understand the gratitude these gifts can provide,” Bogle says. “I am proud that future students will be able to reflect on their gratitude in light of Suz’s memory.” Gifts poured in from friends from her medical school, undergraduate and high school days. Munson’s parents were overwhelmed. Her mother, Frances Gompf, says her daughter spoke of Grandhi frequently during her time at VCU. “She loved who he was, depended on him for support and valued his friendship deeply,” Gompf says. “So when Ramesh contacted us about starting a scholarship fund in her name, all the praise she gave to him was now coming from her father, brother and myself. He is all she said he was.” The Suzanne Munson scholarship reached the $50,000 threshold needed to establish a medical school student scholarship 8 • Impact
To learn more about the School of Medicine Class of 2007 Suzanne F. Munson M.D. Memorial Scholarship or the 1838 Campaign in the School of Medicine, contact Amy Lane, Ph.D., interim associate dean for development, VCU School of Medicine, at (804) 827-4937 or amy.lane@vcuhealth.org.
Photo Kevin Morley, University Marketing
endowment in December 2018, when Grandhi made an additional $5,000 gift. Beginning in the fall, the scholarship will be awarded annually to an incoming medical student based on academic merit and/or financial need. “Creating the scholarship for Suz has been an important way for her classmates to remember her effervescent personality, kindness and dedication to her patients,” Bogle says. “She was a perfect embodiment of the spirit of our class and our school.” The scholarship is part of the School of Medicine’s 1838 Campaign, which aims to provide scholarship support to recruit and reward top students and to reduce student debt. “Through the medical school’s 1838 Campaign, we aim to build a scholarship endowment that’s on par with our peer schools,” says Peter F. Buckley, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “We cannot get there without the help of our alumni. Dr. Grandhi’s personal generosity as well as his leadership in encouraging his classmates to join him in creating this tribute to Dr. Munson is a marvelous way to honor her memory and extend her legacy far into the future through its support of aspiring physicians.” Munson’s mother says Grandhi has given her family a forever gift. “I cannot help but think that that magic spark he brought to Suzanne’s life will be passed on to the recipient of the scholarship he started in her name,” Gompf says. Grandhi hopes that Munson will be remembered at VCU as a joyful, caring and energetic healer. “The most important thing,” he says, “is that the student recipient will learn about the person who is being honored and understand that through this wonderful soul, we are able to give a small opportunity or gift to a deserving individual.”
Occupational therapy doctoral student Kealah Pou (left), VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., College of Health Professions Dean Emeritus Cecil Drain, Ph.D., College of Health Professions Senior Associate Dean Alexander Tartaglia, D.Min., VCU Health System CEO Marsha Rappley, M.D., and MCV Foundation board Chair Harry Thalhimer cut the ribbon on the new building.
VCU cuts ribbon on brand-new College of Health Professions building Representatives for the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Health Professions cut the ribbon in March on a 154,000-square-foot building that provides a unified space for its faculty, staff, students and nationally ranked programs. The building, designed to meet LEED Silver certification standards, opens for classes in the fall, coinciding with the college’s 50th anniversary. For the first time, all nine academic units, the doctoral program in health-related sciences, the dean’s office and the Virginia Center on Aging will be housed in the same building. Over the years, these programs have occupied 13 buildings and most recently were scattered among five buildings on two campuses. The building, which includes a west-facing, eight-story wing and a south-facing, four-story wing, is equipped with learning laboratories for patient simulation and diagnostic technology. Each of the floors features formal and informal spaces designed to promote interprofessional education and collaboration among the health professions specialties. Flexible classrooms have been imagined with student engagement and distancelearning opportunities in mind.
“This collaborative, state-of-the-art space will unite the College of Health Professions’ skilled faculty, staff and students under one roof for the first time in its 50-year history,” said Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of VCU and the VCU Health System. “The combination of these talented people, along with the college’s nationally top-ranked programs, put VCU on the path to becoming the premier academic health center on the East Coast.” Cecil Drain, Ph.D., dean emeritus of the College of Health Professions, led the push for the new building. The ribbon-cutting also marked Drain’s retirement after a 22-year tenure as dean. “Health professions, such as nurse anesthesia, physical and occupational therapy, and radiation sciences, comprise more than 60% of the health care workforce,” Drain said. “This new building will enable the college to provide a consistent supply of excellent practitioners to address ongoing patient needs.” To learn more about the College of Health Professions, contact T. Greg Prince, senior director of development, at (804) 828-7247 or tgprince@vcu.edu.
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Late rector’s endowment supports women’s leadership development
Photo Allen Jones, University Marketing
Before her death in January, the former rector of the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, Phoebe P. Hall, made a pledge to establish an endowment in the VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs that will support leadership development opportunities for women through the school’s Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute.
Phoebe P. Hall
The Phoebe P. Hall Endowed HIGHER Ground Leadership Fund will provide need-based scholarships for GEHLI’s HIGHER Ground Women’s Leadership Development Program and honoraria to engage high-profile speakers for the HIGHER Ground program and annual conference. The pledge was made in honor of Hall’s friendship with pioneering VCU administrator Grace E. Harris, Ph.D. (M.S.W.’60/SW), who died in February 2018. “Grace and I shared a commitment to encouraging women to see themselves as leaders,” Hall said in a November 2018 interview. “We both recognized how critical it is for women’s voices to be heard. Women have so many unique strengths, and leadership development programs like HIGHER Ground help women learn to leverage those strengths.” 10 • Impact
A pioneer herself, Hall began practicing law when very few women were joining the profession. “When I was in law school, there were very few women, so there were few role models to look to as guides for how women lead,” Hall said. She became the first female public defender in Richmond, Virginia, and founded and managed her family’s law firm, Hall & Hall PLC, for 50 years. Specific criteria for the distribution of Hall’s endowment is under consideration, but GEHLI Director Nakeina DouglasGlenn, Ph.D., says awards will be granted in accordance with Hall’s values for advancing, developing and connecting female leaders. “This award represents Mrs. Hall’s commitment to the continued well-being and development of the community,” Douglas-Glenn says. “It will allow us to provide development opportunities that will enrich the lives of others and widen the doorways of progress for leadership equity.” Hall’s family has requested that those who want to honor her memory do so by making a gift to the Phoebe P. Hall Endowed HIGHER Ground Leadership Fund. “Many of the things I’ve accomplished in my life happened because other people encouraged me and made me feel capable,” Hall said. “Initiatives like HIGHER Ground inspire women to develop that vision for themselves early in life and give them the skills they need to set goals and achieve them.” To learn more about the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, contact James Wasilewski, director of development, at (804) 828-6205 or wasilewskijr@vcu.edu.
Massey Cancer Center team shares update with Florida friends
Event co-hosts Tom and Vickie Snead (left) and Betty Sue and Todd LePage
Photo Brian Jannsen, Avant-Garde Images Inc.
Vickie (B.S.’76/B) and Tom (B.S.’76/B; H.L.D.’12) Snead, accompanied by co-hosts Betty Sue and Todd LePage, welcomed about 70 friends of VCU Massey Cancer Center to their Naples, Florida, home for an evening event showcasing Massey’s recent achievements and vision for the future. Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and Massey Cancer Center Director Gordon Ginder, M.D., spoke about philanthropy’s critical role in advancing cancer research. Patrick Nana-Sinkam, M.D., the Linda Grandis Blatt Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and member of the Cancer Cell Signaling and Cancer Prevention and Control research programs, shared details of his team’s work, which includes research surrounding the early detection of lung cancer. Ray Slabaugh, Massey advisory board member and a cancer survivor, offered a firsthand account of how the research and high-caliber care at Massey is saving lives, including his own. “Gordon Ginder is my hero,” Slabaugh said. “Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I believe that continued and increased investment in Massey’s cutting-edge research will save
more lives by supporting breakthroughs that Massey can translate into revolutionary treatment options.” The event was the culmination of a weeklong effort in the region to expand Massey’s presence. John McCarty, M.D., director of the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant program, participated in a number of meetings to highlight Massey’s progress with innovative CAR T-cell therapy, and several advisory board members traveled from Richmond, Virginia, to advocate for the cancer center’s mission.
Photo Jud Froelich
Longtime donors host NYC event
VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., with Ricky (left) and Beth Mason
Elizabeth “Beth” (B.S.’84/H&S) and Richard “Ricky” (B.S.’83/H&S) Mason co-hosted 76 Virginia Commonwealth University alumni and friends at a spring reception in New York in conjunction with VCU’s appearance in the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament. VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., presented the Masons with medallions to induct them into VCU’s Founders’ Society, which honors those who make cumulative commitments to the university of $100,000 or more. The Masons have supported the School of Business, the Institute for Contemporary Art and the College of Humanities and Sciences, among other areas at VCU. “Giving back to VCU has given us so much joy,” Ricky Mason said. “We believe we are making a difference in the lives of students and faculty.”
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Keynote speaker Samantha Harris (center) with Women & Wellness 2020 Chair Connie Hom (left) and Women & Wellness 2019 Chair Mary Malone
TV host Harris helms 24th annual Women & Wellness event
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Photo Chris Ijams
Are your household cleaners doing more harm than good? Do you really know what ingredients are in your lunch? Samantha Harris, the Emmy Award-winning TV host best known for her roles on “Dancing with the Stars” and “Entertainment Tonight,” started asking those questions after she received a breast cancer diagnosis at age 40. Harris recently chronicled her quest for answers during her keynote speech at VCU Massey Cancer Center’s 24th annual Women & Wellness Breakfast and Luncheon. More than 600 people attended the fundraiser at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. Harris encouraged attendees to be aware of the potential health impacts of the products they put in, on and around their bodies. Additionally, a panel of Massey experts answered audience questions and emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of and recovery from cancer. Since its inception, the Women & Wellness Forum Series, which includes several different events throughout the year, has raised nearly $4 million for women’s cancer research at Massey. This year, it grossed $200,000. “This event offers a great opportunity to learn how small changes in our lives can help reduce our cancer risk,” says Mary Malone, chair of the Women & Wellness volunteer committee. “It’s also a celebration of what we can achieve when we work together toward a shared vision of a world without cancer.”
Nearly 400 scholarship recipients and their benefactors attended the 20th annual Virginia Commonwealth University Endowed Scholarship Dinner at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. The evening’s programming included remarks from VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and Mallory John (B.S.’11/ H&S), a Ph.D. candidate studying chemistry. John holds the Altria Graduate Assistantship in Chemistry and the Dr. Billy L. Stump and Dr. Raphael M. Ottenbrite Fellowship in Chemistry. The latter funded John’s attendance this May at the International Congress on Laser Advanced Materials Processing in Hiroshima, Japan. “While there, I will present my research and network with potential collaborators from all over the world,” John said at the event. “I am so grateful to have this amazing opportunity for my career and the chance to travel somewhere that I would have never dreamed of. None of it would be possible without the help and support of our generous donors.” The program also included a video showcasing the impact of private philanthropy on some of VCU’s first-generation students. Since the public launch of the Make It Real Campaign for VCU in 2016, more than 280 new endowed scholarships have been established across the university.
Photo Steven Casanova, VCUarts
Photo Michael Hostetler
Recipients meet donors at Endowed Scholarship Dinner
Donors Rick and Brenda Faulkner with scholarship recipient Sejahdah Douglas
VCUarts Dean Shawn Brixey (left) and VCUarts Physician-Scientist in Residence John Nestler, M.D. (right), with students Tommy Ryan, Mary Metzger, Calvin Price and Peter Manville, part of a da Vinci Center team developing a cart for distributing medication in hospitals
School of the Arts marks 90th anniversary with day of celebrations Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Dean Shawn Brixey welcomed students, faculty, alumni and friends April 18 at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center to celebrate 90 years of creative daring at the school. Theresa Pollak launched Richmond, Virginia’s first arteducation program for 20 students in 1928. Her goal was to create a comprehensive curriculum that would meet the individual needs of students, teach them to think independently and empower them to respond to the world. In the 90 years since, VCUarts has become one of the top-ranked schools for arts and design in the country, with nearly 3,000 undergraduates learning a range of creative and scholarly disciplines. It has expanded to include a campus in Doha, Qatar, and faculty who are leading creative practice globally. The day began with a luncheon for retired and current faculty, students, alumni, donors and community leaders. Then Brixey led a series of conversations about the school’s history with
emeriti faculty David Freed and Elizabeth King, Bobby Martin Jr. (B.F.A.’99/A), VCUarts Physician-Scientist in Residence John Nestler, M.D., and students from the da Vinci Center, a collaboration of VCU’s schools of the Arts and Business and colleges of Engineering and Humanities and Sciences. After, guests watched music students perform on instruments that had been created by craft and material studies students in response to the Rashid Johnson exhibit, “Provocations,” at the ICA. A reception followed at The Anderson that highlighted the 2019 MFA Thesis Exhibition, before a slate of dance, music and theater performances. Brixey told attendees that no matter when or how they first connected with the school, they had played an important role in its evolution. “I’m proud to be a part of this vibrant community,” Brixey said, “where we celebrate diverse perspectives, life experiences, cultural backgrounds and social identities, and where we embrace the arts as a catalyst for discovering new knowledge.”
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Tour elevates the alumni experience VCU Alumni embarked on a yearlong tour in January to bring new opportunities and programming to alumni. The 23-city tour started in Richmond, Virginia, and is winding its way across the country, with a final stop in Seattle in October. Each tour stop features events ranging from cultural excursions to family-friendly outings to industry networking sessions and social events that give alumni a chance to engage with other alumni in new ways. See the full tour schedule and view photos from past events at go.vcu.edu/elevatetour. 1
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VCU fans taking over the Today Plaza in New York City VCU professor-led lecture in Richmond, Virginia, on the opioid crisis Basketball watch party in San Francisco Alumni business owners networking event at Triple Crossing Beer in Richmond, Virginia Arts and entertainment industry discussion in LA Behind-the-scenes tour of the Dallas Cowboys stadium Atlanta alumni networking event at Park Bar Skyspace Experience in LA Alumni Emeriti Society brunch in Richmond, Virginia Future of fashion discussion in New York City Family day at VCU’s Cabell Library 11
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on the same page School of Education partnership with Virginia Literacy Foundation helps families support children’s development BY JULIE YOUNG // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUD FROELICH
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n an age in which it’s not uncommon for preschoolers to be addicted to technology, a literacy program called ExCELL has turned Valarie Wells-Bryant’s daughter, Sophia, into a bibliophile. “Before ExCELL, we only had city of Richmond library cards,” Wells-Bryant says. “Then we branched over to the county of Henrico library cards. Then we passed Atlee library. ‘Why can’t we go in there and get library cards?’ And then not too long ago, we drove past a Chesterfield library. Guess what? We have Chesterfield library cards!” If Sophia is on her iPad, her mother says it’s because she’s logging in the names and due dates of her library books. Sophia caught the reading bug during two years in ExCELL from 2016 to 2018 at the Fifth Street Baptist Church Child Development Center in the Northside area of Richmond, Virginia. She is now an impressive student at Victory Christian Academy on Chamberlayne Road. ExCELL – Excellence in Children’s Early Language and Literacy – aims to strengthen the early literacy component of federal Head Start programs for low-income families and the Virginia Preschool Initiative programs for at-risk children.
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Without the preschool literacy program, Sophia and her fellow ExCELL students could have been candidates for intervention for reading difficulties in elementary school. The early reading program is one of three literacy initiatives operated by The Literacy Institute at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education, alongside The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center and PluggedInVA, an education and career training program. The Literacy Institute was established in the School of Education in 2003 with grants and funds provided by the Virginia Literacy Foundation, with the goal of fighting illiteracy through research and programs for all ages. ExCELL provides a literacy coach to schools that request the program. It is headed by Cynthia Hutchinson (B.S.’80/E; M.Ed.’82/E), co-director of The Literacy Institute. Schools are chosen for the program on the basis of need, she says. “We generally work with school leaders and funding organizations to identify potential sites most in need of support,” Hutchinson says. “Funding typically comes from outside of the school systems – private foundations, nonprofit organizations such as United Way and some federal, state and Richmond city funding.”
Valarie Wells-Bryant reads to her daughter, Sophia, in a classroom at the Fifth Street Baptist Church Child Development Center in Richmond, Virginia.
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The program is three-pronged: Inspire the children, encourage the teachers and engage the families. Teachers receive professional development training from ExCELL literacy coaches every week and new classroom book sets and complementary materials monthly. The children receive books to take home. “Sophia loved getting the books, she loved opening the books, loved the family get-together when we would read the books to her,” says Wells-Bryant, a teacher who has taught prekindergarten classes at Fifth Street since 2015. “And then it was her turn to read the books back to us. She would guess the words, she’d make up her own stories. It opened up a whole new world to her. Sometimes she’d go way off-story. But that was OK.” Once a month, families at ExCELL sites are invited to a meeting to learn literacy strategies, receive materials, enjoy a free meal and child care services, and socialize with other parents. The materials include books, tip sheets on early language and literacy topics, and parent-child games.
empowering parents
Encouraging parents to become active participants is a crucial component of the program, Hutchinson says. “From these activities and resources, we hope that families better understand their child’s early development and their roles in supporting that development,” she says. “We’re also trying to empower the parents to have more effective conversations with teachers and be better advocates for their children. Many times, what drives good instruction is a parent saying, ‘I want to understand more; I want to know more.’” The teachers grow to love the support, too. “They really come to depend on it because the coach is not evaluative,” she says. “The coach is truly a thinking partner and a resource to the teacher.” The Rev. Linda Hickman-Pearson, program director of the Fifth Street Baptist Church Child Development Center, supervises eight classrooms with 108 preschoolers. Her 16 teachers and two administrators bought into ExCELL quickly during its two years at the center and attended professional development training one Saturday morning a month throughout the school year. The children were immediately enthusiastic about ExCELL, but parents were a tougher sell when it first was introduced. “They were pretty skeptical,” Hickman-Pearson says. “Our parents are confronted with many uncertainties. We have grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. We have single parents. We have parents who work two or three jobs. So the challenge was trying 18 • Impact
ExCELL coach Ruth McReynolds with a class at Summer Hill Preschool in Richmond, Virginia
to encourage them to come to meetings every way we could. We put little reminder stickers or bracelets on the children the day before the meetings.” A couple of parents attended one of the early meetings and word-of-mouth began to swell the numbers, Hickman-Pearson says. Hutchinson says parents who respond to post-ExCELL surveys indicate that they read more with their children, go to the library more and are more engaged with their child’s classroom. Ruth McReynolds, who was the ExCELL coach at Fifth Street and works with Hutchinson in numerous other schools across the state, says teachers have seen a positive increase in the PALS assessment. PALS – Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening – is a measure of young children’s knowledge of important literacy fundamentals that are predictive of future reading success.
As ExCELL children move through elementary, middle and high schools, tracking data is becoming available to affirm the value of the program.
training and support
ExCELL’s roots can be traced to the creation of the Virginia Literacy Foundation in 1986 under the direction of Mark Emblidge, Ph.D., and Jeannie Baliles, Virginia’s first lady from 1986 to 1990. In the early 2000s, then-VCU President Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., approached Emblidge, then-president of the state Board of Education, about strengthening the public-private partnership among the VLF, VCU and the Virginia Department of Adult Education. They agreed a family component was crucial to the literacy effort.
Between 2004 and 2012, the newly formed Literary Institute was awarded three Early Reading First federal grants that yielded about $13 million for the VCU School of Education. With these grants and philanthropic support from the VLF, ExCELL was created as a sustainable program that has operated successfully since 2008. It has now spread statewide, providing training and support to more than 206 teachers and more than 2,216 families and children, although its primary service area is in Richmond Public Schools. The VLF supports the institute’s adult and family literacy programs through challenge grants, direct consultation and program development training. Emblidge remains director of the VLF, which has given a total of $2.8 million to support The Literacy Institute since 2007 – 86% of that since 2012, when the Make It Real Campaign for VCU launched. As a result, The Literacy Institute and its programs have grown exponentially and can make a significant impact on numerous area children and adults in a relatively short time. Emblidge is excited and encouraged by the results of the institute’s programs, particularly the data on ExCELL. “There is a measurable difference in terms of test scores for those kids who get the parental support and the quality pre-K instruction,” Emblidge says. “When I was president of the state Board of Education, Tim Kaine was the governor, and he would say that one of the most important pieces of data in state government for him was the thirdgrade reading scores for kids, because there is a correlation between third-grade reading scores and dropouts. And so we would like to know by at least third grade that we have provided the foundation that these kids need in order to be successful in school.” Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Education, is a member of Virginia first lady Pamela Northam’s Children’s Cabinet on Early Childhood Development and School Readiness. He agrees with Emblidge’s assessment of the importance of The Literacy Institute’s work with ExCELL. “One of the most important needles to move is early childhood literacy,” he says. “It’s a critical issue. We’re excited, proud and pleased to have the support from the foundation for this work because it’s not an area where there’s incredible amounts of money. “Literacy may not be a sexy topic like cancer research or neuroscience or pharmaceutical engineering, but without early childhood literacy, we would not have individuals working in those disciplines.” To learn more about the VCU School of Education, contact Ed Kardos, senior director of development, at egkardos@vcu.edu or (804) 828-4692. campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 19
An advanced research-dedicated MRI scanner at the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research Photo Eric Peters, MCV Foundation
20 • Impact
THE
GIFT
THAT KEEPS ON
GIVING Scientists from VCU’s Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research stand out among competitors for NIH funding, thanks to significant donor support BY BRELYN POWELL
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 21
Longtime donor C. Kenneth Wright, for whom the CCTR is named, with center director F. Gerard Moeller, M.D.
E
lectronic cigarette devices are often touted as a safer alternative for smokers looking to quit. Recreational use of e-cigarettes has become more common, especially among teenagers and young adults, since the devices entered the market in 2007. The long-term health effects of e-cigarette use have yet to be determined, and researchers are playing a critical role in shaping the public discourse around how to adequately regulate e-cigarette products. Among these researchers is Rene Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. As a biomedical engineer, OlivaresNavarrete takes a cross-disciplinary approach to his research to improve treatments for patients with craniofacial and orthopaedic issues. Most recently, he conducted a study that demonstrat-
22 • Impact
ed for the first time that e-cigarette use during pregnancy can cause birth defects of the oral cavity and face. “So far, most e-cigarette research has focused on diseases like cancer and pulmonary disease because those are classically associated with smoking. But most e-cigarette users are young, and more immediate concerns for that age group are growth, development and reproductive health,” Olivares-Navarrete says. “In many cases, women who use e-cigarettes during pregnancy have been told by doctors that the devices are healthier than conventional cigarettes. We want people to know what the consequences may be so that they can make informed choices about using these products.” In the study, frog embryos exposed to mixtures of saline and various e-cigarette vapors developed craniofacial defects such as cleft palates. The next step, Olivares-Navarrete says, is to determine exactly which elements of the vapor cause the defects.
FOUNDATION OF SUPPORT
Photo Eric Peters, MCV Foundation
Supporting cross-disciplinary research like Olivares-Navarrete’s is one of the primary goals of VCU’s C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Established in 2007, the center provides resources to encourage collaboration among VCU investigators and students, community partners and government organizations to advance the scientific study of human health. The Wright Center offers a range of services, such as training for early-career investigators and consulting to help with planning, implementing, conducting and disseminating research, which are open to researchers from any department or school within the university. The center also has several mechanisms in place to provide grant funding for research projects. Last fall, Olivares-Navarrete received a grant from the Wright Center to fund his current research to pinpoint how e-cigarette vapor causes craniofacial defects. Olivares-Navarrete has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health for some of his e-cigarette research, but federal funding is increasingly difficult to secure, he says. “NIH funding is extremely competitive,” he explains. “Sometimes the difference between your proposal and another is the amount of institutional support you have behind you.” Wright Center Director F. Gerard Moeller, M.D., says that funding from within a researcher’s institution, such as the grant that Olivares-Navarrete received from the center, indicates the strong institutional support that NIH reviewers often look for when awarding grant funding. “Because of various cuts to the federal budget, the NIH wants to know that their funding will build on a foundation of support that is already there,” he says. The Wright Center can provide this level of support for its researchers, Moeller says, thanks in part to private philanthropy from donors such as C. Kenneth Wright (H.L.D.’11), whose first gift to the center, of $16 million, named it in 2015. With the gift from his foundation, Wright enhanced the center’s abilities to recruit distinguished researchers from around the country and to prepare top students for careers in research by establishing six C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Distinguished Chairs in Clinical and Translational Research and the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Physician-Scientist Scholars Program, named for Wright and his late wife, Dianne. In 2018, he renewed his support with a $5 million gift to help the center expand its biomedical informatics program.
The Wrights developed close relationships with many VCU Health care providers while Dianne received treatment for ovarian cancer at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Since her death in 2013, Wright has honored her memory by supporting research efforts across the university. “Dianne lived for 12 years after she was advised she had cancer, and she didn’t change her lifestyle one bit,” Wright says, adding that his ultimate hope is that his support will lead to advancements that let other patients thrive despite their illness. “We traveled all over the world in that time. She didn’t waste those years. I know she would be glad that I’m doing this.”
FUNDING FUTURE DISCOVERIES
The biggest NIH award the Wright Center has received so far is a five-year, $21.5 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in May 2018. The largest NIH grant ever awarded to VCU, it will provide the funding the Wright Center needs to support groundbreaking research like OlivaresNavarrete’s and unite academic, community and industry partners to improve community health and health care. Just as his contributions help researchers like OlivaresNavarrete earn NIH funding, Wright’s philanthropic investments in the center’s work were, at least partially, responsible for helping VCU secure the historic grant, Moeller says. “In getting this award, we joined a consortium of 58 research institutions, and very few of those hubs have the kind of philanthropy that Mr. Wright has provided for us,” Moeller says. Over the course of his relationship with VCU, Wright’s giving has had a transformational impact throughout VCU. “The Wrights came to VCU with a big vision, a strong resolve to accomplish that vision and a deep commitment to using their talents and resources to change the world,” VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., said of the couple in 2015. “Through their deep generosity, Dianne and Ken have forever changed our great university. We owe them a debt of gratitude for investing so much into VCU and, more importantly, its people.” To learn more about the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, contact Brian S. Thomas, vice president and chief development officer at the MCV Foundation, at (804) 828-0067 or brian.thomas@vcuhealth.org. O N L I N E E X T R A To hear more about the impact of private philanthropy on the CCTR, visit support.vcu.edu/wright.
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 23
Students thank their donors at MCV Campus Scholarship Brunch
Photo CSI LLC
Nursing student Andrea Berger (left) with Nursing Dean Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and Judy Collins, RN, WHNP (Cert.’75/N)
24 • Impact
Isjah Byrd sings “So Far” from the musical “Allegro,” accompanied by the VCU Symphony.
Loyal donors gather together to enjoy ‘Something Wonderful’ The Virginia Commonwealth University W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts was alive with the sounds of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II during a performance for members of the Founders’ Society, Heritage Society, Medical College of Virginia Society, Pollak Society and Black & Gold Loyalty Society, as well as other alumni and friends. “Something Wonderful: A Rodgers and Hammerstein Concert” marked the first time that singers from the departments of Music and Theatre in the VCU School of the Arts had come together for a collaborative performance. Backed by 50 instrumentalists from the VCU Symphony, the students performed more than 20 songs from productions including “Oklahoma!,” “The Sound of Music,” “The King and I,” “Carousel” and “South Pacific.” Before the performance, VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and School of the Arts Dean Shawn Brixey acknowledged the impact of the audience’s philanthropy. “Whether you’re a longtime supporter of VCUarts, the School of Medicine, the College of Engineering or the university at large,” Brixey said, “you’ve helped make this a place where our students have creative daring that fuels the frontier of discovery.” To learn more about the School of the Arts, contact Anna E. von Gehr, executive director for development and strategic initiatives, at (804) 8283189 or aevongehr@vcu.edu.
Photo Steven Casanova, VCUarts
Nearly 300 scholarship donors, recipients, faculty members and leaders from across Virginia Commonwealth University’s MCV Campus came together at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, for the 2019 MCV Campus Endowed Scholarship Brunch. This year, there are 413 endowed scholarships available on the MCV Campus – 25 more than the last academic year. Through these scholarships, students from the VCU schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy and the College of Health Professions received $2.7 million in support. Andrea Berger, a student in the accelerated B.S. track in the VCU School of Nursing who is a recipient of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship, told attendees at the MCV Foundation-hosted event that she developed a passion for health care as a bilingual patient advocate and clinic manager at nonprofit health care provider CrossOver Healthcare Ministries in Richmond, Virginia, before she was a student. Speaking on behalf of scholarship donors, Terri Powers (B.S.’78/P) shared the story of her parents’ sacrifices while they were starting a business and saving to educate their four children. “My mom and dad started their business to educate their four children, and because they did, I was able to pursue my passion without financial burden,” Powers said. “What better way to build upon their legacy than to help the students at my alma mater, where my rewarding career began?”
Pollak Society goes behind the scenes at VCUarts’ cinema program Pollak Society members visited the facilities of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts’ cinema program this spring and stepped into a movie scene as extras. The event gave visitors a behind-the-scenes look at cinema students’ collaborative projects. VCUarts Dean Shawn Brixey welcomed members to the VCUArts Depot and explained how their contributions enable fast-growing programs like cinema to change the ways art is considered in society. J.M. Tyree, distinguished visiting professor from the University of Cambridge in England, who is teaching classes in the department, shared the accolades that have affirmed the VCUarts program as a leader among undergraduate film programs. Then, students grabbed their cameras and microphones and flipped the space into a film set to re-create a scene from one of their summer projects. Gifts from Pollak Society members benefit all arts disciplines by supporting student scholarships, travel opportunities and professorships. For example, members’ gifts have provided the cinema program with industry-standard equipment, 35 mm film and special effects technology and
Theatre alumnus Jerry Williams (B.F.A.’71/A) with a cinema student
have supported veteran faculty and the hiring of actors for students’ productions. Members of the Pollak Society receive exclusive access to special events such as music and theater performances, exhibit previews, international trips and opportunities to engage with VCUarts leadership and faculty. To learn more about the School of the Arts, contact Anna E. von Gehr, executive director for development and strategic initiatives, at (804) 8283189 or aevongehr@vcu.edu.
Photo VCU Libraries
Donors attend Black History Month Lecture
Moderator Jeffrey Blount (left) with panelist Christy Coleman
VCU Libraries welcomed guest speakers at the libraries’ annual Black History Month Lecture in February with a reception in the Cabell Library Lecture Hall. Funded by the Friends of VCU Libraries, the reception gave longtime library donors and friends the opportunity to bring colleagues and friends to campus to engage with library life. Every year, the VCU Libraries Black History Month Lecture spotlights a timely subject related to African American history and culture. In 2019, the lecture focused on the African American veteran experience. It featured panelists Christy Coleman, executive director of the American Civil War Museum; Adriane Lentz-Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of African and African American studies and women’s studies at Duke University; and Kiara Boone, deputy director of community education at the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative. Awardwinning TV director and author Jeffrey Blount (B.S.’81/MC) moderated.
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 25
Artist Lively with his mural Photo Jud Froelich
Arts graduate Matt Lively lends his talent to mural project at VTCC Richmond, Virginia, artist Matt Lively (B.F.A.’93/A) recently completed a mural measuring 100 feet long and 10 feet high along a hallway in the inpatient area of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, the pediatric behavioral health arm of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University and the child and adolescent division of the VCU Department of Psychiatry. Like much of the VTCC’s art, the mural depicts the James River and the wildlife around it. “The wall was long, so the river was an appropriate subject,” Lively says. “As patients and staff walk down the hall, they can 26 • Impact
virtually walk along the river bank and spot more than 150 animals along the way.” Lively is one of several local artists creating commissioned murals at the VTCC, thanks to a $100,000 art-acquisition gift from the Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Murals allow me to speak to the community without being there,” says Lively, who painted a mural in the lobby of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU in 2016. A graduate of the VCU School of the Arts, Lively is happy to have his work displayed at the university.
Alumna’s gift supports student wellness initiatives
Throughout the process of painting, he kept in mind those who would be impacted by his work. “My focus was on the parents and kids who would be visiting,” he says. “From sketching to installation, I tried to put myself in their shoes. I wanted to give them familiar imagery to distract them from what might be a scary and unfamiliar situation.” To learn more about the VCU VTCC and the Department of Psychiatry, contact Lynn Meyer, director of development, at (804) 827-6297 or lynn.meyer@vcuhealth.org.
As an anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician, Helen J. Kim, M.D. (M.S.’98/M; M.D.’03/M; H.S.’04/M), specializes in supporting the health and well-being of others. Through a $25,000 gift to support Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, she aims to promote wellness among medical students. The gift, from Kim and her husband, John Hayashi, in support of the Make It Real Campaign for VCU, established the Helen J. Kim, M.D. and John Hayashi Medical Student Wellness Education Fund to provide annual financial support to the Project HEART Student Wellness Program. This program aims to offer education and training to medical students to increase their wellness and resilience. Examples of planned activities include a painting class, a mindfulness meditation session and several faculty-led discussions on wellness topics. “Medical school can be a very stressful time, and physician wellness was not discussed when I was completing my studies,” Kim says. “I hope this fund provides medical students with positive outlets to find joy and support during their training. If they’re feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping, I hope this gift will help them connect with professional support before their troubles get out of hand.” Kim is a Southern California Permanente Medical Group physician who works in the anesthesiology department at Kaiser Permanente’s Riverside Medical Center in Riverside, California. In 2016, she was asked to be a physician wellness champion for the center and helped provide wellness-focused activities and resources for physicians. To learn more about supporting the MCV Campus, contact the MCV Foundation at mcvfoundation.org.
campaign.vcu.edu support.vcu.edu • 27
$1.75 million gift is largest in School of Education history A recent $1.75 million estate gift to provide scholarships for full-time upper-level and graduate students is the largest donation in the history of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education. The pledge, from Elise Blankenship, Ed.D., a retired associate professor in the school, will be added to the Jean E. Lokerson and M. Elise Blankenship Endowed Scholarship in Education, which Blankenship previously created to honor her friend and colleague, Jean Lokerson, Ph.D., emerita associate professor. Blankenship and Lokerson came to VCU in 1974 as part of an effort to enhance the school’s newly approved graduate program in learning disabilities. They taught at the school for more than 22 years, and both remained active at VCU until Lokerson’s death in 2016. “I very much enjoyed my tenure at the VCU School of Education, and the same joy was expressed by Jean so many times,” Blankenship says. “Best of all was the joy of working with our students in the learning disabilities program. They were enthusiastic, energetic and committed to their education.” Lokerson and Blankenship traveled nationally and internationally to help teachers and parents understand underlying causes of learning disabilities. “We are honored to receive this gift from Elise Blankenship on behalf of Jean,” says Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Education. “Through this fund, we will keep their dream alive to teach the teachers of the future so they can transform the lives of those we serve in our communities.” To learn more about the School of Education, contact Ed Kardos, senior director of development, at (804) 828-4692 or egkardos@vcu.edu.
Anne Cabot Galeski University gift officer VCU Office of University Development (804) 828-3844 acgaleski@vcu.edu
Bryan Heinitz Assistant to the director of development VCU Department of Psychiatry (804) 628-3878 bryan.heinitz@vcuhealth.org
Michelle Holder Stewardship coordinator VCU School of Medicine (804) 827-4935 michelle.holder@vcuhealth.org
Brenna Monk Annual giving coordinator VCU School of Medicine (804) 628-5813 brenna.monk@vcuhealth.org
Sarah B. Neely (B.S.’14/H&S) Officer of annual giving and corporate sponsorships VCU Libraries (804) 827-3616 neelysb@vcu.edu
Katharine E. Stein (B.F.A.’15/A) Gift stewardship and special events coordinator VCU School of Pharmacy (804) 827-2524 steinke2@vcu.edu
Campaign counter
Anna E. von Gehr
$745M
$750M GOAL To learn more about the Make It Real Campaign for VCU, visit campaign.vcu.edu.
28 • Impact
Development team welcomes new members
Executive director for development and strategic initiatives, VCU School of the Arts (804) 828-3189 aevongehr@vcu.edu
“We’re trying to reinvent how drugs are produced in the 21st century. Everything’s produced by batch, and it’s very costly. If we can drive down the cost, we can increase the access.”
Frank Gupton
At VCU, making an impact is what we do. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why we launched the Make It Real Campaign for VCU. How will you help us support people, fund innovations and enhance environments?
Make your impact at campaign.vcu.edu. an equal opportunity/affirmative action university
Virginia Commonwealth University Development and Alumni Relations Box 843042 Richmond, Virginia 23284-3042
“The world-class education and training I have received at VCU have helped shape me into the leader and clinician I aspire to be. I am grateful to have been the first recipient of the Brenda Wands and Ed Wood Scholarship. This generous award exemplifies the values of giving back to your community and fostering leadership – values that I plan on carrying forward as I move toward my goal of becoming a leader within the field of nurse anesthesia.” Zee Bakhtiar College of Health Professions, Class of 2019
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