2023-2024 Annual Report by Jamie Taylor

Message from the Interim Dean - Page 2

Meet the Team - Page 3

Strategic Pillars - Page 4

Facts & Figures - Page 5

Pillar 1: Growth in Enrollment - Page 7

Pillar 2: Student Success - Page 15

Pillar 3: Diverse Student Engagement - Page 29

Message from the Interim Dean

Together We Transform

As we reflect on the past year, I am thrilled to share the progress within our Graduate School community Our vibrant population of 5,550 graduate students from 71 countries, with 25% identifying as underrepresented minorities, highlights the rich diversity that enhances our academic environment

We launched the Office of Professional Development this year, offering training, workshops, and career support With nearly 60 programs and over 900 participants, it equips students with essential leadership and innovation skills In April, we conducted the Graduate School Annual Survey with a 14% participation rate, providing valuable feedback; a full report will be released before the 2024-25 academic year Our collaboration with SEMSS to implement the SLATE system has enhanced our enrollment management, communication, applicant tracking, and coordination with Admissions, improving the overall applicant experience

Our Graduate School team has been recruiting both internally and externally, promoting graduate education at institutions such as Hampden Sydney College, Longwood University, and the University of Maryland The Longwood Get on the Bus visit to VCU was successful in attracting diverse students Additionally, Graduate Enrollment Services have changed to improve services for students and advisors, with our digitization campaign resulting in fewer follow-ups and more timely approvals, demonstrating our commitment to efficiency and responsiveness

As of July 2024, we are anticipating an increase of over 30% in graduate student matriculations for fall 2024 Building on these achievements, I am confident our Graduate School community will continue to thrive, fostering academic excellence, inclusivity, and innovation Let's look forward to the new opportunities and successes ahead Thank you for your dedication and commitment

Warm regards,

Manu Gupta, Ph.D.

Interim Dean of the Graduate School

Meet the Team

Manu Gupta, Ph.D. Interim Dean

Grace Albritton, M.F.A. Fiscal Coordinator

Rochelle H Jordan, Ed D Director of Analytics and Strategic Initiatives

Melissa W. Tyler, Ed.D. Associate Dean

Dawn Fields Crichlow, M.Ed. Director of Graduate Student Services

Daryl M King Graduate Enrollment Services Assistant

Jeffery L. Wilson, Ph.D. Associate Dean

Erin Brown, Ph.D. Director of Professional Development

Sarah Steele, M A , M Ed Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment Services

Haya Hamid Recruitment and Outreach Specialist

Jamie L Taylor, M B A Executive Assistant and Program Manager

Graduate School Strategic Pillars

The Graduate School at Virginia Commonwealth University has identified three pillars of emphasis in its strategic plan These three equally important pillars are student success, growth in graduate enrollment, and diverse student engagement. Student success drives the reputation of VCU’s graduate programs, which in turn drives growth in enrollment and diversity of its student body. Diversity of the student body is essential to attract and retain more talented students and thus it drives student success and overall enrollment These three pillars are therefore strongly connected to each other

Our mission and core values

The Graduate School is committed to cultivating an inclusive environment where we: Engage: Collaborate with campus partners to enrich the graduate student experience at VCU

Advocate: Champion graduate student success from acceptance to graduation

Inspire: Promote the delivery of high-quality graduate education, scholarship, training, and innovation

Lead: Provide expertise and guidance on graduate policies and best practices, using data-driven decision-making

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The VCU Graduate School recognizes that in order to maintain and deliver highquality graduate education, we must embrace and celebrate the unique differences among the graduate community on our campus As such, we take pride in striving to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusive practices resonate in every facet of our work It is this diversity that makes VCU a vibrant and engaging laboratory for a well-rounded graduate education experience for all members of our treasured community.

Our commitment is to collaborate with schools and colleges to ensure increased enrollment and retention of graduate students from historically underserved and underrepresented populations, remain inclusive in practice, and demonstrate an appreciation and respect for all in every aspect of their identities

Growth in Enrollment Student Success Diverse Student Engagement

Graduate School Facts & Figures

Our students are Unparalleled

5,550

students (fall 2023)

of the total enrollment at VCU in fall 2023 was graduate students 19.4% of students in fall 2023 identified as underrepresented minorities 25% countries represented by our international graduate students 71 of graduate students are nonresident 28% of graduate students enrolled full-time in fall 2023 60%

3,197

masters students (fall 2023)

graduate programs in the U.S. News & World Report top-50 rankings 22

1,911

doctoral students (fall 2023)

most innovative public universities in the U.S. Top 20

220

public research university by National Science Foundation Top 50 certificate students (fall 2023)

Graduate School Growth in Enrollment

In fall 2023, VCU had a graduate student population of 5,550, which was 19.4% of the total enrollment.

Demographic shifts in the high school population have led to a decrease in undergraduate enrollment nationally The Graduate School will devote the necessary resources toward enrollment growth.

An area for future enrollment growth at VCU is our capacity to attract and retain graduate students The Graduate School continues to participate in the institution’s implementation of SLATE, the customer relationship management system, to integrate and support graduate enrollment management functions.

Graduate School Growth in Enrollment

Enrollment management

Collaborative efforts across the university have positively impacted the enrollment of graduate students in master's and doctoral degree programs This year, VCU saw growth in applications to graduate studies, offers of acceptance, and enrollment for the upcoming academic year.

Enrollments in both

Graduate School Growth in Enrollment

Graduate Education Innovation Program (GEIP)

The Graduate Education Innovation Program features a distinct tuition and fee structure for out-of-state and international students in select master's programs in the School of Business and College of Engineering.

College of Engineering

MS in biomedical engineering

MS in computer science

MS in mechanical and nuclear engineering

MS in engineering

Aerospace engineering

Chemical and life science engineering

Electrical and computer engineering

Engineering management

Environmental and sustainable engineering

Rehabilitation engineering

Systems engineering

Tissue engineering and regeneration medicine

School of Business

MA in economics

Masters of decision analytics

Accounting analytics (STEM)

Data science in business (STEM)

Financial analytics (STEM)

Marketing analytics

Master of accountancy

MS in business

Finance

Marketing management

MS in information systems

Expansion of the GEIP program to include other schools/colleges and their programs.

$26,100 for engineering programs GEIP Tuition Costs

$27,200 for business programs

Cost estimates are based on completing the 30 credit hour program (10 courses) with the following assumptions: program is completed in 3 semesters no prerequisite courses are needed

Graduate School Growth in Enrollment

Recruitment and outreach

Graduate recruitment events

Members of the Graduate School team recruited internally and externally to promote graduate education:

Network for Undergraduate Research (NURVA) graduate recruitment fair hosted by Hampden Sydney College

Longwood University Career, Graduate School, and Internship Fair

Longwood Get on the Bus visit to VCU

University of Maryland, Baltimore County McNair Research Conference and Graduate Program Recruitment Fair

VCU Student-Athlete Career and Internship Fair

The Recent Alumni Master's Opportunity is designed to help Ram baccalaureate graduates further their education and grow their career opportunities by pursuing a master's degree at VCU By taking advantage of this opportunity when applying for admission to a master's program for spring, summer or fall 2024, a student can benefit from:

$70 graduate application fee waiver

One-time $500 scholarship upon full-time enrollment for credit in one of our master's programs (Virginia residents only)

Development of additional pathway programs to drive enrollment into some of VCU’s most innovative programs.

Graduate School Growth in Enrollment

Recruitment and outreach

The Graduate School collaborated with the schools/colleges to plan a fall virtual graduate studies open house on Thursday, October 26 The event was attended by 835 prospective students. The Graduate School provided application fee waivers to 319 attendees who requested them when applying to a master's or doctoral program

Planning for a fall 2024 virtual graduate studies open house is underway Graduate School team members will attend the NDiSTEM conference in October This is the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the country The Graduate School is sponsoring representatives from the School of Medicine to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Confrence for Minoritized Sciences (ABRCMS) in November 2024

Virtual VCU graduate studies open house

master’s degrees awarded

1,425 Graduates 2023 - 2024 doctoral degrees awarded 434 graduate certificates awarded 188

The Graduate School, with the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support, compiled graduate student admission statistics (applications, acceptances, enrolled) and enrollment statistics (fall), Total enrollment, demographics), and graduation statistics (time to degree, completion rates) for each graduate program These statistics, which will be updated annually, will aid program directors and deans in assessing their graduate programs

The data will also inform potential applicants about the demographics of the graduate program and graduation rates.

Looking ahead:

The Ph.D. graduation rate at VCU has increased by 13% in the past 5 years.

At VCU, the percentage of doctoral recipients who are underrepresented minorities is 14 5% (an increase of 70 5% over the past 5 years)

At VCU, the percentage of doctoral recipients who are black or African American is 9 5% (a decrease from 21-22), but the number of recipients has doubled over the past five years

Reporting:

Survey of Graduate Students and Post doctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) At VCU, The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) gathers information annually from approximately 50,000 new research doctorate graduates from U S universities about their educational histories, funding sources, and postdoctoral plans

CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees is the single national source of data on graduate enrollment and applications across all fields of graduate study.

Graduate School Student Success University Graduate Council

The University Graduate Council (UGC) is the governing body of the Graduate School UGC meets at least three times each fall and spring semester to take action on new graduate programs, courses, program revisions and policy revisions.

During the academic year, UGC revised the General Requirements for Admission to the Graduate School to bring the requirements in alignment with our peer institutions

GPA: For admission to graduate study at VCU, the Graduate School requires an undergraduate GPA of 3 0 or better, however, an individual department may waive this requirement as identified through a holistic review of an application For students with earned graduate degrees from accredited institutions, the graduate GPA may be the primary basis for consideration.

Letters of recommendation: Letters of recommendation from instructors or professional references in the applicant’s intended field of study may be required. Applicants are encouraged to visit individual department and program sections of the Graduate Bulletin for information about specific requirements.

Statement of intent: Applicants are encouraged to visit individual department and program sections of the Graduate Bulletin for information about specific requirements

Proof of English proficiency: Expand the list of countries that qualify for the English Language Requirements waiver and update the Duolingo English test with TOEFL

192

Course proposals reviewed

323 Curriculum proposals reviewed

Graduate faculty 1,273

Affiliate graduate faculty 485

Graduate Dean’s Advisory Committee

The Graduate Dean's Advisory Committee (GDAC), comprising School/College Associate Deans for Graduate Education and other university stakeholders convenes regularly to address significant matters concerning graduate education at VCU GDAC advises and collaborate with the Graduate Dean on a broad variety of issues related to the graduate education curriculum, policy, retention, and graduate student success.

Graduate School Student Success Professional development

The Graduate School Professional Development Office was launched in the fall of 2023 Led by Dr Erin Brown, Ph D , the office aims to provide a full range of training opportunities, research and grant-related workshops, well-being, career support, and other events curated to empower and support graduate students as they pursue their academic and professional goals.

Graduate teaching assistant support

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) support was provided in multiple ways this year to ensure that GTAs felt supported and prepared to work with students in a teaching capacity An orientation was held at the beginning of the fall semester and more than 120 students attended. This included information on student accessibility, student conduct, and teaching best practices

Additional workshops

GTA Workshop Series - a virtual lunch and learn where topics included inclusive teaching, maximizing Canvas, collaborative teaching, learning, and reflection.

Mentoring

Beginning in fall 2024, all GTA’s will be required to complete a fully online, self-paced orientation through Canvas.

The Graduate School Mentoring Program Steering Committee, comprising twelve graduate students from both campuses, convened biweekly throughout the spring semester to strategize the relaunch of the Graduate Student Mentoring Program (GSMP) in fall 2024 Adopting a 'for us, by us ' approach, the committee crafted a program aimed at pairing undergraduate students aspiring for graduate studies with graduate mentors This initiative aims to enhance understanding and preparation for navigating graduate studies effectively.

Opportunities for research presentation

The 27th Annual Graduate Research Symposium saw an increase of 15% in student participation with 101 students participating this year Efforts were made to increase participation resulting in representation from 11 schools/colleges and 47 programs. This included providing opportunities for students to learn about and ask questions through symposium information sessions, poster design sessions hosted in collaboration with VCU Libraries, and Undergraduate Research Opportunities to prepare students for the event as well as poster fee waivers for students unable to shoulder the financial cost of participation

Three Minute Thesis challenges graduate students to discuss their research using one static slide in three minutes This year ’ s competition brought together 30 students from various disciplines to share their work Students were assessed on their presentation skills and the winner, Guleer Shahab, was selected to represent VCU at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools 3MT competition in Greenville, SC Her research investigates the diversification of health systems data to include the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) community in cancer equity research

The Graduate School Travel Grant Program program provides funds to support graduate students presenting their research or academic work at conferences, summits, etc Through this program, the Graduate School will provide financial support of up to $500 for eligible graduate students

Graduate School Student Success Professional development

Careersupport

BeyondGraduateSchoolandBeyondtheProfessoriateareone-of-a-kind,online platformsthatprovidegraduateandpostdoctoralstudentsaccesstoresourcessuchas liveandrecordedevents,careerresources,trainingopportunities,andworkbooks Inits secondyear over354studentsaccessedtheplatform a50%increaseoverthepilot year.

CareerExplorationWeekwasheldforthefirsttimeNovember6th 10th Duringtheweek theOfficeofProfessionalDevelopmentpartneredwithVCUCareerServicesandVCU BusinessCareerServicestoprovidestudentswithopportunitiestoreflectontheirfuture careeroptions

ExperientialLearningWeekwasheldforthefirsttimeonFebruary5th-9th This collaborationwiththetransformativelearningteamintheProvostOfficeandVCUCareer Servicesprovidedopportunitiesforstudentstolearnaboutexperientiallearning opportunitieslikeservicelearningthroughinteractivepanelsandworkshops.Students alsoattendedtheannualInternshipandExperientialCareerFairtonetworkwithpotential employers.

GraduateStudentFellowshipsWeek,heldfromSeptember4thto8th,wassponsoredin partnershipwiththeNationalScholarshipOffice Theeventfeaturedinformativesessions, Q&Asessions,andpanelsfocusedonfellowshipopportunitiessuchastheCritical LanguageScholarship,BorenFellowship,Fulbright,andPresidentialManagement Fellowship

TheCommonwealthofVirginiaEngineeringandScienceFellowshipisa12-week fellowshipprogramoftheVirginiaAcademyofScience,Engineering,andMedicine (VASEM) Graduatestudentfellowsserveasscienceadvisorsinavarietyofpossible placements,includinglegislativeoffices,executiveagencies,orprominentcompaniesand nonprofitsinthestateofVirginia.Fellowsgainexperiencebyservingtheirhostofficeand performingrelevanttaskssuchasresearching,drafting,andrevisingrelevantpolicies. FellowsarealsopairedwithaVASEMmemberwhoservesasanexperiencedscience policymentorthroughoutthefellowship. 2023COVESFellowsHostPlacements:

Preparing future faculty

The Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFFP) at VCU offers a series of short courses and professional development opportunities for graduate students interested in pursuing careers in higher education. This year, a PFFP steering committee consisting of program faculty and graduate students convened to develop a strategic plan for the future of the program which includes transitioning from the current transcript notation model to a 12credit online certificate The inaugural PFF Faculty Fellows are Drs Maike Philipsen and Sharon Zumbrunn, both hailing from the VCU School of Education

Current PFFP course offerings include:

GRAD 601: The Academic Profession

GRAD 602: Teaching and Learning

GRAD 606: Internship/Externship in Professional Teaching

OVPR 603: Responsible Conduct of Research

The Professional Development Office partnered with faculty from the University College to offer a special topics course, GRAD 691, for students interested in a 1-credit opportunity to gain direct experience working with a seasoned faculty member conducting community-engaged research and/or teaching. Eight students from six schools/colleges participated in the pilot. There are plans to consider ways to continue and scale up the initiative through strategic partnerships with faculty and programs

Lookingahead:

Launch a 12-credit online certificate program for PFFP

Expand elective options that supplement graduate program offerings that are interdisciplinary and broadly relevant to graduate studies

Other Graduate School course offerings:

GRAD 610: Career and Professional Development Planning for Graduate Students

GRAD 611: Professional and Personal Development

GRAD 612: Oral and Presentation Skill-Building

GRAD 615: Biomedical Sciences Career Seminar

GRAD 616 Becoming an Entrepreneur

Graduate School Student Success

Professional development

Digital badging

The Graduate School has developed four professional development badges through VCU Continuing and Professional Education. Badges serve as digital credentials that students can display to demonstrate achievements. Badges include:

Presentation of Research (Foundational and Intermediate)

Introduction to Mentoring (Foundational) and Teaching Best Practices (Foundational)

123

During Graduate Student Appreciation Week in April, the Graduate School Annual Survey was distributed to all registered graduate students This survey aimed to collect feedback on Graduate School services and programming and to gauge graduate students' satisfaction with their academic programs

Lookingahead: badges have been awarded

Create a full report with key themes, student comments, and Graduate School action steps will be disseminated prior to the start of the 24-25 academic year

Graduate School Student Success

Graduate student funding

Graduate student support

A central function of the Graduate School is to allocate graduate student support funds to the schools/colleges to provide assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships These funds support the schools/colleges for recruiting, retaining, and graduating masters and doctoral students

To align with the University’s larger goals, the Graduate School is evaluating a metricbased model for recalibrating the allocation methodology

Allocation methodology:

Number of accepted applicants (a measure of program demand)

Number of enrolled graduate students (reflecting enrollment in the program Program completion rate (a measure of the performance of the program)

Externally funded assistantships

Graduate

School scholarship

The Graduate School provided the schools/colleges funding to create scholarships for new master's students to aid in recruiting the best and brightest students into our master’s program The scholarship provides $2,500 to assist in defraying tuition and fees upon verification of enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours

in scholarships were distributed for the academic year $206,250

Outstanding master’s thesis and distinguished dissertation awards

To recognize the contributions of VCU alumni, the Graduate School awarded VCU Outstanding Master’s Thesis and Distinguished Dissertation Awards. Each winner received a certificate of recognition and a $500 award

Awards to a recipient in each of the following categories:

Life Sciences

Math, Physical Sciences and Engineering

Social Sciences, Business, and Education

Dissertation assistantship

The Graduate School Dissertation Assistantship program is for Ph D scholars who have completed all program requirements, including didactic courses, except for the dissertation and who will defend the dissertation and graduate by the end of the semester for the award period

2023-2024 dissertation assistantship recipients:

College of Engineering (4)

College of Humanities and Sciences (7)

School of Medicine (1)

School of Nursing (1)

School of Pharmacy (2)

VCU Life Sciences (1)

Wilder School (1)

Student Health Insurance

Continuing to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the health insurance program to other student populations

The Graduate School continues collaborating with the Provost Office to administer the university health insurance program to all full-time Ph.D. students, first professional students (D.D.S., M.D., Pharm.D.) and international students (those on F- and J-visas)

Graduate School Student Success Graduate enrollment services

Graduate Enrollment Services provides support to graduate studies after formal admission and enrollment through final preparation for graduation close out We assist graduate studies in troubleshooting student issues regarding Graduate School policy, provide easier access to admission for returning students, acclimate new faculty and staff as needed with introductory workshops to better assist enrolled graduate students, and work individually with units to track and resolve enrollment concerns.

Policy and procedure updates

To align with the University’s larger goals, the Graduate School is evaluating a metricbased model for recalibrating the allocation methodology

Course overloads and late grades

During the 22-2023 academic school year, the Graduate School worked in collaboration with the Office of the University Registrar to simplify the process of late grading and overload changes Approved fall 2024, effective fall 2025, incomplete grade extensions and late grading have been removed from the special action form and are completed either directly through the University of the Registrar

Historical repeat

Seventy-two programs participated in the historical repeat policy taking advantage of new methods to guide graduate students toward degree persistence. Buy-in of the policy option has been opened each academic year since initiation in fall 2022.

Special action form (SAF)

The special action DocuSign form was revised for rollout in fall 2024 offering new options for submission efficiency, tracking, archiving, and record purging Over 900 requests were evaluated and processed during 2023-2024 and continued outreach to assist programs with student issues before the need for SAF is ongoing

An updated Docusign Special Action Form has been designed and will launch in the fall of 2024

Graduate School Student Success

New strategies for more consistent communication were explored and implemented through individual meetings with graduate program directors and support staff by the Director of Graduate Enrollment Services targeting best practices for enrollment management.

Admissions

Methods to reduce the burden of returning graduate students were explored by the Graduate School and Office of Admissions resulting in additional questioning on the graduate application for re-admit student identification effective fall 2025 The Graduate School continues to work with the Office of Admission in the creation of a reduced application and fee scale for graduate re-admitted students

Degree candidacy review

The Graduate Enrollment Services team reviewed the current degree candidacy process to identify any issues, which resulted in the removal of the requirement for the IRB and IACUC protocol numbers on the form that launched on April 17, 2024

Electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) defense deadline

Intending to eliminate requests for the extension of submitting ETD materials, the Graduate School implemented a deadline for students to defend their theses and dissertations. This date is published in the academic calendar and will occur two weeks before the Graduate School’s ETD submission deadline each semester beginning in the fall 2024 semester

Subwaiver trend analysis

This analysis is conducted annually in the fall It identifies frequently repeated sub/waiver requests that could be eliminated or greatly reduced with changes made to the Graduate Bulletin The graduate subwaiver submissions total for 2023-2024 is 2,103.

Transfer credits

A reduction in academic provisional to full and transfer credits was experienced as the dynamics of our incoming graduate student population shifted Thirty transfer credits and more than 20 academic provisions to full admission transactions were completed.

Violation of continuous enrollment

Annual violation of continuous enrollment review was complete. Responses from eleven schools/colleges resulted in sixty-three student account closures.

Graduate School Student Success Graduate enrollment services

Outreach to graduate studies

Brown Bag Lunch with the Graduate School

The Brown Bag Lunch with the Graduate School series is a once-per-semester meeting during which the Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment Services meets with graduate support staff and faculty to:

Provide updates to Graduate School processes

Host a guest speaker on topics relating to graduate studies

Field questions and address concerns relating to processes

Topics from this year:

Best practices for recruiting graduate students

Professional development opportunities for graduate students

Updates to Graduate School forms and processes

Taking care of your mental health at work presented by VCU University Counseling Services

Scholarship opportunities for graduate students presented by the National Scholarship Office

Working with Graduate Enrollment Services

graduate program directors and support staff attended the Brown Bag Lunch series this semester.

Beginning in spring 2023, Working with Graduate Enrollment Services is an opportunity for the Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment Services and Director of Analytics and Strategic Initiatives to meet regularly with all schools’ and colleges’ graduate support staff and graduate program directors This meeting series serves as a supplement to the Brown Bag Lunch series by providing an introduction to graduate policies procedures and the reporting center to new graduate faculty and staff and as a refresher for anyone interested

Graduate School Diverse Student Engagement

Diversity drives excellence

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) institutional award

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) created the State Doctoral Scholars Program in 1993 to address the long-standing national shortage of underrepresented minority faculty by providing a comprehensive package of support to increase the number of minority scholars who earn a Ph D and seek careers as faculty members VCU became a partner institution of SREB in 1995 Since then, 78 VCU Ph.D. students have graduated from the Doctoral Scholars Program In the fall of 2015, the Graduate School expanded this partnership by creating an SREB-Institutional Doctoral Scholars Program to further support Ph.D. students interested i th f hi

Dr Melissa Tyler, Assoc

ed with the 2023 “Extra Mile" accolade for her e g and Mentoring Program in Tampa, Florida The Institute is the nation’s largest annual gathering of underrepresented doctoral students and college faculty members of color

new recipients of the SREB university award began the program in fall 2023

of VCU McNair graduates immediately enrolled in a graduate program 50%

Ronald E. McNair

The VCU Ronald E McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program supports thirty-six students from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds It promotes educational equity by collaborating with campus partners like the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Developing Men of Color, and You First at VCU First-Generation Student Success and Research Center to enhance McNairspecific programming As an R1 institution, VCU offers many research-based programs, however, the McNair Program's focus on graduate school preparation, doctoral degree attainment, and mentorship provides holistic support for students from marginalized backgrounds to plan and achieve their future goals. In 2023, six McNair students graduated in May, with three immediately enrolling in graduate programs.

A key component of the VCU McNair Program is the structured 10-week McNair Summer Research Institute, which aims to increase graduate school enrollment rates among low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students This program includes 30 hours of weekly research experience with a faculty mentor, writing development, standardized test preparation, cultural enrichment, professional development, career planning, and assistance with graduate and scholarship applications in collaboration with Financial Services and the National Scholarship Office. At the end of the summer institute, participants present their research findings to the VCU community through oral presentations and poster sessions at national undergraduate conferences, such as other McNair conferences and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS)

Diversity drives excellence Graduate School Diverse Student Engagement

Graduate Student Appreciation Week

Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week was established by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students in 1993 and is celebrated the first week of April each year Graduate Student Appreciation Week at VCU was held April 1st-5th to celebrate the important role that graduate students play on campus The week featured sessions and activities aimed at supporting and recognizing the contributions, impact, and value of graduate students

The week included:

Culturally Competent and Inclusive Response Session

Connecting Across Cultures: A Practical Guide to Job Hunting in the U S

First Friday at the Institute of Contemporary Art Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reception with keynote speaker Dr. Kevin Harris, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the VCU School of Medicine

Headshot sessions

Mindfulness Yoga

Trivia night

Scan the QR code to read the latest news from the Graduate School

Student engagement activities

Graduate student newsletter and weekly announcements

The Graduate School continues to share weekly announcements, resources, and events for graduate students from across VCU via weekly email announcements. These announcements are shared with all enrolled graduate students In addition, a quarterly newsletter highlights the latest news stories from the Graduate School

Story highlights:

Bridging Science and Legislature: Graduate Fellows are Shaping Virginia’s Future

From Spreadsheets to Art Direction: Niani Patterson’s Journey to the Brandcenter Graduate Students Find Success with Beyond Graduate School and Professoriate Platforms

Go to Grow - Usha Mahawar’s Travel Grant Experience

Travel Grants Support Graduate Student Professional Development - A Q&A with 3rd Year PhD Student Keandra Davis

New student orientation

The Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association sponsor an orientation to introduce new graduate students to VCU and the city of Richmond Over 400 new graduate students attended the fall 2023 hybrid event

Pie Day

Held on March 14, this event was hosted to recruit current VCU undergraduate students and to invite them to information sessions to learn more about Graduate School at VCU

Snack breaks

To promote well-being during exam weeks, the Graduate School hosted snack breaks to encourage graduate students to take a break from studying and refuel. Over 100 graduate students attended the events.

Diversity drives excellence Graduate School Diverse Student Engagement

Student engagement activities

Graduate Education Week was held on October 2nd-6th This week, sponsored by the Graduate School, highlights graduate education for undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate studies Workshops and sessions: Why graduate school?

How to apply for graduate school

Diversity in Graduate Education keynote with Dr Faye Belgrave Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

Three Minute Thesis FinalsCompetition

Graduate Student Associate (GSA)

The Graduate School sponsors the student organization and acts as the faculty advisor to the GSA Executive Board. Regular meetings between the Graduate School and the GSA Executive Board are held to offer guidance, resolve issues, and foster collaboration in student engagement initiatives

Meet the Dean

Throughout the fall 2023 semester, Dean Gupta hosted a series of breakfasts and luncheons to connect with graduate students on both campuses Dean Gupta met with over 50 students to gather feedback on their individual and collective experiences of graduate studies at VCU

Meet the Graduate School

In pring 2024, the Graduate School launched the Meet the Graduate School Initiative This initiative aims to support graduate students by providing individualized informal meetings between graduate students and a member of our team to connect with students to learn more about the student experience and provide resources to support the student journey.

Initiatives

Graduate Diversity Outreach and Advancement Workshop

To explore ways to attract, retain, and engage a diverse pool of prospective graduate students at VCU Dr Jeffery Wilson has composed a workgroup of graduate students, faculty, and staff with the following charge:: Identify potential barriers and explore initiatives to increase awareness, making graduate programs more accessible to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds while fostering a more inclusive graduate academic community

1 Strategically identify opportunities to increase the pipeline in graduate school for applicants who have faced adversity, potentially incorporating outreach, mentorship opportunities, and resources to address barriers.