CHS 2025-26 Annual Report

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Catherine Ingrassia

From the Dean

Catherine Ingrassia, Ph.D., celebrates the biggest accomplishments from the 2025-26 academic year.

A group of middle school students hold up 3D printed skulls in a college classroom

News Highlights

Read up on our yearlong initiative marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, the launch of a middle and high school summer camp program, our new Richmond History Foundational Badge and more.

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Talking Across the Divide

Americans are more at odds than ever. The Baldacci Institute for Civil Discourse aims to bring us back together.

Queani Johnson stands with her hands on her hips between two columns outside of a buidling

Student Profile: Queani Johnson

Queani Johnson, a double major in African American studies and political science, has stacked her résumé with courtroom experience most law students don’t see until their second year — and she’s not even in law school yet.

Grace Gipson holds up a tablet in a recording studio

Faculty Highlights

Our faculty members in the College of Humanities and Sciences are an amazing group of educators, academics and researchers. Here are just a few faculty news and publication highlights from the year.

brooke newman

Faculty Profile: Brooke Newman

In her latest book, Brooke N. Newman, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of History, documents the untold truth behind the British royal family’s centuries-long involvement and investment in slavery.

Daeha Joung in a lab wearing a medical device on his hand

Faculty Profile: Daeha Joung

Daeha Joung, Ph.D., may be a physicist, but he spends a lot of time thinking about healthcare. In particular, Joung is focused on creating innovative technologies that can improve human health.

John Jones

Faculty Profile: John Jones

John Jones, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability, has made it his mission to alleviate food insecurity and food waste on college campuses.

Drs. Mike and Sally Hunnicutt hold new room plaques for spaces named for them in the STEM Building.

Donor Profile: Mike and Sally Hunnicutt

Retired VCU chemistry professors Mike and Sally Hunnicutt turned a passion for the classroom into a lasting investment in students.

Clinton McFeely

Alum Profile: Clinton McFeely

The triple-Ram graduate — who collected two bachelor’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the university — now spends his days at Eli Lilly and Company’s San Diego labs hunting for molecules that might one day become medicine.

Two students stand in front of a snack table on VCU Giving Day

Photos from the Year

A year on campus means many things: late nights in the lab, proud moments at the podium, and plenty of laughter along the way. See a photo collection of our students, faculty, and staff in action.

A student in a graduation gown moves the tassel on his cap

Graduation

The College of Humanities and Sciences applauds the class of 2026.