College of Humanities and Sciences

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Equity, Inclusion and Diversity

As a student in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS), you will be appreciated for your unique background and perspectives.

You can expect the courses you take, the new friendships you embark on and the clubs and organizations you become a part of to reflect diversity in numerous forms.

We value your different perspectives, life experiences, cultural backgrounds and social identities. These foster our shared principles of inclusive excellence. Our commitment to social justice and equity are further demonstrated through community engagement. You will see our values reflected in activities that promote equity within our local community, whether through experiential learning classes, working on a community-based research project or volunteering.

You can expect resources, such as wellness activities, counseling, training and special events. These resources also include those that are uniquely tailored to your cultural group or social identity. We believe you will feel empowered by the many opportunities available to enable you to be successful.

Get Involved

v.c.u. students walking outside cabell library

As a student at VCU, you'll find multitudes of opportunities to engage with other people—people with similar interests, people who are completely different, people you’d never meet otherwise.

They’ll make your college experience meaningful and help you be a part of something bigger than yourself.

Explore opportunities

Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Highlights

aerial view of a concrete v.c.u. logo embedded in a walkway with a rainbow gradient overlay
June 25, 2021
Pride: In their own words
As June comes to a close, VCU faculty, students and staff describe what pride means to them.
hand holding a rainbow colored heart
June 23, 2021
New scholarship will support students and honor a longtime LGBTQIA+ champion
The Dorothy Fillmore Scholarship will help VCU students actively engaged with the LGBTQIA+ community who face housing instability, food insecurity, tuition issues or other financial hurdles.
b ethan coston
May 24, 2021
B. Ethan Coston awarded REAL Challenge grant
Their proposal to the Relevant, Experiential and Applied Learning (REAL) Challenge grant was accepted and is seeking applicants for the inaugural cohort, academic year 2021-22.
erica miller
May 12, 2021
Virginia Commonwealth University participates in the 2021 STEM for All Video Showcase: COVID, Equity & Social Justice
Erica R. Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Training Graduate Students in Inclusive and Equitable Teaching."
fantasy lozada
May 5, 2021
VCU professor to explore ‘emotional code switching’ among African American youth
Psychology professor Fantasy Lozada received an NSF CAREER award to study emotion regulatory flexibility among African American youth, which helps them to protect against racism.
josly pierre-louis wearing a v.c.u. lab coat
April 30, 2021
‘It takes a village to succeed’: Student earns national scholarship to finish her Ph.D.
Josly Pierre-Louis’ parents immigrated to America from Haiti. Their daughter, a VCU grad, is the rising tide for all boats when it comes to her success in chemistry and health research.
amanda parks, michelle hawkins, andrew daire, seth leibowitz and alex wagaman
April 28, 2021
At annual PACME awards, recognition for those ‘who are willing to go deep’
Five from across VCU are honored for their work to promote civility, build community, advocate for equity and nurture a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Seth Leibowitz and Amanda Parks
April 24, 2021
Two from CHS to receive university-level inclusive excellence awards
VCU will host this year’s PACME celebration virtually on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. The celebration is open to the public.
Bird's eye view of the robert e. Lee monument covered in graffiti
April 7, 2021
Podcast by VCU students on graffiti-covered Confederate monuments named a finalist in NPR national contest
A podcast by VCU students, “When Time Slows Down,” is one of 10 finalists in the NPR Student Podcast Challenge: College Edition. Winners will be featured in segments on “Morning Edition” or “All Things Considered.”
V.C.U. student Kevin Armas Rodas talks to Marisela, a Central American mother who left Mexico with her 10-day-old baby, about her experiences and difficulties at home and crossing the U. S. border.
April 2, 2021
Helping the Hispanic community in the midst of the pandemic
Students in the VCU service-learning course Hispanic Immigrants in the U.S. are continuing to make a difference.
raven witherspoon outside harris hall at v.c.u.
March 29, 2021
Class of 2021: Raven Witherspoon is pursuing a career in physics to help improve the world
The VCU Honors College student hopes to help reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world and “transfer those materials into peaceful uses like civil nuclear energy.”
faye belgrave in her office at v.c.u.
March 26, 2021
VCU, COVID-19 and race and health inequities
An interview with VCU psychologist Faye Belgrave, Ph.D.
isaiah king on the v.c.u. campus
March 23, 2021
Class of 2021: Isaiah King’s love of medicine leads to a new passion for research
King’s experiences with the student organization Black Men in Medicine gave him the support and freedom to pursue his own path. Up next: A fellowship program at the National Institutes of Health.
a pair of shoes with arrows pointing forward and to the right and left
March 10, 2021
VCU P.R.I.M.E. empowers underrepresented students interested in health care careers
The student- and staff-initiated group identifies traditional barriers and develops strategies to help peers overcome them.
cathleen cahill and the cover for the book she wrote titled 'how women of color transformed the suffrage movement'
March 9, 2021
Historian to discuss how women of color transformed the suffrage movement
Cathleen D. Cahill will speak at a VCU virtual event March 12.
brian smedley
Feb. 8, 2021
National thought leader in field of health equity to speak at VCU
The event is presented by the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU and is co-sponsored by the Black Education Association and the College of Humanities and Sciences Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee.
a team of advertising consultants working together on a project
Feb. 5, 2021
Women are changing the advertising industry, and it’s leading to better, more authentic ads
As another Super Bowl comes and goes, a VCU Robertson School panel says improving gender diversity in advertising is leading to better storytelling and more opportunities for underrepresented voices.
levi walter looking at their cell phone and smiling
Jan. 29, 2021
Staff Profile: Levi Walter, administrative coordinator, Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies
Levi successfully made the jump from student to staff member when they joined GSWS as an administrative coordinator.
ching-yu huang
Jan. 19, 2021
Connection and inclusion in the (virtual) classroom
Music, coffee hours and a variety of learning activities are a few of Ching-Yu Huang’s strategies for success in the digital space.
michaela friend, v.c.u. class of 2020
Dec. 8, 2020
Class of 2020: Transfer student Michaela Friend aims to defend the rights of others
An aspiring human rights lawyer, Friend achieved much in her short time at VCU and wants to help those who have been historically marginalized.
caitlin cain
Dec. 2, 2020
Promoting diversity in the field of chemistry
In 2019, 67 women graduated from VCU with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, fifth-most in the nation.
a teacher writing on a white board
Nov. 24, 2020
Teaching about social justice can lead to tense moments. A new book helps educators navigate them.
The book, co-edited by a VCU professor, aims to help teachers better handle challenging topics. “We are going to make mistakes” in being effective allies, Kim Case said. “But we must take the leap.”
gravestone for e.j. reynolds born october 31, 1877 and died september 26, 1913
Nov. 12, 2020
‘Death and Rebirth’: VCU history professor’s new book reveals the history of Richmond’s cemeteries
“Cemeteries participate in the rawest political drives… . They teach us about power and resistance as much as about spiritual beliefs.”
a doctor taking a patient's blood pressure
Oct. 29, 2020
Camaraderie, encouragement at core of student-led Black Men in Medicine
The VCU student organization aims to give support to underrepresented undergraduates as they pursue medical school and careers in the field.
Mallory Perryman and Aaron Gilchrist during a virtual forum
Sept. 18, 2020
Amid the pandemic, journalism grad Aaron Gilchrist continues to deliver the news
At a virtual forum, the VCU alumnus shares his thoughts on adapting during COVID-19, the summer protests, and his personal journey in journalism.
transcripts podcast
July 8, 2020
New podcast, ‘Transcripts,’ shares stories and struggles of transgender activists across the U.S.
The podcast from the Tretter Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota is co-hosted by VCU professor Myrl Beam and Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins.
elementary school student writing at his desk in a classroom
July 8, 2020
Researchers receive $3.1M grant to investigate the sustainment of mental health programs in schools
A grant from the National Institute of Mental Health will enable VCU researchers to study whether evidence-based mental health programs in schools continue after research support is removed.
Equity and inclusion: our core values

Within the College of Humanities and Sciences, inclusion and diverse representation are vital for the continued forward progression of the university. I see these values exemplified through the mentorship I receive from BIPOC faculty with identities salient to my own, diverse representation of students within my program, as well as through the growing recognition of and increasing value placed on community engaged work within my department.

Bianca 
Owens
Health Psychology Doctoral Student