Vision and Values 

The College of Humanities and Sciences, the largest academic unit at VCU, is the place where excellence and access meet to offer students both foundational knowledge and skills for the twenty-first century. The College strives to:

• Propel excellent scientific research and scholarship across all disciplines to create new knowledge, explore the human condition, cure and treat diseases, and promote healthy environments
• Prepare lifelong learners ready to participate actively as engaged and responsible citizens
• Empower students to examine our present human condition and to creatively explore solutions for thriving local and global communities
• Create graduates equipped with the skills, insights, and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workforce

The success of CHS students, like the achievements of our faculty and our impact on the community, vividly illustrates how higher education is a public good.

Within the context of the university’s strategic plan Quest 2028 | One VCU: Together We Transform, we outline three areas of focus informed by the key themes of Quest: Opportunity Driving Excellence; Student Success; Research and Innovation; and Thriving Communities.

Focus Area 1: Innovative Curriculum, Student Learning, and Student Success

Goal 1: Ensure curriculum aligns with 21st-century job market skills

• Establish experiential learning experiences (including internships) that support college-to-career readiness in all academic programs in CHS with a continued appreciation for liberal arts and interdisciplinary education
• Infuse an undergraduate research-based experience throughout the curriculum of academic programs in CHS and create clear pathways to the health science campus 
• Use the new Minor in AI Studies in Humanities and Sciences to infuse AI-focused learning and skill development throughout CHS and general education offerings 
• Promote interdisciplinary course work and exploration by all students

Goal 2: Facilitate pedagogical innovation among faculty

• Support internal teaching grants for faculty and an annual CHS teaching summit for faculty and staff focused on best practices for enhanced student engagement, cutting edge skills, and improved student success 
• Increase faculty understanding and use of latest emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence
• Provide regular professional development opportunities for faculty to update their skills

Goal 3: Expand pathways for degree completion and credentialing 

• Create innovative curricular pathways, including online education, that in addition to attracting traditional students, draws transfer, non-traditional, international, and remote students 
• Increase enrollment in bachelor-to-master programs that offer accelerated pathways
• Create microcredentials and badges throughout CHS that meet student needs for continuing education and competitive job portfolios

Goal 4: Foster a culture of student success

• Leverage unit program fees to initiate and improve undergraduate student experience and success initiatives
• Develop a first-year course centered on the CHS experience to foster student success and job readiness
• Align CHS activities with the priorities of the National Institute of Student Success (NISS) to facilitate decreased time to graduation, decreased DFW rates, and increased student success
• Through philanthropy, provide financial support that enables students to continue and complete their course of study

Goal 5: Improve student recruitment 

• Develop bridge programs with local and regional high schools to prepare prospective students for success in CHS 
• Establish robust summer programs throughout CHS that allow high school students to explore future fields of study
• Sustain a Student RAMbassador Program at college-level to inform recruitment and retention efforts and charge units to lead in the development of discipline-specific recruitment and retention strategies
• Expand pathways programs with VCCS institutions for increased recruitment and enhanced retention of transfer students

Focus Area 2: Research Excellence and Innovation

Goal 1: Advance research initiatives that align with VCU’s R1 research mission 

• Support and invest in CHS participation in university centers and institutes to enhance meaningful research efforts by faculty, students, and staff
• Facilitate connections between researchers on the Monroe Park Campus and MCV Campus
• Expand undergraduate research opportunities in CHS in alignment with the goals of VCU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)  

Goal 2: Increase external research award submissions

• Align the quality and quantity of research and administrative support between the Monroe Park Campus and the MCV Campus, bridging the mission of OneVCU 
• Prioritize external award submissions, processing and successful implementation of grants in CHS
• Build an effective grant infrastructure in CHS through hiring and retention of research staff 

Goal 3: Create a research culture conducive to attracting and retaining a R1-calibre research faculty  

• Maintain research advisory councils to support the R1 research mission and continue to involve highly active researchers in strategic decision-making processes
• Ensure research space is allocated throughout units in alignment with the CHS Research Space Policy   
• Enhance renovations of research space throughout CHS with shared space as a priority

Goal 4: Provide support for graduate students and postdocs 

• Seek to increase graduate student support, with special attention to doctoral stipends, to attract highly qualified graduate students and postdocs with competitive packages
• Increase the number of students in professional and applied masters programs through expanded marketing and recruitment efforts
• Enhance services designed to support graduate students and postdocs in preparation for careers in academia and industry 

Goal 5: Establish review processes that support productive R1-calibre researchers

• Establish unit workload policies that support research-active faculty through accountability measures with research expectations
• Revise CHS and unit P&T guidelines to align with the university’s policy and its R1 mission 
• Support tenured research faculty with competitive study-research leave and all research faculty with internal research grants 

Focus Area 3: Sustain Thriving Communities

Goal 1: Make strategic investments to foster cooperation and collaboration among units, faculty, and staff

• Maintain an environment that supports career satisfaction, professional growth, and a culture of care for all employees
• Further enhance the current organizational structure of CHS to reflect 21st-century needs of higher education for stronger transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary work
• Increase opportunities for faculty to cooperate and collaborate in their research, teaching, and service across academic units and disciplines

Goal 2: Attract and retain a highly qualified faculty and staff  

• Recruit and retain excellent faculty and staff by paying comparable market wages and providing paths for career advancement and professional growth
• Create transparent and consistent structures for staff promotions and develop a path for promotions that reward performance and work experience 
• Maintain regular communication with leadership of Faculty Council and CAPS Council to ensure attentiveness to faculty and staff issues and concerns
• Increase visibility of top research faculty through consistent nominations for national and international awards

Goal 3: Partner with students to create a welcoming and inviting campus environment 

• Identify opportunities within each unit to support student-led initiatives (with available program fees where possible)
• Establish a Student Advisory Council that regularly meets with CHS leadership
• Enhance new student orientation events and student success events in CHS and in each academic unit to immerse incoming students into an inviting campus culture and help them navigate VCU and their academic units effectively 

Goal 4: Develop partnerships and connections with local, regional, and global communities 

• Encourage faculty to seek support to work with the community to enrich the CHS learning environment 
• Connect with companies and organizations to expand opportunities for engagement, experiential learning, and learning abroad opportunities for CHS students
• Explore community, economic, and entrepreneurial engagement activities for students