Alum and Donor News

Focused on making STEM more approachable – IRL and online

March 4, 2026

Kelly Knight (M.S.’08) is a forensic science professor and STEM program director educating undergraduates in forensic science and introducing pre- and teenage girls to STEM-based education.

$Morgan Holt Jackson$

Math alum analyzes data to make higher education more accessible

March 3, 2026

Morgan Holt Jackson, Ph.D., (M.S.’22, Ph.D.’25) determines the “big picture” for colleges and universities through research and data analysis

Alumni Q+A: SLSS alum Thomas Dunlap fights for the James River and everyone who relies on it

Feb. 24, 2026

A river can’t speak for itself. That’s where Thomas Dunlap (B.S.’11, M.S.’14) comes in.

Payton Hardinge, an alum and grad student at VCU, has embraced the critical importance of fundraising to health care in her position as senior director of development for Children’s Hospital Foundation. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

As her VCU roots deepen, so does her fundraising for pediatric care

Feb. 24, 2026

Payton Hardinge went from student to staff in 2011, and her work at Children’s Hospital Foundation is funding advances in muscular dystrophy research, family support and other areas.

“Echoes of a Dream,” a documentary that examines Martin Luther King’s relationship with Richmond, debuted in the fall. (The Newviews Agency)

Documentary explores MLK’s relationship with the Richmond community

Feb. 18, 2026

Filmmaker Tyrone Nelson Jr., a VCU alum, says ‘Echoes of a Dream’ tells the overlooked story of how Richmond ‘shows up in the arc’ of King’s rise, while attempting to help reset the city’s understanding of its importance.

From the River City to Grind City, Jarred Boyd, D.P.T. (B.S. ’12) directs rehabilitation for the Memphis Grizzlies

Feb. 17, 2026

The HPEX graduate from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences provides high-end rehabilitative care for the Grizzlies’ players.

The panel discussion accompanies an ongoing exhibit at Cabell Library, “Voices of Change: Student Advocacy and Action from the Archives.” (Photo by Isiah Mejia, VCU Libraries)

‘Voices of Change: Stories from Alumni’ to highlight campus activism

Feb. 16, 2026

The Feb. 26 panel discussion accompanies an ongoing exhibit at James Branch Cabell Library on VCU’s history and legacy of student activism.

It took a couple of years of bumping into each other and hanging out with friends for Patrick and Ashawnna Godette to realize they were a perfect fit despite their very different personalities. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Unbreakable bonds: Bit by bit, an unlikely pairing clicked into place

Feb. 13, 2026

Ashawnna and Patrick Godette Jr. — extrovert and introvert — started their journey with small moments.

Amanda and Steve Guilford, pictured with their daughter Emily, were dating other people when they met their sophomore year, but the timing was right when their paths crossed a second time a year later. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Unbreakable bonds: After great first impressions, they needed a second-chance meeting

Feb. 12, 2026

Steve and Amanda Guilford turned friendship into love, adventure and family in the past two decades.

Terry and Ed Dadez took the same chemistry class at VCU as freshmen and married four years later. Their 46-year marriage has been highlighted by two sons, numerous academic degrees and careers in nursing and education. (Contributed image)

Unbreakable bonds: An index card isn’t the most romantic prop, but persistence paid off

Feb. 12, 2026

Ed Dadez was smitten with wife-to-be Terry from the get-go in 1975; her thoughts, and eyes, were elsewhere.