News

VCU to celebrate 15 notable alums at biennial Alumni Stars event

VCU Alumni honors accomplished recent graduates with 10 Under 10 awards

Oct. 19, 2026

Ten Rams who earned their first VCU degree within the past decade will be recognized Oct. 25.

Walter Foery, who attended VCU between 1971 and 1976, cuts the ribbon on the historical marker, located on the lawn between University Student Commons and the T. Edward Temple Building. (Photo by Jonathan Haff, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU unveils historical marker that honors its first LGBTQ+ student organization

Oct. 16, 2026

The marker highlights how the Gay Alliance of Students won a federal court case to be officially recognized by VCU in 1976.

Arjun Nair, a junior biology major, has conducted research at both VCU and Boston Medical Center related to his interest in addiction studies and the availability of healthcare. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

How I found my research: Arjun Nair identifies gaps in care for mothers with cannabis use disorder

Oct. 15, 2026

Using a data-based approach, Nair’s work at VCU’s In Recovery Lab is part of his broader interest in understanding access to healthcare services for people with substance use disorders and how to remove the barriers in their way.

cRam Session: Richmond Haunts

Oct. 15, 2026

3 questions, 2 minutes, 1 lesson with Ryan Smith, who leads an exploration of the city’s ‘darker underside’ and is documenting its ghostlore.

VCU students are pictured with students and a faculty member from the University of Guam who worked with them to research U.S. territorial governance and its impact on the local environment in Guam and Saipan. (Contributed image)

U.S. Pacific Territories serve as a research station for VCU students

Oct. 14, 2026

Political science professor Andrea Simonelli leads a field project to Guam and Saipan to explore governance, disaster recovery and the environment.

VCU political science professor Judyth Twigg outlined how uncertainty surrounding a new possible plague outbreak in Russia continues a decadeslong pattern of mystery on the world stage. (Getty Images)

Pneumonic plague concern: Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about a suspicious death and Russian secrecy

Oct. 9, 2026

VCU political scientist and global health expert Judyth Twigg explains the mystery and the history tied to a lab worker’s death in Siberia.

VCU professor Caddie Alford, whose research looks at tech giants and their influence on culture, information, sociality and democratic civic discourse, offers insight into the state of the AI conversation. (Getty Images)

'Doomsday cults' and the Silicon Valley debate over AI’s threat to humanity

Oct. 8, 2026

VCU professor Caddie Alford clarifies the voices that seem to conflict but often overlap on the future of AI and explains how the discussion’s roots can be traced to the 1940s.

A scene from the documentary short “Eyes on Me.”

Recent VCU graduates to be featured at Washington West Film Festival on Saturday

Oct. 8, 2026

Their five documentary shorts, which will be screened in Reston, were created through Robertson School professor Robert Milazzo’s capstone course.

Since 2014, students have been exploring the James River and its watershed through the immersive Footprints on the James course, such as these students two years ago. (James Vonesh)

Alums give back to river class that sent them on new and fulfilling paths

Oct. 7, 2026

Footprints on the James is an immersive journey that lets students explore the biological and environmental components of the James River and its watershed. A new fund supports it and other similar field studies courses.

Q&A: Peter Henry, Ph.D., director of Deans Pathways Program

Oct. 6, 2026

Peter Henry, Ph.D., has worked many jobs throughout his life but his most prized role has been paving the way for transfer student success.