News

Leslie Brown, who served as VCU’s budget director, has made gifts to support the Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative, which she views as one of the most powerful ways to invest in VCU. (Photo by Kirk Nawrotzky, Office of Development and Alumni Relations)

VCU Libraries donor supports ‘multiplier effect’ of affordable course content

Sept. 16, 2026

Former VCU staff member Leslie Brown aims to improve textbook costs for students through the magic of a library program that has saved more than $15 million in course material costs since 2017.

VCU to screen true-crime documentary ‘Baby Doe’ with filmmaker

Sept. 15, 2026

Jessica Earnshaw will join College of Humanities and Sciences faculty for a panel after the Sept. 16 viewing in the Commons theater.

Ben Rekosh has thrived as a storyteller in sports media, including during recent summers with the Charlottesville Tom Sox of the Valley Baseball League. (Contributed image)

When the game changed, Ben Rekosh found a new way to stay in it

Sept. 15, 2026

Supported by VCU's Internship Funding Program, the VCU mass communications student told the stories behind the Charlottesville Tom Sox this summer while preparing for a career in sports media.

Gregory Donovan was a founding faculty member of VCU’s creative writing program, which was established the year he arrived on campus. (Photo by Michele Poulos)

Gregory Donovan retires after four decades of inspiring students and helping to shape VCU’s creative writing program

Sept. 14, 2026

Donovan, the author of two poetry collections, was one of the forces behind online journal Blackbird and ‘a passionate and committed teacher’ during his tenure.

VCU researcher Aliza Ehrlich will study the primary cilium, a little-understood neuron structure that often hosts opioid receptors. (Getty Images)

VCU’s Aliza Ehrlich receives $3 million to study link between opioids and unexplored neuron structure

Sept. 14, 2026

Ehrlich hopes to learn how the antenna-like compartment influences our response to opioids, including its role in building dependence or tolerance.

Photo cutlines: John Jones, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability who established the Little Ram Pantries project, stocks a box in Cary Street Gym. (Photo by Dean Hoffmeyer/Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Little Ram Pantries receive upgraded technology to help address student food insecurity

Sept. 11, 2026

New sensors can show the inventory of each location and help monitor usage while preserving privacy.

PBS NewsHour anchor Geoff Bennett discusses impact of Black comedy

Sept. 10, 2026

CHS and the Robertson School will host broadcast news anchor Geoff Bennett for a conversation and book signing on his new book, "Black Out Loud."

Redrawn congressional maps in a number of states seem poised to play a major role in the results of Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to VCU expert Alex Keena. (Getty Images)

How will redistricting impact the midterm elections?

Sept. 10, 2026

VCU political science professor and redistricting expert Alex Keena says the Nov. 3 elections will be a test case for the effectiveness of gerrymandering – and explains why the practice is a riskier strategy than it appears.

Ray Ifanga, a junior majoring in political science and African American studies, said, “I genuinely enjoy meeting people, building connections and being involved in different spaces on campus, which is definitely a shift from how shy and reserved I was when I first came to VCU.” (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Ray Ifanga sharpens his worldview at VCU

Sept. 9, 2026

In classes, research and student leadership, the junior and aspiring lawyer keeps Black communities in focus.

Cameron Harris, a 2012 VCU graduate, is the filmmaker behind “Monday Film School,” a short documentary that will be featured this fall at the 15th annual Richmond International Film Festival. (Contributed photo)

VCU alum Cameron Harris brings art and life to Richmond International Film Festival

Sept. 8, 2026

His short documentary reflects his journey as a filmmaker and his overseas experiences.