Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia General Assembly merged MCV with the Richmond Professional Institute, founded in 1917, to create Virginia Commonwealth University.[7] In 2022, more than 28,000 students pursued 217 degree and certificate programs through VCU's 11 schools and three colleges.[3] The VCU Health System supports health care education, research, and patient care. It was the only school in the South to have graduated a class every year during the American Civil War.[8]
VCU had a record $464 million in sponsored research funding in the fiscal year 2023 and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[9][10] VCU's athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I and are collectively known as the VCU Rams. They are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The VCU campus includes historic buildings such as the Ginter House, now used by the school's provost.
VCU's history began in 1838 when the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College opened in Richmond. In 1844, it moved into its first permanent home, the Egyptian Building. In 1854, the Medical Department of Hampden–Sydney College received an independent charter from the Virginia General Assembly and became the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). A few years later in 1860, MCV conveyed all its property to the Commonwealth of Virginia and becomes a state institution in exchange for $30,000.
As the Civil War began, Richmond became a focal point for battle and politics. After a long siege, Ulysses S. Grant captured Petersburg and Richmond in early April 1865. As the fall of Petersburg became imminent, on Evacuation Sunday (April 2), President Davis, his Cabinet, and the Confederate defenders abandoned Richmond and fled south. The retreating soldiers were under orders to set fire to bridges, the armory, and supply warehouses as they left. The fire in the largely abandoned city spread out of control, and along with Union shelling, large parts of Richmond, and virtually all MCV buildings, were destroyed. The city surrendered the next day; Union troops put out the raging fires in the city. Because of the worthless Confederate currency and high inflation, the medical school sold its ambulance horse for enough money to continue operation.[11]
After the Civil War MCV participated significantly in medical advances, including in anesthesia and antisepsis.[11] In 1893, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, later University College of Medicine, was established by Hunter Holmes McGuire, Stonewall Jackson's friend and personal Doctor who had amputated Jackson's arm, just three blocks away from MCV. In 1912, McGuire Hall opened as the new home of the University College of Medicine. The following year, MCV and UCM merged through the efforts of George Ben Johnston and Stuart McGuire. MCV acquired the Memorial Hospital as a result of the merger.
Richmond Professional Institute traces its roots back to 1917, when it began as the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health. In 1925, it became the Richmond division of The College of William & Mary. In 1939, this division became the Richmond Professional Institute of The College of William & Mary" (RPI). In 1947, the MCV Foundation was incorporated, and in 1962 RPI separated from William & Mary to become an independent state institution. Then in 1968, state legislation (Wayne Commission Report) merged MCV and RPI to become Virginia Commonwealth University. Descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Pulitzer Prize winner and editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginius Dabney was named the first Rector of VCU and went on to write Virginia Commonwealth University: A Sesquicentennial History.[12]
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Warren W. Brandt was the first president of VCU. During his tenure, 32 degree programs were added, and the School of Allied Health Professions and the School of Community Services were established. In addition, more than $20 million of new construction was completed or initiated on both campuses, including the James Branch Cabell Library, Rhoads Hall, the School of Business building, the Larrick Student Center and a large addition to Sanger Hall.[13]
In the 1980s, and under the leadership of VCU President Edmund Ackell, a major overhaul of the university's governance system and administrative structure was initiated. Ackell lead the administration in instituting a new system for both short-range and long-range university planning; establishing faculty convocation and a new set of faculty tenure and promotion guidelines; and establishing greater access to the community by supporting the use of the university's research and educational resources to meet social needs.[13]Eugene Trani became the president of VCU in 1990. During his tenure VCU became one of the largest universities in Virginia, growing from an enrollment of 21,764 in 1990, to 32,284 at the time of his retirement. VCU was the state's first university to enroll over 30,000 students.[14] Under Trani's leadership VCU and the VCU Health System undertook more than $2.2 billion in capital construction and renovation projects.[15]
In 2013, VCU was awarded a $62 million federal grant to oversee a national research consortium of universities, hospitals and clinics to study what happens to service members and veterans who suffer mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions.[16][17]
In 2010, VCU received a $20 million National Institutes of Health grant to join a nationwide consortium of research institutions working to turn laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients.[18] The Clinical and Translational Science Award made VCU the only academic health center in Virginia to join the CTSA network. In 2011, the university's Carnegie classification was changed to "Very High Research Activity," with over 255 million in sponsored research.[18]
In 2009, Michael Rao was appointed the fifth president of VCU. President Rao oversaw a major expansion in enrollment, funding and facilities at VCU. The construction of the Engineering Research and STEM buildings solidified VCU's strategy of becoming a leading scientific university. In 2022, VCU received a $104 million gift, the largest in university history, to support a new Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health.[19][20] The university surpassed $400 million in sponsored research funding. As a result, VCU was designated a top 50 university by the National Science Foundation for research expenditures.[21] In 2018, a series of protests by adjunct faculty were held at VCU, over low pay and no benefits.[22][23] Ahead of the 2018-19 budget, $4.2 million was allocated to increase adjunct faculty funding from $800 to $1,000 per credit hour, about $1,000 less than what the coalition was demanding.[24] The administration implemented a campus plan which featured a campus green, arts building, dormitories, general student facilities, and renovations of the historic buildings on campus.[25]
Virginia Commonwealth University has two main campuses in Richmond, Va.: the Monroe Park Campus, located west of downtown Richmond, and the MCV Campus in the urban center. Additionally, VCU has a branch campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar, along with numerous regional facilities.
Named after the city park (see Monroe Park), the 90.6-acre (36.7 ha) Monroe Park Campus took its name in June 2004, replacing the former name, the Academic Campus of VCU. The Monroe Park Campus houses most of VCU's general education facilities, and is situated on the eastern end of the Fan district, a historic, late 19th-century neighborhood adjacent to downtown Richmond. Prior to the merger of the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia, the campus was the home to the entire Richmond Professional Institute. Today, the campus has a mixture of modern and vintage buildings, with over 40 structures built before 1900.
The 52.3-acre (21.2 ha) MCV Campus is home to the VCU Medical Center, which includes the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, the VCU College of Health Professions, and the medical center, which is overseen by the VCU Health System Authority. The campus is also home to the Massey Cancer Center (an NCI-designated Cancer Center) and the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The MCV Campus is an integral part of Richmond in the old Court End district. The neighborhood is located adjacent to the city's business and financial district near the state capitol. VCU's Health Sciences schools are the College of Health Professions, the School of Dentistry, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy, and the School of Public Health.[26]
VCUarts Qatar is VCU School of the Arts' branch campus located in the State of Qatar.[34] It was established in 1998 through a partnership with Qatar Foundation and was the first university to open its doors in Education City.[35] The contract was renewed in July 2012 and goes through July 2022.[36] VCUarts Qatar offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees.[37] As part of the contract, VCU is not allowed to open any other degree-granting arts or design programs in other Middle Eastern countries.[36] VCUarts Qatar is accredited by National Association of Schools of Art & Design, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
VCU is not the only US campus in Education City, and it, along with the other universities, are the subject of criticism of their implicit acceptance of Qatar's alleged ties to extremism and human rights concerns.[38][39][40]
The Virginia Commonwealth University entity is structured as two organizations, the university and the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. The president is VCU's Chief Executive Officer, and the school is organized into twenty divisions.[41]
There are sixteen members of the board of visitors. The governor of Virginia can select board members. There are six non-voting members who are students and faculty. The VCU Health System has a separate board of directors composed of many local and national healthcare leaders.[42]
There are 3,300 staff and 2,000 professors, lecturers and instructors. VCU has an endowment of $2.72 billion, which is the second largest endowment for a public school in Virginia. Funding is received from the state and federal governments and private donations. There was more the $400 million in sponsored research in 2022 with many gifts being the largest in the university's history.[43] VCU received a $104 million gift, the largest in university history, to support a new Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. Local businesses including all Fortune 500 companies in Richmond make regular contributions to VCU such as endowed chairs, like the Philip Morris Chair, and donations for facilities. Altria, the largest tobacco company in the United States, has made frequent donations throughout VCU's history. In 2022, the Commonwealth of Virginia awarded VCU most of the funding for a $253 million arts and innovation building. In 2023, CoStar Group donated $18 million for an arts and innovation room at VCU's new consolidated arts building.[44]
VCU offers baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, as well as professional and certificate courses.[60]
Seventy-nine of VCU's programs are unique to Virginia, such as the Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness major in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, as well as the Real Estate and Urban Land Development degree in VCU's School of Business. The university also offers a wide range of study options with 225 certificate, undergraduate, graduate, professional and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences and humanities.
The university's medical campus provides students with several opportunities for postgraduate study. Under the Guaranteed Admission Program,[61] select incoming undergraduates who maintain a high academic standard are guaranteed a spot in a number of professional health science programs.