History

Though officially created by using a merger of the Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) and Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in 1968, VCU's history stretches back to 1838, after MCV number 1 opened its doors when a medical department of Hampden-Sydney College. VCU recognizes a latter date in its official seal & promotional materials. RPI traces its roots back to 1917, whilst it began when a Richmond School of Social Act.

Timeline

1838 - A Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College opens in Richmond 1844 - A Medical Department come in its number 1 lasting at home, a Egyptian Building 1854 - A Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College receives an independent charter from either a Virginia General Assembly and becomes the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) 1860 - Inside go to for the $30,000 appropriation MCV conveys entirely its property to the Commonwealth of Virginithe & becomes a state institution 1893 - College of Physicians & Operating surgeon, late University College of Medicine, was established by Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire just three hinders out of MCV 1912 - McGuire Hall opens when a freshly house of the University College of Medicine 1913 - MCV & UCM merged through the efforts of Dr. George Ben Johnston & Dr. Stuart McGuire. MCV acquired a Memorial Hospital following of the merger 1917 - Richmond School of Social Function & Public Health established 1925 - Richmond School of Social Operate & Public Health becomes a Richmond section of the College of William and Mary 1939 - Richmond section of William & Mary becomes a "Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary" (RPI) 1947 - MCV Foundation is incorporated. 1962 - RPI separates from either William & Mary to get an independent state institution. 1968 - A number one heart transplant at the Medical College of Virginia is performed by Dr. Richard R. Lower. This was single a 9th such operation performed in a United States, & the 16th in the globe. 1968 - State legislation merges MCV & RPI to be Virginia Commonwealth University. MCV retains the right to apply its title. 2000 - VCU Health System authority is established 2004 - A title VCU Medical Center is adopted to refer to MCV Hospitals and VCU's medical schools

Academics
Degrees offered

Baccalaureate Master's Doctoral Professional and Certificate

Computer program & schools

College of Humanities & Sciences School of Mass Communications School of World Studies L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs School of Allied Health Professions School of the Arts School of Business School of Dentistry School of Education School of Engineering School of Medicine School of Nursing School of Pharmacy School of Social Work

Notable academic include analytical chemist Dr. John Fenn, who in 2002 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the field of mass spectrometry.

Programs

Additionally to more computer software, VCU today hosts a Illustration Academy, a program taught by nationally famed illustrators. A program is open to a lot applier, from either students to professionals, & features demonstrations from either a creative person, classes, and lectures on the business side of the industry.

A university's medical campus will bring students by owning many chance for graduate learn at VCU. This has led to the development of "guaranteed admission programs," whereunder pick out incoming undergrad come guaranteed the spot within the kind of sales person schools therefore long as a high academic standard is maintained throughout their undergrad studies. Schools using such the program include medicine, physical therapy, dental medicine, pharmacy & others.

Additionally, an accelerated program in the School of Education offers the conjunct undergrad, teacher's certificate & master's degree around 5 years.

Expansion

Supplementary recently a university has center on what it calls life sciences as an avenue of future expansion, by having a 2001 opening of the Lois E. & Eugene P. Trani Life Sciences Building. Constructiin is potential to start out around 2005 on the Monroe Park Campus Extension, which may include the 2nd phase of the School of Engineering building & a newly at home for the School of Business, along sustaining residential & retail development. Artist's rendition of the Monroe Park Campus Extension A university has expanded quickly within recent years, by owning construction focused principally along a Broad Street corridor. A school is close to 70 percent commuter & 30 percent inside-campus resident, using freshly home hall Brandt Hall getting opened in August 2005. RAMZ Hall opened inside mid-January 2005, sevener months behind schedule when the fire destroyed virtually all of the however-under-construction building around March of 2004. A Shafer Court Dining Center (for good ingesting all over cafeteria functions from either a Hibbs Building, at present under renovation) & Phase III construction & renovation of the University Student Commons were completed around 2004. A Ackell Home Center (erstwhile called West Broad Street Student Apartments) was opened within 2001 through a street from either a West Broad Parking Deck, e2 (pronounced "e-squared") Bookstore & VCU Welcome Center that were completed around 1998. 1998 too saw the opening of a freshly School of the Arts Building, as well in Broad Street.

West Grace Street Student Housing is residence to the University Honors Program & first-year honors housing by owning la single one-one-woman rooms. Once a Capital Medical Center, a university purchased & converted a building within 1998. A building was another time too residence VCU OccuHealth Alliance, part of the VCU Health System, but is presently existence wont to home School of a Humanities facilities when you took the renovation of the Hibbs Building.

Growing pains

VCU has likewise seen a important incubation around student enrollment & bureaucracy on top a retiring couple of years, by having for each one serial freshman class existence the largest in the university's history. Because the university offers such a wide kind of degrees by having comparatively thwithin schoolroom space, a bit of use complained that there are non plenty course offerings to meet require, & an increase in non-tenure track "teaching collateral" faculty has however to catch higher sustaining increased student enrollment, or even to offset a loss of senior, tenured faculy across early retirement choose-outs. Students come regularly forced to lookup overrides to enroll around classes & search for the pack openings that be available on the university's electronic enrollment formulas. Besides, especially inside upper sectiin offerings, a bit of classes come offered on a rotating basis by semester, occasionally forcing students to choose yearn than the normal quartet years to complete their degree.

Campuses

Following of its merger by using a Medical College of Virginia Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in 1968, VCU has ii independent campuses in Richmond: a Monroe Park Campus & the MCV Campus. VCU as well has the branch campus for its nationally stratified School of the Arts inside Education City, Qatar, which is heavily subsidized per Qatari government. Informally, a campuses come known severally when a "academic campus," "medical campus," & "VCU-Qatar."

Monroe Park Campus

House to virtually all of VCU's general education facilities, a Monroe Park Campus is placed at a eastern prevent of the Fan district, a historic neighborhood built adjacent to downtown Richmond in the early 20th century. A Monroe Park Campus begins at Monroe Park on North Belvidere Street and continues west to Harrison Street. Virtually all buildings come placed in or even between West Broad Street & West Main Street. Originally house to the Richmond Professional Institute and then a Academic Campus of VCU inside 1968, the Monroe Park Campus took inside its todays title in June of 2004.

Notable buildings

University Student Commons Stuart C. Siegel Center Sports Medicine Building James Branch Cabell Library T. Edward Temple Building - General academics, mass communications School of Business Oliver Hall - School of Education School of the Arts Building Hibbs Building - College of Humanities & Sciences Shafer Court Dining Center Pollak Building - School of the Arts

Several VCU buildings come known as when influential population in the school's history or even around Richmond history. Of these such building, a Pollack building, is known as fallowing Theresa Pollack, world health organization is one of Virginia's supplementary illustrious creative person & world health organization is typically credited using bringing modern art to Richmond.

Housing

West Grace Street Honors Housing Ackell Home Center RAMZ Hall Brandt Hall Rhoads Hall Broad & Belvidere Apartments Johnson Hall Gladding Home Center

MCV Campus

A MCV Campus is house to a VCU School of Medicine, virtually all of the VCU Health Models, the Massey Cancer Center and MCV Hospitals. Called a Medical College of Virginia (MCV) before 1968, a campus & its hospitals prove my point to become known informally when "MCV," though a title was officially changed to VCU Medical Center in 2004. A MCV Campus is an integral section of Richmond, situated adjacent to the city’s business & fiscal dominion touching a state capitol.

Note in naming tilt: There was the bit of disceptation above a VCU Medical Center title vary, sustaining numerous believing that MCV was a sir thomas more nationally & internationally noted nickname. a front-home aricle around United states In todays world, even so, another time incorrectly cited a campus when the "Virginia Medical College, a teaching arm of the University of Virginia," inadvertently crediting UVthe using a VCU/MCV accomplishment. Since so the administration hequally worked to promote a VCU title as a only brand identity to make a point no confusion among Virginia universities, however alumni keep around been unhappy by having a guide, as has been evidenced by a decline inside alumni contributions. A campus, alumni association & kindly foundation prove my point to bear a MCV title.

Notable buildings

Main hospital Gateway Building Egyptian Building Massey Cancer Center Sanger Hall Tompkins-McCaw Library Larrick Dining Center

Housing

Cabaniss Hall Bear Hall McRae Hall Warner Hall Rudd Hall

Athletics

leftThough VCU does not use at times an Western football team, it presently sponsors nine varsity teams inside NCAA Division I play through the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). These teams include basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, field hockey, track and field, and cross country. More sports non sponsored per university include men's[http://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/mensrugbyvcu] & women's[http://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/WomensRugby/] rugby, hockey[http://www.vcuhockey.org] and men's and women's lacrosse. VCU's mascot is Rodney a Ram, & a teams likewise when students come known as VCU Rams.

It has been said that VCU doesn't have a eleven because at a instance of its merger Virginia's more universities did non desire trend lines to exist as drawn out of their existent teams, though a accurate cause is unknown. Sweatshirts come sold within campus bookshop that page through "VCU Football - still undefeated" as the lightsome protest to the want of a team. A todays university president, Eugene P. Trani, hwhen been quoted as saying that he might non allow football to are to VCU under his view due to the additional found dollars and cents. VCU doesn't presently have a sports stadium that would become suitable for hosting football-related cases.

Facilities

The Diamond Baseball Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center Basketball Volleyball Sports Backers Stadium Soccer Track & Field Cary Street Field Field Hockey Thalhimer Tennis Center

Championships

A VCU men's five defeated George Mason to win the 2004 CAA championship & received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. A Rams were seeded #13 in the East Rutherford Area & faced #4 Wake Forest inside the first spherical iNorth Raleigh, N.C. VCU led for very much of a 2nd half prior to the Demon Deacons prevailed 79-78. A VCU Rams come coached by Jeff Capel world health organization is the immature coach around Section We. the 30-month-old Capel has compiled a 60-31 record (.659) in the period of his leash seasons when head coach of the Rams, including the 39-15 mark (.722) in the Colonial Athletic Association. VCU was 19-13 this preceding year & finished 2nd in the CAthe sustaining a 13-Five record. A Rams received an NIT bid, their 2nd straight post-year appearance.

A VCU men's lawn tennis team was stratified Fourteenth pre-year per International Tennis Federation (ITA) within 2005, & has been nationally graded in the top L since 1993. Beginning a 2004-2005 year, A Rams will have 12th-straight NCAA tournament appearances & nine-consecutive Colonial Athletic Association tournament crowns. Around 2000, a men's team reached a NCAA Finals when defeating Illinois (Quarterfinals) & Tennessee (Semi) severally. In a finals, Stanford rallied to win the doubles & swept Virginia Commonwealth in the singles to claim its Seventeenth NCAA men's lawn tennis title Four-0.

A nationally stratified men's & women's association football teams use each won CAA championships, getting so advanced to national finals likewise.

More Organizations

VCU has many student organizations which includes A Black Awakening Choir which won number one place within the 2005 Baptist Student Union National Choir Competition in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, VCU boasts a easily-established net of ethnic & ethnical organizations like a Muslim Student Association, African Student Union, Latino Student Association & the Vietnamese Student Association, among several others.