Higher Education Commons^™

Homeplace As A Methodology Of Care: Conducting Critical Qualitative Research With 2slgbtqia+ Youth In Higher Education, K. Rende Mendoza, Ferial Pearson, Isa Manhart

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This paper addresses the alarming trend of policies and legislative actions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and affirmation/accessibility (DEIA) efforts in higher education, particularly those affecting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. These policies not only pose a direct threat to the physical and psychological safety of marginalized students but also undermine the institutional support systems essential for their personal and academic development. Authored by a nonbinary undergraduate and two 2SLGBTQIA+ teacher education researchers, our paper explores student-led critical qualitative research as a countermeasure to these regressive policies. Building from bell hooks' conception of homeplace, we offer our suggestions for establishing safe, supportive, and liberatory …

New Tricks? Understanding The Role Of Education, Incarceration, And Reentry On The Older Correctional Population, Angela S. Murolo Phd, Lena Campagna Phd

Journal of Prison Education Research

Abstract

Education in prison provides an opportunity for personal growth and increased professional opportunities upon release. As older people leave prison and return to communities, the need for education serves multiple functions including successful reentry and healthy aging. The aim of this research was to explore the current literature relevant to older people during incarceration and upon release. The authors conducted a systematic literature review on 15 years of research between 2008- 2023 to understand how education in prison impacts older people while incarcerated and upon release. Articles published prior to 2008 were excluded from this study. Twenty-seven articles were …

Ink (2025)

Ink, 2008-

The student-run features magazine covering the fashion, art, music and culture worlds at VCU and in Richmond. Published annually in print and updated regularly online.

Task Analysis For Google's Looker Studio, Chris Parthemos Phd

Student Affairs Publications

This is a secondary resource associated with an article that will appear in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability.

The task analysis breaks down, through text and visuals, the process of constructing an interactive display of assessment results using Google's Looker Studios.

Roadmap To Developing Clinical Competency For Novice Nursing Students, Meredith Deegan, Lauren Goeke

School of Nursing Publications

No abstract provided.

The Unsurprising Lack Of Deia In Nasa’S Pathways Program Hiring Patterns, Shelita Augustus, Tiasia Saunders

Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success Publications

Working for NASA, a symbol of exploration and scientific advancement, is a dream for many, sparking aspirations of becoming an astronaut and contributing to humanity's understanding of the unknown universe. However, the path to a NASA career is often filled with unfair challenges and barriers, particularly for talented individuals from underrepresented groups who have no control over systemic bias. NASA's Pathways Program is an entry point for undergraduate and graduate students seeking opportunities within the agency with a highly competitive hiring rate of only 1.4% between the fiscal years (FY) of 2021 to 2024. While NASA publicly affirmed its commitment …

“Science Belongs Everywhere”: Outlooks On Post-Secondary Stem Education For Correctional Centers In Virginia, Shelita R. Augustus

Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success Publications

Virginia has an incarceration rate of 679 per 100,000 residents, the highest among independent democratic nations. This scoping review examines perspectives on post-secondary STEM education to promote STEM education within Virginia's correctional facilities, assesses programs to improve rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and address systemic inequalities by developing the scientific potential of incarcerated individuals. The review finds that while STEM education in correctional facilities faces limitations, its potential benefits are being realized nationwide. Virginia has made strides through initiatives like House Bill 2158, which aims to expand higher education access for incarcerated individuals. Examples such as the programs at J. Sargeant Reynolds …

Vcu And The 2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey, Abbey Childs

Scholarship about Open Education

In 2025, VIVA distributed an updated Virginia Course Materials Survey. Its goal was to build on the first iteration of the survey, providing updated data for the areas explored in the original survey, along with new data to address the changing open and affordable landscape in Virginia. The 2025 survey aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What is the impact of course material costs on educational equity among Virginia students?

2. What course content materials do students find to be most beneficial to their learning?

3. What barriers are presented to students due to course material costs and how can those barriers …

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Hauntings Of Transnational Art Learning And Teaching: A Duo-Ethnography Of Two Asian Art Educators’ Transformative Experiences, Hayon Park, Sohee Koo

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Reflecting on lived experiences as art learners in South Korea and professional practices in the United States as art educators, the authors draw from Derrida’s (1994) “hauntology” and present how their transnational experiences continue to conjure up and affect the everyday lives of Asian women junior faculty today in the US through duoethnographic approaches. Posing the question “how might personal lived experiences of an educator foster art pedagogy and research?” and interviewing each other on aesthetics, education, and identity, this article seeks to: 1) inform others about how Korean art educators navigate matters of transnational education experience and colonization and …

Amendment: Literary And Art Journal (2025)

Amendment, 2004-

Amendment is a VCU student-produced progressive literature and art journal that provides a platform for students to promote equality, tolerance, and social progression through artistic expression.

Pwatem: An Anthology Of Literature And Art (2025)

Pwatem (Poictesme), 2006-

Pwatem is an anthology of literature and art from undergraduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Pwatem publishes poetry, prose and art of all kinds from talented undergraduate students of all majors.

Dialogic Praxis And Racialized Embodiment In Art Education, Emily J. Hood, Sarah T. Travis, Kathy Brown, David Herman Jr., Injeong Yoon-Ramirez

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

In this paper, the authors discuss how conversations on racial embodiment can be dialogic praxis that builds solidarity and moves towards anti-racist pedagogy. For the conversations, the authors met via videoconference on several occasions to discuss their experiences on the topic of racialized embodiment from their varied sociocultural perspectives and considered implications for visual art teaching, learning, and research. They recorded the audio and video of these conversations and collaged portions of the transcripts of these talks together to present a single curated conversation that serves as primary content for this paper. The decision to “speak” this article into existence …

The Compass, Summer 2025

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

Rabble: A Companion To Pwa-Tem (2025)

Rabble, 2014-

Rabble is a companion chapbook publication to the magazine Pwatem. From the preface of most issues: "'Tell the rabble my name is Cabell."- James Branch Cabell to his editor, to help people learn how to pronounce his name. Cabell used the word derogatively but we are taking it back. These pages will showcase the writing and illustrations of our rabble-the ordinary students of VCU."

Emanata Presents: Obsession (2025)

Emanata, 2014-

Started by illustrator and comics artist Chris Kindred in 2014 with Weird, Vol. 1, Emanata is VCU’s first-ever comics anthology.

Agility In Professional Associations: Using Improvement Science To Align Nirsa’S Communication Strategy With Member Needs, Stephanie L. Hart, Kimberly A. Bradley, Lisa M. Gwyn, Joanna A. Liebelt, Denise K. Miller

Doctor of Education Capstones

This intrinsic case study delved into how NIRSA, a leading Association for Campus Recreation, and its members could effectively engage with one another to best support the members' needs. Leveraging the principles of improvement science, we rigorously assessed the root causes of misalignments between NIRSA and its members. This process allowed us to develop a theory of change that supports organizational alignment and engagement and satisfies members' needs. We found that change concepts like agility to pivot, in addition to inclusive and responsive communication strategies, would support members in navigating the evolving landscape of the campus recreation industry and amplify …

Sealing The Deal: A Case Study Of A Private, Southeastern, Regional College’S Student Onboarding Practices, Alicia R. Gaston, Kristen Meyer, Tyler Ogden, Jennifer Perkinson, Casey Yocum Michaels

Doctor of Education Capstones

Each year, higher education institutions offer support to new, incoming students through an onboarding process that requires dedication and collaboration across multiple departments. Offering streamlined guidance and clear communication throughout the onboarding process is essential to ensure incoming students understand action steps without becoming overwhelmed with new terminology, processes, and environments. This explanatory case study is set to understand the current communication practices and technology use across onboarding departments at Brightside College – also referred to as Brightside or BC (pseudonym). The research team aimed to understand Brightside's onboarding staff's perspective of current processes and practices. With emphasis on the …

Stars: Enhancing Student Leadership, Caroline Budwell, Braden Goddard, Tamer Nadeem, Saleema Karim, Joseph Turner

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

The VCU Division of Student Affairs aims to enhance training for leaders of student organizations, addressing variability in their success. By analyzing data from RamsConnect, surveying advisors, and reviewing best practices from peer institutions, we will identify areas for improvement. Our final deliverable will include a comprehensive analysis and tailored recommendations to strengthen leadership within student organizations, ensuring students benefit from opportunities for leadership, collaboration, and engagement, ultimately supporting their success and retention at VCU.

Ram-Amazing Care: Making Mental Health A Priority, Together, Matthew Pawlowicz, Chelsea Gary, Sara Barton, Matthew Majid

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

Maintaining student mental health is a significant and growing challenge for universities. Difficulties with mental health decrease students’ overall well-being and can contribute to students performing poorly in classes, entering academic probation, and failing to complete their degree on time, or at all, among other negative consequences for the university community generally. To help meet the need for mental health care, VCU partnered with TimelyCare in 2020 to provide a variety of online mental health care resources. The partnership has enrolled more than 3,000 student users, though that is less than 15% of the student population. And so, our project …

From Silos To Synergy: Advancing Health Research Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Gretchen Neigh, Jackie Daniel, Maria Garcia Bonilla, Robert Perera, Gustavo Mendonca

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

This project will identify strategies to increase cross-disciplinary collaboration of doctoral trainees in the health sciences. The team will examine models of cross-disciplinary connection through interviews and surveys with program directors, trainees, and mentors in the graduate programs on the MCV campus of VCU. The deliverable will be recommendations for programming opportunities aimed at advancing health research through interprofessional collaboration, positioning the doctoral programs to empower their trainees to move from silos to synergy.

Orienting New Researchers Across Multiple Pathways: Bridging Research Resource Gaps For New Faculty At Vcu, Maecy Richmond, Sarah Lines, Travis Oakes, Yali Pang

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

New faculty researchers at VCU, who possess diverse research interests or requirements, often find it challenging to navigate the VCU environment in search of research resources necessary to initiate their work. The majority of available research resources highlighted on central VCU pages primarily cater to biomedical research, inadvertently marginalizing those in less prominent fields. Resources in other departments, such as fine arts and education, are limited and often restricted to the departmental or school level. This raises the essential query: "How and where should I begin my research?" The project employs a faculty and staff survey aimed at assessing the …

Vcu Scicom: A Federated Unit For Community-Engaged Science Communication, Dara Azuma Lampugnale, Bernard Fuemmeler, Brody Jameson, Megan Lo, Amanda Gentry

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

Confidence and trust in science have declined in recent years, in part due a lack of understanding of how science works and that knowledge is not immutable but constantly evolving. At the same time the rise in social media has led to the spread of misinformation and changes in the media landscape have made it difficult to disseminate the correct information to channels that reach the greatest numbers. While most Americans see scientists as intelligent, less than half (45%) say that they are good communicators. As a public university, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) serves the public good by ensuring that …

Vcu's Yellow Brick Road: Connection, Safety, & Navigation, Karen Bjork, Robert Chisley, Samuel Kessler, Taylor Mackillop, Sarah Midkiff

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

Yellow Brick Road is an initiative designed to strengthen the connection between Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and downtown Richmond by promoting outdoor activity, sustainable mobility, and shared community experiences. The project aims to enhance the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff through walking meetings and a proposed VCU-branded e-bike fleet, while also deepening VCU’s engagement with the urban community through events such as the UNCOMMON Street Festival. Together, these efforts reflect VCU’s vision as a university fully embedded in the city, guided by the question: How can VCU thrive with Richmond, not apart from it?

Voting Rights Restoration, Alisha Bazemore, Chicnee Brown, Melvin Roy, Angela Waller

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

No abstract provided.

Minority Housing In Virginia, Travis Hicks, Celes Davis, Brandan Simmons, Dalila Medrano, Lathaniel Kirts

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

No abstract provided.

Tap To Talk: Leveraging Teletherapy For Mental Health In Higher Education, Stephanie Davis, Santiago Lima, Jaylin Drewry, Frenchi Jones, Louis Gordon

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

No abstract provided.

Profiles Of First-Year First-Generation Students’ Library Perceptions And Use: An Intersectional, Mixed Methods Study, Megan Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

To effectively support first-generation students, academic libraries must understand their needs. However, limited library research has been conducted into how these students, who often embody multiple structurally disadvantaged identities, perceive and use academic libraries or how their intersecting identities manifest in differing library needs. This study aimed to build understanding of first-year first-generation students’ perceptions and use of academic libraries. To do so, the researcher used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. First-year first-generation students at Virginia Commonwealth University were surveyed using Winkler and Sriram’s (2015) Academic Capital Scale and Anwar et al’s (2012) AQAK: Library Anxiety Scale for Undergraduate Students. …

2025 Merc Annual Report, David B. Naff, Jesse Senechal, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2024-2025 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Ai In Education: Teaching, Learning, And Thinking With Machines, Mary Strawderman, Jesse Senechal, Eric Ekholm, Jason Vest, Moe Greene, Dawn Johnson, Daniel Case, Oscar Keyes, Yaoying Xu, Robert Godwin-Jones, Kait Donahue, Kim Elmore, Haley Hendershot, Amy Corning, Paulina Guerrero, Samaher Aljudaibi, Justin Thurston

AI in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Thinking with Machines

This collection from the Humanities Research Center (HRC) Digital Technology in Education (DTE) working group arose from questions around how rapidly emerging generative AI tools are reshaping teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education. The contributions, loosely organized around ethics, policy, and practice, adopt a humanities lens to probe how generative AI and other emerging digital technologies impact human values, experiences, and social structures, surfacing their philosophical, ethical, cultural, and societal implications for schooling. From the perspectives of practitioners and interdisciplinary scholars, the pieces showcase various dimensions of AI's creative potential in education, while also questioning its limitations and …

Department Of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University: Historical And Personal Reflections, Richard A. Glennon

VCU University History Books

This book presents a historical account of Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Medicinal Chemistry, compiled and recollected in 2025 by Professor Emeritus Richard A. Glennon. Included are personal reflections alongside a historical overview of the department's origins and faculty, as well as newly developed programs and initiatives.