Since 1838, our past has made us who we are — driven, engaged and ambitious.
Mission and history
Official VCU mission: Why we’re here
Virginia Commonwealth University and its academic health sciences center serve as one national urban public research institution dedicated to the success and well-being of our students, patients, faculty, staff and community through:
- Real-world learning that furthers civic engagement, inquiry, discovery and innovation
- Research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge and creative expression and promotes translational applications to improve the quality of human life
- Interdisciplinary collaborations and community partnerships that advance innovation, enhance cultural and economic vitality, and solve society’s most complex challenges
- Health sciences that preserve and restore health for all people, seek the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research and educate those who serve humanity
- Deeply ingrained core values of diversity, inclusion and equity that provide a safe, trusting and supportive environment to explore, create, learn and serve
Strategic plan
Learn about Quest 2025: Together We Transform, VCU’s strategic plan.
Values: What we hold dear
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Accountability
Committing to the efficient and transparent stewardship of our resources to achieve institutional excellence
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Achievement
Ensuring distinction in learning, research and scholarly pursuits, service, and patient care
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Collaboration
Fostering collegiality and cooperation to advance learning, entrepreneurship and inquiry
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Freedom
Striving for intellectual truth with responsibility and civility, respecting the dignity of all individuals
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Innovation
Cultivating discovery, creativity, originality, inventiveness and talent
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Service
Engaging in the application of learning and discovery to improve the human condition and support the public good at home and abroad
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Diversity
Ensuring a climate of trust, honesty and integrity where all people are valued and differences are recognized as an asset
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Integrity
Adhering to the highest standards of honesty, respect and professional and scholarly ethics
History: How we came to be
Way back — we’re talking more than 175 years ago — in 1838, VCU was known by another name. We were the Medical College of Hampden-Sydney, later becoming the Medical College of Virginia. It wasn’t until 1968, when we merged with Richmond Professional Institute, that we were given the name Virginia Commonwealth University. But one thing is for sure: We have never stopped making history.
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The first school of social work in the South
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First organ transplants in Virginia
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First American campus in Qatar
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First LEED Platinum building in Virginia
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First university in Virginia to receive major National Institutes of Health grant to support translational research
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First men’s basketball team to go from First Four to Final Four