1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Department of Communication Arts will host a visiting artist lecture by Communication Arts alumna Catherine Samples, an Art Director for Magic: The Gathering, Universes Beyond at Wizards of the Coast. The talk will be in Room 101, Grace E. Harris Hall, 1015 Floyd Ave. Prior to working at Wizards of the Coast, Samples worked for eight years as a professional in the higher education sector with a focus on teaching fantasy illustration for table-top, trading card games and video game focused art careers at VCUarts.

For more information, contact Communication Arts at commarts@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/catherine-samples-visiting-artist-talk/.

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join today: The WISDM faculty organization is hosting an afternoon of networking and professional development through enhancement of leadership skills. The conference is open to all VCU, VCU Health, and VAMC personnel – including faculty, staff and trainees/students – alongside regional health care professionals and community leaders. The event will be held in the Jonah L. Larrick Student Center, 900 Turpin St. Register on site or at the following URl.

For more information, contact Jody Hedstrom at hedstromj@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=39680.

12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, will host a finals brain break in Room 100, STEM Building, 817 W. Franklin St. Come for a relaxing break with free Panera coffee and treats and connect with fellow Psychology students.

For more information, contact Morgan Reid, Ph.D., at reidmp@vcu.edu.

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Join Jewish Life at VCU, 1003 Grove Ave., for a very special and meaningful Shabbat dinner as we have the great honor of hosting Helina, a Holocaust survivor, who will share her personal story of survival, strength and resilience.

For more information, contact Rabbi Menachem Lessoff at Rabbi@vcu.edu or (804) 404-3637 or visit https://student.chabadoncampus.org/vcu/rsvp/events/49218.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Cup of Kindness is a two-hour, open-invitation program at the VCU Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St., Suite A, with a mindfulness and stress management activity followed by warm beverages and social time.

For more information, contact VCU Health Hub at vcuhealthhub@vcu.edu.

Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Join the 2026 Communication Arts Senior Class at the annual Communication Arts Senior Expo. Over 100 seniors will have a variety of art on display and handmade merchandise such as stickers, key chains and prints for sale. The Expo, to be in the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave., is free to attend and open to the public. Please note that this is a cashless event.

For more information, contact Communication Arts at commarts@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/communication-arts-senior-expo-2/.

Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

This month’s Mindful Mornings session, Art by Chance, will focus on the practice of letting go. Led by mindfulness practitioner Thurmond Alford Jr., we will use the geometry of the Steven Holl-designed Markel Center as a framework, translating its distinct angles and light into intuitive gestures. In the surrounding landscape, the process shifts to nature, using found textures and forms to spark “accidental” creativity. By embracing chance and nonjudgmental awareness, we quiet the inner critic to focus on the process rather than the result. All materials will be provided. The event will be at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St. All Mindful Mornings programs are free and begin in the ICA’s Abby Moore Cafe with a review of modern-day mindfulness in the arts, followed by a guided interactive workshop and the opportunity to share reflections on the prompt and observations.

For more information, contact Michael Lease at leasemk@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/events/mindful-mornings-art-by-chance/.

Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

VCU’s Drug Take Back Day will take place at the Checkers House at Monroe Park (near the intersection of North Laurel Street and South Cathedral Place). This event aligns with the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This event is a collaboration between students in VCU’s B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences program, Pharm.D. students in VCU’s American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists student organization and VCU Police.

For more information, contact Emily Wigginton at wiggintonec@vcu.edu.

Sunday, Apr. 26, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

VCU's Department of Kinetic Imaging will present the 2026 annual Senior Screening, "Stranded in the Edit," showcasing Kinetic Imaging student videos, animations and more from their yearlong BFA Capstone projects. The screening at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St., will feature the works of 26 artists.

For more information, contact Kinetic Imaging at kineticimage@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/stranded-in-the-edit-2026-kinetic-imaging-senior-capstone-screening/.

Sunday, Apr. 26, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Graduate students from VCU’s Center for Sport Leadership will host a 5v5 flag football tournament dedicated to making a difference in Central Virginia. This event involves a canned food drive and the proceeds from the event will benefit Feed More and their ongoing efforts to combat food insecurity across the region. The event will be held at Cary Street Field. The spectator fee is three canned goods (non-expired only).

For more information, contact Tavian Elliott at elliottt2@vcu.edu or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-drive-against-hunger-charity-flag-football-tournament-tickets-1984627562464?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

Sunday, Apr. 26, 2026 at 5 p.m.

A collaborative health mixer for students to network with not only health professionals in fields they want to pursue, but students of those fields. All are welcome. The event will be on the second floor of the STEM Building, 817 W. Franklin St.

For more information, contact Maclolm O’Neil at oneiljm@vcu.edu.

Monday, Apr. 27, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The VCUarts Photography Senior BFA Artist Talks is a two-day event featuring 30 emerging artists. Each artist will give a 10-minute talk about their capstone project, their process(es) and their practice as a whole. This event allows audience members a close look at each student’s capstone work and to hear about a variety of techniques and themes within the contemporary photographic space. The event will be at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center, 601 W. Broad St. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and the group will break for an intermission at noon.

For more information, contact Photography + Film at photofilm@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/lamppost/photography-capstone-artist-talks/.

Monday, Apr. 27, 2026 at 11 a.m.

The VCU Writing Center will host a workshop via Zoom. Develop the necessary tools to write your best statement by taking a look at examples of strong, successful personal statements, as well as less successful ones. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Trey Burnart Hall at hallbr@vcu.edu or visit https://writing.vcu.edu/calendar/.

Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026 from noon to 2 p.m.

VCU's Office of First- and Second-Year Experiences will host an afternoon of music, free food, games, activities and exclusive merchandise giveaways at the University Student Commons Plaza, 907 Floyd Ave. It’s your chance to connect with friends, celebrate your achievements and enjoy one last hurrah before finals hit.

For more information, contact Jonathan Fuller at fullerjd2@vcu.edu.

Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026 at 6 p.m.

VCUarts will present its 2026 MFA Thesis Film Screening series at Grace Street Theater, 934 W. Grace St. The series will showcase six graduate film works from the departments of Craft/Material Studies, Kinetic Imaging, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media. All screenings are free and open to all. The event will feature the first of three screenings and will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A hosted by Photography + Film Professor Sonali Gulati.

For more information, contact VCUarts at arts@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/2026-mfa-thesis-film-screening/.

Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

In this application workshop with a VCU HR facilitator participants will practice creating or updating their career development plan via Zoom using the career pathing tool. The event will provide the opportunity discuss the intersection between a career path and a career development plan, practice using a career path framework to create or update an individualized career development plan and leverage the facilitator as a resource. See details at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shana Ryman at sryman@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.csod.com/samldefault.aspx?returnUrl=%252fDeepLink%252fProcessRedirect.aspx%253fmodule%253dlodetails%2526lo%253d4c781f4d-6860-4dcf-b073-78b558811cd0.

Friday, May 1, 2026 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Hillel at VCU will host a Summer Camp Shabbat Dinner at Hillel House, 918 W. Grace St. From campus to camp, come for the final Shabbat dinner of the semester and say farewell to your Jewish home away from home for now. All are welcome. RSVP at the following URL by the evening of Wednesday, April 29.

For more information, contact Kayla Seabolt at kayla@hillelatvcu.org or visit https://www.hillelatvcu.org/calendar.

Friday, May 15, 2026 at midnight

The Thriving Communities Research Pilot Grant Program, offered by VCU’s Division of Community Engagement, provides up to $25,000 in seed funding for community-engaged research projects across all disciplines. The program is designed to support VCU faculty and research staff in piloting community-engaged research projects that respond to community-identified needs. The submision deadline is 6 p.m. Friday, May 15. See the request for proposals at the following URL.

For more information, contact Challen Wellington at wellingtonc@vcu.edu or visit https://community.vcu.edu/resources/grants/thriving-communities-pilot-grant/.

Friday, Jun. 12, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center will host its fourth annual Research Symposium in the College of Health Professions auditorium, 900 E. Leigh St. The event will feature new research in movement disorders, including sessions from PMDC Pilot Grant Awardees, a poster session with prizes and a keynote address by Xuemei Huang, M.D., Ph.D., chair of UVA’s Department of Neurology. Questions: https://parkinsons.vcu.edu/research/pmdc-research-symposium/ The symposium is free to attend, but registration is required by Friday, June 5 at the following URL.

For more information, contact Chandler Moore at moorejc@vcu.edu or visit https://bit.ly/4tz8gc4.

VCU Department of Music invites students to register for choir for the upcoming academic year. Three ensembles are available: Commonwealth Singers, Choral Arts Society and Vox Concordia. All choirs are open to all students, regardless of major, and meet during the day for course credit. Students may register through eServices during enrollment. Learn more at the following URL.

For more information, contact Christopher Hansen, Ph.D., at hansenc3@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/music/ensembles/#vocal-ensembles.

VCU-PMDC has opened its call for posters for its upcoming fourth annual Research Symposium. Share your research and innovation related to Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, as well as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Posters recently submitted or featured at other symposia or conferences are welcome. Questions: https://parkinsons.vcu.edu/research/pmdc-research-symposium/ Prizes will be awarded for the top three overall posters. Register your poster by Sunday, May 31 at the following URL.

For more information, contact Chandler Moore at moorejc2@vcu.edu or visit https://bit.ly/4u4DreZ.

This collaborative offers a dynamic opportunity for tenure-track faculty to connect across disciplines and strengthen community-engaged research. All sessions will be held in person and focus on peer exchange and shared learning from September 2026 to May 2027. Those who complete the program will receive a $1,000 stipend in support of professional development. Apply at the following URl by Friday, May 29.

For more information, contact Division of Community Engagement at engage@vcu.edu or visit https://community.vcu.edu/media/community/2026CERSCCall(1).pdf.

The Research in Athlete and Military Health Sciences (RAMHS) group is seeking participants ages 14-30 years to complete a research study assessing hip muscle function following ankle sprains. You may participate if you either have a first-time lateral ankle sprain or have no ankle sprain history and are healthy (control group). This study will require one in-person study visit at our research laboratory at Biotech 8, electronic questionnaire about your health and sport participation, ultrasound imaging assessments of your hip at rest (lying down) and during light activity (squatting, treadmill walking) and hip muscle strength assessments. Participants with ankle sprains will also be asked to complete remote, electronic surveys at three and six months after the in-person visit.

For more information, contact Crystal Figueroa at crystal.figueroa@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-0871.

VCU's Translational Research on Eating and Affect (TREAT) Lab is recruiting adolescent girls and young adult women (aged 12 to 25 years) for a brain imaging study to understand risky decision-making in individuals who have concerns about their body shape/weight, or overeat, purge, use laxatives, diet severely or exercise excessively. We are also investigating these processes in individuals without a psychological disorder. There will be compensation for participation. See the survey at the following UIRL.

For more information, contact TREAT Lab (Kelsey Hagan, Ph.D., PI) at treatlab@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-4174 or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=48YEAYT8MK33E8EJ.

VCU and UVA seek females ages 14–30 for a research study. If you are low weight, lost significant weight or exercise heavily and have missed or irregular periods (FHA), you may qualify. FHA can harm bone health due to low estrogen. This study tests estrogen and progesterone to improve bone health. Includes four visits over 14 months (exams, questionnaires, nutrition/exercise review, bone scans) at no cost. Up to $875 compensation and travel support. Contact: misralab@uvahealth.org

For more information, contact Alexandra Lempke at alexandra.lempke@vcuhealth.org.