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/.

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The English Language Program at VCU will host a Chinese tea culture gathering led by guest speaker Ana Xuan Zhang Stevens, certified tea sommelier and founder of Cha and Grace. Zhang Stevens and her assistant, Dong Hu, invite you to slow down, be present, cultivate connection and return to simplicity through a cup of tea and the practices that guide Chinese tea culture. The event will be in Room 3127, Grace Street Center, 912 W. Grace St.

For more information, contact Audrey Emiko Short at aeshort@vcu.edu.

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Stay future-focused with online, asynchronous graduate AI Courses INNO 510: AI Governance and Enterprise Adoption, IDAI 600: AI Foundations and Applied Strategy, and PHIL 600: Artificial Intelligence and Ethical Problem Solving. Click on the link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Sam Weed at weedsj@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/GrE4F3HLtxp7iz3D8.

Friday, May 1, 2026 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Come to the opening of the second installment of the 2026 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition, featuring works by 14 artists and designers mastering in the VCUarts departments of Craft/Material Studies, Graphic Design, Kinetic Imaging, Painting + Printmaking, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media. The opening will be at VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St. RSVP at the following URL.

For more information, contact VCUarts at arts@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/events/first-friday-2026-vcuarts-mfa-thesis-exhibition-opening-round-2/.

Friday, May 1, 2026 from 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.

Sunday, May 3, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St., offers ICA Study Hall, a place to study with special perks for students. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., show your valid student ID at the ICA Café for free Afterglow coffee. After 4 p.m., enjoy free study snacks and unlimited coffee. Or take a study break with ICA coloring sheets and collage station. Wi-fi and extra outlets are also provided.

For more information, contact Julia Park at parkjs8@vcu.edu or (804) 921-2282 or visit https://icavcu.org/events/ica-study-hall-spring-2026/.

Monday, May 4, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The Urban Studies Student Association will hold a social/informational event to discuss great cities of the world and what can be learned from them. A Global Education adviser will be on hand to discuss Study Abroad opportunities. Drinks and snacks will be provided. The session will be in the Raleigh Building, Basement Room 001, W. Franklin St.

For more information, contact Corinne Tsou at tsoucd@vcu.edu.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Are you in need of assistance with your finances? Are you trying to figure out how to stretch a dollar? Make an appointment with the VCU Health Hub's financial coaching team. They will be at the Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St., Suite A, the first Tuesday of each month. Create an appointment at the following link.

For more information, contact VCU Health Hub at vcuhealthhub@vcu.edu or visit https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2CDnPp0yXguzgIqwOboClM03Q4ANF2wX1yYybJp48O3YZM8ijXQveFDAvL96wembPgz1KN-jAT.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU’s Continuing and Professional Education and College of Engineering will launch a new hands-on Cleanroom Training Program via Zoom this summer, designed to build essential skills for careers in semiconductors and microelectronics environments. Participants will gain practical experience within a professional lab space. No prior experience is required for students (18+), graduates or career changers. See the information form at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shelly Schuetz at ssschuetz@vcu.edu or visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019d4e28e7e87514a36fb14a7eb35b99.

Thursday, May 7, 2026 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research and VCU Health Sciences Library will present a lunch research seminar via Zoom. Nina Exner, Ph.D., research data librarian, will discuss how data repositories can be used to meet the National Institute of Health's data dissemination requirements. Questions: https://cctr.vcu.edu/ Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Pamela Dillon, Pharm.D., research liaison, at pmdillon@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/jTvw13ZFSsC2O9QqURZRvw.

Monday, May 11, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Rams in Recovery will host Naloxone trainings this summer. Sign up for a training session at the following URL to learn how to respond to an opioid overdose emergency. Narcan kit is included for all training participants. Sessions will be at the Rams in Recovery Clubhouse, 1103 W. Marshall St.

For more information, contact Kelly Fugate at edwardskm@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce5yua7uSasV8cU6jTmCvQejNMYHBIErNpCrfFV5fDSQ57Zw/viewform.

Attention Spring graduates – your student Google account will automatically disable after three semesters if you do not re-enroll in classes. Be on the lookout following graduation for important information arriving to your student email about claiming your alumni email account.

For more information, contact Doctor Gee at drgee@vcu.edu or visit https://collaborate.vcu.edu/how-to/use-an-alumni-account/.

As the semester winds down, students (and colleagues) are invited to share words of gratitude with VCU professors. University faculty members work hard to make a positive impact – let them know you’ve noticed. Expressing kindness not only brightens someone’s day, it’s good for you, too. Questions: Contact the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at ctle@vcu.edu. Spread joy and send your VCU profs some props through the following URL.

For more information, contact Michele Murray at mmurray2@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-bQxqzSHjvQtndTHFAU1rBCPmXPMAsQlthL2Jh2ShvLeCdQ/viewform.

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.

The VCU Career Services office is seeking students in a variety of roles to join its team for the 2026-2027 school year. Applications will not open on Handshake until the summer, but students can complete the interest form at the following URL to learn more and apply once positions become available. It is anticipated that both Federal Work Study (FWS) and non-FWS students will be hired.

For more information, contact Ashley Worthington at worthingtonar@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed1HYaeEMVMXN2oY02Uigj6qHtvzvPfITVFKae9P0OIWoXtQ/viewform.

Check out the Community Impact Spotlight video on Laura Battaglia, assistant professor of interior design at the VCU School of the Arts, in which she shares how design can serve as a tool for community engagement, storytelling and meaningful change. See the video at the following URL.

For more information, contact Alliannah Hamilton at hamiltonae@vcu.edu or visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTcI8znbGmo.

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.

Recruiting adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years old who have 1) never had a diagnosed concussion or 2) sustained a concussion within the last 14 days. This non-invasive study is investigating the acoustic startle reflex and acoustic startle potentiation in relationship to subsequent injury following concussion. Participants will be compensated for their time. See the survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jessie Oldham at oldhamjr@vcu.edu or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=YKDWLNYWDNK7M7KX.