6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Diversity Ambassadors of VCU's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will host a conversation about having difficult dialogues with peers, family and friends. The event will be in the Multimedia Room, Gladding Residence Center III, 722 W. Cary St. Snacks will be provided. A conversation on the same topic will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Community Room, Webster S. Rhoads Hall, 710 W. Franklin St. Dinner will be provided.

For more information, contact Dana Vandervelde at vandervelded@mymail.vcu.edu.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Molefi Asante, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Africology at Temple University, will discuss classical African civilizations. The talk, hosted by VCU's Department of African American Studies, will be held in Room 1107, Academic Learning Commons, 1000 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Kishla Conner at connerka2@mymail.vcu.edu.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

The Department of Craft and Material Studies presents a Visiting Artist Lecture by Diedrick Brackens. The talk will be held in Room 535, Bowe Street Parking Deck, 609 Bowe St.

For more information, contact VCUarts Department of Craft and Material Studies at crafts@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1477 or visit http://arts.vcu.edu/craft.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 at 7 p.m.

VCU's Department of Music presents the Symphonic Wind Ensemble in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall of the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave. General admission tickets are $10.

For more information, contact Anne Marie Dumain at dumainamm@vcu.edu.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 at 1 p.m.

VCU's Records Management Office will hold Records Management 101 training. The session, open to all university staff, will be held in Room 202, Technology Administration Building, 701 W. Broad St. Training will cover recordkeeping requirements and practices to be compliant with state regulations and university policy. Register at the following URL (keyword "records"). Self-paced Records Management 101 training is also available in Blackboard.

For more information, contact Amber Peranski at aperanski@vcu.edu or (804) 828-2097 or visit https://training.vcu.edu/.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 from 10 a.m. to noon

VCU Technology Services will provide an overview of Adobe purchasing and upcoming changes. The session will be in Room B-41, James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave. The university will be moving to a VCU Adobe ETLA that will provide better pricing on Adobe Creative Cloud and Acrobat for faculty, staff and students. To register or view the session on Zoom, go to the following URL.

For more information, contact Lucy Halunko at lhalunko@vcu.edu or (804) 828-7713 or visit https://training.vcu.edu/course_detail.asp?ID=17096.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Vida Williams, innovator in residence at VCU's da Vinci Center, will discuss social and civic innovations. The talk, part of the IDEATE (Increasing Diversity in Entrepreneurial And Tech Ecosystems) Speaker Series, will be at the Center, 807 S. Cathedral Place. Williams will discuss what it means to design, develop and provide services with people and communities in mind.

For more information, contact Kendra Cabler at cablerka@vcu.edu.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Academic excellence in black/African American students, faculty and staff will be recognized. The event, sponsored by the African American Studies Department, will be held in Room 303, James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave.

For more information, contact Kishla Conner at connerka2@mymail.vcu.edu.

Friday, Mar. 1, 2019 at 4 p.m.

Improviser and sound artist Victor S. Haskins will perform at the ICA. Drop-in performances, part of Rashid Johnson's "Monument" exhibition, are free and open to the public at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center, 601 W. Broad St. A performance will also be given the same day and location at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Institute for Contemporary Art at ica@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/performances/provocations-0301/.

Monday, Mar. 25, 2019 at 12:30 p.m.

VCU's Department of Craft and Material Studies will present a Visiting Artist Lecture by Adam Manley. The talk will be given in Room 535, Bowe Street Parking Deck, 609 Bowe St.

For more information, contact VCUarts Department of Craft and Material Studies at crafts@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1477 or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/craft/.

Utility work and construction at the VCU Health Outpatient Facility construction site continues. The work, at the corner of North 10th and East Leigh streets, will affect traffic patterns in the area of the MCV Campus over the next several months. For current information and updates, visit the URL below.

For more information, contact Jake Hughes at jake.hughes@am.jll.com or visit https://www.vcuhealth.org/our-story/building-projects/adult-outpatient-facility/updates-adult-outpatient-facility.

VCU Recreational Sports' Outdoor Adventure Program is hosting a day hike to White Oak Canyon in the Shenandoah Valley on March 23. Hikers will view a waterfall at the end of the journey. The fee is $20 for students, $25 for faculty/staff/members and $30 for nonmembers. Registration ends March 19.

For more information, contact Karl Schmidt at kmschmidt@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1274 or visit https://recsports.vcu.edu/programs/outdoor-adventure-program/trips-clinics-weekly-activities/.

Virginia Commonwealth University's May Commencement exercises take place at 10 a.m. on May 11 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Faculty participating in the ceremony will wear academic apparel. Regalia must be ordered by April 12.

For more information, contact . at . or visit http://apps.bsv.vcu.edu/retailstr/commencement.pdf.

VCU's Office of Sponsored Programs, part of the Office of Research and Innovation, is hosting NCURA research administration training for VCU staff and faculty. The National Council of University Research Administrators' Fundamentals of Sponsored Projects Administration Workshop - Level 1 (April 1 - 3) will cover a broad overview of various aspects involved in sponsored projects administration. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Catherine Short at cfshort@vcu.edu or (804) 628-9230 or visit https://research.vcu.edu/osp/NCURA_level1.pdf.

The VCU Office of Sponsored Programs, part of the Office of Research and Innovation, is hosting NCURA research administration training for interested VCU staff and faculty members. The National Council of University Research Administrators' Sponsored Projects Administration Workshop - Level 2 (Sept. 18-20) is for more experienced research administrators and offers in-depth instruction of aspects of research administration.

For more information, contact Catherine Short at cfshort@vcu.edu or visit https://research.vcu.edu/osp/NCURA_level2.pdf.

Narrators are sought for "The Human Library." The event, presented by VCU's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and Residential Life and Housing, will be held 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 30 in the Rams Lounge, University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. "The Human Library" is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. Register (deadline March 13) as a narrator at the following URL.

For more information, contact Noura Allen at Allennc@vcu.edu or visit https://tinyurl.com/humanlibraryvcu.

Virginia Commonwealth University invites you to participate in a research study on two stress-reduction programs. Participants will receive a 14-day smartphone-based stress-reduction course for free. The study includes a lab session before and after the stress reduction course at which participants will fill out brief surveys and complete several brief tasks in an MRI brain scanner. Compensation: free personalized report and up to $300. Learn more at the following URL.

For more information, contact Hadley Rahrig at rahrighm@mymail.vcu.edu or visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03485807?term=stress+reduction+brown&rank=1.

We are seeking young (18-35 years) adults to participate in a study examining the impact of sodium intake on blood vessel function at rest and during exercise. Subjects must be willing to maintain seven days of a low-salt diet and seven days of a high-salt diet. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principal Investigator is Ryan Garten, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

For more information, contact Ryan Garten at rsgarten@vcu.edu.