3 p.m.

Join President Michael Rao, Vice President Aashir Nasim and the Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success at the 2020 Presidential Awards for Community Multicultural Enrichment celebration. This virtual event is accessible through the PACME web page at the following URL. This year's PACME recipients to be honored are Tegwyn H. Brickhouse, D.D.S., Ph.D. (Academic and Administrative Leadership); Mariam F. Alkazemi, Ph.D. (Faculty), Stevara Clark, M.S.W. (Faculty); Henry W. Lewis III, M.A. (Staff) and Calvin J. Hall III (Student) for their contributions to promoting civility, building community, establishing cross-cultural initiatives and nurturing an environment of inclusive excellence. The School of Pharmacy and Development and Alumni Relations will also be recognized as Models of Inclusive Excellence. This event is open to all.

For more information, contact Florence M. Johnson at inclusive@vcu.edu or (804) 828-8947 or visit http://go.vcu.edu/pacme.

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

VCU faculty and staff are invited to participate in a free webinar with a panel of VCU faculty experts who will discuss the financial uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The event will be hosted by the schools of medicine, education, business, the office of the provost, human resources and ADVANCE-IT. Join the webinar via Zoom at https://vcuhealth.zoom.us/j/96638671861; at the following URL; iPhone one-tap, +13126266799,,96638671861#; or telephone, 877 853 5247 (Toll Free), and enter Webinar ID: 966 3867 1861.

For more information, contact Gypsy Denzine at svpfa@vcu.edu or visit http://www.provost.vcu.edu/thrive.

Friday, May 1, 2020 at 1 p.m.

The K Club of VCU’s C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research presents "Considerations in Developing and Managing Your K Research Team: Biostatistical Collaborators as an Exemplar." Theresa Swift-Scanlan, Ph.D., RN, Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems, will give the presentation, which covers expertise necessary for data analysis and analyses tasks needed in translational research. The session will take place via Zoom. RSVP at the following URL to receive the link.

For more information, contact Rob Direnzo at direnzor@vcu.edu or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=YJCAADH7XD.

Friday, May 1, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Learn about who genderqueer and non-binary people are, gain a stronger grasp of terminology and definitions to guide inclusive language practices and increase your awareness of the current social and political context as it applies to genderqueer and non-binary people. This 90-minute IExcel seminar will be offered once more this semester by remote access via Zoom. Register for this and other IExcel seminars at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jan Altman, Ph.D., at jhaltman@vcu.edu or visit https://iexcel.vcu.edu/faculty-and-staff/.

Friday, May 1, 2020 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Global Education Office and the National Scholarship Office will co-sponsor a panel discussion featuring several VCU faculty and staff who have recently completed Fulbright awards abroad. Each panelist will give a brief overview of their Fulbright experience and explain how these opportunities have impacted their professional development. A Q&A will follow. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tiffany Freitas at freitast@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZ5Jyt8NRTgP0LvTGt-mf7tnW98FlPw-fz0Q2Ms-zLSTtmcQ/viewform.

Monday, May 4, 2020 from 11 a.m. to noon

The Learning, Development and Organizational Culture team presents "Collaborating Remotely: A Positive Transition," a 60-minute webinar that explores how the change to working remotely during the COVID-19 crisis affects lives and work. It includes tactics to smooth the transition for individuals, collaboration features in Zoom and appreciative practices that build positive momentum and resilience. Sign up at Talent@VCU. A session will also be held from 2-3 p.m. May 7.

For more information, contact Shana Ryman at sryman@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.csod.com/ui/lms-learning-details/app/event/b13a0078-2372-4426-8177-e09b6fd033c2.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 10 a.m.

VCU's Records Management Office will hold a Records Management Refresher course via Zoom. The course is designed for staff and faculty with previous RM101 training and will cover an overview of RM101 material as well as current updates to state law, LVA procedures and in-house records management tools and procedures. Register at the following URL (keyword "records").

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

Wednesday, May 6, 2020 from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Take a break from the work day to explore building-block yoga postures to align, strengthen and promote flexibility in the body. Participants will be encouraged to move mindfully, connecting movement to breath. Simplicity, repetition and ease of movement will be emphasized. Register in Talent at the following URL. This virtual session is sponsored by VCU Human Resources and Recreational Sports.

For more information, contact Cindi Phares at cphares@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1521 or visit https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/worklife/.

Friday, May 8, 2020 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

VCU Engineering will host a virtual Capstone Design Expo award ceremony. Project highlights from this year include a dissolving communication system for submarines, a collective-force driven robot and a skin conductance measurement device. View the projects and join the ceremony at the following URL.

For more information, contact Kendra Gerlach at kegerlach2@vcu.edu or visit http://www.egr.vcu.edu/capstone/.

VCU Recreational Sports has added two new pages to the Virtual Programming section of its website. Visitors can now access Virtual Trivia and Ask an Athletic Trainer from the following URL. Virtual Trivia can be found directly at https://recsports.vcu.edu/about/virtual-programs/virtual-trivia/. Ask an Athletic Trainer can be found directly at https://recsports.vcu.edu/about/virtual-programs/ask-an-athletic-trainer/.

For more information, contact Connie Kottmann at crkottman@vcu.edu or visit https://recsports.vcu.edu/about/virtual-programs/.

The VCU Alumni African-American Alumni Council Mentoring Circle is in need of alumni mentors. The program connects African-American undergraduates with African-American alumni who share professional interests. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Larry Powell at wlpowell@vcu.edu or (804) 828-8194 or visit https://link.vcu.edu/hub/vcualumni/program/vcu-mentoring-program/about.

In support of all VCU and VCU Health staff members, the university's Staff Senate has created a Google form to submit questions or concerns regarding COVID-19 in relation to being a staff member of the VCU community. See the form at the following URL. As concerns are addressed, the question and answer will be added to the FAQ page at this URL: https://hr.vcu.edu/covid-19/employee-questions/.

For more information, contact VCU Staff Senate at staffsenate@vcu.edu or (925) 683-9313 or visit https://staffsenate.vcu.edu/covid-19/.

Current faculty and staff members are invited to participate in an IRB-exempt study examining views about Title IX policy. Completion of the survey at the following URL should take no more than 10-15 minutes and any risk is minimal. See the survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Christina Mancini, Ph.D., principal investigator, associate professor of criminal justice, Wilder School, at cnmancini@vcu.edu or visit https://southalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9MqZIX7nnUrHGvz.

Open enrollment for health benefits and flexible spending will take place May 1-15. The state health benefits program began mailing open enrollment information packages to faculty and staff on April 16. Information will be published online beginning the week of April 27.

For more information, contact VCU Benefits Administration at openenroll@vcu.edu or visit http://hr.vcu.edu.

Surviving Remote@VCU is tailored for faculty members who must move a face-to-face course to emergency remote teaching in response to a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. The intent of this two-week course, hosted by the Academic Learning Transformation Lab, is to help faculty members understand different aspects of remote teaching, including instructor presence, transition considerations, redesigning instructional content and assessments and creating engaging content in Blackboard. Sections will run every two weeks, with cohorts beginning on Mondays, until all interested participants have been given a chance to participate. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Brianne Jackson at bljackson@vcu.edu or visit https://altlab.vcu.edu/program/surviving-remotevcu/.

A new lineup of virtual events, VCU Libraries Community Zooms, debuts April 30. This weekly series of informal sessions is designed for the VCU community. The sessions, at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays, will cover a variety of topics, starting with library preservation and moving on to health information, summer reading, creativity exercises and more. The series webpage lists currently scheduled sessions. More will be added. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Sue Robinson at srobinson26@vcu.edu or visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/events/2019-20/community-zooms.html.

Do you have questions about reporting a sexual assault that occurred prior to, or during, the COVID-19 pandemic? The VCU Police Department has a list of frequently asked questions on its website to help survivors understand their options. VCU Police has specially trained, victim-witness officers on every shift, uses the You Have Options reporting program and takes online, anonymous and third-party reports. Officers can speak with survivors (and others) by phone or on Zoom.

For more information, contact Officer Jasmine Merricks at jnmerricks@vcu.edu or (804) 828-6356 or visit https://police.vcu.edu/sexual_violence/faqs-on-reporting/.

Open enrollment for health coverage and flexible spending plans takes place through May 15. Eligible university faculty and staff may enroll in flexible spending accounts and/or make changes to health coverage elections for the plan year that begins July 1. No action is required to maintain current health coverage elections for the upcoming plan year, but enrollment is required to begin or continue participation in flexible spending. 

For more information, contact VCU HR Benefits Administration at openenroll@vcu.edu or (804) 828-0177 or visit http://www.hr.vcu.edu/open-enrollment.

VCU's Honors College is requesting proposals for Spring 2021 courses and modules (five-week courses). Submit a proposal by June 1 at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jared Johnson at jajohnson4@vcu.edu or (804) 827-1803 or visit https://honors.vcu.edu/for-faculty/teach-honors/.

A new video from VCU Libraries highlights how the libraries expanded services, created new collections and mobilized to meet student and faculty needs during the university's remote spring semester. View the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKiMaNFGBhc&feature=youtu.be.

For more information, contact Sue Robinson at srobinson26@vcu.edu or visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/news/2020-news/virtual-libraries-showcases-services-and-expertise-during-covid-19-distancing.html.

VCU School of Social Work's Food Access and Well-Being study invites VCU students to participate in an online survey. This research seeks to learn about student food access, basic needs and related concerns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey takes 10-15 minutes. Participants have a chance for compensation. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Youngmi Kim, MSW, Ph.D., at ykim@vcu.edu or (804) 828-3613 or visit https://vcussw.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bDUqahL28dQWyax.