12 p.m.

A lunchtime talk sponsored by VCU’s Ph.D. program in Media, Art and Text will feature Michael North, Ph.D., literary critic and UCLA professor of English. Register in advance at the following URL.

For more information, contact Oliver Speck at ocspeck@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JUdAjZ0uS3yZmYDafbDLVg?fbclid=IwAR1vvjbb-0W7FxVzx8W3GTvPMmZhYeJHtVxcTWQg90rUzftLMQKjWOE5zM8.

12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The IT Career Community will host a leadership panel featuring Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., vice president of Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success; Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., vice president for Administration; and Susan Gooden, Ph.D., Dean of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. They will discuss leading in the diverse world of VCU, explain how they developed their leadership styles and how they utilize them. Register in Talent at the following URL. Click on https://go.vcu.edu/itcc-events-remote for the Zoom link.

For more information, contact Warren Mays at itcareer@vcu.edu or visit https://go.vcu.edu/itcc-events.

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The VCU Honors College will host Pegah Eftekharzadeh, a doctoral intern at University Counseling Services at VCU, for a Berglund seminar. Eftekharzadeh will discuss mental health in Middle Eastern/North African individuals and communities, including the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms, variables that affect those rates, examples of lived experiences and local and national resources. Contact the following email for the event link.

For more information, contact Jared Johnson at jajohnson4@vcu.edu.

4 p.m.

VCU's Intercultural Festival will feature two major events: An afternoon with Christine Ha at 4 p.m. April 28 and a virtual fair from noon-2 p.m. April 29. Christine Ha is the first-ever blind contestant and Season Three winner of the competitive amateur cooking television show “MasterChef.” She defeated over 30,000 home cooks across America to secure the title, a $250,000 cash prize and a cookbook deal. The virtual fair will connect VCU student organizations and students to share resources and celebrate diverse cultures. Sign up to see Christine Ha and get the link for the virtual fair at the following URL.

For more information, contact Meghan Zapiec at mzapiec@vcu.edu or visit https://thecommonsvcu.com/ICF.

7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Join the Peer Health Educators of VCU's Health Promotion and Well-Being Center (The Well) for tips on getting better sleep. Learn about your own sleep pattern and additional resources for healthier sleep. Register on Rams Connect at the following URL.

For more information, contact Peer Health Advisors at peerhealth@vcu.edu or visit http://cglink.me/2dV/r1056673.

Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

April is Credential Month at the Capital CoLAB (Collaborative of Leaders in Academia and Business). Join President Michael Rao in the CoLAB’s last virtual event of the month about various topics related to digital skills development at VCU and across the region. The event is free and open to all faculty at VCU. Did you know VCU is one of the 19 participating universities for Capital CoLAB’s Digital Tech Credential program? To learn more about the Digital Tech Credential program, visit http://capitalcolab.com. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tasha Washington at colab@greaterwashingtonpartnership.com or visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2xKnGk7mSvOwlUOWc0wWcg.

Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

VCU's Sociology Department and the Student-Faculty Engagement Committee will host a Media and Society Spring Guest Lecture by Mohammed el-Nawawy, Ph.D., (Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., and Media Studies Program-Doha Institute for Graduate Studies). He will present his research on The Washington Post's reporting of violent attacks and comparatively discuss how framing is done differently when the victims of such attacks are Muslims or non-Muslims. Questions: https://sociology.vcu.edu/news/apr-29-event-valuing-the-victims-a-comparative-framing-analysis-of-the-washington-posts-coverage-of-violent-attacks-against-muslims-and-non-muslims.html. Register (required) at the following URL.

For more information, contact Volkan Aytar, Ph.D., at aytarv@vcu.edu or (540) 623-2070 or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIldOquqz4uHdQWOsBMBLNFA3zJlc7SY9F_.

Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 at 6 p.m.

Learn why VCU's Online MBA program was recently ranked 51st in the country (30th for student engagement) and how to apply. Students who are accepted have an average work experience of eight years; it is recommended that applicants have one to two years of work experience or the equivalent (internships or graduate school). Register at the following URL. If you cannot register ahead of time, attend using this URL: https://vcu.zoom.us/j/95013227143. Questions: https://business.vcu.edu/academics/mba-options/online-mba/.

For more information, contact Robert Clarkson at rmclarkson@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1597 or visit https://connect.business.vcu.edu/register/event-webinar-omba-042921?program=OMBA&utm_source=VCUSOB&utm_medium=email&utm_content=IC2021&utm_term=SaveTheDate&utm_campaign=IC2021.

Thursday, Apr. 29, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Welcome VCU's Society of Women Engineers 2021-22 Executive Council over mocktails and snacks at an in-person drink and snack pick up in the courtyard of the College of Engineering West Hall/Virginia Microelectronics Center, 601 W. Main St. An RSVP is required for a time slot to reserve a snack pack. RSVP at http://cglink.me/2dV/r1083418. Students who pick up in-person are required to wear a mask and observe social distancing guidelines. Click on the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Anisha Beladia at beladiaar@vcu.edu or (571) 208-6049 or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/94661916903.

Monday, May 3, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Join VCU HR and Fidelity for Money Monday, a quick look at ways to invest in plans not affiliated with the workplace, such as IRA accounts, brokerage accounts and other nonretirement vehicles. Questions: http://ramstrong.vcu.edu. Register in Talent @VCU or at the following URL.

For more information, contact Cindi Phares at cphares@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1521 or visit https://bit.ly/3t1ZTFT.

Monday, May 3, 2021 at 4 p.m.

The final VCU Faculty Club meeting of the academic year will feature a TED-Talks style presentation on the often-hidden history of the Black experience in Richmond, plus a roundtable discussion on grant opportunities for cardiovascular or metabolic disease research.

For more information, contact Pam Hendrix at pahendrix@vcu.edu or visit https://provost.vcu.edu/faculty/faculty-resources/facultyclub/.

Monday, May 3, 2021 at 8 p.m.

Hear five VCU Small Jazz Ensembles perform at a free concert to be livestreamed at the following URL. Music by Erykah Badu, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Roddy Green, J.J. Johnson, Toshio Masuda, Baden Powell, Sonny Rollins, Marlysse Simmons, Allen Toussaint, Cedar Walton, Lulu West and Thomas Windley, with video guests Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar) and the VCU Jazz Orchestra I.

For more information, contact Antonio Garcia, director of Jazz Studies, at ajgarcia@vcu.edu or visit http://go.vcu.edu/concerthall.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Understanding the connections between a mother’s health and that of her newborn is crucial for addressing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Kenesha Smith Barber, Ph.D., Va. Dept. of Health, and Amy Paulson, M.P.H., Eastern Virginia Medical School, will discuss current maternal and child health research and statewide initiatives that improve the health delivery system for mothers and their children. The event will be hosted by VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Lauren Harris at cctrhlthdis@vcu.edu or visit http://go.vcu.edu/equity.

Monday, Jun. 7, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

VCU's Center for Corporate Education will present the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program online for Summer 2021. This course is geared for participants looking to gain a Black Belt credential in project management. This class will run synchronously via Zoom from June 7 to June 11. Completion of Lean Six Sigma Green Belt is a requirement for this program. Questions: Email go.vcu.edu/corped. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Carrie Hawes at cjhawes@vcu.edu or visit http://go.vcu.edu/corped.

The VCU First Destination Survey is now live for May 2021 graduates on Handshake at VCU. Answers to the survey will help VCU to improve career and academic advising, student recruitment and overall student services. The survey is open to both undergraduate seniors and graduate/professional students completing their degrees in May. Please encourage graduating students to complete the survey and be eligible to win prizes (AirPods, Roku player, robot vacuum, VCU luggage set, and Amazon gift cards).

For more information, contact Danielle Pearles at ddpearles@vcu.edu or visit http://tiny.cc/VCUFDS21.

The two-year KL2 Mentored Career Development Award at VCU is funded and administered by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Science and VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. The award provides junior faculty investigators a mentored, research-intensive experience in a multidisciplinary setting. It enables the development of future leaders in clinical and translational research. Apply by July 12.

For more information, contact Rob DiRenzo at direnzor@vcu.edu or visit https://cctr.vcu.edu/education-and-training/kl2-program/.

Va-LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) is recruiting its next cohort of trainees. The program, created to improve the health and lives of children and adults with disabilities and their family members, helps people share ideas and learn leadership skills. Trainees complete classes, clinical observations, policy activities and a family mentorship experience. Over the course of the program, trainees work on a leadership project which they present at the end of the program. Trainees complete 150 or 300 hours of content. This is done both in classes and outside of class. Apply at the following URL.

For more information, contact Va-LEND at valend@vcu.edu or (804) 828-0073 or visit https://virginialend.partnership.vcu.edu/curriculum/.

VITAL is a research study testing a weight and wellness program specifically designed for people living with diabetes. If you are eligible to participate in this study, you will be asked to attend in-person data collection visits at three time points, participate in a 24-week program consisting of weekly virtual (Zoom) group meetings led by a trained coach at no cost to you and keep track of your weight, food and physical activity using a digital app.

For more information, contact Autumn Lanoye at optforhealth@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-2250 or visit http://www.vcuVITALtrial.com.