Opportunity 2030
The VCU School of Business has embarked on an ambitious strategic journey with the theme of "Unlimited Opportunity Creation." This theme is at the core of our vision for Opportunity 2030, which aims to establish a thriving and inclusive community where students and alumni can identify and take advantage of business opportunities so they can then create opportunities throughout their lives.
Our focus on the following key areas uniquely positions our students to become catalysts for opportunity creation:
- Exposing students to the opportunities of a business education
- Developing them into well-rounded professionals
- Innovative and impactful transdisciplinary research excellence
- Staying connected with our alumni and business partners
Opportunity 2030 was shaped by an intensive analysis of the dynamic higher education marketplace and comprehensive research that included feedback from key stakeholders. Key insights reveal both challenges, such as a shrinking student population, increased competition in all forms and overshadowed faculty and program excellence, as well as distinctions, such as our diversity, creative ecosystem and deep connections with alumni and partners. This strategic plan builds on these insights so we can grow enrollment, navigate change, and take advantage of our diversity, accessibility, creativity, and connections.
Ultimately, Opportunity 2030 uniquely positions us to create opportunities for our students, so that they can create opportunities throughout their careers and create opportunities within their local communities.
Our Common Beliefs
We Know Business is Transdisciplinary.
Business is not a field; it’s a series of disciplines that bring success to every field. Our research and teaching intersect with a broad range of industries.
We Know Business is Transdisciplinary.
Business is not a field; it’s a series of disciplines that bring success to every field. Our research and teaching intersect with a broad range of industries.
We Believe in Access to Opportunity.
It’s not just about diversity; it’s about opportunity. It’s about giving people access to a room that many didn’t even know existed.
We Support the Whole Student. For Their Whole Life.
Providing the knowledge, skills and experiences to fully prepare students by reaching them earlier and strengthening lifelong learning and connections.
Opportunity Creation is Contagious.
Our students create opportunities for themselves, the businesses they work for and the communities where they live.
We're Building a Community of Opportunity.
We’re focused on building not just a school but a connected community that brings together committed students, dedicated faculty, engaged alumni, adjacent departments, local businesses, and the forward-thinking supporters who make it all possible.
Our Common Purpose
| UNLIMITED ASPIRATIONS A business education is the key to the halls of accomplishment across every field of endeavor. It can help anyone with the drive to succeed to create opportunities for themselves, the businesses they work for and the communities where they live. |
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TOGETHER WE CAN |
Unlimited Aspirations
A business education is the key to the halls of accomplishment across every field of endeavor. It can help anyone with the drive to succeed to create opportunities for themselves, the businesses they work for and the communities where they live.
Remove the barriers to high quality business education and give access to every individual with the aptitude and drive to achieve and succeed.
Opportunity Accessed
The VCU School of Business has a proven record of making access to a business education more accessible, making real-world learning more real, making opportunity creation more creative and establishing connections between faculty and students that are more connected.
Apply our creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness to make sure everyone has the opportunity to achieve success in their career and life.
Creation of Value
We have the opportunity to remove the limits for anyone who has the talent and drive to achieve, to create opportunities, pathways and programs so that students are supported and successful, and to continue to innovate on the research, curriculum and programs in service to the whole student before, during and after they leave our halls.
Create a school, culture curriculum, programs and extracurricular learning opportunities that are informed by transdisciplinary research and that benefit the whole student before, during and after they leave our halls.
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OUR VISION
We envision a world where life-changing access to business education is available to all, leading to the creation of world-changing opportunities for all.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to catalyze opportunity creation for our students, faculty, staff and the organizations and communities they serve.
Our Guiding Pillars
Student Success
By focusing on the whole student experience, before, during and after they leave our programs, we can create more access and opportunity. Further, we can foster deeper connections to alumni and the organizations that will be major contributing members to our learning, teaching and research model.
Transdisciplinary Research
‘Transdisciplinary Research’ goes beyond traditional academic boundaries by involving not only multiple academic disciplines but also external stakeholders like industry, government, and community partners. This approach addresses complex problems in a holistic way, with the potential to create outcomes that impact both academia and broader society.
Our Four Energies
Prospect Exposure
We will excel at helping students see and seize opportunities in a business career.
Student Experience
We will provide real-world skill-building and development with a focus on preparing the whole student for success in business.
Research Excellence
We will conduct research that identifies impactful new opportunities focusing on the intersection of business and adjacent fields.
Community Engagement
We will build an effective onramp to a business career, providing access to ongoing educational opportunities and building lifelong connections among alumni.
What comes next?
As we enter the next phase of our strategic planning, dedicated workgroups will fully engage in spring 2025 to bring the plan to completion. This in-house effort leverages the expertise and commitment of our incredible colleagues, each team focusing on one of the plan’s core “Energies.”
Guided by established building blocks, the workgroups will complete their tactical contributions by March. In April, these insights will be integrated into a finalized strategic plan by semester’s end, providing a blueprint for our school’s vision over the next five years.
Workgroups and Facilitators
The following workgroups and facilitators will be leading the next phase of plan development.
Jodie Ferguson
Dept. of Marketing
Emily Fox
Student Success: Recruitment and Enrollment Management
Stephen Fier
Dept. of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Katybeth Lee
Student Success
Jeff Shockley
Dept. of Supply Chain Management and Analytics
Cait Burns
Student Success: Student Engagement
Jason Merrick
Dept. Supply Chain Management and Analytics
Lindsay Andiola
Dept. of Accounting
Holly Jackson
Dept. of Business Essentials
Carrie LeCrom
Center for Sport Leadership
Alex Moore
Development and Alumni Relations
Austen Gouldman
Graduate Studies
Christina Hansen
Office of Human Resources
Amita Goyal Chin
Dept. of Information Systems
Robert Kelly
Dept. of Management and Entrepreneurship
We Want to Hear from You
Community collaboration strengthens and expands the efforts of our strategic planning committees. For questions or feedback, please contact Dr. Mohan at mmohan@vcu.edu.