Opportunity 2030 is grounded in a simple conviction: The VCU School of Business exists to create unlimited opportunity for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and the communities we serve.
This report reflects our progress against the priorities we set out to complete, advance or begin during the 2025–26 academic year. Of the 34 actions that make up the plan, six are already complete, 20 are progressing as planned—many designed as multiyear efforts that extend beyond Year 1—and eight are pending as we phase into later stages.
Across all four strategic energies, you'll see the shape of that progress: a unified brand, expanded internship and global learning pathways, new research funding and fellowships and deeper alumni connections.
None of this happens without the faculty, staff, students and partners building it every day. I'm proud of how much ground we've covered in a single year and even more convinced that every step we take from here creates new opportunities for everyone we serve.
Brian P. Brown, Ph.D.
Dean, VCU School of Business
Our Four Energies
Explore progress across the four strategic energies guiding Opportunity 2030.
Prospect Exposure
Helping students see and seize opportunities in a business career.
Explore sectionStudent Experience
Providing real-world skill-building and development for student success.
Explore sectionResearch Excellence
Advancing impactful research across business and adjacent fields.
Explore sectionCommunity Engagement
Building lifelong connections and expanding access to opportunity.
Explore sectionYear 1 Progress at a Glance
Status of 34 actions across all four strategic energies.
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Prospect ExposureProspect Exposure
ENERGY 1: Prospect Exposure
In Year 1, the School of Business made meaningful progress in expanding visibility, strengthening recruitment tools and refining how we connect with prospective students and stakeholders.
Under the leadership of the dean and administration, we have led a transformation of the School of Business into a unified, high-performance brand, expanding our reach, sharpening our story and building a seamless pathway from awareness to enrollment. By aligning strategy, storytelling and digital experience, we have not only elevated visibility and engagement but also created a scalable platform that directly supports student success, global growth and long-term institutional impact.
Andrew LeVasseur
Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
Highlights from Year 1
Launched a unified brand experience
Rolled out the Open for Opportunity campaign and extended a cohesive School of Business identity across Snead Hall, print, digital and advertising.
Expanded reach and engagement
Broadened reach across web, social, email and Snead TV while increasing engagement with School of Business content, programs and events.
Delivered strong editorial and media results
Published 100+ stories, secured about 40 major media placements and generated 8,000+ pageviews on the news and events page.
Strengthened the recruitment journey
Created new and redesigned viewbooks and global recruitment materials to build a more consistent experience from prospect to enrollment.
Improved digital experience and performance
Completed 50+ web projects that improved accessibility, SEO, mobile performance and conversion through clearer pathways and streamlined architecture.
Built multimedia production capacity
Established an in-house studio and produced more than 90 videos to support recruitment, instruction and storytelling.
Developed data-driven recruitment insights
Built a centralized undergraduate recruitment dashboard in Slate to track attendance, applications, enrollments and pipeline performance.
Expanded online and transfer pathways
Increased promotion of fully online programs and strengthened transfer pipelines through partnerships with VCU Online and regional colleges.
Progress Toward Year 1 Goals
Identify target markets to prioritize sustainable and strategic enrollment and talent pipelines.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| PE 1.1 | Use enrollment data to identify top feeder high schools, community colleges and employers that send students to VCU. | Ongoing |
| PE 1.2 | Assess student demand for different course formats, including online, and identify where we can be most competitive. | Ongoing |
| PE 1.3 | Work with partners to reach new audiences, such as military-affiliated, adult, international and out-of-state students. | Ongoing |
Listen to prospect needs, interests and career goals to inform programming.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| PE 2.1 | Expand events and one-on-one meetings to tailor recruitment messages to prospective students’ interests and goals. | Ongoing |
| PE 2.2 | Structure some programs as manageable stackable units that let students build skills and value before completing a full degree. | Pending |
Acknowledge and find ways to overcome prospect barriers to entry.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| PE 3.1 | Work directly with all students, including adult learners, military-affiliated and first-generation, to understand and reduce enrollment barriers. | Pending |
| PE 3.2 | Recognize the cost of attendance by sharing financial resources early—and helping students understand the long-term value of their degree. | Ongoing |
| PE 3.3 | Provide clear guidance on how to prepare and submit applications through workshops, open houses and instructional videos. | Pending |
Develop and disseminate messaging that promotes the opportunities offered by the VCU School of Business.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| PE 4.1 | Measure brand awareness and perception to inform marketing strategy. | Pending |
| PE 4.2 | Launch a brand campaign that reflects the School of Business’ strengths, aligns with strategic goals and brings the community to life. | Complete |
| PE 4.3 | Create engaging social content that features voices from across our community. | Complete |
| PE 4.5 | Invest in consistent branding across School of Business programs and prioritize efforts with the greatest potential impact. | Ongoing |
Create a technology-supported and data-focused culture that drives sustained prospect exposure activities and supports target market stakeholders in making education-related choices.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| PE 5.1 | Track key indicators tied to enrollment and market position—and regularly share useful, comparable data with faculty and staff. Designate a point person to manage this data. | Pending |
| PE 5.2 | Use tools like chatbots, videos and web content to help prospective students—and their families—learn about our programs, how college works and ways to pay for it. | Ongoing |
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Student ExperienceStudent Experience
ENERGY 2: Student Experience
In Year 1, the School of Business expanded opportunities for students to build real-world skills through increased employer engagement, global experiences and stronger connections between academics and career pathways.
By deepening employer collaborations, enhancing academic internship infrastructure, increasing professional development support and launching new student engagement initiatives, we significantly advanced our mission to prepare business students for meaningful career success.
Jana McQuaid, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Success
Highlights from Year 1
Expanded AI and faculty-led programming
Increased student exposure to emerging topics through AI-focused speakers, faculty forums and grants supporting development opportunities.
Grew global learning experiences
Delivered immersive programs in Costa Rica and Milan while sustaining strong momentum for future experiences, with 2027 sites already reaching enrollment minimums and waitlists.
Expanded collaborative global programming
Continued GlobalSTEM Converge at the Universidad de Córdoba and reintroduced a collaborative component by welcoming Cordobése students into the program.
Increased employer and industry engagement
Connected students with employers through Richmond site visits and a New York financial services trip featuring leading firms and alumni panels.
Integrated career exploration into coursework
Embedded career panels in at least one class across every department in both fall and spring to strengthen connections between coursework and career pathways.
Expanded professional development support
Increased professional development funding by 54% in 2025-26, supporting 71 students compared with 46 in 2024-25.
Launched new student engagement communications
Introduced a Business Student Org Member Newsletter to more than 500 active students, achieving an average 75% open rate across four fall 2025 issues.
Strengthened internship access and infrastructure
Introduced a new internship tracking course, expanded academic internship support and established a student-run Saxbys café partnership, expected to create 35–40 internship positions each semester.
Progress Toward Year 1 Goals
We will foster an engaging and supportive environment that provides students with the resources, opportunities and incentives necessary to develop real-world skills that prepare them for success in business.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SE 1.1 | Track which students have internships, with the long-term goal of ensuring every student gains career-relevant experience. | Ongoing |
| SE 1.2 | Incentivize faculty to integrate industry-based projects into required courses, in collaboration with local businesses. | Pending |
| SE 1.3 | Offer and support subject-specific study abroad opportunities and encourage collaborative online learning with international partners. | Ongoing |
| SE 1.4 | Incentivize and increase student and faculty/staff participation in business student organizations and leadership opportunities. | Ongoing |
Work to ensure that all students receive thorough and relevant instruction from a motivated faculty striving for learning excellence.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SE 2.1 | Establish clear expectations, guidelines and policies for teaching and learning excellence across all course modalities. | Ongoing |
| SE 2.2 | Create a teaching and learning resource center to share best practices and support instructional innovation. | Ongoing |
Assess and create opportunities for students to develop professional skills in and outside of the classroom that will serve them as students and post-grad professionals.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SE 3.1 | Establish a baseline of career readiness skills and ensure the curriculum supports all students meeting the baseline. | Ongoing |
| SE 3.2 | Develop annual, department-led events that focus on industry-specific career paths. | Pending |
Foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment that provides students the support they need to be successful and strengthens students’ sense of belonging and engagement within the School of Business.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SE 4.2 | Host more faculty-student events that create inclusive, welcoming spaces. | Ongoing |
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Research ExcellenceResearch Excellence
ENERGY 3: Research Excellence
In Year 1, the School of Business advanced its research foundation by expanding funding, enhancing faculty support and elevating the visibility of faculty scholarship.
In Year 1, we made meaningful progress laying the foundation for research excellence at VCU Business. From rethinking internal research funding and expanding development and communication efforts to advancing policy revisions and improving the systems that support research activity, we've taken important steps toward a more intentional, better-supported and higher-impact research environment.
Mayoor “Max” Mohan, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Strategic Affairs and Research Initiatives
Highlights from Year 1
Expanded research funding and fellowships
Strengthened support for faculty research through the Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship Program, expanded funding opportunities and a new medium grants initiative.
Enhanced faculty research development support
Increased awareness of grant opportunities and development resources through collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI).
Grew research communications and visibility
Established a dedicated research communications role to elevate storytelling, visibility and promotion of faculty research.
Modernized research policies and programs
Updated promotion and tenure policies and rebranded Summer Fellowships as Research Excellence Fellowships to better align with the school’s research strategy.
Progress Toward Year 1 Goals
Enhance research quality and output through increasing faculty, staff and student involvement in research activities.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| RE 1.1 | Build a comprehensive knowledge management system to track research activity, including publications, grant funding and faculty expertise. | Ongoing |
| RE 1.2 | Offer research-related professional development programs, including grant writing workshops, research seminars, a formal mentorship program and writing retreats. | Complete |
| RE 1.3 | Provide research grants for data collection, software and conference travel. | Complete |
| RE 1.4 | Evaluate and revise annual research productivity reviews and create personalized development plans. | Ongoing |
| RE 1.6 | Explore ways to improve the faculty experience with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. | Ongoing |
Generate funds and resources targeted at enhancing our research mission.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| RE 4.1 | Secure endowments for professorships and to support strategic research initiatives, including summer grants and small research grants. | Ongoing |
| RE 4.2 | Develop pathways for business-funded research. | Ongoing |
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Community EngagementCommunity Engagement
ENERGY 4: Community Engagement
Alumni engagement grew in Year 1 through expanded outreach, stronger relationships and more targeted opportunities to connect with the school and each other.
In Year 1, we saw meaningful growth in alumni and community engagement, driven by new ways of tracking involvement and more targeted, interest-based events. From events beyond Richmond to department-level engagements, we expanded how and where we connect — strengthening relationships and creating new opportunities for meaningful connection.
Alex Moore
Executive Director of Development
Highlights from Year 1
Expanded alumni event programming
Introduced new events such as Midweek Summer Sips, Night at the Tides and Night at the Diamond to engage alumni in more dynamic and accessible ways.
Reached new alumni audiences
Hosted events beyond Richmond, including participation in a campaign event in New York, to connect with alumni not previously engaged.
Strengthened department-level engagement
Partnered with academic departments to fund and host alumni events aligned with specific career fields and areas of expertise.
Advanced alumni engagement through campaign efforts
Leveraged the launch of Unlocking Potential: VCU’s Campaign for the Future to track engagement and build momentum for deeper alumni relationships.
Progress Toward Year 1 Goals
Center community engagement in the DNA of the School of Business.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| CE 1.1 | Engage in the community to ensure we’re focused on solving the right problems. | Complete |
| CE 1.2 | Build a culture of community engagement through opportunities and connections. | Complete |
Nurture meaningful relationships with alumni to support the mission of the school and build our reputation.
| Action | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| CE 3.1 | Collect data on alumni locations, careers and interests to better connect with and support them. | Ongoing |
| CE 3.3 | Empower alumni to be effective ambassadors for the School of Business by creating a social media toolkit for alumni. | Pending |
As we continue to advance Opportunity 2030, these early results highlight the foundation being built for continued growth, innovation and impact in the years ahead.
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