Are you eligible for Federal Work Study and a highly motivated B.S.W. or M.S.W. student? Do you enjoy working with others as a team to create a sense of community?

Do you have fresh ideas for student programming events and enjoy serving the community? If you answered yes to all of those questions, you may want to consider applying in Handshake to serve as a 2024-25 SSW student ambassador!

Send questions to Lakesha Bennett, senior recruitment specialist, at sswinfo@vcu.edu. 

The Basic Needs Program at VCU is seeking a qualified graduate student to apply for a graduate assistant position. The Basic Needs Program is a new program at VCU under Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success that aims to support the basic needs of underserved student populations (e.g. students who have aged out of foster care, students experiencing homelessness, students with dependents, etc.). The goal is to alleviate basic need insecurity at VCU and promote the persistence and graduation rates of underserved students.

To apply, please send a resume or CV and a cover letter to Madison Woodroof, M.S.W., Basic Needs Program coordinator, at woodroofm@vcu.edu. The position will remain open until filled.

The VCU Office of Student Affairs is looking for volunteer peer support specialists who can help other students who are in crisis. These are students who have experienced gender-based violence, are experiencing mental health issues, or are having academic concerns. This position will require you to listen and provide resources. You will not be responsible for counseling students. This position will require a one-year commitment, and you have the ability to earn academic credit for being peer support. 

If you are interested, please email Stephanie Coats, assistant director of student advocacy, at coatss@vcu.edu.

Saturday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Sept. 8
Get ready for a host of events over three-plus weeks with VCU’s Weeks of Welcome. Key events include:

• New student convocation, 4-4:45 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 19, Monroe Park
• Ram Spirit Walk, 4:40-5:15 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 19, Monroe Park

In 2005, VCU was among the first universities to earn the Carnegie Community Engaged University classification. This self-study brings together the university and its partners to assess and improve community engagement. As the Division of Community Engagement seeks reclassification, input is sought to describe the university's work with communities. The final results will be shared. For more information, contact Division of Community Engagement at engage@vcu.edu.

>> Submit

Over Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, Shruti Syal, Ph.D., an assistant professor  from the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, will hire one to two graduate research assistants (RAs) for 10-20 hours per week on a project mapping the institutional network of organizations involved in water governance in India. RAs will be part of a research team with undergraduate and Ph.D. student researchers, who are working on related aspects of the overall project. RAs’ contributions are credited in the open-access web resource that the team creates, with the potential for co-authoring a research paper. RAs have typically also presented at the VCU graduate research symposium organized at the end of April each year. 

Please send an email to syals@vcu.edu with a CV and cover letter explaining your interest in the position, eligibility and specific experiences or qualifications that make you suitable for the position.

VCU students who use the Ram Pantry have access to more fresh fruits, vegetables and prepared foods thanks to a partnership with Birdhouse Farmers Market, a community-focused operation that neighbors the VCU campus.

In 2023, Ram Pantry moved to a location at 930 W. Grace St. in a building shared with the Free Store. There are also Little Ram Pantry kiosks across both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses.

“Everything [the farmers market] donates is perishable, so it’s nice to have fresh food available to our students,” says Lisa Mathews-Ailsworth, VCU’s assistant director for student support.

>> Learn more

Deadline: Friday, July 12

Sometimes unexpected challenges or opportunities may require you to reevaluate the steps of your educational path. Through Friday, July 12, all current B.S.W. and M.S.W. students will have the opportunity to request to change their program format — full-time to part-time and/or on-campus to online, and vice versa. Students must complete the official form and meet with their student success advisor in order for their request to be considered.

Keep in mind:

• Requests to change format will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and granted based on space availability.
• Students may only change from on-campus to online or vice versa one time during the course of their enrollment in the program.
• Format changes may result in changes to your tuition billing and/or financial aid — contact VCU Student Financial Services before you initiate the change request.
• Students must meet with their student success advisor prior to July 12, 2024, in order to officially request to change their program format. You may schedule an appointment online with your advisor.

>> Submit

Deadline: Friday, July 12
The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs is hiring nine-month part-time positions for Federal Work Study assistants for the 2024-25 school year. Applicants must be registered as full-time on-campus students and have accepted their Federal Work Study award. For more information, contact David Brown at dgbrown@vcu.edu.

>> Apply

TEACH BP, a VCU Health Pauley Heart Center program, teaches the importance of blood pressure to 4th graders in the Hopewell community. It runs in-classroom programs at elementary schools in Hopewell, as well as summer camps and community events in the Richmond area. The program is seeking volunteers to assist in educating young people about hypertension! Learn more about the program.

>> Register

TEDxVCU is now accepting applications to join its 2024-2025 planning team. Roles include marketing, production and engagement, and curation. All applicants are welcome, but applicants for marketing and production and engagement are encouraged. Applications will be accepted throughout the summer. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.

>> Apply