Virginia Commonwealth University is a public, state-supported institution of higher learning in Richmond, Virginia. The university, often abbreviated as VCU, has two main campuses in Richmond. The Monroe Park Campus includes undergraduate facilities and a number of professional schools. The MCV (Medical College of Virginia) Campus is home to the VCU Medical Center, which includes medical schools and the university hospital. The school also has a number of branch and satellite campuses. The Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences is an environmental research station on the James River between Richmond and Williamsburg. VCU’s medical school has a satellite location, the Inova Campus, in Falls Church, Virginia. VCU also has a School of the Arts in Qatar.
Virginia Commonwealth University was founded in 1838 as the Medical College of Virginia, a department of Hampden-Sydney College. The college became affiliated with the state of Virginia in 1860. The Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health was founded in 1917. It became the Richmond division of the College of William and Mary in 1925. In 1939, the school changed its name to the Richmond Professional Institute. It separated from William and Mary in 1962 and became state-supported. The Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia merged in 1968 and became Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU’s athletic teams are called the Rams. The university’s website at https://www.vcu.edu/ offers additional information.
