Virginia State University (VSU) is a public, comprehensive 1890 Land Grant institution and historically black college/university. The University is committed to the preparation of a diverse population of men and women through the advancement of academic programs and services that integrate instruction, research, extension and outreach. VSU is widely known as Virginia's Opportunity University. Under the leadership of the University's 14th President Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D., VSU has transformed the experiences of students, faculty, staff and alumni. The mission of VSU is demonstrated through five focus areas: providing a transformative experience for students, strategically investing in academic programs, embracing our position as a top land grant university, lead in the role as Virginia's Opportunity University and partnered with all of our constituents to tell our story. We have fulfilled this mission by achieving a 30 percent increase in our freshman enrollment for fall 2016; the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business received re-affirmation from the AASB; receiving more than $5 million in grants that allow VSU to partner with area K-12 schools; ranked as the most active social media university within the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association; achieved an 88 percent success rate with our student athletes; and celebrated the accomplishment of Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016, who is a 2009 VSU graduate. Some of VSU's notable achievements include the following: in 2016, the College of Education was awarded $2.14 million by New York-based Wallace Foundation to participate in a $47-million initiative to improve how aspiring principals are trained and to be part of a national effort to share lessons with the broader field; also in 2016, the National Science Foundation awarded the University a $3 million grant to work with school districts in Petersburg, Richmond, New Orleans and Philadelphia to increase the number of underrepresented minority students entering college with the skills to be able to pursue a STEM major and career; in May of 2016, the University was named one of the nation's top 20 "Best Colleges for African Americans" by ESSENCE magazine; in June of 2016, five VSU students were among more than 1,150 American undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship; and in August 2016, the Academic Center of Excellence (ACE) opened as a one-stop hub for first-year students. Some of the services ACE provides includes career and academic advising, Trojan Odyssey and tutorial services. VSU is also proud of its alumni achievements. Alumna Christine Darden, Ph.D. is referenced in the book "Hidden Figures" written by Margot Lee Shetterly, which resulted in the Oscar-nominated film "Hidden Figures." The book and film tell the story of a team of African-American women who provided NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program's first successful space missions. Darden is a retired NASA mathematician, data analyst and aeronautical engineer. Alumna Klinette H. Kindred was appointed as the second bankruptcy judge in the Alexandria Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Judge Kindred is the first African American and first female to be appointed to the Bankruptcy bench in the Eastern District of Virginia. United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Court Chief Judge Roger Gregory is the first African American to serve as the 17-judge court chief jurist. In the late 2000, during a congressional recess, outgoing President Bill Clinton appointed Gregory to the 4th Circuit to fill a newly created seat. Gregory was then nominated to the same position by President George W. Bush in 2001. Alumnus Chief Judge Gregory is the only person to be appointed to a federal appeals court by presidents of two different parties.
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