August 7, 2005 -- Platinum Television Group is pleased to announce the selection of Virginia State University for its innovative, educational television series, Today’s Family. The company will be featured in a segment on the “Universities of Excellence” Series.
“ Bridges to Baccalaureate ”
Virginia State University, founded in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, was the first fully state supported, four–year institution of higher learning for African Americans in the U.S. Today, VSU is one of Virginia’s two land-grant institutions with a student population of nearly 5,000. The size allows for students to enjoy personal attention from the faculty and staff. The campus sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River in the Chesterfield County Village of Ettrick, and is approximately two hours from Washington, D.C.
VSU students live and learn on a 236-acre main campus and a 416-acre agricultural research facility. The main campus encompasses more than 50 buildings, including 15 dormitories and 16 classroom buildings. In Spring 2005, VSU unveiled a new Johnston Memorial Library, which had undergone a two-year, $10.8 million facelift. The renovation project expanded the library to 103,190 square feet, improved its aesthetic quality and made the building a state-of-the-art learning facility.
VSU offers 45 Baccalaureate and master’s degree programs, and a certificate of advanced study from five different schools: The Schools of Agriculture; Business; Engineering, Science and Technology; Liberal Arts and Education; and Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach. The university’s academic program includes the “Bridges to Baccalaureate” program for students transferring from two-year colleges who want to major in the sciences. In the fall of 2003, the University introduced its first doctoral program as well. VSU students can choose from majors in a wide variety of disciplines including the recently implemented programs of computer engineering, computer science, criminal justice, mass communications, and manufacturing engineering.
The university also offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including the Student Government Association and the National Pan Hellenic Council (the governing body of VSU’s Greek life). Student services include a wellness center, game rooms, meeting rooms, café, chapel, computer lab, and reading and study room as well as many athletic programs.
Led by its 12th president, Eddie N. Moore, Jr., former Virginia state treasurer, the university continues a pattern of healthy fiscal management and growth, with a 2004-05 operating budget of nearly $96 million. For more information, please visit www.vsu.edu.
