Wilder School announces split from College of Humanities and Sciences

Liz Butterfield
Assistant News Editor

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs announced plans to split off from the College of Humanities and Sciences and become an independent school within VCU in an email sent to Wilder School students earlier this month.

The Wilder School currently houses degrees such as criminal justice, homeland security, economics, urban studies and political science. According to Jennifer Thompson, the Wilder School’s director of external relations, there have been plans for the Wilder School’s independence since its creation nearly 10 years ago.

The school’s leadership intends for the Wilder School to become independent so the administration can focus on individual programs within the school, like graduate and doctoral work, and put an emphasis on national rankings, Thompson said.

“The number one goal for the faculty … is to find a way to amplify the programs that VCU offers to benefit our students,” she said.

Thompson was involved in faculty discussion and meetings on the transition led by provost Beverly Warren. Warren, who presented her plan to create an independent Wilder school to president Michael Rao after meeting with several faculty members and others at VCU. Her report will be presented to the Board of Visitors in May and, pending approval, will then pass to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for a final decision.

If the transition to independence is approved, Thompson said the Wilder school would continue its search for new faculty hires as another way to help improve their programs.

“(The goal) we’ve always had is to train tomorrow’s leaders in government and in public policy,” Thompson said, noting that she felt the Wilder School stepping outside of the College of Humanities and Sciences will help it achieve those goals.

According to the announcement to students, undergraduate degree programs currently in progress will not change under the plan. Political science, sociology and international studies are the only three majors currently in the Wilder School that will remain in the College after the transition.

“I am happy that the Wilder School is splitting,” said political science junior Sean Doody. “But I’m happy that political science is remaining with the College of Humanities and Sciences.”

Doody said he felt his major was often pushed aside to favor other programs, especially during new faculty hires.

“I think that now we are separated from them … that we actually have the potential to grow as a department.”