The academic and experiential offerings of the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation aim to create T-shaped individuals who are anchored in a discipline and have the capacity and openness to span across disciplines. As a result, students are better prepared to engage in our increasingly global world because they have developed the skills and tools necessary to engage in difficult dialog, to disagree, to reframe failure, and make change. The da Vinci Center is committed to increasing diversity and inclusivity in entrepreneurial and technical ecosystems; recognizing that our students represent the next generation of innovators and creators.
The students, faculty, and staff that make up the da Vinci Center community aim to create a culture of curiosity in everything they do. We believe that learning happens at the intersection of curiosity and collaboration. Our charter and design aspirations guide us in the work that we do.
OUR MODEL
OUR CHARTER
The da Vinci Center for Innovation is prototyping the future of higher education through cross-disciplinary academic, experiential, and experimental learning opportunities.
Measured by advancements in the human condition and the application of real-world knowledge and skills.
OUR DESIGN ASPIRATIONS
1. Be Student Focused
Create opportunities for all students to learn and apply new knowledge.
2. Enable Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Value and promote a cross-disciplinary approach to innovation and problem-solving.
3. Empower Innovative Ideas
Encourage new ideas that transform the way people think.
4. Bridge Classroom and Community
Enable practice and mastery that generates real world value with our partners.
5. Lead With Empathy
Be human centered and advance empathy as a critical component of innovation and design.
6. Foster Inclusive Communities
Remove barriers and connect diverse innovators and leaders in an effort to expand and strengthen ecosystems.
7. Value Entrepreneurship
Advance new ideas and lasting change through sustainable and equitable enterprises.
8. Embrace Failure
Encourage and celebrate risks that are human centered and contribute to new insights and knowledge.
9. Leverage Data
Support data driven decisions and experiments that are equitable and inclusive.
10. Transform Education
Advance teaching and learning that is grounded in curiosity and is expressed through real world applications and impact.