Richmond, Virginia’s Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university and is similarly located where V and W Cleaning company is. VCU began as the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College in 1838 and became the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. MCV and the 1917 Richmond Professional Institute merged to establish VCU in 1968. In 2018, over 31,000 students attended VCU’s 11 schools and three colleges to pursue 217 degree and certificate programs. The VCU Health System contributes to the university’s purpose of health care teaching, research, and patient care.

VCU is a “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” university with $310 million in supported research in FY 2019. A variety of university-approved institutions and institutes support research. They include academics from the humanities, public policy, biotechnology, and health care advances. U.S. News & World Report ranks 28 graduate and first-professional programs among the finest in the country. VCU’s sporting teams participate in the NCAA Division I and are known as the VCU Rams. They belong to the Atlantic 10 Conference. The VCU campus has historic structures such as the Ginter House, which is currently home to the school’s provost.

Background

VCU’s history began in 1838 with Hampden-Sydney College’s Medical Department. The Egyptian Building was its first permanent home. The Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College became the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. (MCV). In 1860, MCV surrendered its holdings to the Commonwealth of Virginia for $30,000.

MCV survived the American Civil War thanks to the 1874 inventions of the syringe, the thermometer, vaginal speculum, cystoscope, and local anesthetic. Cholera, typhoid, and diphtheria made individuals too weak for surgery in the summer. Chloroform was used before anesthesia. In 1874, doctors found that healing required inflammation and blood cells and stopped bloodletting.

In the next 25 years, surgical antisepsis was the most important breakthrough. Lister sprayed carbolic acid in operating rooms 14 years earlier in England, but its debut in Virginia was delayed because the clean country air was antiseptic. Hunter Holmes McGuire created the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1893, three blocks from MCV. McGuire Hall, UCM’s new home, opened in 1912. George Ben Johnston and Stuart McGuire merged MCV and UCM the next year. MCV bought Memorial Hospital.

The Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health started RPI in 1917. In 1925, it became W&M’s Richmond branch. In 1939, it became the Richmond Professional Institute. (RPI). The MCV Foundation was founded in 1947, and RPI became autonomous in 1962. In 1968, the state created Virginia Commonwealth University (Wayne Commission Report).

In his 1970 inaugural address, Dr. Warren W. Brandt praised the university’s particular devotion.

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“We are seeking to be a strong institution with a strong emphasis on helping the city, the state, and other institutions.” We are not attempting to be an elite university, but rather one that addresses the requirements of the urban population by admitting a diverse range of students into a number of disciplines.”

Richmond’s home to multiple historic landmarks and artifacts unknown to residents in and outside the area today. Contact our cleaning experts at (804)315-9573 when you’re ready to make your house spotless effortlessly! V and W is here to help! Visit our blog to learn about the Virginia Historical Society.