Governor Wilder at VCU podium

I’ve always believed education to be a pathway to success; that key to unlock the door to equality.

The people’s pleas for leadership and social justice, particularly in today’s world, are too often ignored or met with indifference.

I am extremely proud of the school’s placement in the U.S. News and World Report 2022 Rankings. The Wilder School ranked No. 38 among 285 schools across the country. This places the Wilder School in the 15th percentile of schools of Government, the highest ranking in the school’s history. It is also tied for #1 in the Commonwealth and the ONLY university in the state ranked in specialty areas of Urban and Social Policy. One of the things having been successfully launched is the Research Institute for Social Equity (RISE).

I am filled with pride in the leadership of Dean Susan Gooden at the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU.

The RISE Initiative, in which Dean Gooden, faculty, and staff have contributed immensely, has positioned the school to be recognized as leaders in addressing matters of race and racism. Additionally, Dean Gooden is the recipient of the coveted Charles H. Levine Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Administration. This award has not been presented in six years, and never before bestowed upon an African-American.

With these recognized and unprecedented achievements, one would expect the support of those more closely associated with and responsible for funding for it’s future, especially those in whose legislative district our school is housed.

It is incomprehensible to me how millions of taxpayers dollars are wasted needlessly on “investigations” and bogus racial palaver, and then be told by the legislator who was the patron of the bill requesting our funding needs, that we’re merely “aspirational” at the Wilder school; come back next year. I consider that surprising, insensitive, and insulting.

Yes, as Dr. King said, “Truth crushed to earth shall rise,…and we shall overcome”.

Stay tuned.

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