In a project that advocates say is decades in the making, Virginia Commonwealth University will establish the Queer Research and Advocacy Center, which will be known as the Q Collective, to serve as a creative and intellectual hub in support of LGBTQIA+ artistic and scholarly activities among faculty, staff, students and the Greater Richmond community.
The Q Collective, which will be operated through VCU’s Division for Inclusive Excellence, is scheduled to launch on Oct 24, 2019. The center will stand out on the national higher education landscape as a rare effort to merge research, scholarship and advocacy to bring greater awareness to issues that affect LGBTQIA+ populations and communities.
“With the establishment of the Q Collective, VCU is creating a much-needed center to support LGBTQIA+ research, scholarship and advocacy,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “The center holds great potential to inform and serve the community. Work done by the Q Collective at VCU will extend beyond the university as it serves and promotes the human condition.”
Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., vice president for inclusive excellence, said the Q Collective establishes VCU as a national leader in a rapidly growing and evolving field.
“This center will demonstrate to the world that VCU is the place for LGBTQ research, scholarship, creativity and advocacy,” he said. “We have scholars doing groundbreaking research in this area and students who are engaging in exciting scholarship and creative work. We also have amazing support from our community partners. The Q Collective will provide them with the resources and opportunities that they deserve.”