A Virginia Senate Joint Resolution has designated July 1, 2008 as Virginia Commonwealth University Day in the Commonwealth to commemorate the university's 40th anniversary.

VCU day will mark the start of a yearlong celebration entitled "Fortieth and Forward," and will be commemorated with the instillation of historical markers and sculptures on both campuses.

The university-wide celebration will include plans in October for the Richmond community, and an anniversary committee is planning other events and commemorations for the 2008-09 academic year.

While the resolution acknowledges only the 1968 merger of two completely different institutions, VCU's history has come a long way from much more than just the past 40 years.

Starting out as the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College back in 1838, it wasn't until 1854 that the medical department receives an independent charter from the Virginia General Assembly and becomes the Medical College of Virginia (MCV).

Sixty-three years later, The Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health emerges. In 1939, 22 years later, the institution becomes the locally-historic "Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary" (RPI).

Twenty-three years after that, RPI separates from William and Mary to become its own independent state institution in 1962, and six short years later in 1968 state legislation merge MCV and RPI into Virginia Commonwealth University.

While it is the merge 40 years ago that is the cause of celebration today, VCU clearly has a history that spans 170 years.

Since then, the university has undergone numerous changes in only the last seven years. The surrounding community has since witnessed the additions of the Lois E. and Eugene P. Trani Life Sciences Building and the Ackell Residence hall in 2001, the Shafer Court Dining Center in 2004, and the additions of two dormitories, Brandt Hall and RAMZ hall in 2005. 

The university has even renamed both campuses in 2004, changing the "Academic Campus" to the "Monroe Park Campus", and the "Medical Campus" to the "VCU Medical Center."

 "VCU 2020", the expansion project of the Monroe Park Campus towards east of Belvidere St., has major goals of creating a community which promotes student engagement on the academic campus. 

The expansion is also slated to include long-term projects to the VCU Medical Center as well, including a new School of Allied Health Professions, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and the VCUHS Bed Tower.

This year, as part of the VCU 2020 project, VCU opened its doors to Snead Hall, which houses the new School of Business and Phase II of The School of Engineering, as well as the opening of the "VCU Brandcenter," home to school's Mass Communications Master's Program, which focuses primarily on Creative Advertising.

Later this year, the Monroe Park Campus is scheduled to complete construction of its newest dorm, Cary Street Housing. VCU has since seen its on-campus residency rise from only 2,400 in the last five years to 4,700 upon completion of the new dorm.  The university will also see a projected two new dorms within the next five years, bringing on-campus residency to a projected 6,000.

Those numbers are a far cry from the record breaking 32,000 students that now attend the university, making VCU the largest state institution in the Commonwealth, and the only university in Virginia to exceed enrollment over 30,000.

"In 40 short years, VCU has grown to become a remarkable, major institution of higher education with a preeminent medical center and a presence around the world," said Eugene P. Trani, who has served as VCU's president since 1990. "While we will fondly reminisce about our first 40 years, our celebration this year will focus on our future as a top urban university."