RBC Receives $1M for Outreach Project

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2024

Contact: Jesse Vaughan, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer/jvaughan@rbc.edu

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) recently bestowed the Office of Research & Innovation at Richard Bland College of William & Mary with a $1 million grant to fund its virtual Mobile Marketing and Communication Outreach Project. The vehicle will double as a center for career discovery and exploration and will primarily serve first generation, rural area and non-traditional adult learners.

“The mantra of this initiative is ‘We come to you,’” Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Jesse Vaughan said. “We’re meeting learners where they are to have engaging and insightful sessions with state-of-the-art technology and resources.”

Dr. Kimberly Boyd, Vice President and Chief Research & Innovation Officer, Chief Enrollment Management Officer Justin May and Vaughan will run point on the project.

Dr. Boyd will lead virtual reality, mobile artificial intelligence and aviation & drone demonstrations, mindfulness activities, as well as conduct research for the initiative. May will handle admissions and enrollment, which entails distributing resources and information, as well as offering virtual tours of the college campus. Lastly, Vaughan will craft a multi-faceted recruitment campaign to reach residents in rural and underserved communities.

In the near future, the college will collaborate with community and workforce development partners to support the initiative and to foster a pipeline of STEM-H (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health Sciences) professionals.

To learn more about the RBC Office of Research & Innovation, click here.