Virginia Union University Reinstates Physics Major

A $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation allowed the school to reopen the physics department.

At a time when a number of small colleges and universities are rethinking and shrinking their curricula due to budget, enrollment and other concerns—in some cases shuttering programs in what are traditionally viewed as core disciplines — developments at Virginia Union University [a UNCF-member institution] stand out. The university recently reintroduced its physics major, according to a story in Insidehighered.com.

“Physics is the basis of all sciences — that’s why so many departments do service courses for chemistry majors, or teach physics for math or biology,” said Shaheen Islam, a professor of physics at Virginia Union who won a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to reopen the physics department. “Everybody knows this, so hopefully now we’ll start to see the trend move the other way.” >> Read More

Did You Know?

According to the American Physical Society, 40% of Bachelors Degrees in Physics awarded to African Americans are earned in HBCUs.