Bacon's Rebellion

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SCHEV Approves First School of Neuroscience

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by

James A. Bacon
in ,

neuroscience

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has approved the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience, the first school of neuroscience in the country. The school will study disorders of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury, and the mind itself, including decision-making, behavior and creativity, reports Virginia Business.

The school will have 15 faculty members and enroll 150 students. Neuroscience students will have the opportunity to become involved with biomedical neuroscience research in the recently launched Health Sciences and Technology Innovation District in Roanoke.

Bacon’s bottom line: Congrats, Virginia Tech. It’s good for Virginia universities to push into burgeoning fields of knowledge. And I like the economic development tie-in with Roanoke. At the same time, universities can’t be all things to all people. As universities expand into new fields, they should contract in older, less relevant fields experiencing shrinking class enrollment. Somehow, we never seem to read about universities pulling the plug on declining programs. Maybe it happens, but we don’t hear about it.

— JAB

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6 responses to “SCHEV Approves First School of Neuroscience”

  1. jalbertbowden Avatar
    jalbertbowden

    I also love the tie-in with Roanoke, and agree with contraction.
    Unis love to keep everything under wraps, especially when it involves decreasing service(s), during a period of constant tuition increases.
    Only program I can recall off the top of my head was CNU axing their nursing program, but they didn’t do it because nursing is outdated, this was a policy decision.

    1. James A. Bacon Avatar
      James A. Bacon

      Good for CNU. Someone recognized that the university can’t do everything it would like to do.

      I wonder if it’s possible to track enrollment in courses and programs. I do recall seeing metric on the number of majors in different UVa departments, which I suppose is a decent proxy for enrollment. I wonder if SCHEV tracks that data.

  2. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    I think UMW also discontinued some Degree programs.. a few years back.

    but yes – I’m surprised that VaTech got the drop on Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injuries (from sports).

    These are for sure – growth opportunities and perhaps some day VaTech will become the Mayo Clinic of these diseases and, in turn, all the economic development that would accompany that.

  3. John B Avatar
    John B

    Can’t wait for V N and Cville Resident to pan this VA Tech program also since it IS in the Roanoke Valley.

    The commonwealth’s progressive education thrusts don’t all just emanate from the UVA and GMU campuses and nowhere else.

  4. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    well Cville Resident .. DOES seem to have a certain BIAS for UVA.. don’t think I’ve ever heard him give an “attaboy” to Tech… !!! no love lost between UVA and Tech anyhow – both think the other are heathens..

  5. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    What Virginia needs to be doing – is largely along the lines of what McAuliffe has been advocating and supporting. I’m sure he does not have all the ideas but the following:

    1. – get our K-12 to 21st century standards – i.e. so our kids have competitive educations to Europe and Asia.

    2.- have two job-target paths in K-12 – 4yr degree and 2yr technical degree/occupational certs, etc

    3. incentivize education for jobs that are in demand in the economy – if folks want to pursue other – fine – on their own dimes

    4 – get our regional health systems and Medical higher ed – pointed to where health care is headed

    5. – drones – look at the following clip and trade “plastics” for “drones”

    and don’t limit thinking to the popular culture drones -think of autonomous vehicles in everything .. from powerline/pipeline surveying to hunting for lost hikers and airliners to security monitors to hunting down terrorists

    every one of them will require specialized hardware and software – i.e. “jobs”

    https://youtu.be/Dug-G9xVdVs

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