The Fund for Excellence and Innovation (FFEI) was established during the 2016 legislative session to focus on two primary activities: stimulate collabora­tions among public school divisions, community colleges and universities and to expand affordable student pathways; and pursue shared services and other efficiency initiatives at colleges and universities that lead to measurable cost reductions. 

In 2021, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV Council) approved a new statewide strategic plan, Pathways to Opportunity: The Virginia Plan for Higher Education. The Plan articulates a vision that by 2030 Virginia will be the “Best State for Education,” which the Commonwealth can achieve through progress on three broad goals: higher education that is (i) equitable; (ii) affordable; and (iii) transformative. 

FFEI grant competitions in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 sought to support the goals of the then-new statewide strategic plan, focusing on its EQUITABLE goal; five awards were made (three in Spring; two, in Fall). 

For Fall 2023, the third competition under the current Virginia Plan for Higher Education focused on the plan’s third goal: TRANSFORMATIVE, which is defined as expanding prosperity by increasing the social, cultural and economic well-being of individuals and communities within the Commonwealth and its regions. Announced in February 2024, three teams were awarded with grants of $75,000. These teams, led by George Mason University, Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University, will focus on furthering the readiness of current and future students for work and life involving artificial intelligence.  The work planned by these teams will contribute to meeting the Governor’s Executive Order 30 (2024) and the Guidelines for AI Integration throughout Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Below are the executive summaries for each team, as well as the original Call for Proposals.

2023 Fund for Excellence and Innovation Call for Proposals

•  GMU – “Preparing Students and Educators for Ethical AI Integration in Higher Education” 
•  ODU – “COVAConnect AI: Leading Coastal Virginia in AI Education and Integration through Design Thinking”
•  VCU – “T³ : Transformative PD for Transformative Learning Experiences to Transform the Workforce”

Brief summary on work accomplished through FFEI funds since 2018. 

Questions: Emily Salmon, Assistant Director of Strategic Planning & Policy Studies, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player Word Viewer Excel Viewer PowerPoint Viewer