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a letter from: Athletics, one which will serve as a roadmap to prominence for all of our programs. We want VCU student-athletes to achieve academic distinction and win athletic championships, while enjoying the best experience we can provide. The strategic plan will help us meet those goals. We're also progressing towards the realization of a basketball practice facility that will provide our student-athletes with a springboard for success and will serve as a jewel to the recruiting efforts of Coach Smart and Women's Basketball Coach Marlene Stollings. Once complete, the facility will ensure that the infrastructure of the VCU basketball programs ranks in the upper echelon of Division I athletics. utside my office at the Siegel Center are rows of Bradford Pear trees which recently came into full bloom, unveiling lush, pearlcolored blossoms. Every time I walk out onto Broad Street, they catch my eye; an attention-grabbing aesthetic against the backdrop of the city's rusty red bricks. Those Bradfords are a constant reminder to me that spring is a season of growth and realization. The rain comes in to wash away the winter gray and gives birth to sunshine and green grass – and Bradford Pear blossoms. Everything feels fresh and new and full of possibility. It's very much that way at VCU this time of year as well. Although another successful men's basketball season has finished, the seeds for many more have been planted with Coach Shaka Smart's contract extension in March. Not only has Coach Smart's and VCU's commitment to the program been affirmed, but we've also agreed on enhancements that will benefit our student-athletes and allow the program to blossom in March for years to come. In addition, our team is busy constructing a new strategic plan for VCU Through these efforts, we'll continue shaping the lives of our nearly 300 student-athletes. These young men and women will come here to win championships, graduate and then leave for the "real world" as leaders. You'll learn about some of those future leaders, as well as the coaches who will help them get there, in this edition of The Ram Report. I hope you enjoy reading their stories as much as we enjoy sharing them. It's spring for VCU Athletics, literally and figuratively. We're planting the seeds of success, and we're looking forward to the seasons ahead when they bloom. Ed McLaughlin Director of Athletics VCU8w5h:Layout 1 1/17/13 12:16 PM Page 1 Our Fast Forward Document Solutions are a Slam Dunk! Proud to support VCU Athletics. Charlottesville • Lynchburg • New River Valley • Richmond Roanoke • Tidewater • Shenandoah Valley www.VAbusinesssystems.com