Virginia Commonwealth University faculty members who teach Focused Inquiry courses for new students say the institution may cut a third of their jobs. Faculty members in a Virginia Commonwealth University department that’s supposed to teach new students core skills say the university has proposed laying off about a third of them. “The impact that this would have would be devastating to student success and retention given that our unit is so focused on the well-being and prosperity of our students,” said Ryan Cales, who’s in his 12th year teaching in the Focused Inquiry Department.