Petalcap Vale University

Petalcap Vale University is the premier public institution of higher learning under the auspices of the Petalcap Vale Bureau of Education. PVU offers a wide variety of degree programs ranging from associate to doctoral levels, but is most well-known for its contributions to chemical and biological sciences, particularly as they relate to mycology and the unique environment of the Distal Tesseract.

Structure

The Provost, appointed by the Petalcap Vale Bureau of Education, sits at the top of the administrative structure at PVU. A Board of Administrators serving under the Provost handles the financials and day-to-day operational concerns of the campus as a whole. Department heads manage the programs on offer from individual departments, though there are limits and certification standards for many programs set by statute, especially where the associated careers interface with public safety (medicine, engineering, etc).

Culture

Angela Foxglove by Hero Forge

Petalcap Vale Univeristy is, by far, the largest and most readily recognized institution of post-secondary education in the Vale. Though private post-secondary schools do exist in the Vale, these are small-scale colleges generally focussed on a specific area of education. Thus, while there is social prestige in attending one of these exclusive private colleges, attendance at PVU is a more widely-shared right of passage within the Vale Verdial community and, thus, is a better at developing social bonds within the community. One field of research in which Petalcap Vale University is nearly unmatched in the world, let alone the Vale, is that of biology. Specifically, PVU faculty and graduate alumni are at the forefront of research into the unusual biology of the Distal Tesseract, a region of the world where life has evolved in relative darkness and with an amino acid chirality opposite that of terrestrial life. Phenomena like black sun events, the contribution of circumvection and dustwisps to tesseract-associated environments, and polytrophic symbiosis would be much less understood without the efforts of PVU alumni. Vale mycologists are at the cutting edge of their field, as fungi of all types form the foundation of the Vale's ecosystem and have a multide of industrial (i.e. cellulomold), pharamaceutical (i.e. Lykrex), and agricultural (i.e. M-rations) purposes.

Dr. Cynaro Thorne by Hero Forge

PVU's focus on biological and chemical sciences do not represent a lack of attention towards other fields of study. The chill and often inhospitable nature of the Caudal Tesseract, in which the eponymous municipality lies, had stifled much in the way of Verdial exploration until the arrival of a Rostran expedition, headed Eqai Voiranoi, expanded the Vedial view of the world and exposed the culture to airships more powerful than sporeships. Since then, the Vale Verdial people have been 'making up for lost time' by pursuing all sorts of new explorations beyond their home tesseract. The famous Dr. Cynaro Thorne, a PVU anthropologist better known elsewhere as Cynaro the Rake for his amorous exploits, penned his influential Taxonomy in an effort to categorize and better understand the various sentient peoples under the Manifold Sky.

Public Agenda

Though Petalcap Vale is often (rightly) regarded as more of an agricultural nation than the other great powers of the Manifold, matched only by places like the Free Faces League in terms of bulk foodstuff production, not every Vale Verdial is destined to work the fields. Petalcap Vale exists to educate those with higher aspirations so that they can better pursue new discoveries, provide important services in the community, and contribute to the Vale economy.

Foreign Relations

PVU certificates are accredited almost everywhere beneath the Manifold Sky and its researches frequently collaborate with the Exivaun Academy of Arts and Sciences on research projects. Recent inroads have been made with the Voxelia Academy of Sciences in this regard, spearheaded through programs associated with the Ghostleaf Foundation.

PVU's broader attendance and public funding mean that it is the only Vale educational institution that can field a highly-ranked athletics program. Among alumni, the saying goes that "college Terraceball belongs to the Ol' Green and Orange." PVU teams also compete in the Manifold Triortan League on a collegiate level, though here they have competition in the form of teams from Vale Tech and Petalcap Vale Department of Defense Academy. PVU's mascot is Billy Briar-Brewer, a portly, jovial character often seen with wooden mug and a prop brandy barrel.

Dr. Julian Pelforth by Hero Forge

The faculty, by charter, make every effort to remain impartial and to provide an open forum for discussion. The University's influential status within Vale society, however, prevents it from remaining entirely aloof from the politics of the day. For example, the institution's unique focus on biology, especially as it relates to the Distal-adjacent species that cohabitate among and even within the Verdials themselves, sometimes draws the attention of nationalist organizations like the Verdant Order who have ideological stakes in the matter. These seemingly internal issues sometimes become international affairs, especially when they relate to the leverage of Vale-specific knowlede or resources. For example, recent activities by the fugitive Dr. Julian Pelforth, a notable PVU alum until his disgraceful disregard for scientific ethics saw him effectively exiled to his Distal laboratory, have cast an unwelcome spotlight on PVU's relative dearth of moral philosophy instruction. Dr. Pelforth created a strain of hyper-contagious Caudal lichen spore in the hopes of spurring a new age of racemic verdials across the whole of the Manifold. It was only the actions of Kade's Crusaders, a foreign private military contractor, that forestalled this outcome.

To Grow and Share the Fruits of Knowledge

by BCGR_Wurth

The PVU emblem depicts a stylized xylem horn superimposed over a giant petalcap crown. The convergence with modern New Voxelian architectural styles is coincidental.

by Hero Forge

Dr. Chamus Shol, professor of levobiology (the study of Distal life) at Petalcap Vale Univeristy, and the class cat, Pluck. It is worth noting that cats, as mammals, exhibit no special resistance to Verdialization.

Type

Educational, University

Alternative Names

PVU

Ruling Organization

Bureau of Education

Leader Title

Provost

Parent Organization

Petalcap Vale

Location

Petalcap Vale (municipality)