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Week of April 14-18

2025

We Remember: April 16 Day of Remembrance

This week, the Virginia Tech family remembers the 32 students and faculty members who were tragically taken from their loved ones and our community on April 16, 2007.

The We Remember website provides online resources, news and scheduled events, information about the April 16 Memorial, and an opportunity to reflect on the tremendous promise each of the students and faculty we lost embodied for our world with creativity, intelligence, humility, and humanity.

Wednesday, April 16:

  • Midnight – Lighting of Ceremonial Candle: April 16 Memorial 
    A candle will be lit by representatives of the Virginia Tech student body and will remain lit for 24 hours. 
  • 9:43 a.m. – Wreath Laying: April 16 Memorial 
  • 11:27 p.m. – Cadet Guard: April 16 Memorial. Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will stand guard at the April 16 Memorial for 32 minutes. 
  • 11:59 p.m. – Extinguishing of Ceremonial Candle: April 16 Memorial

For more information including other remembrance events scheduled throughout April, read this campus notice or visit the We Remember website. 

Student Affairs and Graduate School: Webinar on immigration issues set for April 18

Student Affairs and the Graduate School will be hosting a webinar to address questions and concerns and share information regarding resources to support students and employees who face uncertainty in light of recent government actions.

The webinar will review the current immigration situation and its impact on our community, discuss compliance with federal and state laws, share information on the work of Cranwell International Center and Global Strategic Services, and highlight support from the Dean of Students Office and other campus resources.  

Webinar details:

All Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend this important session and to submit questions prior to the webinar.

For more information on the webinar, read this campus notice. Updates and campus resources are available on Cranwell’s Immigration Updates webpage.

Division of IT: Employees should complete annual IT security awareness training by July 14

Annual IT security training is required for all employees, in accordance with Virginia Tech’s Minimum Security Standards for Information Technology systems. This training equips employees to identify and avoid scams that steal our time, personal information, and money; and which jeopardize university systems and data.

All faculty and staff, non-student wage employees, and graduate assistants who have not completed their annual IT security awareness training within the last year will receive a notification from PageUp on April 15 asking them to complete "Annual Renewal – IT Security Awareness Training" within 90 days.

Those who are currently up to date on this training (i.e., having taken the required cybersecurity training within the last year) will receive this notification when their annual training is next due.

For more information including access to a new, shorter refresher course available through PageUp, read this campus notice.

University Libraries: Open, reproducible research through the Open Science Framework

University Libraries invites the campus community to an online workshop on using the Open Science Framework (OSF) to manage research workflows, collaborate with team members, and increase the visibility of projects.

On Thursday, April 24 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., library faculty will provide both training and hands-on practice using key features of the OSF to simplify and enhance your work. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Describe how open and reproducible research practices can promote efficiency, increase confidence in one’s results, combat publication bias, and advance scientific knowledge. 
  • Understand emerging incentives for open and reproducible research practices. 
  • Create a collaborative project on OSF and customize it to meet their needs.

For more information and to register, read this campus notice or visit University Libraries’ event webpage.

ICYMI: Membership in NCFDD available to Virginia Tech faculty, graduate students

Virginia Tech is an institutional member of NCFDD (formerly the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity). As part of this membership, Virginia Tech faculty and graduate students can enroll in a complimentary sub-account that offers access to NCFDD’s expansive online resources, including an array of webinars, resources, and programs including:  

  • Weekly Monday Motivator 
  • Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars 
  • Hidden Handbook series 
  • Monthly Guest Expert Webinars 
  • Access to Dissertation Success Curriculum for graduate students 
  • Private Discussion Forums  

To activate an individual account, access the “Become a member” link on the NCDFF homepage. Scroll down and select Virginia Tech from the drop down and click on the "Activate My Account" button. Follow the instructions to complete the process.

For more information, visit the Mentoring and Support page on the Faculty Affairswebsite, and click the NCFDD box.

Additional Resources and Updates

Newsletter Spotlight: Immigration Updates (Cranwell International Center)

Please submit a Google form or email Provost Communications for comments or recommendations to improve the Weekly Communications Update or to share faculty, staff, and academic program personnel information.

Visit the provost’s website frequently for new and updated university information. All members of the campus community should also read their VT News daily email for further important updates, notices, and resources.