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Week of April 3-7

2023

From Provost Clarke: Support for students, employees observing religious holidays

Many Virginia Tech students and employees engage in religious observances that may impact their workplace or classroom participation. As stated in the Faculty Handbook (section 9.6.2: Class Attendance), “in accordance with the Virginia Tech Principles of Community, faculty are encouraged to accommodate students when the observance of religious, cultural, ethnic, meaning- making, or faith-based beliefs conflict with academic requirements.”

We acknowledge that every course section and class is different, and some are able to be adapted more easily than others. Recognizing that faculty are primarily responsible for making decisions on academic requirements for their courses, including modifying assignments and exam timelines, please do your best to support students and colleagues who are observing religious holidays and practices whenever it is academically feasible.

Faculty Affairs: April 12 deadline to take part in COACHE faculty job satisfaction survey

The deadline to participate in the online COACHE faculty job satisfaction survey is next Wednesday, April 12.

The Office of Faculty Affairs encourages Virginia Tech faculty to take the 20-minute COACHE job satisfaction survey via the personalized link sent in an email from coachefaculty@abtsurvey.com. Please check your inboxes (and spam folders) for your email invitation from COACHE.

Those faculty eligible to participate in the survey will be entered to win an array of prizes including faculty/staff parking passes, football tickets, Moss Arts Center season tickets, and University Club memberships. To see how well your college is doing, please check the participation tracker, updated weekly, on the COACHE website.

The longitudinal COACHE survey has allowed Virginia Tech to measure faculty perceptions of university climate and quality since 2007 and benchmark its results against those of its peers nationwide. The Office of Faculty Affairs uses survey results to identify areas of concern and make positive change.

If you have questions or would like more information, please email Rachel Gabriele, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs, or call 540-231-4508. You can also visit the Virginia Tech COACHE website.

Commencement 2023: Ceremony information, schedules for faculty and guests

The Spring 2023 University Commencement ceremony will be held on Friday, May 12 at 8:30 a.m. and the Graduate School ceremony will be Wednesday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m. Both ceremonies will take place in Lane Stadium.

The University Commencement ceremony will include remarks from President Tim Sands, student speakers, and a keynote speaker. The Graduate School ceremony and college ceremonies will offer graduates a chance to hear their name called and walk across the stage. Ceremonies are expected to last no more than two hours.

The Commencement 2023 website has detailed information on schedules, parking, live stream, regalia, and frequently asked questions. Gates to Lane Stadium will open at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, May 12 for the University Commencement ceremony and will open one hour before the start of each college ceremony.

The Washington D.C. Area Commencement will be held on Sunday, May 14 at 1:00 p.m. at the GMU Center for the Arts, for graduates of programs located in northern Virginia. Approximately 400 post-graduate certificates, masters, and doctoral degrees will be conferred this spring in the D.C. area. See complete event information and schedules on the Washington D.C. Area Commencement website.

Requests for accommodations for guests attending the university-wide Undergraduate or Graduate Commencement ceremonies must be made to the Office of Equity and Accessibility at least two weeks before the events. For additional information concerning accessibility and disability accommodations, please contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).

For more information, schedule updates, and speaker announcements, please visit the Commencement 2023 website.

TLOS and HR: Join colleagues for inaugural Professional Development Conference

The inaugural Professional Development Conference, hosted by the Professional Development Community of Practice and sponsored by TLOSand Human Resources’ Office of Talent Development, will take place on May 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the North End Center in Blacksburg or virtually via Zoom.

The one-day event focuses on empowering Virginia Tech faculty and staff to use their talents and positions to solve complex challenges and drive change within their work communities. This year's conference, “Influencing Change and Solving Wicked Problems,” will feature a variety of tracks:

  • Technology as a tool and a resource 
  • Accessibility as a solution 
  • Shared governance as a strategy for change 
  • Examples of leading where you are 
  • Engagement strategies in our ever-changing work communities 
  • Shared resources for influencing change and solving wicked problems

The conference is a platform for sharing tools, resources, and strategies that attendees can use to improve their professional and talent development efforts. Presentations will be given in 45-minute sessions.

The conference is open to all Virginia Tech faculty and staff who are interested in professional and talent development and is a great opportunity for attendees to network with like-minded professionals, learn from experts in their field, and gain practical knowledge that they can apply to their work.

For more information about the conference sessions and presenters and to register to attend, please visit the Professional Development Conference website or email the Professional Development Community of Practice.

ICYMI: Prepare for summer, fall course instruction with CETL’s Course Design Clinic

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) invites faculty to take part in their spring 2023 Course Design Clinic on May 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and May 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in 2420 North End Center in Blacksburg.

Faculty who are designing a new course, redesigning an existing course, working with a group of colleagues to redesign a multi-section course, or just hoping to get a head start on summer fall semester course planning are encouraged to register for this highly anticipated workshop. Participants will leave the workshop with a course plan and syllabus for summer or fall 2023 as well as 12 PDN credits.

During the Course Design Clinic, participants will be guided through several stages of course design, which include:

  • identifying goals and learning outcomes; 
  • organizing the syllabus and schedule; 
  • designing individual class meetings, activities, and assignments; and 
  • planning for assessment of student learning.

Participants will also have focused work time to finalize courses with the support of the CETL staff. CETL’s goal is for faculty to leave the clinic well on their way to having a complete course plan, syllabus, and task list for implementation.

For more information about the Course Design Clinic and to register, please read this campus notice, visit the CETL workshops webpage, or email CETL.

Additional Resources and Updates

If you have comments or recommendations for how we can improve the Weekly Communications Update or suggestions for specific information and topics that should be shared with faculty, staff, and academic program personnel, please provide them through this Google form or email Provost Communications.

Please visit VT Ready and the Provost’s website frequently for new and updated university information. All members of the campus community should also read their VTx Daily email for further important updates, notices, and resources.