Week of December 4-8

InclusiveVT: Registration open for Virginia Tech’s annual Advancing Diversity Gathering

The Office for Inclusion and Diversity invites faculty and staff to attend the 2024 Advancing Diversity Gathering, January 10, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at The Inn at Virginia Tech. The Advancing Diversity Gathering is an annual InclusiveVT touchpoint event that brings together diversity and inclusion stakeholders across the university for sharing best practices and learning from one another.

This year’s keynote speaker is Sumun Pendakur, educator, DEI expert, and member of the Board of Directors for NADOHE, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Pendakur's keynote will be followed by a discussion of the significance of the AANAPISI designation at Virginia Tech, led by Nina Ha, director of the APIDA+ Center and Melissa Faircloth, director of the Ati:Wa:oki Indigenous Community Center and Senior Advisor for Native Affairs.

Eight interactive breakout sessions will take place during the afternoon with discussions on topics such as academic leadership, inclusive pedagogy, constructive dialogue, and community resiliency.

For more information or to register for the event, visit the Advancing Diversity Gathering website or email Michele Deramo, associate vice provost of Diversity Education and Engagement. Virtual attendance options are also available.

Division of IT: Action required on accepting, declining email and calendar migration support

The Division of IT reminds all Virginia Tech faculty and staff that Google Gmail and calendar migration for employees will begin on January 15, 2024, and will be completed by March 1. During this process, the university will provide support for migrating data from Gmail and Google Calendar into Exchange Online.

All employees will need to indicate their choice to accept or decline migration support by January 2. Please take the following steps to indicate your preference:

• Log into the My Collaborative Accounts Tool (MyCAT) with your Virginia Tech username and passphrase. 
• Near the top of the MyCAT page, you will see a notification box with radio buttons that ask you to choose whether you want Virginia Tech to copy your Gmail/Google Calendar data and transfer it to Exchange Online. 
• Make sure the correct option is selected. Please note that if you take no action and your departmental IT also does not decline on your behalf, your email and calendar will be copied and migrated, as that is the default setting.

Declining migration support is recommended for those who are already using Exchange Online for email and calendar.

For more information including the migration schedule for Organizational Units, read this campus notice. Additional resources and information for faculty and staff is available on the Google and Microsoft Service Changes website.

CETL: Call for applications for next cohort of the Bridge Experience Program

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has announced a call for applications for the next cohort of the Bridge Experience Program. Academic programs in the Bridge Experience Program work with CETL to implement an undergraduate experiential learning requirement as part of Virginia Tech’s strategic plan and its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).

Bridge experiences are customized to students’ needs and ambitions. Common examples include undergraduate research, internships, or other site-based experiences matching student post-graduation goals and approved by departmental faculty. Students engaging in a bridge experience will be able to:

• Apply and connect their learning across academic and professional settings. 
• Demonstrate professional self-awareness by articulating their personal and professional development.  
• Demonstrate a dedication to using their knowledge, skills, and talents in service to others, communities, and/or their field.

Information sessions will be held February 20 and 28, 2024 where faculty involved in the program will share their progress and participate in a Q&A session. The application deadline for programs starting in Summer 2024 is March 15, 2024.

For more information or to submit an application, read this campus notice, visit the program website, or email CETL.

Virginia Tech: Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, opportunity to give extended to December 15

Virginia Tech’s Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) has been extended until December 15. As the weather turns colder, charities receive a dramatic increase in the demand for their services. The CVC is an easy and convenient way for faculty and staff to support a wide range of not-for-profit organizations.

This year’s campaign has a university goal of $400,000 and even a small gift can make a big difference in the lives of others. Employees can choose from more than 750 charities and designate their contributions to go to specific charities or a general fund. Donations can be made through payroll deduction, check or cash.

Thank you to all those who have donated so far. If you haven’t had a chance, please consider donating. No amount is too small and every dollar counts.

For more information on the CVC and how to donate, read this campus notice, contact your college/unit steering team representative, or visit the CVC website.

ICYMI: Faculty support programs, policies for birth or adoption of a child

The Virginia Tech Faculty Handbook provides for automatic probationary period extensions for the birth or adoption of a child and a modified duties program for tenure track and continued appointment faculty (see chapters three and four, respectively). Virginia Executive Order Twelve also provides eight weeks of paid parental leave to all salaried employees who meet certain eligibility requirements.

In an effort to maximize flexibility for faculty and protect the quality of instruction and experience for students in the classroom, the Provost’s Office and Faculty Affairs encourages departments to avoid assigning teaching duties to faculty in the same semester as the expected birth or adoption of a child. In addition, Faculty Affairs strongly discourages departments and schools from asking faculty to use their paid parental leave in increments throughout the semester to accommodate teaching.

The university recognizes that this places an additional burden on the department or school to allow for and accommodate the faculty member being out of the classroom for the entire semester. The Provost’s Office and Faculty Affairs very much appreciates the cooperation of college leadership in facilitating this support for faculty. Achievement of Virginia Tech’s goal to become a top 100 global institution depends on the success of our faculty, and their productivity is directly linked to maintaining an effective work-life balance.

For more information and options for supporting faculty following the birth or adoption of a child, read this memo or email the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Additional Resources and Updates

• Message from President Tim Sands: Last day of classes for the fall semester
• Call for applications: Accessibility Professional Certification Grant Program
• Faculty invited to sign up for Winter Faculty Writing Retreat
• Volunteer judges needed for Blue Ridge Highlands Regional Science Fair
• Call for proposals: ICAT Major SEAD Grant
• Call for program submissions: Women's Month 2024
• Fundamental Concepts for Key Stakeholders in Change Management
• Invitation to participate in EDUCAUSE Teaching Faculty Survey