Week of February 26-March 1

Faculty Affairs: Join colleagues for ‘Mentoring March’ programs, workshops

Presented by the Office of Faculty Affairs, ‘Mentoring March’ offers a variety of programs and workshops throughout the month to help faculty develop mentoring skills and build communities around mentoring from a variety of approaches.

Programs will focus on honing skills to mentor at any level as well as creating opportunities to build communities of mentorship among colleagues. Workshop sessions will offer insights into the specific experiences of mentoring undergraduates, graduate students, or postdocs, and helping faculty to find mentors of their own.

• Effective Mentoring without Burnout – March 11 and March 22 
• Mutual Mentoring Workshop for Women Faculty – March 14 
• Mentoring: Challenges, Opportunities, Experiences: Roving Brown Bag Series with Graduate Dean Aimée Surprenant – March 18 
• Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors and Collaborators – March 19 
• Entering Mentoring Curriculum: Evaluating Student Learning – March 25 
• Mentoring Postdoctoral Associates Roundtable – March 26 
• Best Practices for Mentorship in Teaching – March 26 
• Co-Authoring with Graduate Students – March 28 
• Wednesday Drop-In Writing Group – Every Wednesday in March

For more information including times, locations, detailed session descriptions, and registration, visit the Mentoring March webpage or email Faculty Affairs.

Organizational Excellence: Faculty, staff invited to workshop on fundamentals of change management

Virginia Tech’s Office of Organizational Excellence invites faculty and staff to take part in a free workshop on “Taking Charge of Change: Fundamental Concepts for Key Stakeholders in Change Management” on March 6, April 4, and April 25 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

The workshop applies the five tenets of change management to a specific project or change initiative to build awareness and desire for change management. Learning objectives include the following:

• Establish a shared definition of change management and how it impacts organizational outcomes 
• Understand the value of change management 
• Learn and apply the five tenets of change to an initiative 
• Develop a ‘commitment to action’ plan

For more information and to register, visit the PageUp workshop webpage or email Amy Hogan, managing consultant for the Office of Organizational Excellence.

Women’s Center at Virginia Tech: Programs, events to celebrate Women’s Month 2024

The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech invites the campus and local communities to participate in a number of programs and activities throughout March in celebration of Women’s Month 2024. Women’s Month has historically represented the university’s broad commitment to celebrating diverse and inclusive communities through events aligned with the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.

Women’s Month, celebrated in March, recognizes, affirms, and showcases the achievements, concerns, and diversity of women. A feminist perspective — one that encourages and advances women of all races, political affiliations, national origins, religions, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and income levels — underlies all programming.

The annual event occurs in conjunction with National Women’s History Month. The National Women's History Month theme for this year is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”

For more information and a complete list of planned activities, visit the Women’s Month 2024 events webpage or email the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech.

Research and Innovation: Seminar on ‘Seed Funding – How to Find It, How to Win It, How to Use It’

There’s an art to determining when a seed grant is the best way to jump-start a new project, writing a compelling application, and using the money in a way that lays the foundation for long-term success.

On March 12 from 1:00-2:30 p.m., the Office of Research and Innovation’s Research Development Series will feature a virtual panel discussion with a Virginia Tech investment institute director and four researchers who have successfully used seed investments to advance their research programs will share their insights on how to make the most of these investments. The conversation will focus on the following:

• Guidance on finding seed funding opportunities 
• Identifying when a particular project is a good candidate for seed funding 
• Putting together a strong application 
• Allocating the funding strategically 
• Turning a small project into the foundation for  a larger one.

For more information and to register to attend (via Zoom), visit the seminar page on the Office of Research and Innovation’s Events website.

ICYMI: Spring Break 2024 is March 2-10

Spring Break 2024 will take place March 2-10. In accordance with the university’s official academic calendar, undergraduate and graduate faculty/instructors are reminded that they should not hold any class meetings, have assignments due, or administer exams during spring break or any other designated student holiday.

The week of Spring Break is important to the mental health and wellness of all Virginia Tech students and faculty should preserve these as non-instructional/assessment days.

Additional Resources and Updates

• Faculty, staff information session on Google and Microsoft service changes
• Virginia Tech employee food access and wellbeing survey
• Workshop: Setting healthy boundaries in the workplace and beyond
• Syllabus requirements and guidelines for faculty, course instructors
• Early Childhood Education Initiatives office hours available
• Complimentary membership at the Taubman Museum of Art for faculty, staff
• Stay informed, subscribe to OIA’s Global Engagement newsletter
• Internship events aim to connect students with local employers