Week of February 5-9

2024

Virginia Tech: President Tim Sands to deliver State of the University Address on February 7

Virginia Tech faculty and staff are invited to join President Tim Sands as he delivers his eighth State of the University address on Wednesday, February 7 at 3:00 p.m. at the Moss Arts Center. During the address, Sands will discuss two strategic priorities: Virginia Tech Advantage and Virginia Tech Global Distinction.

Virginia Tech Advantage aims to help fulfill the institution's responsibility as a public land-grant university in the commonwealth to provide the full Virginia Tech experience to Virginia residents regardless of income, underserved, or underrepresented status. Virginia Tech Global Distinction focuses a continuous effort as a leading global university to convene top talent and researchers from around the world to pursue solutions to the most complex challenges.

Doors will open at 2:20 p.m. and those in Blacksburg are encouraged to attend in person. A video feed of the address will be available prior to the event.

For more information on President Sands’ address, read this campus notice or visit the State of the University webpage.

Division of IT: Key dates related to Google Workspace changes; email and calendar migration

With the first round of Google service changes in the rear-view, Virginia Tech faculty and staff should now look ahead to what’s coming next. The following is a timeline for upcoming changes for Virginia Tech employees:

January 15 - March 1: Gmail and Google calendars are migrated to Exchange Online, including existing GAE accounts.
February 15: Google Shared Drives not claimed by a department go read-only.
March 1: Deletion of data from unclaimed Virginia Tech alumni-managed Shared Drives begins.
March 15: Organizational units/departments implement storage allocation plans for individual employee Google storage and Shared Drives. Drives that are over their storage allocation go read-only.
April 3: Deletion of data from unclaimed Virginia Tech student- or retiree-managed Shared Drives begins.
April - June: Final actions to reach storage allocations are completed.
May 1: Organizational units/departments confirm FY 2025 storage purchases.

The Division of IT reminds employees that storage caps go into effect March 15. Your default storage limit in Google Workspace will be 5GB, but your department may assign you additional storage to meet your needs.

For more information and guidance on email and calendar migrations, shared drives, and Google Auxiliary Email accounts, read this campus notice or visit the Google and Microsoft Service Changes website. For individual assistance, go to 4help.vt.edu or call 540-231-4357.

Inclusion and Diversity, Black Cultural Center: Campus events celebrate Black History Month

The Office of Inclusion and Diversity will be hosting, sponsoring, and celebrating several campus events in honor of Black History Month 2024. Campus partners from student groups to the Pamplin School of Business will be offering educational and fun activities throughout the month, including (but not limited to):

February 6: Talk: “Mental Health in the African American Community” (sponsored by the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine)
February 8: Pamplin School of Business DEIB’s Black History Month Kickback
February 10: Black Excellence Gala
February 14: Ebony Women of Excellence
February 21: Guest Speaker Melissa Proctor, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena
February 22: Screening of "Rustin" (2023) in the Haymarket Theatre
February 23: Soulful Friday Shop Takeover at Owens Food Court
February 24: Uplifting Black Men Conference, hosted by the Black Male Excellence Network
February 27: Healing Hour for Black Women: Higher Ed and Beyond
February 28: The State of the Black Union with President Tim Sands

For more information on these events, read this campus notice or visit the Black Cultural Center website.

CETL: Submit a nomination for the University Exemplary Department or Program Award

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) is currently accepting nominations for the 2023 University Exemplary Department or Program Award. This award recognizes the work of departments and/or programs that maintain exemplary teaching and learning environments for students and faculty.

Each year, the award focuses on a different theme. For 2023, departments and/or programs will be recognized for developing and implementing creative solutions to supporting transfer students (into Virginia Tech and/or into new majors). A total of $40,000 will be available for awards to the department(s) and/or program(s) to be determined by the selection committee drawn from the university community.

Nomination materials are due on February 19 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information and nomination instructions, read this campus notice or visit CETL’s University Awards website.

ICYMI: Guidance on using artificial intelligence (AI) during research activities

The Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance (SIRC) in Research and Innovation has worked with campus stakeholders to develop guidelines for members of the Virginia Tech community who are using, or interested in using, artificial intelligence (AI) in the design, conduct, and dissemination of research. As technology continues to advance, it is essential for the research community to stay informed about emerging technologies to ensure responsible and ethical practices.

Generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that enables computers to create original content, poses both opportunities and challenges. As researchers explore this innovative new technology across various disciplines, it is important to address potential risks and concerns, and to be aware of how this guidance interacts with other policies, ethics, and governing legal authority.

This guidance is not intended as legal advice or as an exhaustive set of best practices and should not be viewed as a final policy. Generative AI is rapidly evolving in terms of technology, deployment models, third-party relationships, terms of service, regulatory landscape, and academic-industry partnership structures.

For more information including PI and university responsibilities, ethical and compliance dimensions of using AI in research, and points of contact in SIRC, read this campus notice or download the AI guidance document.

Additional Resources and Updates

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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.