Week of July 29-August 2

2024

ICTAS: Honorific awards program supports, facilitates recognition of faculty achievement

The Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) is home to Virginia Tech’s honorific awards program that supports and facilitates external and university award recognition for Virginia Tech faculty.

External awards can be vital to faculty at any stage in their careers. An important component of professional development, honorific awards can increase visibility, open doors to new communities of scholarship, forge connections, create research opportunities, and provide acknowledgment for extraordinary contributions.

As part of its mission to advance research at Virginia Tech, ICTAS is building a program to facilitate faculty awards through:

Maintaining updated lists of available awards and application requirements.
Using data to strategically identify and evaluate promising opportunities.
Curating resources that may be useful to faculty.
Working as a liaison to faculty to support nominations and submissions on a case-by-case basis.

Deans, department heads, and program faculty are encouraged to review the awards information and nominate faculty and colleagues. Resources are available regarding award deadlines, processes, and submitting a strong application.

For more information, visit ICTAS’ honorific awards program website. Additional information about external awards support and resources are available on the Faculty Affairs and the Office of Research and Innovation websites.

Undergraduate Research: Faculty invited to workshop on evaluating student learning

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) invites Virginia Tech faculty and researchers working with undergraduate students to take part in a (rescheduled) workshop on “Evaluating Student Learning,” Monday, August 19 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Gilbert Place, Room 2124 A/B.

Building on the Entering Mentoring Curriculum and continuing conversations started at the earlier Mentoring Undergraduates in Research workshop, this workshop focuses on crafting recommendation letters for students. Participation is open to all faculty, post docs, or graduate student mentors.

The event is free to attend, but registration is required by August 16 at 12:00 p.m. A maximum of 50 seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

Workshop facilitators Nikki Lewis from the Honors College, Keri Swaby from OUR, and Amanda MacDonald from University Libraries will look at how mentors can evaluate student learning, particularly in the research setting, and then discuss best practices for writing impactful recommendation letters for students.

For more information or to register, visit the workshop webpage or email the Office of Undergraduate Research.

InclusiveVT: Identify, recruit diverse talent through the Future Faculty Diversity Program

The Office of Inclusion and Diversity is proud to announce the 14th annual Future Faculty Diversity Program, taking place October 6-9, at The Inn at Virginia Tech. The program is designed to help departments identify and recruit talented scholars from historically underrepresented populations, specifically U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are African Americans, Hispanics/Latinx, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders.

During the three-day event, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the university's culture, meet with senior leaders, department heads, and faculty members, and gain valuable insights into life as a faculty member at Virginia Tech.

College and academic departments will have the opportunity to identify and recruit diverse talent who could succeed at Virginia Tech and advance the university’s strategic plan diversity goals.

The deadline for participants to apply is August 16.

For more information including a complete list of eligibility and application requirements, please visit the Future Faculty Diversity Program webpage or email Erica Cooper in the Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

CETL: Call for proposals for 2025 Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) announces a call for proposals for the 17th Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy (CHEP), February 12-15, 2025, at The Inn at Virginia Tech. The CHEP showcases the best pedagogical practices in higher education with sessions that address disciplinary and interdisciplinary instructional strategies, outcomes, and research.

Proposals are sought for sessions focused on this year’s theme, “Embracing the Future of Learning.” In addition to practice, research, and poster sessions, roundtable discussions will be a new presentation option. This option is intended for those interested in engaging with others around a central topic, idea, or research area.

The CHEP proposal portal will close on August 31 with decisions announced on October 14.

For more information or to submit a proposal, read this campus notice, visit the Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy webpage, or email CETL.

ICYMI: Changes to creation of Microsoft 365 SharePoint sites, collaborative spaces

In response to Microsoft’s announcement about changes with its license model, Virginia Tech, through the Division of IT, will be modifying procedures regarding the creation of collaborative spaces within Microsoft 365 (M365).

The following changes will take effect on August 16:

The creation of M365 SharePoint Sites, Teams, and Groups will require approval via an IT Service Catalog request.
Only employees will be able to request creation of these spaces.

Employees who wish to create a new M365 SharePoint site, team, or group must request and receive departmental approval starting on August 16. A form to request these items will be made available in the 4Help IT Service Catalog on this date.

Existing M365 SharePoint sites, teams, and groups will continue to be available. Starting on August 16, students, alumni, and retirees will no longer be able to create new M365 collaborative spaces, but collaborative spaces may be shared with them.

For more information, read this campus notice. For individualized technology support, contact 4Help at 4help.vt.edu or call 540-231-4357.

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.