Week of June 24-28

InclusiveVT: Join Virginia Tech colleagues for the annual InclusiveVT Summit

The Office of Inclusion and Diversity invites faculty and staff to attend the annual InclusiveVT Summit (formerly the Diversity Summit) on Tuesday, August 20 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Goodwin Hall on the Blacksburg campus. The InclusiveVT Summit is an annual InclusiveVT Touchpoint event that brings together diversity and inclusion stakeholders to prepare for the upcoming academic year.

This year's Summit is taking an “unconference” approach which is a participant-driven model that focuses on questions and topics generated by the participants. To guide discussions, a broad theme of “Virginia Tech in the Historical Moment” has been established. Discussions topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• What we are thinking about in this historical moment 
• Addressing faculty diversification practices in an anti-DEI climate 
• Applying restorative justice praxis in the university 
• Building community and engagement in the post-COVID classroom 
• Leveraging your position to be a transformational ally 
• Preparing ourselves and our students for the 2024 election 
• Responding to and resisting anti-LGBTQ and anti-DEI campaigns

The event is free to attend, but registration is required for in-person or Zoom participation. Participants who would like to contribute to the topics in advance of the event can share their thoughts via this online form.

For more information, visit the InclusiveVT Summit website and the registration page, or email Jeneen Preston in the Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

Provost’s Office: New Faculty Welcome set for August 22-23 at The Inn at Virginia Tech

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost cordially invites all new Virginia Tech faculty to the New Faculty Welcome on August 22-23 at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

The annual event, hosted by Faculty Affairs in partnership with units across the university, is designed to provide overview information about the university, perspectives from current faculty, and an opportunity to network with colleagues. Separate and different from orientation sessions provided by Human Resources, the program allows new faculty who have joined Virginia Tech between August 10, 2023, and August 10, 2024, to connect with faculty and leaders across the campus.

The event is free to attend, but registration is required and should be completed by August 11. In addition to the general welcome session on August 22, special sessions for new teaching and research faculty, administrative and professional faculty, international faculty, and postdocs will be held during the event.

Informational presentations from past years' events and other resources are available on the New Faculty Welcome page. Faculty are encouraged to continue to check this webpage before and after the event for updated resources.

For more information on the event or registration, visit the New Faculty Welcome webpage or email Leslie Stevens, project director for the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Policy and Governance: Tutorials on university shared governance system available online

Virginia Tech’s governance system is a shared process of decision-making concerning policies and institutional operation with representation of constituent groups at all levels who have a voice in shaping the university. This system requires an informed and knowledgeable community and allows for transparent, comprehensive, and open communication amongst governing bodies and the campus community.

To assist faculty and staff in understanding Virginia Tech’s shared governance structure and how it serves stakeholders across the university, the Office of Policy and Governance has created a series of self-paced online tutorials that outline the history of and guiding principles for effective governance, and the role that faculty, staff and student representative bodies play in the process.

The tutorial modules, which run from three to 20 minutes, are as follows:

• Introduction to Shared Governance
• History of Shared Governance at Virginia Tech
• Governance Structure at Virginia Tech
• Senates at Virginia Tech
• Roles and Responsibilities
• How to Write a Resolution
• Approval Process for a Resolution
• Timing of the Governance Process
• Minutes and Record Keeping

In addition to the online tutorial modules, Policy and Governance offers a Governance 101 resource with information on structures and procedures as well as links to the contributing shared governance bodies, resolution tracker, and how to get involved in the shared governance system.

For more information or to access these valuable resources, visit Virginia Tech’s shared governance system website.

Human Resources: FLSA minimum salary changes for exempt employees

The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a final rule to alter the overtime pay regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule increases the minimum salary threshold for most exempt (not eligible for overtime) employees to $43,888 on July 1, 2024, and then to $58,656 on January 1, 2025. The rule also implements automatic updates to the minimum salary threshold that will occur every three years beginning in 2027.

Once this legislation is implemented, Virginia Tech employees with annual salaries below the threshold may become eligible for overtime.

The Division of Human Resources (HR) has met with HR partners in colleges and departments to address employees whose salaries fall below the $43,888 threshold that will be implemented on July 1. Any employees impacted by this change will receive communication from their department.  

Additionally, HR is continuing to monitor and plan for the threshold increase to $58,656 on January 1, 2025, and is working with campus HR partners to review the positions that fall under this threshold.

For more information on FLSA changes, read this campus notice, visit the FLSA pages on the HR website, or contact your college or department HR representative.

ICYMI: BOV approves faculty promotions, tenure, and continued appointments

During its June 11 meeting, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors (BOV) approved faculty promotion, tenure, and continued appointments for 2024.

Faculty and instructors were recognized for their scholarship, research, and service with promotions to associate professor with tenure, tenure at the currently held rank of associate professor, tenure at the currently held rank of professor, associate professor, professor, advanced instructor, senior instructor, assistant professor of practice, associate professor of practice, professor of practice, collegiate assistant professor, collegiate associate professor, clinical associate professor, clinical professor, continued appointment with promotion to associate professor, research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor, extension agent, and senior extension agent.

For more information and the complete list of 2024 promotions, read this VT News article. Congratulations to all our newly promoted colleagues!

Additional Resources and Updates

• Additional faculty, student housing options in the Washington, D.C. area
• Submit nominations for National Academy of Inventors
• Register now for July Hokie Wellness programs
• Call for faculty proposals: ACC Innovation Initiative Research Grant Program
• University Libraries launches new search system
• Hokie Helpers needed to welcome students, assist with fall move-in
• Improved mail tracking for departments: What you need to know
• 2024-25 Rec Sports membership sales begin July 12