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Week of June 26-30

2023

Research and Innovation: New requirements for USDA animal facility inspection reports

Effective July 1, the Virginia General Assembly’s Animal Research Legislation will require all Virginia state institutions to post U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) animal facility inspection reports within 30 days of an inspection and receipt of the report on a university landing page in addition to the current annual report.

To comply with the legislation, Virginia Tech, through the Office of Research and Innovation, has published a dedicated landing page, USDA Animal Inspection and Annual reports, where animal inspection reports, university responses, and the current annual report will be posted.

The inspection reports are also available on USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s website inspection reports page.

From the USDA inspection reports page:

  • Enter Virginia Tech’s certificate number 52-R-0012. 
  • Select “search,” and the tab “view inspection reports.”

For more information, to inquire about prior reports, or for questions, please read this campus notice or email the IACUC administrator.

Provost’s Office: Goals and priorities for Virginia Tech’s Academic Enterprise

In partnership with Virginia Tech faculty, staff and the academic community, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has developed and framed the following themes, goals, and initiatives to support and advance Virginia Tech’s Beyond Boundaries vision and achieve the strategic priorities outlined in The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries.

Core Strategic Themes (extracted from and aligned with Beyond Boundaries)

  • Virginia Tech is a university with global reach and is increasingly recognized as an institution with a worldwide perspective, a commitment to empowering graduates to solve global challenges, and a convening force and top destination for international talent. 
  • As a comprehensive university, Virginia Tech has developed and will continue to advance selected programs that are among the best in the world with adequate representation across the arts, humanities, design, sciences and engineering that synthesize talent and knowledge to achieve international reputational excellence. 
  • Virginia Tech highly values inter- and transdisciplinary learning and discovery and leverages these opportunities to address the complexities of the world’s most intractable societal problems. 
  • Virginia Tech is committed to evidence-based, student-centered learning utilizing innovative instructional methodologies that are developed and employed across undergraduate, graduate, and professional curricula. 
  • Virginia Tech recognizes the need for and value of engaging in partnerships with other institutions, public and private industries, governments, and local communities to achieve its tripartite mission.

Crosscutting Goals

To enhance its international standing, quality of programs, and commitment to service, Virginia Tech must:

  • Continue to increase representational diversity of students, faculty and staff, and foster an environment in which all individuals can thrive. 
  • Elevate the productivity and impact of faculty scholarship. 
  • Secure more extramural funding in support of research. 
  • Implement plans for developing faculty to achieve national distinction. 
  • Expand enrollment of graduate students and appointments of postdoctoral associates and promote their career success. 
  • Embed experiential learning within the transcriptible curriculum.

Strategic University Initiatives/Investments

Our university commitment to the core strategic themes and achieving the crosscutting goals is advanced through focused investments in strategic university initiatives. As presented to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, these priority initiatives are designed to improve quality and access to a Virginia Tech education and contribute to the university’s mission as a global land grant institution.

Goals and Priorities for Virginia Tech’s Academic Enterprise are available on the provost’s website.

InclusiveVT: Become Academic Allies for Inclusive Excellence (AAIE)

The Office for Inclusion and Diversity invites senior faculty in academic colleges to become Academic Allies for Inclusive Excellence (AAIE).

Formerly named White Allies for Transformational Leadership, the AAIE cohort program is open to all department heads or chairs, school directors, or teaching faculty at the rank of Professor, who want to leverage their positional leadership to foster inclusive excellence in their units.

The cohort will meet six times during the 2023-24 academic year, four of which are in person, and together read and reflect on An Inclusive Academy, Achieving Diversity and Excellence. The first AAIE cohort meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. on August 16 during the Inclusive VT Summit.

The outcome for the cohort is to adopt and implement research-informed inclusive practices relating to their work in recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, fostering faculty success, and creating a welcoming and collegial environment where everyone thrives.  

For more information or to express interest in the AAIE cohort program, please email Michele Deramo, associate vice provost for diversity education and engagement, or visit the InclusiveVT website.

Reminder: TikTok and WeChat apps no longer permitted on university networks, devices

Effective July 1, use of TikTok, WeChat, and other products from ByteDance, Ltd. or Tencent Holdings, Ltd. will not be permitted on Virginia Tech networks or on university-issued devices.

The university is taking this measure to comply with a new Virginia law which prohibits access to and use of apps or websites from the above entities on state-issued devices or on state-maintained networks. The Virginia General Assembly passed this law earlier in 2023, and the bill was signed by the governor in April.

Restrictions set forth in the new law will impact the university community in the following ways:

  • Beginning July 1, access to these apps and websites will be restricted on all Virginia Tech and state-managed networks, including eduroam at Virginia Tech. 
  • TikTok, WeChat, etc. may not be used on any university-issued device, regardless of what network is being used at the time. Apps should be deleted from university-issued devices. 
  • Virginia Tech-sponsored TikTok accounts, such as those administered by colleges and departments, may not be used in any manner after July 1. Social media managers are advised not to delete accounts, but simply to stop using them - this will protect the accounts from being spoofed in the future.

The new law does not restrict use of TikTok, WeChat, or any ByteDance or Tencent product on personally owned devices when connected to networks that are not maintained by state agencies including Virginia Tech.

For more information and answers to FAQs about these state-mandated app and website restrictions, please read this campus notice or visit the IT Application Restrictions website.

ICYMI: New Faculty Welcome set for August 18 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 Friday, August 18 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

The annual event, hosted by Faculty Affairs and with contributions from 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, 2022, and August 10, 2023, to connect with faculty and academic leaders across the campus.

The event is free to attend, but registration is required.

The New Faculty Welcome program also offers breakout informational sessions for Administrative and Professional Faculty and Teaching and Research Faculty. This targeted program content is designed to address the specific needs and interests of the different faculty groups.

In addition to the general welcome session, special sessions for new teaching and research faculty members will be held after lunch on August 18 at the following times:

  • Special Teaching Session for New Faculty, 1:00 – 2:45 p.m. 
  • Special Research Session for New Faculty, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

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

For more information on the event or registration, please email Leslie Stevens, faculty affairs coordinator for the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Additional Resources and Updates

If you have comments or recommendations for how we can improve the Weekly Communications Update or suggestions for information that should be shared with faculty, staff, and academic program personnel, please provide them through this Google form or email Provost Communications.

Please 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.