Week of June 3-7

2024

Board of Visitors: Quarterly board, committee meetings to take place June 10-11

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors (BOV) will hold its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, June 11 at 1:15 p.m. in 2100 Torgersen Hall on the Blacksburg campus. All board members will also meet in closed session on June 10 at 1:00 p.m., immediately followed by an open information session in 260 New Classroom Building.

Individual committee meetings will be held on June 10 and 11 in New Classroom Building. During the meetings, the board will consider resolutions on the 2024-25 university and operating and capital budgets, faculty compensation plan, compensation for graduate assistants, and the graduate candidacy status tuition rate. The board will also receive a design preview for the new business building.

The June 10 information session and the June 11 full board meeting will be livestreamed. To view either meeting, visit the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors website. Those attending the meeting in person will need to present a Virginia Tech Hokie Passport or government-issued photo ID and all bags will be searched.

For more information including topics on the agenda and a schedule of committee meetings, read this campus notice or visit the BOV website. If you encounter any issues with the livestream, please call Virginia Tech 4-Help at 540-231-2280.

University Libraries: Transition to new integrated discovery search system for library resources

On June 12, University Libraries will transition to a new integrated discovery search system for library resources where faculty and staff will see a more intuitive, user-friendly interface and enhanced features.

This new system is more robust and capable and is already used by many research universities in Virginia and most of our peer institutions. As with the previous system, users will be able to find both online and physical collections by using keywords. Also, discovery search includes options for narrowing and broadening search results.

As a result of the change, bookmarks and links to previous system searches or resources will not work in the new discovery search. After June 12, instructors must update links to videos, books, or databases in their Canvas courses and syllabi. University Libraries' will deploy a suite of tutorials and other informational resources to assist the Virginia Tech community with the transition.

For more information, read this campus notice, contact your library liaison, or visit the discovery search info hub for additional resources and updates.

ACC Innovation Initiative: Call for faculty proposals for ACC research grant program

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill extend a call for proposals for the 5th Annual ACC Innovation Initiative Research Grant Program. Virginia Tech faculty are invited to submit a proposal for this competitive program designed to assist conference athletics administrators with data-driven decision-making.

Several grants will be awarded to financially support faculty members and students from ACC member institutions, including Virginia Tech. Priority will be given to research related to the following topical areas:

Student-athlete welfare
Revenue generation and finance/budgeting-related topics
Organizational behavior and managerial issues within athletics departments
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL)
Current issues including NCAA FBS Football governance structure, diversity, professionalization of college sports, sports wagering, transfer student-athletes, and scholarships.

An anticipated five to eight grants will be awarded from a total pool of $25,000. Faculty-led project budgets should fall in the range of $2,500 to $7,500, while student-led project budgets should range between $1,000-$3,000.

Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. on September 20.

For more information and proposal guidelines, read this campus notice or view the Request for Proposals guidelines document.

Division of IT: Telecommunication service billing changes for fiscal year 2025

To better streamline the provisioning of core telecommunication services, Virginia Tech is transitioning to a billing model that centralizes charges for these services. Core telecommunication services are defined as voice, Ethernet (service up to 1GB), wireless, and VPN.

The following changes will take effect on July 1, in conjunction with the start of FY2025:

Core telecommunication service charges will be paid centrally for most Education and General (E&G) departments and Virginia Cooperative Extension/Agricultural Experiment Stations. Departmental base budgets currently funding these core services will be reverted to support the change. Departments will no longer be charged for core services.
In self-supporting E&G areas (including colleges with partnership funding models) and auxiliary enterprises, units will be billed annually in July based on FY23 invoiced amounts.
Many of the telecommunication services that are excluded from the centralized model will transition from monthly billing to annual billing by Network Infrastructure and Services.

Departments requesting service changes may still incur one-time installation or equipment charges that will continue to be billed to the department.

For more information, read this campus notice or email the Division of IT with questions or to schedule a consultation. FAQs are also available along with a list of core services and services excluded from this transition.

ICYMI: Summer reminder of Policy 4815 – Minors at Virginia Tech

As we see an increase in minors on campus during the summer months with various youth camps and educational events taking place, faculty and academic staff are reminded to refer to Policy 4815: Minors at Virginia Tech which was established to bring awareness to the presence of minors in programs conducted or hosted by the university and to set minimum requirements for the screening and training of individuals working with minors.

Virginia Tech is committed to the safety and welfare of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors through the establishment of reasonable practices that support a safe and secure environment in all university facilities, as well as to promote safety through policies and programs.

Faculty and academic staff who are planning to work with minors on campus or invite them to participate in a program or event hosted at Virginia Tech are encouraged to carefully review the policy.

For more information about Policy 4815 or questions about programs with minors at Virginia Tech, read this campus notice or email Virginia Tech's Youth Protection Associate Specialist.

Additional Resources and Updates

Please submit a Google form or email Provost Communications for comments or recommendations to improve the Weekly Communications Update or to share faculty, staff, and academic program personnel information.

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.