Virginia Tech® home

Week of March 20-24

2023

Reminder: COACHE faculty job satisfaction survey open through April 12

The Office of Faculty Affairs reminds and encourages Virginia Tech faculty to take the 20-minute COACHE job satisfaction survey, open now through April 12. A personalized link to the online survey can be found in an email sent to you from coachefaculty@abtsurvey.com.

Eligible faculty who participate in the survey will be entered to win an array of prizes including faculty/staff parking passes, football tickets, Moss Arts Center season tickets, and University Club memberships. To see how your college is doing, check the participation tracker, updated weekly, on the COACHE website.

The longitudinal COACHE survey has allowed Virginia Tech to measure faculty perceptions of university climate and quality since 2007 and benchmark its results against those of its peers nationwide. The Office of Faculty Affairs uses survey results to identify areas of concern and make positive change.

If you have questions or would like more information, please email Rachel Gabriele, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs, or call 540-231-4508. You can also visit the Virginia Tech COACHE website.

Research and Innovation: Faculty invited to attend NSF CAREER program workshop

The Office of Research and Innovation is hosting a two-hour National Science Foundation CAREER program workshop for junior level, tenure-track faculty to learn how to prepare effective proposals for the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award program.

The workshop will take place April 19 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in 310 Kelly Hall and virtually via Zoom. Registration for in-person or virtual (Zoom) attendance is required.

Randy Heflin, senior associate vice president for Research and Innovation, and Alex Leonessa, director of the Proposal Development Institute, will provide an overview of the CAREER program, strategies for developing a successful submission, and tips on creating a compelling Project Summary. Additionally, recent CAREER award recipients will discuss their experiences followed by Q&A session.

The Research Development Series is designed to help faculty in their journey to increase the scope and impact of their research, creativity, and innovation portfolio. With events focused on different facets of sponsored research, from sponsor-specific perspectives to how to work with partners, this webinar series is intended to answer researchers' biggest questions and enlighten scholars at every step in their career.

For more information on this and other Research and Innovation events, please visit their Events and Programs website.

Human Resources: Reimbursement for backup childcare, adult care available to employees

The Division of Human Resources wants Virginia Tech employees to know that they can be reimbursed for using the day care or caregiver services of their choice for backup child or adult care. Employees eligible for Care.com may be reimbursed up to $125 for caregiving services provided.

Simply contact your caregiver, and after backup care has been provided, visit Care.com and click the appropriate reimbursement button. To be reimbursed:

  • Submit a claim. Care must have been provided in the last 30 days. 
  • Regular care expenses are not eligible. 
  • Submit a receipt. If your care provider does not have one, please use this template.

Employees can tap into their child backup care benefit if schools or childcare centers are closed, if they need to stay late or travel for work, if their normal caregiver is sick, or if they’re working from home but could use some help. Adult backup care is most often used when an employee’s loved one’s regular caregiver isn’t available.

Care.com offers Virginia Tech employees child and adult backup care, a Care.com membership, and 24/7 access to Care Specialists. This benefit is available to all full-time faculty and staff across all Virginia Tech campuses and offices during a one-year pilot program.

To access Care.com:

For questions or more information, contact Care.com’s help center at 855-781-1303. Employees can also email Hokie Wellness or call 540-231-8878.

ICYMI: Celebrate authorship at Virginia Tech Authors Recognition Event

The University Libraries will host a celebration of authorship, the Virginia Tech Authors Recognition Event, on March 27 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in Newman Library. Faculty and staff are invited to attend and celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues across the university.

The event honors those who have written or edited a book in the previous year as well others who have published articles with support from the University Libraries' Open Access Subvention Fund. Since its inception in 2006, the event has grown and changed to include books and related materials from staff and student published authors in addition to faculty. The University Libraries also recognized authorship in film and music as they are critical publications for many disciplines at Virginia Tech.

Information about the authors being honored during the event or to find out how to submit your book to be included is located through the Virginia Tech Authors Recognition Event Libguide.

For more information on the Virginia Tech Authors Recognition Event and to register to attend, please read this announcement. If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please email the University Libraries at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Provost’s Office: Tell us how we can improve the Weekly Communications Update

If you have questions, comments or recommendations for how we can improve the Weekly Communications Update, or you would like to make a request to have specific information or topics shared with faculty and academic program staff, please provide your feedback and suggestions through this Google form.

Along with the Weekly Communications Update, faculty and department heads should visit the provost’s website frequently for new and updated information impacting the academic community. All employees of the university should also read their VTx Daily email for important university updates and resources.

For more information or feedback, please email Provost Communications.

Additional Resources and Updates

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

Please visit VT Ready and the Provost’s website frequently for new and updated university information. All members of the campus community should also read their VTx Daily email for further important updates, notices, and resources.