Week of March 4-8

Reminder: March 5 information session on Google and Microsoft service changes

To keep Virginia Tech faculty and staff informed of the ongoing changes to Google and Microsoft services, the Division of Information Technology is hosting an online information session via Zoom, tomorrow (March 5) from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Topics will include a review of timelines for different roles within the university community and an update on the progress of the Google Workspace Program.

The information session will be recorded and posted on the Resources and Support page. All questions submitted will be answered either during the session or in written form after the session ends.

For more information, read this campus notice or visit the Google and Microsoft Service Changes website. Additional resources for employees are available on the Shared Drives guidance and information webpage.

Provost’s Office: Call for proposals for DA 2.0 project planning, development grants

Virginia Tech is soliciting proposals for the next phase of Destination Area (DA) 2.0 projects that are aligned with our Beyond Boundaries vision and will achieve the strategic priorities in The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries. Projects will target transdisciplinary discovery, learning, and outreach efforts that yield solutions to complex problems that advance the human condition.

Successful proposals will articulate the transformative nature of the research and scholarship outlined and how it places Virginia Tech in the top tier of global institutions working to solve the problem identified.

The DA 2.0 Planning and Development Grants (Phase I) will be awarded up to an amount of $50,000 and are expected to support team and project development over an approximately five-month period.

The deadline for Phase I proposals is May 15, 2024 and all documentation should be submitted as a single PDF attachment.

For more information including details on sections, criteria, and key questions to be addressed, visit the Destination Area 2.0 website or email Catherine Amelink, associate vice provost in the Office of the Executive Vice Provost.

CETL: Nominations open for the Teaching Scholar Award for Project-Based Learning

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has announced a call for nominations for the 2024 Teaching Scholar Award for Project-Based Learning. This award is designed to recognize Virginia Tech faculty who have incorporated project-based learning pedagogy into or across their courses, demonstrating a positive impact on student learning.

The Teaching Scholar Award for Project-Based Learning is given to one faculty member every three years. Honorees will receive a $500 award, up to $2,000 to cover travel and/or registration at one conference to present their project-based learning work, a plaque, and recognition at CETL’s annual award reception.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must 1) be a full-time or part-time faculty member at Virginia Tech, 2) have teaching as one of their primary responsibilities, and 3) present work based on their own teaching.

Nominations are due no later than the close of business on March 18.

For more information or to access the online nomination form, visit the Teaching Scholar Award for Project-Based Learning webpage or email CETL.

University Registrar: Diploma ordering and sizes to be standardized for security, consistency

In an effort to enhance consistency and security in the production of Virginia Tech diplomas, all ordering services for both undergraduate and graduate diplomas will now be managed through the Office of the University Registrar, effective the spring 2024 semester.

This move will allow the university to offer the same diploma products to graduates regardless of the student’s level. It also centralizes the support for diploma ordering services, so campus offices don’t have to pass students back and forth simply because of the student’s level of graduation (undergraduate or graduate).

Along with the consolidation of diploma production and services, all Virginia Tech diplomas will now be sized at 13.5” x 15.5”, regardless of level. Previously, graduate diplomas were printed at 11” x 14”.

For more information on diploma ordering and procedures, please read this campus notice or contact the Office of the University Registrar.

ICYMI: Join colleagues for ‘Mentoring March’ programs, workshops

Presented by the Office of Faculty Affairs, ‘Mentoring March’ offers a variety of programs and workshops throughout the month to help faculty develop mentoring skills and build communities around mentoring from a variety of approaches.

• Effective Mentoring without Burnout – March 11 and March 22 
• Mutual Mentoring Workshop for Women Faculty – March 14 
• Mentoring: Challenges, Opportunities, Experiences: Roving Brown Bag Series with Graduate Dean Aimée Surprenant – March 18 
• Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors and Collaborators – March 19 
• Entering Mentoring Curriculum: Evaluating Student Learning – March 25 
• Mentoring Postdoctoral Associates Roundtable – March 26 
• Best Practices for Mentorship in Teaching – March 26 
• Co-Authoring with Graduate Students – March 28 
• Wednesday Drop-In Writing Group – Every Wednesday in March

For more information including times, locations, detailed session descriptions, and registration, visit the Mentoring March webpage or email Faculty Affairs.

Additional Resources and Updates

• Child care center enrollment opportunity for Roanoke-area employees
• Co-Authorship with Graduate Students: A workshop for faculty
• Pulse Secure VPN users will be required to update their software by March 15
• Virginia Tech employee food access and wellbeing survey
• Workshop: Setting healthy boundaries in the workplace and beyond
• Syllabus requirements and guidelines for faculty, course instructors
• Stay informed, subscribe to OIA’s Global Engagement newsletter
• Internship events aim to connect students with local employers