Week of May 20-24

2024

Human Resources: Apply now for the 2024-25 Leadership Excellence program

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 cohort of Virginia Tech’s Leadership Excellence program. Developed by the Human Resources Talent Development team, Leadership Excellence is open to all Virginia Tech employees.

The deadline for applications and nominations for the 2024-25 cohort is June 7. Employees who are interested may apply directly to the program, or someone may nominate an employee.

The goals of the Leadership Excellence program include:

Create an active learning environment where leaders can interact and tackle real-world problems in a safe, fail-friendly environment.
Create a professional network of leaders to support continued learning and development beyond the program.
Develop culturally responsive leaders to lead current and future teams with excellence in core competencies.
Provide knowledge and support for leaders to confidently advance the Virginia Tech difference beyond boundaries.

The cohort will meet monthly and complete work between meetings with a total anticipated time of commitment of 8-10 hours each month.

For more information about the program, read this campus notice or visit the Leadership Excellence page on Human Resources’ Training website.

LAUNCH: National Science Foundation I-Corps regional short course available

Virginia Tech’s LAUNCH, the Center for New Ventures, is hosting two online National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Regional Short Courses. The sessions (all online) will guide research teams through a hands-on customer discovery process for exploring potential markets and market segments, defining the value propositions for customers, and shaping startup opportunities.

Introduction to I-Corps session hosted by LAUNCH, with two available options. Participants only need to attend one of the introduction sessions:

June 4 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.; September 10 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.
OR
June 5 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.; September 11 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.

I-Corps Regional Short Course online sessions:

June 12 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; September 18 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
AND
June 26 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Completion of an NSF I-Corps regional short course enables team eligibility to apply for NSF’s prestigious National I-Corps program, which provides $50,000 grants for further customer discovery efforts, positioning the team for successful capture of subsequent Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer program grants.

For more information and to register, read this campus notice or visit the LAUNCH I-Corps program webpage.

TLOS: Faculty, staff invited to webinar on AI for Research with Google

Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) and the Internet2 NET+ GCP program invites faculty and academic and research staff to join them for a conversation with Chris Daugherty, Education Strategy Lead at Google Cloud, to discuss an interesting proof of concept (PoC) for GenAI they are making available to the Virginia Tech community.

The webinar will take place virtually (via Zoom) on Tuesday, May 21 at 12:00 p.m. and registration is required. Although the discussion is designed for Cloud and RCD professionals and researchers, all Virginia Tech faculty and staff are welcome to attend. TLOS encourages you to share this opportunity with colleagues.

During the discussion, faculty and staff will learn about Grant AI, a solution developed with Gemini LLMs that helps researchers to:

Find and prioritize the grants they are more likely to win based on their own profile, and find the right collaborator for them.
Automate the analysis/review of scientific papers at scale.
Use the same tools they use today (e.g. Colab) to connect to run analysis at scale based on the insights given by GrantAI.

For more information, visit the webinar registration webpage or email TLOS.

Campus Planning, Infrastructure and Facilities: Summer construction, pedestrian impacts

As a result of numerous summer capital construction, renovation, and maintenance projects on the Blacksburg campus, the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities reminds faculty and staff to expect periodic road and pedestrian route closures and traffic delays in limited areas of the campus through August.

Below is a list of the projects and areas where traffic and pedestrian impacts may occur. Updates to these and other projects and access restrictions through the summer will be communicated through VT News.

For more information and an interactive map of impacted areas, read the campus notices in VT News for each impacted area or email Virginia Tech Facilities.

ICYMI: End-of-Year Message from Provost Cyril Clarke and Faculty Senate President Joe Merola

The end of the academic year and celebration of commencement affords us the opportunity to reflect upon our achievements and appreciate the hard work and commitment of our faculty to guiding students and supporting them in their academic endeavors. The product of this collaborative effort is evident in the graduates who walk across the stage this week to become the next generation of leaders, innovators, and advocates for a better global community.

On behalf of faculty and university leaders across the campus, we would like to thank each of you for all you have contributed and accomplished, and for your continued dedication to our mission, university goals and priorities, and most of all, our students. Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, you have been the driving force behind Virginia Tech’s unwavering commitment to academic and research excellence, active and engaged learning, and student growth and success.

As we look ahead to the future, let us reaffirm as an academic community, our commitment to our land grant mission, strategic priorities, Principles of Community, and university motto, Ut Prosim. It is through this commitment and our partnerships and collective efforts that we continue to provide students with an unparalleled educational experience and the support, knowledge, and skills needed to excel in their studies and reach their full potential.

Thank you once again for all you have done on behalf of Virginia Tech during the 2023-24 academic year, and please know how much we value your perspectives and contributions. We hope you have a wonderful summer, enjoy time with family and friends, and pause to reflect on your successes and service to our university.

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.