Week of May 6-10

2024

Human Resources: Join colleagues for Employee Appreciation and Hokie Wellness Fair on May 15

Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and non-student wage employees, local to the Blacksburg campus and surrounding region are invited to attend the Employee Appreciation and Hokie Wellness Fair on May 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Lane Stadium.

Activities will include music by DJ Flex, food, games, prize drawings, and access to Avery Tunnel that leads onto the field at Lane Stadium. The Hokie Wellness Fair will take place and feature approximately 60 benefits, health, and wellness exhibitors. In the spirit of Ut Prosim, Hokie Wellness will also be holding a food drive for The Market of Virginia Tech and collecting non-perishable items at the fair entrance.

Employees should bring their Hokie Passport or Employee ID number to check in. Lunch will be available in the South End Zone throughout the event. Note: This is an employee-only event; family members will not be able to attend.

Washington D.C. area faculty and staff will celebrate their Employee Appreciation Day on May 22, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church. Roanoke area employees will also have an employee appreciation event with more information to be posted soon.

For more information, read this campus notice or visit the Employee Appreciation and Hokie Wellness Fair webpage.

TLOS: Faculty, course instructors encouraged to prepare for Kaltura/My Media changes

Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) announces that beginning on or soon after May 15, retention settings for Zoom meeting recordings and other videos stored in Kaltura at video.vt.edu or Canvas My Media will change. Videos that have not been published to a Canvas course or a video.vt.edu channel or collection will be deleted if they have not been viewed in the past 24 months.

Video owners will receive a notification email 14 days before removal and can delete unneeded files anytime. To retain a file, owners just need to play the video for 15 seconds. TLOS encourages users to take the following actions:

Before May 15:

Delete unneeded video files in Canvas My Media or at video.vt.edu. Reviewing stored files now will reduce the number of future notifications received.
Set notifications@kaltura.com as a trusted contact or safe sender in their email application.

On or after May 15:

Video owners will receive a notification email 14 days before the scheduled removal of their unpublished or unwatched video(s).
To retain a recording, visit the video using the link in the email notification and play it for at least 15 seconds.

For more information on these changes, read this campus notice or email TLOS.

CETL: Resources for faculty preparing for summer, fall course instruction

For faculty and instructors who are finalizing materials for summer course instruction or starting to plan for the fall 2024 semester, Section 9.6.1 (Syllabus and Performance Expectation) of the Faculty Handbook offers guidance for providing students with course syllabi that effectively communicates information about course content, class schedules and attendance, grading scales, and overall expectations.

Faculty and instructors should design their syllabi and other course documents as a useful means for clearly setting the tone of their courses. While not required, faculty and instructors may also consider additional information in the syllabi such as promoting student success, inclusion and diversity, creating a sense of belonging, and clear communication of course and conduct expectations.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has developed a number of useful resources for helping faculty prepare or update course documents in order to provide students with the necessary information and resources to successfully complete the course. These resources include:

For more information and resources on developing/updating course syllabi, please see the Faculty Handbook or visit the CETL website.

Virginia Tech: 10 things to know about the work, resources of Early Childhood Education Initiatives

Recognizing the growing concerns about the availability of affordable quality care and early education in the region, Virginia Tech’s Early Childhood Education Initiatives (ECEI) is committed to working across our campus and local communities to expand child care resources and support for faculty, staff, students.

As part of this commitment and its vision and strategy for the future of caregiving in support of the university community, here are 10 things to know about ECEI’s work:

Virginia Tech partners with five locally owned child care centers.
Regional summer camps are posted annually.
Find lactation spaces and diaper changing tables using the campus map.
Employees have exclusive discounts toward au pairs and back-up care.
Your college might reimburse you for child care when traveling for work.
Learn about caregiving topics through monthly webinars.
There’s a community of caregivers at Virginia Tech.
Your colleagues are available to answer your questions at office hours.
ECEI is working with community partners to support, advocate for, and grow Virginia’s early childhood education workforce.
Keep an eye out for more developments in the next fiscal year.

For more information or to access these and other ECEI resources, read this announcement or visit Virginia Tech’s Caregiving website.

ICYMI: Blacksburg campus offices to open at 11:00 a.m. on May 10

Virginia Tech's spring University Commencement ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 10, in Lane Stadium. The influx of graduates and their families arriving creates traffic congestion on the southern end of campus and along major arterial roadways.

To minimize congestion, Executive Vice President and COO Amy Sebring has approved an 11:00 a.m. opening for all university offices in Blacksburg on May 10.

Employees who are not involved with commencement exercises are urged not to travel to campus before the 11:00 a.m. opening. Employees who work fully remote or hybrid schedules or whose offices are located outside Blacksburg are expected to work their normal schedule at their alternate or regular work site.

For more information on the delayed opening for Blacksburg offices on May 10, read this campus notice. Details on spring commencement can be found on the Commencement 2024 website.

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.