Week of November 27-December 1

2023

Research and Innovation: Nominate early career faculty for Proposal Development Institute

The Office of Research and Innovation is asking deans, department heads, and school directors to identify and nominate early career faculty who would benefit from participating in the Proposal Development Institute (PDI) for spring 2024.

PDI provides a variety of experiences that collectively enhance the ability of Virginia Tech tenure-track faculty and research assistant professors to successfully pursue externally funded grants and contracts to support their research and scholarly activities. The program is designed to help early-career faculty members translate research ideas into formal written proposals to external sponsors and includes a portfolio of activities tailored to the participants, regardless of their affiliation.

The PDI program is funded through a small registration fee ($300) per selected participant, which departments and programs will commit to sponsoring by nominating their faculty members. Primary sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., January 17 through May 1, 2024 (Zoom and in-person).

For more information, visit the PDI website or email Randy Heflin, senior associate vice president for Research and Innovation.

Faculty Affairs: Faculty support programs, policies for birth or adoption of a child

The Virginia Tech Faculty Handbook provides for automatic probationary period extensions for the birth or adoption of a child and a modified duties program for tenure track and continued appointment faculty (see chapters three and four, respectively). Virginia Executive Order Twelve also provides eight weeks of paid parental leave to all salaried employees who meet certain eligibility requirements.

In an effort to maximize flexibility for faculty and protect the quality of instruction and experience for students in the classroom, the Provost’s Office and Faculty Affairs encourages departments to avoid assigning teaching duties to faculty in the same semester as the expected birth or adoption of a child. In addition, Faculty Affairs strongly discourages departments and schools from asking faculty to use their paid parental leave in increments throughout the semester to accommodate teaching.

The university recognizes that this places an additional burden on the department or school to allow for and accommodate the faculty member being out of the classroom for the entire semester. The Provost’s Office and Faculty Affairs very much appreciates the cooperation of college leadership in facilitating this support for faculty. Achievement of Virginia Tech’s goal to become a top 100 global institution depends on the success of our faculty, and their productivity is directly linked to maintaining an effective work-life balance.

For more information and options for supporting faculty following the birth or adoption of a child, read this memo or email the Office of Faculty Affairs.

CETL: Resources available for faculty preparing for spring 2024 course instruction

For faculty and instructors who are developing their plans and materials for spring 2024 course instruction, 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 of the instructor.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has developed a number of useful resources for further 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 the following:

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

Fall Commencement: Ceremony information, schedules for faculty and guests

Virginia Tech’s Fall 2023 University and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies will take place on Friday, December 15 in Cassell Coliseum. University Commencement will start at 10:30 a.m. and Graduate Commencement will begin at 2:30 p.m.

The Commencement 2023 website has detailed information on schedules, parking, live stream, regalia, and frequently asked questions. Doors to Cassell Coliseum will open at 9:30 a.m. and students are asked to arrive one hour before commencement begins. There is no shuttle service available for fall commencements, but Blacksburg Transit will be operating.

Requests for accommodations for guests attending the University or Graduate Commencement Ceremonies must be made to the Office of Equity and Accessibility at least two weeks before the events. For additional information concerning accessibility and disability accommodations, contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD).

For more information, schedule updates, and speaker announcements, please visit the Commencement 2023 website.

ICYMI: Helping students prepare for Google storage changes before end of the fall semester

The Division of IT continues to address questions and concerns in preparation for the implementation of Google storage changes affecting Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff. One challenge they have faced in this preparation has been reaching students to let them know where and when they need to take action.

The Google project team is asking for assistance from instructional faculty and academic program staff to inform students in their classes of the deadlines for tasks that need to be completed. To that end, the Division of IT has prepared a short video that reviews the most important things students need to bear in mind regarding the Google service changes that will happen over winter break and in early January.

Faculty are encouraged to share a link to (or play) this video in their classes between now and the end of the fall semester as well as adding it to their course information pages in Canvas. The video supports Canvas announcements, digital signs, social media posts, direct email, and campus notices that are already in place.

For more information about upcoming changes to storage, email, and calendar services, visit the license changes website. If you have questions or need help with Google Workspace or another Virginia Tech IT service, contact 4Help.

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.