Week of October 16-20

2023

Reminder: Campus impacts from October 26 home football game vs. Syracuse University

Virginia Tech will host a nationally televised football game on the evening of Thursday, October 26 against Syracuse University. Traffic impact on the university community for events such as this is especially acute on a weekday evening. Therefore, the university will take steps to ensure the orderly flow of traffic and increase safety across the Blacksburg campus:

University employees who have remote or hybrid work agreements and schedules are strongly encouraged to work remotely on October 26.
Administrative offices and non-instructional university offices will close at 2:00 p.m. in Blacksburg.
All online classes will be held as scheduled.
All in-person classes on the Blacksburg campus beginning at or after 3:15 p.m. will be canceled.

For more information, please read this campus notice or refer to University Policy No. 4305: Authorized Closings Leave and Compensation Policy. If employees have additional questions, they should contact their supervisor or HR representative.

ICTAS: Honorific awards program supports, facilitates recognition of faculty achievement

The Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) is home to Virginia Tech’s honorific awards program that supports and facilitates external and universityaward recognition for Virginia Tech faculty.

External awards can be vital to faculty at any stage in their careers. An important component of professional development, honorific awards can increase visibility, open doors to new communities of scholarship, forge connections, create research opportunities, and provide acknowledgment for extraordinary contributions.

As part of its mission to advance research at Virginia Tech, ICTAS is building a program to facilitate faculty awards through:

Maintaining updated lists of available awards and application requirements.
Using data to strategically identify and evaluate promising opportunities.
Curating resources that may be useful to faculty.
Working as a liaison to faculty to support nominations and submissions on a case-by-case basis.

Deans, department heads, and program faculty are encouraged to review the awards information and nominate faculty and colleagues. Resources are available regarding award deadlines, processes, and submitting a strong application.

For more information, visit ICTAS’ honorific awards program website. Additional information about external awards support and resources are available on the Faculty Affairs and the Office of Research and Innovation websites.

SSD: Accommodation requests have new online portal for faculty, students

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) has launched the Accessible Information Management (AIM) portal, a new online system for students and for instructors to see and manage information related to classroom accommodations.

The AIM portal allows:

Students to request initial accommodation or see current accommodations
Students already connected with SSD to request their digital course accessibility letter (formerly called accommodations letter)
Faculty and instructors to review student accommodations requested for each of their courses and to acknowledge receipt for each student’s request

The AIM webpage has background and guidance for students, instructors, and departments; links to details about how to use the system; and highlights of processes that have changed. SSD provides video playlists with guides to common accommodations steps for students and for instructors.

For more information, including instructional videos on using the system, visit the Services for Students with Disabilities website and access the AIM portal.

Early Childhood Education Initiatives: Child Care Survey available until October 27

Identifying ways to help Virginia Tech employees and students access quality early childcare and education is a priority for the university.

As part of Early Childhood Education Initiatives’ ongoing work to address this important issue, all Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students in all Virginia Tech locations are encouraged to complete a child care survey to gauge the current use and needs regarding child care across our university communities.

Please complete a child care survey by Friday, October 27. All responses are anonymous and even those who do not use child care are encouraged to complete the survey.

For more information, resources, and FAQs, read this campus notice or visit Virginia Tech’s Caregiving website.

ICYMI: Faculty Affairs’ Annual Report outlines key accomplishments, goals for coming year

Achieving Virginia Tech’s vision of becoming a Top 100 global land grant university requires an accomplished, successful, world-class faculty. The Office of Faculty Affairs, in its recently released 2022-23 Annual Report, describes key accomplishments from the past year, goals for current academic year, and the pivotal role it plays in supporting faculty success and empowering faculty excellence.

In the annual report, Faculty Affairs details its success in supporting faculty recruitment, advancement, and retention; faculty development; management of the promotion and tenure process; and fostering a culture of faculty recognition. Additionally, Faculty Affairs collaborates with colleges on faculty retention strategies, assists in conflict resolution, promotes diversity and inclusion, and participates in university governance processes.

The report also outlines Faculty Affairs’ continuing strategic planning effort to clearly define its plans and goals for the coming year and beyond. Faculty Affairs’ overarching goals are designed to support the university’s strategic plan and the Provost’s Office goals and priorities for the academic enterprise.

For more information, read the 2022-23 Annual Report or email Faculty Affairs.

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.