Updates on Graduate Education at VT
The Graduate School’s offices in Blacksburg will be closed from December 23, 2010 through January 2, 2011 for the winter break. Normal business hours (M-F 8-5) will resume at 8:00am on Monday, January 3.
Graduate students with a valid Hokie Passport may access the public areas of the Graduate Life Center even during the winter break by using one of the two doors with card-readers (Otey Street and Bookstore side entrances).
The Graduate School announces changes in the Office of Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives. Dr. Manuel A. Perez-Quinones has served as Director of said office and Associate Dean of the Graduate School since August 2008. Since November of 2009, Dannette Gomez Beane has served as Assistant Director of the office.
Dr. Manuel A. Perez-Quinones has completed his term as Associate Dean and is returning to his home department, Computer Science, to resume his duties as professor and researcher. During his tenure at the Graduate School, the ORDI office went from a series of ideas and plans to support diversity at the Graduate School to what today is a series of well-defined programs making the Graduate School a more inclusive environment.
In the last 2 years, and under the direction of Dr. Perez-Quinones and Ms. Gomez Beane, the ORDI office has had many accomplishments; among them are the creation of a Global Diversity course that is part of the Transformative Graduate Education Initiative, the reorganization and leadership of the Coordinated School Visits Program, the creation of the Diversity Initiatives Program, and the Diversity Scholars program. In addition, the ORDI office co-sponsors many events on campus that celebrate diversity and that foster a more inclusive environment for graduate students.
Ms. Dannette Gomez Beane will become Director of the ORDI effective immediately. She will continue to lead us into the future of diversity and inclusiveness at the Graduate School.
English 0014 (Oral Communication for International Teaching Assistants) will be offered only in the fall semester. Testing (TEACH and SPEAK Tests) of international graduate teaching assistants with classroom or laboratory teaching duties will resume in August 2011. Further information will be provided later in the spring.
Departments who have any untested ITA’s who are expected to teach before fall 2011 should contact Dr. Don McKeon to set up a testing schedule. Testing will be available during the week of December 13.