IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. CONTRACT TOOL TRAINING
2. SPRING GRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTORS MEETING
Policy Updates:
3. THE NEW CONTRACT CREATION AND APPROVAL SYSTEM
4. ASSISTANTSHIP ACCEPTANCE DEADLINE FOR NEW STUDENTS
Administrative Announcements:
5. APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR ACADEMY FOR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT EXCELLENCE (VTGrATE)
6. GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMUNICATION TO GRADUATE STUDENTS
7. DISRUPTING ACADEMIC BULLYING
8. NOMINATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS OPEN
9. NOMINATE OUTSTANDING FACULTY MENTOR(S) FOR MENTOR AWARD
Deadlines:
JANUARY 29: Nominations for GEW awards
FEBRUARY 2: Last day to submit the start-of-semester defense exception form for spring.
APRIL 15: Assistantship Acceptance deadline
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. CONTRACT TOOL TRAINING
Jan 25 10:00am; Jan 26 2:00pm; Jan 30 2:00pm; Jan 31 11:00am – GLC Rm B
Training on the new contract creation and approval tool for enterers and approvers. E-mail amg-g@vt.edu if you are interested in attending of these sessions.
2. SPRING GRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTORS MEETING
Thursday, Feb 22, 10:00-11:30am, GLC Room F
Please hold this date and time. More details and an agenda for the meeting will be sent at a later date.
Policy Updates:
3. THE NEW CONTRACT CREATION AND APPROVAL SYSTEM
The Graduate School, in conjunction with the Bursar’s Office, has been working on developing a fully integrated centralized process to create and authorize assistantship contracts and manage PAF and tuition remission entries. We will be rolling out the first phase of this project — a contract creation and approval system — in February 2018. At that time, the current online contract tool will be retired and all departments will be required to use the new tool for creating new contracts. Training sessions for the new tool are being offered on the dates listed above.
4. ASSISTANTSHIP ACCEPTANCE DEADLINE FOR NEW STUDENTS
The Council of Graduate Schools established April 15 as the earliest deadline schools may set for the acceptance of an offer of financial support (such as assistantship or fellowship) for the next academic year by a prospective graduate student. You may encourage but not require newly accepted students to respond to an assistantship or fellowship/scholarship offer before April 15. Our International Graduate Student Support office will start issuing immigration documents to new international students in February to allow students sufficient time for the visa application process.
Administrative Announcements:
5. APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR ACADEMY FOR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT EXCELLENCE (VTGrATE)
Nominate your graduate students for membership in the Academy for Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence, a learning community that provides advanced education and training in innovative teaching and learning strategies and a space to recognize excellence in teaching by graduate students. Submit nominations at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3UkvN0ThUsabqoB, and visit http://vtgrate.org/membership/application-and-review/ for details. Nominees will be sent a personal invitation to apply for membership. Applications are due on Saturday, January 27, 2018. Nominations are also accepted for VTGrATE Faculty Scholars who demonstrate a commitment to teaching excellence and a willingness to serve as mentors for student members. Submit nomination at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3UkvN0ThUsabqoB. More information about faculty scholars are online at http://vtgrate.org/academy-faculty-scholars/. Send questions to Michelle Soledad (soledadmm@vt.edu) or leave a message at http://vtgrate.org/ask-a-fellow/.
6. GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMUNICATION TO GRADUATE STUDENTS
We send a weekly listserv posting to all graduate students enrolled in Blacksburg with a listing of events, administrative announcements, job openings, and volunteer/research participation opportunities. Messages are posted on Mondays year round. Graduate students and departments may submit items for posting by Friday before the Monday on which the posting is to appear by emailing it to grads@vt.edu. If you would like to receive these postings, we can add you to the listserv (email to grads@vt.edu if you wish to be added), or you can follow postings online at https://webapps.graduateschool.vt.edu/glcweekly/.
7. DISRUPTING ACADEMIC BULLYING
The Graduate School has been raising awareness about academic bullying and about improving the dynamics within our offices, classrooms, and labs. Some of our next steps include the development of workshops on key topics that will help create environments that limit the potential for academic bullying to occur: understanding academic bullying; the role of the bystander; respectful communication; and taking action as a target or bystander. Workshops can be modified to meet the needs and interests of departments. To request workshops at the departmental or programmatic level, contact Bryan Hanson at bryanh76@vt.edu to set up a time to discuss what might best meet your needs.
8. NOMINATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS OPEN
A number of prestigious awards are granted to graduate students each year, carrying a monetary prize and award certificate:
* Outstanding Dissertation in (1) STEM fields (1) social sciences/business/humanities
* Preston Society Master’s Thesis Awards (3)
* GTA Excellence (1) instructor of record (1) GTA instructor assistant
* Graduate Student Service Excellence
* Graduate Student of the Year (up to three)
* Outstanding master’s and doctoral student in each college and in interdisciplinary programs.
More information about criteria, forms, deadline and process for nomination are at http://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/student.html. The deadline for nominations is January 29, 2018.
9. NOMINATE OUTSTANDING FACULTY MENTOR(S) FOR MENTOR AWARD
The Graduate School recognizes one faculty member from each college annually for their role in supporting, encouraging, and promoting a positive and inclusive scholarly and teaching environment, and for contributing to professional and personal development of graduate students within or outside their research or degree programs. Learn more about the award and nomination process at http://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/outstanding-mentor-award.html. The deadline for nominations is January 29, 2018.
10. LITTLE HOKIE HANGOUT
The Little Hokie Hangout Child Care Center has only a few openings left! If you or any graduate students are looking for afternoon or evening care for a 2-5 year old child please email childcare@vt.edu for more information. At this time we do not have any morning spots available, but would be happy to add to our wait list. The application can be found at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/student-services/spouses-partners-and-children/child-care/little-hokies-hangout.html.