IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. SUMMER HAS A NEW LOOK!
2. BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONNECT LUNCH (2/18; registration required)
Administrative Announcements:
3. FACULTY PANELISTS NEEDED FOR GRADUATE HONOR SYSTEM
4. COVES FELLOWSHIP ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
5. GRADUATE EDUCATION WEEK EVENTS
6. NOMINATIONS/NOTIFICATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
7. OUTSTANDING MENTOR AWARD NOMINATIONS
8. REMINDER FOR ADMISSION APPLICATION DECISIONS
Deadlines/Dates to Remember:
FEB 5 – DEADLINE FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS NOMINATIONS
FEB 14 – DEADLINE FOR COLLEGE OUTSTANDING MASTER’S, DOCTORAL AND MENTOR AWARD NOTIFICATIONS
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. SUMMER HAS A NEW LOOK!
Friday, February 7, 3:00 pm in the North End Center Conference Room 2420/2430.
You are invited to a panel discussion related to the new changes in summer course offerings. Get answers to all of your questions from fellow colleagues in the Graduate School, Scholarships and Financial Aid, University Bursar, and University Registrar.
2. BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONNECT LUNCH
Tuesday, Feb 18, 12:00-1:00 pm, Graduate Life Center, Room C
You are invited to this year’s Black History Month Connect Lunch with keynote speaker Kory Trott, Director of Virginia Tech’s Research Integrity and Consultation Program. Student group leaders, faculty mentors, and members of the community are also invited to join us for lunch. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Please register at: http://bit.ly/2020BlackHistoryMonth by Feb 15. For accommodations related to disabilities, please contact Justin Grimes at jgrimes18@vt.edu at least 72 hours in advance of the event.
Administrative Announcements:
3. FACULTY PANELISTS NEEDED FOR GRADUATE HONOR SYSTEM
The Graduate Honor System is seeking new faculty members to serve as panelists to review evidence and determine the outcome of GHS cases. Time commitment is about 3-4 hours a year based on the number of cases and availability to participate in scheduled hearings, in addition to a 30-45 minute training session. If you are interested in serving, contact GHS Chair Anurag Mantha (ghs@vt.edu), to set up a brief meeting to discuss the role. If multiple faculty volunteer from one department, a departmental training can be arranged as well.
4. COVES FELLOWSHIP ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Fellowship is a 12-week fellowship program of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (VASEM). Graduate student fellows will serve as science advisors in a variety of possible placements, including legislative offices, executive agencies, or prominent companies and nonprofits in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fellows will gain experience by serving their host office and performing tasks such as researching, drafting, and revising policies in areas related to their expertise. Fellows will also be paired with a VASEM member who will serve as an experienced science policy mentor throughout the fellowship. For more information and the application, please go to the following link: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/types-of-funding/funding-opportunities.html
5. GRADUATE EDUCATION WEEK EVENTS
This year, as we celebrate our 20th Annual Graduate Education Week at Virginia Tech, we will be highlighting previous winners as well as bringing some winners back for various events and programs. We will update you as these programs are finalized, but a tentative outline of these events include:
All Week – GLC Art and Photo Contest
Monday, March 23, 2020
Past Award Winner Panel, 12pm, GLC MPR – list of panelists being finalized
ETD Workshop, 7pm, GLC Room F
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
VT GrATE Teach-In, 2:30-6pm, GLC Room F
Grad Movie Night at The Lyric, Movie and Time TBA
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
GSA Research Symposium & Exposition, All day, GLC MPR and Meeting Rooms
LinkedIn Lab, 2-5pm, Graduate School Lobby
GLC Café, 3:30-5pm, GLC Reading Room
Thursday, March 26, 2020
iThenticate Workshop, 10-11am, GLC Room F
GLC Café, 3:30-5pm, GLC Reading Room
Graduate Education Week Awards Banquet, 6pm, GLC MPR
Friday, March 27, 2020
Past Award Winner Panel, 12pm, GLC MPR – list of panelists being finalized
Big Cookout, 4:30-6:30pm, Grad School Lawn and GLC MPR
6. NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS – DEADLINES APPROACHING!!
You are encouraged to nominate students in your department for the following awards:
– Outstanding Dissertation Award
– William Preston Society Master’s Thesis Award
– Graduate Student Teaching Excellence
– Graduate Student Service Excellence
– Graduate Student of the Year
– Outstanding Interdisciplinary Program Doctoral Student.
To learn about nomination criteria and procedures, visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/student.html. Deadline extended to February 5 – no exceptions.
In addition to these awards, EACH COLLEGE SELECTS ITS OUTSTANDING MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL STUDENT based on selection criteria developed by the colleges. Notification about each college’s winners are due by February 14, 2020. See details at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/student/outstanding-graduate-student.html.
All award winners will be recognized at our annual Graduate Education Week awards banquet on March 26, 2020.
7. OUTSTANDING MENTOR AWARD NOMINATIONS
The Graduate School recognizes one faculty member from each college with the Outstanding Mentor award for their role in supporting, encouraging, and promoting a positive and inclusive scholarly and teaching environment, and for contributing to the professional and personal development of graduate students. Winners must be full-time faculty members who have successfully mentored graduate students at the master’s or doctoral level. Each college sets its timeline for departments to submit nominations to the college for review and winner selection. Notification about each college’s winners are due by February 14, 2020. For more details visit: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/outstanding-mentor-award.html. All winners will be recognized at our annual Graduate Education Week awards banquet on March 26, 2020.
8. REMINDER FOR ADMISSION APPLICATION DECISIONS
The Office of Export and Secure Research Compliance (OESRC) and the Graduate School developed procedures to identify graduate students with a high risk of export control, sanctions, or security concerns and provide guidance to the departments for compliance with these regulations. An automated screening method identifies international graduate students who intersect with three high risk areas: sanctioned country citizenship, prior or current foreign military affiliation, and affiliation with restricted parties or embargoed organizations. These applicants are reviewed by OESRC and guidance will be provided to the departments, if necessary. In most cases, OESRC will complete the review within 3 business days. In rare circumstances, additional time will be required to adjudicate cases, and departments will be notified within 3 business days if additional processing time is needed.
In order to ensure that the automated screening process occurs for all applicants recommended for admission, it is imperative that departments mark students recommended for admission in HokieSpa as Accept in GSAPP as well. To note the recommendation for admission in GSAPP, go to Actions –> Department Recommend –> Accept & Save.
This will set the application in GSAPP as Accept in your status list which initiates the OESRC review process. You must still submit the Online Admissions Analysis form in HokieSpa as the official decision. Admission recommendations in HokieSpa will not be processed by the Graduate School until the OESRC screening process in GSAPP has been completed. Questions regarding setting the application status to Accept in GSAPP may be addressed to Janice Austin at jema@vt.edu.