IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONNECT LUNCH (2/18; registration required)
Administrative Announcements:
2. CALL FOR JUDGES FOR GRADUATE STUDENT ASSEMBLY RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM ON MARCH 25
3. MCNAIR GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP
4. DEAN’S DIVERSITY ASSISTANTSHIP
5. POWELL FELLOWSHIP
6. VT CALL FOR FACULTY PROFILES: HBCU/MSI Summit
7. FACULTY PANELISTS NEEDED FOR GRADUATE HONOR SYSTEM
8. COVES FELLOWSHIP ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
9. GRADUATE EDUCATION WEEK EVENTS
10. REMINDER FOR ADMISSION APPLICATION DECISIONS
Deadlines/Dates to Remember:
MAR 1 – Last day to submit application for degree form for name to be included in spring commencement bulletin
MAR 7-15 – Spring Break
MAR 23-17 – Graduate Education Week
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. 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:
2. CALL FOR JUDGES FOR GRADUATE STUDENT ASSEMBLY RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM ON MARCH 25
Faculty and postdocs are invited to participate as judges for the GSA Research Symposium to provide graduate and undergraduate students rigorous feedback on their research presentation efforts. Consider sparing one or more hours or even most of the day to act as judges for this event. Rubrics, score sheets, and expectations will be provided and transparency will be maintained within the program. Refreshments are provided during the day, and judges are invited to the reception, keynote, and awards presentation ceremonies. Individuals with terminal degrees are preferred. Cash awards will be provided to winners of oral presentations, five-minute flash talks, poster presentations, and installations. Indicate your interest in participating at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_MHDwKZePCRmmrFDJrpmebdrhG7X5VcUENiLYdOTK9y8m-g/viewform. The website for the event is here. Deadline for entries has been extended to February 21.
3. MCNAIR GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP
Applications are currently being accepted for the Ronald E. McNair Graduate Assistantship program.. For eligibility and nomination information please visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/types-of-funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school/mcnair-assistantship.html.
Nominations are due by March 13. Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu with questions or concerns.
4. DEAN’S DIVERSITY ASSISTANTSHIP
Applications are currently being accepted for the Dean’s Diversity Assistantship program. For eligibility and nomination information please visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/types-of-funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school/dean-s-diversity-assistantships0.html. Nominations are due by March 6. Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu with questions or concerns.
5. POWELL FELLOWSHIP
Applications are currently being accepted for the Powell Fellowship. For eligibility and nomination information please visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/types-of-funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school/powell-fellowship.html. Nominations are due by April 3, 2020. Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu with questions or concerns.
6. VT CALL FOR FACULTY PROFILES: HBCU/MSI Summit
Are you interested in collaboration with faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or other minority-serving institutions (MSIs)? The HBCU/MSI Research Summit is an opportunity to build direct inter-institutional partnerships between faculty at Virginia Tech and faculty at HBCUs and MSIs. The annual summit held every October, brings several guests, students and faculty, from various HBCUs and MSIs to Virginia Tech. If interest in being listed in our directory, please complete a brief Faculty Interest Survey at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_514e3ol0X1Bq4nj. The purpose of the survey is to collect information about interested faculty and their work at Virginia Tech to build a database of faculty profiles to facilitate collaborations with HBCUs and MSIs.
7. 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.
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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.