IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Graduate Program Director Meeting
2. Jigsaw Connect: “Graduate School Data: Resources and Responses”
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
1. Dean’s Diversity Assistantship
2. McNair Graduate Assistantship
3. Powell Fellowship
Policy Updates
1. CGS Resolution
Administrative Announcements
1. New Student Guide Available Online
2. Inclusion and Diversity Requirement is in full effect
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Graduate Program Director Meeting
Friday, February 11th at 1:00-2:30pm
Directors, please join Dean Surprenant either in person or by zoom for our next GPD meeting. A separate email to all Graduate Program Directors will contain the meeting information.
2. Jigsaw Connect: “Graduate School Data: Resources and Responses”
Wednesday, February 16th at 11:00 am
Join us for our next session in our series focused on Recruitment and Retention Support for Graduate Programs. It is entitled “Graduate School Data: Resources and Responses” with Kacy Lawrence, Director of Assessment and Strategic Data Initiatives. She will also discuss the forthcoming climate survey for graduate students and the importance of responses to that survey. Register at https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpfuysqTMsE9G2tlOAxVqng-kk5TIz6diz. Questions, email ORDI at ordi@vt.edu.
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
1. Dean’s Diversity Assistantship
The application deadline is March 4, 2022
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
Deadline March 4, 2022 at 11:59PM. Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu if you have any questions.
2. McNair Graduate Assistantship
The application deadline is March 18, 2022
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. Deadline March 18, 2022 at 11:59PM Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu if you have any questions.
3. Powell Fellowship
The application deadline is March 25, 2022
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 Deadline is March 25th at 11:59PM . Please contact Shernita Lee at shernita@vt.edu if you have any questions.
Policy Updates
1. CGS Resolution
VT participates in the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) “Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistantships” also known as the “April 15 Resolution” (https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution). Participation in the resolution obligates us to allow admitted graduate students to consider all offers of financial support through April 15. In turn, the resolution binds students to their decisions made or held in place after April 15. Over 325 U.S. institutions offering graduate degrees have agreed to abide by this resolution. Our participation ensures that both student and program conduct their admissions in an ethical manner, and that they receive equal treatment and consideration in the financial support decision-making process.
Here are some important aspects of the Resolution:
- The April 15, 2022, deadline applies only to acceptance of an offer of financial support such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship.
- It applies only to offers of financial support for the following academic year.
- Although you can send out your offers well before the deadline, prospective graduate students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial aid prior to April 15.
- Acceptance of an offer of financial support made after April 15, 2022, is conditional upon presentation by the student of written release from any previously accepted offer.
- All offers of financial support should include a copy of or link to the “April 15 Resolution”: http://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution (https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution).
In addition to direct information on the resolution, some explanatory language should be included in all financial support letters. Below is an example of wording that you are free to use in your letter: “Please inform us in writing of your decision no later than April 15, 2022. In accordance with the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) resolution, you may consider other offers of financial support until the April 15 deadline, but any decision after April 15 is an obligation that you are expected to honor. Likewise, we will honor this offer until the April 15 deadline, after which point it will be rescinded unless you are informed in writing that the deadline for a decision has been extended. Although you are under no obligation to accept this offer prior to April 15, please let us know as soon as you have made a decision so that we may extend offers to other prospective students if possible.”
Administrative Announcements
1. New Student Guide Available Online
The Graduate School offers an online student guide for new students (see https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/getting-started-as-a-student.html), as well as a variety of events and activities during the first few weeks of the semester to welcome students and aid their transition to graduate school. See https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/orientation.html for details and feel free to refer new students to these resources.
2. Inclusion and Diversity Requirement is in full effect
All graduate students who enroll in Spring 2022 as the first term and thereafter have to fulfill the requirement to graduate. If your program’s plan was approved prior to this semester, then other students may have the requirement. Please communicate with all new students in your program these expectations. For those programs who still have not submitted a plan, please do so ASAP. All approved plans are located at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/programs/inclusion-diversity-req.html. If you have any questions, please email Shernita at shernita@vt.edu.