Graduate School Bulletin – May 1st, 2025

GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN 

A publication of the Graduate School for Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators   

Postings are distributed on the Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators listservs on the 1st and the 16th of the month and are also available in a blog for public viewing here: https://monthlymemo.graduateschool.vt.edu/   

May 1st, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Graduate Student Town Halls 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

None at this time. 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

2. Last Week for Students to Complete Climate Survey 

3. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Update Process   

4. Doctoral Candidacy Status Tuition Discount Process Update   

5. Call For Nominations for CGS ProQuest Dissertation Award 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

 None at this time.  

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

___________________________________________

1. Graduate Student Town Halls 

Graduate School Dean, Aimée Surprenant, will host two town halls for graduate students on May 8: one in-person session in the Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room at 1:00pm and one via Zoom at 6:30pm. Zoom webinar link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/83246568209  

If you have questions and/or concerns that you would like Dr. Surprenant to address during these meetings, please submit them here: https://gs.vt.edu/townhall    

The Dean will address as many questions/topics as she can during these sessions. Contact Lauren Surface if you have questions about these sessions: lkeister@vt.edu. 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

2. Last Week for Students to Complete Climate Survey 

The Graduate Student Campus Climate Survey is set to close May 6th. However, to give students a little extra time during this busy time the survey will remain open through Reading Day, May 8th. Please encourage students to complete the survey which was sent to their VT email. For more information visit the FAQ: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/numbers/climate-survey-home/2025-climate-survey/2025-climate-survey-faqs.html or reach out to Kacy Lawrence at klawr5@vt.edu. 

3. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Update Process  

The update process for the 2025-26 edition of the Graduate Catalog is now under way. GPDs and faculty members responsible for certificate programs (or their designees) are asked to review their current catalog listings at https://catalog.vt.edu/graduate/ and complete this survey to either confirm the accuracy of the current content or provide the details about necessary updates: https://gs.vt.edu/2025catalog.   

Submissions are due by June 30. If you have any difficulty completing the survey or have any questions about the process, please contact Bill Huckle at wrhuckle@vt.edu or Monika Gibson at gibsonm@vt.edu

4. Doctoral Candidacy Status Tuition Discount Process Update 

Effective Fall 2025, the doctoral candidacy status tuition discount request will become an opt-out process. The Graduate School will automatically add the doctoral candidacy status tuition discount for any doctoral student who has passed their preliminary examination and meets all qualifications for the status as well as remove the discount for any doctoral student not meeting all qualifications for the status. Any doctoral student qualifying who does not wish to utilize the tuition discount may submit the Candidacy Status Tuition Discount Opt-Out form no later than the last day to add course registration for the semester. Questions regarding this change in process can be directed to the Graduate School at grads@vt.edu

5. Call for nominations for CGS ProQuest Dissertation Award 

The ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards are made annually to individuals nominated by a member institution, who have completed dissertations representing original work that makes an unusually significant contribution to the discipline.  The fields of competition in 2025 are:  

  • Biological Sciences 
  • Humanities and Fine Arts 

Deadline for submissions: July 3, 2025. Send nominations for the distinguished dissertation awards to Monika Gibson, gibsonm@vt.edu. One nomination can be submitted for each category.