September 2025 – Graduate School Bulletin

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/

September 16, 2025

IN THIS BULLETIN:

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

1. Recording Available: International Graduate Student Journey Workshop

2. Doing Dissertation Research at Oak Ridge National Lab

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

None at this time.

Policy Updates

None at this time.

Administrative Announcements

3. Process for Graduate Catalog Correction Requests

Announcements for Distribution to Students

4. Writing Successful Student-Initiated Proposals Workshop

5. Graduate School Workshops

6. Community of Practice for GTA Instructors of Record

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

1. Recording Available: International Graduate Student Journey Workshop

On September 10th, the Graduate School and Cranwell co-hosted a session on the International Graduate Student Journey. The recording of the session and the slides will only be available for access until Friday, September 18^th at 5:00pm, as details and current context are changing rapidly. You may view them here, in the last tab of the dropdown menu: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources.html

2. Doing Dissertation Research at Oak Ridge National Lab

Thursday, September 25, 2:00-3:00pm, 310 Kelly Hall

Faculty and graduate students who are interested in carrying out research on the ORNL campus are invited to learn about the means by which graduate students can work toward their PhD at ORNL for months or years, including DOE-funded opportunities and ones that are supported by grants at VT and/or ORNL itself. Time will be allotted for Q&A and/or schedule appropriate follow up. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) near Knoxville, TN, is one of the world’s premier research centers, and Virginia Tech is a member of its Core Universities. ORNL’s mission includes biology and the environment; clean energy including fission and fusion; isotope production; basic physical sciences; national security in multiple contexts; neutron sciences; and supercomputing.

Administrative Announcements

3. Process for Graduate Catalog Correction Requests

To allow us to properly track the reason for any catalog updates, especially after the update-submission deadline, catalog content corrections should be requested by completing the Graduate Catalog 2025-26 Program Updates and Entries questionnaire at https://gs.vt.edu/2025catalog. Graduate program directors and certificate program leaders (or their designees) may review their catalog entries at https://catalog.vt.edu/graduate/

Although it’s preferred that all update requests about a program are submitted in a single survey entry, the form can be completed multiple times as needed, if you discover new corrections or if the GPD name/contact information or program URL changes. If you have any questions about corrections to your catalog entries, please email Monika Gibson, gibsonm@vt.edu or Bill Huckle, wrhuckle@vt.edu

Announcements for Distribution to Students

The notice(s) in this section have been shared with graduate students through the Graduate School’s channels, but we ask that you consider sharing it with individual students or student groups as you see fit.

4. Writing Successful Student-Initiated Proposals Workshop

Monday, September 22, 10:00am-12:30pm, Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are invited to a workshop designed to strengthen research proposal writing skills and prepare you to write student-initiated proposals for NSF GRFP, NIH, and several different humanities-oriented programs, as well as for other programs of your interest. This session is timed to support preparation for the upcoming GRFP deadlines (all in late October) and provide practical tools to enhance proposal success.

Lunch provided (bring your own bottle or beverage). The workshop will offer guidance on proposal development and breakout sessions, each of which addresses a specific type of proposal. Register here

5. Graduate School Workshops

The Graduate School invites your students to take part in these upcoming workshops:

Academic Progress Session for Graduate Students – Practice your defense and receive feedback. September 19, September 25, October 6, October 22, November 11.Register here

All-Day Writing Retreats – Structured and flexible sessions to support your writing. Wednesday, October 7, 9:00am-4:00pm. Register here

Research Impact & Intelligence 2-Part Workshop – Learn how to make your research competitive and impactful. October 15, 3:00-5:00pm, November 13, 3:00-5:00pm. Register here

Comprehensive, Qualifying, and Preliminary Exams Workshop – Information, preparation tips, and advice from students who have passed these milestones. October 16, 10:00-11:00am, November 21, 9:00-10:00am. Register here

6. Community of Practice for GTA Instructors of Record

Friday, October 10, 1:00–2:00pm, Zoom

Friday, November 14, 1:00–2:00pm, Zoom

The Graduate School and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning co-host a GTA Instructor of Record Community of Practice (CoP) to provide opportunities for GTA-IORs to connect and learn from guest speakers and/or each other while discussing best practices, opportunities, and challenges related to effective teaching as a GTA instructor of record. Being an official IOR is not a prerequisite for joining. Please share this opportunity with your advanced GTAs who may benefit from it. Register here

GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN

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

September 2, 2025

IN THIS BULLETIN:

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

1. Training Opportunity on Net Natives, a Digital Advertising Platform for Graduate Enrollment Marketing

2. Implementation Plan for PATH, the New Course Registration System

3. New GPD/GC Orientation Sessions

4. Information Sessions for International Graduate Student Supervisors, Program Directors, Coordinators, and Advisors

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

None at this time.

Policy Updates

None at this time.

Administrative Announcements

5. Process for Graduate Catalog Correction Requests

6. Update on M365 Storage for Graduate Students

7. New Cybersecurity Training Requirement for Student Employees

Announcements for Distribution to Students

8. Community of Practice for GTA Instructors of Record

9. Graduate Student Resource Fair

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

_____________________________________________

1. Training Opportunity on Net Natives, a Digital Advertising Platform for Graduate Enrollment Marketing

Thursday, September 4, 11:00am-12:00pm, Cascades Room at The Inn

As part of Hokie Brand Camp, a breakout session will be offered on the use of Net Natives in graduate enrollment marketing as part of the Enrollment Management strategy for PGP degrees. Net Natives — the university’s new agency of record for digital advertising — will share enrollment marketing and advertising best practices designed specifically for colleges and universities navigating an age of AI, shifting student expectations, and fierce digital competition. Detailed information about the event and registration are available at https://brand.vt.edu/resources/brand-camp.html. Please share with your colleagues who may benefit from this learning opportunity.

2. Implementation Plan for PATH, the New Course Registration System

The University is launching a new course registration system, PATH, on October 8, 2025. Join the Office of the University Registrar and Academic Advising Initiatives to learn how students will use PATH to submit Course Requests and Add/Drop courses during the registration period.

Please register at least 24 hours in advance to receive your Zoom link. The remaining sessions will be held:

September 4, 9:00-10:00am
September 5, 3:00-4:00pm

Link for registration: click here

3. New GPD/GC Orientation Sessions

Thursday, Sep 11, 2:00-3:00pm

Join members of the Grad School team and fellow GPDs and graduate coordinators to receive an introduction to a variety of resources available to you in your new role and review the various tasks that may be expected of you. Discussion topics will include a review of faculty/staff resources; GPD role and faculty management; data-informed decision-making, and an open forum for discussion. Two virtual sessions will be offered to accommodate different schedules. Please complete this form to register to attend: click here

4. Information Sessions for International Graduate Student Supervisors, Program Directors, Coordinators, and Advisors

Join us for an informative session designed for faculty, staff, and graduate program directors focused on effectively supporting our international graduate students. This session will cover essential federal requirements, institutional policies, and procedures that impact international students, along with culturally aware mentoring strategies to foster a supportive academic environment. Learn about the resources available on campus to help international students succeed both academically and personally. Hear from representatives from Cranwell International Center, the Graduate School, and individual international students who will provide information and answer questions. Whether you’re new to working with international students or looking to enhance your current practices, this session will provide valuable insights and practical tools.

September 10th 9:00am-11:00am https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/82071296794 (no registration required).

Please join us for a follow-up conversation over breakfast at the Inn on September 15th from 8:30am-10:00am. Connect with colleagues from Cranwell International Center, the Graduate School, and academic units across campus to further discuss these topics, ask questions, and share resources.

Registration required: https://forms.office.com/r/3AzgyGVcfZ

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________

5. Process for Graduate Catalog Correction Requests

Although it’s preferred that all update requests about a program are submitted in a single survey entry, the form can be completed multiple times as needed, if you discover new corrections or if GPD name/contact or program URL change. If you have any questions about corrections to your catalog entries, please email Monika Gibson, gibsonm@vt.edu or Bill Huckle, wrhuckle@vt.edu

6. Update on M365 Storage for Graduate Students

The Division of IT (DoIT) has been engaged with graduate students via the Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the Graduate School to identify a way to improve cloud storage availability in the M365 service (e.g.: OneDrive). A path to increase storage for graduate students has been identified and the DoIT is hoping to implement the increase on August 29, 2025. That increase will be from 10G to 50G of storage, which is in line with employee storage allocations. Look for announcements in the VT Daily News Email.

For shared work, graduate students are encouraged to work with their faculty to identify/create departmental shared resources, such as Microsoft Teams, to house and maintain their data. This would also ease the transition of data over time, which is a common need for research data.

7. New Cybersecurity Training Requirement for Student Employees

We are sharing this information from the IT Security Office Team to increase your awareness and ask that you help ensure that your graduate student employees (whether on assistantship or wage) complete the required training. You can review the full announcement at https://news.vt.edu/notices/2025/08/it-cybersecurity-training-student-employees.html. The student training-compliance dashboard shows whether your student employees have completed their required cybersecurity training: https://metrics.iso.vt.edu/studentSecurityTraining. Current FERPA training is required to access the student dashboard. Please contact the IT Security Office at itso@vt.edu with questions about the training, dashboard functionality, or dashboard request link.

Announcements for Distribution to Students

____________________________________________

8. Community of Practice for GTA Instructors of Record

9. Graduate Student Resource Fair

Drop in to the Fall Graduate Student Resource Fair on Sept. 11th, 3-5pm, in the GLC Multipurpose Room! More than 25 VT organizations will be sharing resources for graduate students. Pizza will be provided by Cranwell International Center and cookies and coffee provided by the Graduate School. Also, come play Bingo to win one of many raffle prizes! Link to the flyer: (click here)

This event is organized by the BOV Graduate and Professional Student Rep and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate.

Month: September 2025

Graduate School Bulletin – September 16, 2025

Graduate School Bulletin – September 2nd, 2025