Month: February 2026

GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN

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

Postings are distributed to the Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators listservs on the 1st and 16th of each month and are also available on our public blog: https://monthlymemo.graduateschool.vt.edu/   

February 16, 2026 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events 

None at this time. 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

1. 2026-27 Graduate School Fellowships 

Policy Updates 

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements 

2. GEW 2026: Share “For Good” Work   

3. Volunteers and Judges Needed for the GPSS Research Symposium 

4. International Travel for Students 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

None at this time. 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

1. 2026-27 Graduate School Fellowships

Deadline: April 1, 2026 

Nominations for Graduate School fellowships are now being accepted for the 2026-27 academic year. For eligibility, nomination information, and deadlines, please visit each opportunity listed on the Funding Sponsored by the Graduate School page. 

Administrative Announcements

2. GEW 2026: Share “For Good” Work

We are seeking graduate students, faculty, and staff whose work embodies the Graduate Education Week 2026 theme, “For Good,” to feature on our social media channels during GEW, March 23–27. This work may involve research, teaching, service, advocacy, mentorship, student organization involvement, or any other activity related to graduate education. You may nominate yourself or someone else to be highlighted: Nomination form 

3. Volunteers and Judges Needed for the GPSS Research Symposium

The 42nd Annual Graduate and Professional Student Senate Research Symposium will be held on March 25, 2026, in the Graduate Life Center, and faculty are needed to serve as judges for this year’s event. The theme is “Better Together: Collaborating Beyond Boundaries.” Faculty members from across the university are encouraged to join this opportunity to support graduate student research, idea exploration, and professional development. Judge Registration Form 

Volunteers are also needed to assist with registration, timekeeping, setup or breakdown, and food distribution. Volunteers will receive a t-shirt and meal if they assist around mealtimes. Volunteer Sign-up Form 

Please contact Symposium co-chairs Tamar (tjballard@vt.edu) and Ethan (ethansd@vt.edu) with any questions. 

4. International Travel for Students

To ensure that students across all departments receive consistent guidance regarding international travel, please remind your faculty and staff to direct all student inquiries to the official FAQ. This will help avoid conflicting information and maintain a unified message.  

Any additional questions or situations not addressed in the FAQ should be referred directly to the Tax Co

GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN

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

Postings are distributed to the Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators listservs on the 1st and 16th of each month and are also available on our public blog: https://monthlymemo.graduateschool.vt.edu/   

February 2, 2026 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events 

1. NSPIRE Lecture Series 

2. GPD/GC Meeting 

3. Spring 2026 Graduate School + Cranwell International Center Webinar 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

4. 2026-27 Graduate School Fellowships 

Policy Updates 

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements 

5. International Travel for Students 

6. Request to Share Policies on Actions Precipitated by Unsatisfactory Student Progress 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

None at this time. 

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

1. NSPIRE Lecture Series

Wednesday, February 11 

Hosted by the Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance, the Notable Scholars Promoting Innovative Research and Ethics (NSPIRE) virtual lectures feature VT researchers discussing ethics and integrity in scholarship, topics that are key elements of the Graduate School’s Scholarly Ethics and Integrity requirement for all graduate students. Please share this learning opportunity with faculty and graduate students:  

• 10:00-11:00 a.m. Molly Klote, M.D. – Compliance Supporting Research Integrity 
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tiffany Drape, Ph.D. – Using Case Studies for Better Collaboration 
• 1:00-2:00 p.m. Iris Jenkins, Ph.D. – Fostering Integrity in Research 

Register for sessions 

2. GPD/GC Meeting 

Wednesday, February 11, 2:00-3:00 p.m. 

This is a reminder of the upcoming monthly Graduate Program Director and Graduate Coordinator meeting. If you are not currently included in the calendar invitation, please contact jhazelwood4@vt.edu.    

3. Spring 2026 Graduate School + Cranwell International Center Webinar   

Monday, February 16, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

This spring’s topic will be International Student Employment – Best Practices & Communication.  We will cover topics such as timelines, policies, expectations, and student impact. Register to attend 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember

4. 2026-27 Graduate School Fellowships 

Deadline: April 1, 2026 

Nominations for Graduate School fellowships are now being accepted for the 2026-27 academic year. For eligibility, nomination information, and deadlines, please visit each opportunity listed on the Funding Sponsored by the Graduate School page. 

Administrative Announcements

5. International Travel for Students 

To ensure that students across all departments receive consistent guidance regarding international travel, please remind your faculty and staff to direct all student inquiries to the official FAQ. This will help avoid conflicting information and maintain a unified message.  

Any additional questions or situations not addressed in the FAQ should be referred directly to the Tax Compliance Office, tax@vt.edu.  

6. Request to Share Policies on Actions Precipitated by Unsatisfactory Student Progress 

There was a very good discussion at a recent GPD/GPC meeting on the topic of graduate student progress reviews, with important emphasis on the need for more formal and timely response to situations of unsatisfactory performance. The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) hopes to formalize a more structured process for managing and documenting unsatisfactory progress situations. Bill Knocke, GPD in CEE, requests the opportunity to review any written policies and procedures that departments have formally adopted to address unsatisfactory graduate student performance. Forward such information to knocke@vt.edu; if you copy gsdean@vt.edu as well, the materials will be added to the Graduate School’s repository of best practices to be shared with all GPDs.