IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Graduate Program Director Meeting
2. Jigsaw Connect: Research Data Management and Resources
3. Graduate Education Week
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
1. McNair Graduate Assistantship
2. Powell Fellowship
Policy Updates
1. CGS Resolution
Administrative Announcements
1. Change in Forms Submission Process
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Graduate Program Director Meeting
Wednesday, March 23 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Directors and Coordinators, please join Dean Surprenant either in person or by zoom for our next GPD meeting. A separate email to all Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators will contain the meeting information.
2. Jigsaw Connect: Research Data Management and Resources
March 21st at 3pm
Join us for our next session in our series focused on Recruitment and Retention Support for Graduate Programs. It is entitled “Research Data Management and Resources” with Jonathan Petters Ph.D. Assistant Director, Data Management & Curation Services, Data Services at University Libraries. Register at https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tcumqqz0pGNas8MemFtgTRnO9kC2lFdtq. If you have any questions, email ordi@vt.edu.
3. Graduate Education Week: March 21-25, 2022
This week-long celebration offers all members of the university community opportunities to be involved with graduate education and celebrate graduate student accomplishments. We will start off the week with a graduate alumni panel via Zoom and end the week with a big cook out on the Grad School Lawn. There will also be free t-shirts at in-person events on the Blacksburg campus. Check out all of the events and details here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/graduate-education-week.html
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
1. 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.
2. 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”: (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. Change in forms submission process—Graduate Admissions and Academic Progress
To improve documentation of documents and form submission to the Graduate School and ensure FERPA compliance for forms sent electronically, all Graduate Admissions and Academic Progress forms and related documents are to be submitted via the FERPA compliant Graduate Admission & Academic Progress Form Submission page: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRr_RfviUz9JH3Xj6iDz3nP6FhQ76wdNpc4HViJfdjpwa2-Q/viewform or hand delivered to the Graduate School offices in Blacksburg or Falls Church. Effective March 1, 2022, the Graduate School will no longer accept any forms or documents submitted by email to grads@vt.edu, gssoncr@vt.edu, or an individual Graduate School staff member email. For questions regarding this new process, please contact Janice Austin at jema@vt.edu. Please note that forms for Graduate School Dean review and signature should continue to be submitted through their secure submission page https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkjThbjJ_x4ESc67uCDNiSVEjR6DpwOmJi9QccPa5sdAym9A/viewform.