Category: Uncategorized

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/   

August 15, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

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

2. New GPD/GC Orientation Sessions 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

None at this time. 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

3. Update on M365 Storage for Graduate Students 

4. New Cybersecurity Training Requirement for Student Employees 

5. Dashboard for Tracking International Student Visa Attainment 

6. Updated Guidance for Generative AI 

7. Raising Awareness of the Graduate School Ombuds 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

None at this time. 

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

_____________________________________________

1. 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. 

Faculty and staff can register online now for one of eight training sessions—four offered in a hybrid format and four via Zoom only. Please register at least 24 hours in advance to receive your Zoom link. 

In late September, three office hour sessions (no registration required) will provide time for follow-up questions after you’ve explored and tested PATH. Save the dates for these sessions: 

• September 8, 3:00-4:00pm 
• September 19, 9:00-10:00am 
• September 23, 10:00-11:00am 

Link for registration: click here

2. New GPD/GC Orientation Sessions

Thursday, Aug 14, 2:00-3:00pm 

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 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________

3. 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. 

While this is great news, we also want to underscore that, 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. 

**Please note that we mistakenly stated the storage should increase from 10G to 100G in our initial email. The correct quota will be from 10G to 50G

4. 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.

5. Dashboard for Tracking International Student Visa Attainment

The Cranwell International Center reports that as of July 16, 482 graduate students received their visas out of a total 3,464 admitted students. The pool of admitted students includes those who may not have completed the immigration intake process and will not attend. 

If you would like to see more granular details, you may request access to the Cranwell International Center dashboard by completing this request form: https://forms.office.com/r/eukCJ7sdNN, so that you may run a report for your specific department. Visa issuance varies by country and from discipline to discipline, so some colleges may be more impacted than others. For more information contact the Cranwell International Center at international@vt.edu. 

6. Updated Guidance for Generative AI

There has been much discussion about the potential appropriate uses of generative AI by graduate students and how faculty may proactively address it. TLOS provides some general guidelines on their website at https://tlos.vt.edu/resources/generative-ai.html, and we have added an updated Graduate School statement to it: https://tlos.vt.edu/resources/generative-ai/graduate-school-statement.html. Please visit these sites as you prepare for the 2025-26 academic year and discuss program-level standards and expectations with faculty and graduate students. 

7. Raising Awareness of the Graduate School Ombuds

Connecting face-to-face with students and the faculty they work with is one of the best ways for individuals to learn about the services the Ombuds Office offers. A 10-minute presentation during your orientation program for first-year students is sufficient to introduce this service to your students, including an introduction to the role, the types of support available, and current initiatives of the office. Longer sessions may include skill-building topics such as managing difficult conversations or working successfully in teams are also a possibility. The Ombuds is also available to speak during a faculty meeting. If you would like to schedule a session or discuss other opportunities to connect with your students and faculty, please contact Bryan Hanson at bryanh76@vt.edu. 

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/   

July 1, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Summer GPD Meeting: July 2nd, 2025 2:00pm 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

None at this time. 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

2. GPSS Senators Needed for 2025-26   

3. University Federal Guidance Webpage  

Announcements for Distribution to Students

None at this time. 

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

___________________________________________

1. Summer GPD Meeting 

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, 2:00pm, Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/84003562432 

Join if you are able to catch up on timely updates regarding graduate education. Find meeting agendas and notes at Graduate Program Directors Resources | General | Microsoft Teams. 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

2. University Federal Guidance webpage 

Virginia Tech published a Federal Guidance webpage to provide information and resources regarding emerging governmental guidance. The page provides links to messages, support, and resources for the university community. The page can be found here: https://www.vt.edu/federal-guidance.html 

3. GPSS Senators Needed for 2025-26   

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is seeking dedicated graduate students to serve as Senators for the 2025–26 academic year and we need your help! Please send the names of up to two interested students from your department to gpss@vt.edu. Senators may be elected through your departmental graduate student organization or nominated directly. Feel free to reach out to the same email address if you have any questions. 

GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN   

A publication of the GraduateSchool 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/   

June 2, 2025

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Summer GPD Meeting: June 4, 2025 2:00pm 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

2. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

3. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Updates Due by Jun 30  

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. Summer GPD Meeting 

Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 2:00pm, Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/84003562432 

Join if you are able, to catch up on timely updates regarding graduate education. The summer schedule includes three GPD meetings on June 4, July 2 and August 6. At the June 4 meeting we’ll share updates regarding federal funding, international students and a report from the June BOV meeting. Find meeting agendas and notes at Graduate Program Directors Resources | General | Microsoft Teams. 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember  

_______________________________________________   

 2. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

The NNE program aims to help underrepresented undergraduate and master’s students learn about, apply to, and matriculate into graduate programs. The students considered “underrepresented” by NNE are racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation students, veterans, women in STEM fields, rural students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds. 

Students are nominated to participate by their current institution, but they need to take the steps to accept the invitation. The benefit for students is to support them in their process of considering and applying to graduateschool.  In full transparency, the benefit for Virginia Tech is that once two students from VT have enrolled, VT gains access to the entire list of students and can participate in targeted recruitment. The benefit for those applying to GraduateSchool at Virginia Tech is that the application fee will be waived, saving applicants $60-75.  

The link for students to use to enroll is: https://cgsnet.org/national-name-exchange-for-students-enrollment-form#/webform/nne-profile 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

3.  2025-26 Graduate Catalog Updates Due by Jun 30  

The update process for the 2025-26 edition of the Graduate Catalog is underway. Graduate program directors and certificate program leaders (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 

CGS Deadline for submissions: July 3, 2025. Send nominations for the distinguished dissertation awards by June 15 to Monika Gibson, gibsonm@vt.edu. One nomination can be submitted for each category.

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/   

June 16, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:   

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Summer GPD Meeting: July 2nd, 2025 2:00pm 

2. Early Registration Open for the Graduate and Professional School Fair 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

3. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

4. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Updates Due by Jun 30  

5. University Federal Guidance Webpage 

6. GPSS Senators Needed for 2025-26 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

7. Half-time GTA Position Available for GRAD 5004 

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

______________________________________________

1. Summer GPD Meeting 

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025, 2:00pm, Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/84003562432 

Join if you are able to catch up on timely updates regarding graduate education. Find meeting agendas and notes at Graduate Program Directors Resources | General | Microsoft Teams. 

2. Early Registration Open for the Graduate and Professional School Fair   

The annual Graduate and Professional School Fair brings together hundreds of motivated Hokies seeking advanced degrees across disciplines. It is an excellent opportunity for Virginia Tech departments to showcase their graduate programs and connect directly with high-achieving undergraduates and graduate students exploring their next academic steps. 

The Early Registration Event is now open at the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/HjL53jjEJR. The early registration period will remain open through June 30. 

For full event details, please visit: https://gpss.vt.edu/events/gpsf.html 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember  

_______________________________________________   

 3. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

The NNE program aims to help underrepresented undergraduate and master’s students learn about, apply to, and matriculate into graduate programs. The students considered “underrepresented” by NNE are racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation students, veterans, women in STEM fields, rural students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds. 

Students are nominated to participate by their current institution, but they need to take the steps to accept the invitation. The benefit for students is to support them in their process of considering and applying to graduate school.  In full transparency, the benefit for Virginia Tech is that once two students from VT have enrolled, VT gains access to the entire list of students and can participate in targeted recruitment. The benefit for those applying to Graduate School at Virginia Tech is that the application fee will be waived, saving applicants $60-75.  

The link for students to use to enroll is: https://cgsnet.org/national-name-exchange-for-students-enrollment-form#/webform/nne-profile 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

4.  2025-26 Graduate Catalog Updates Due by Jun 30  

The update process for the 2025-26 edition of the Graduate Catalog is underway. Graduate program directors and certificate program leaders (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. 

5. University Federal Guidance webpage 

Virginia Tech published a Federal Guidance webpage to provide information and resources regarding emerging governmental guidance. The page provides links to messages, support, and resources for the university community. The page can be found here: https://www.vt.edu/federal-guidance.html 

6. GPSS Senators Needed for 2025-26   

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is seeking dedicated graduate students to serve as Senators for the 2025–26 academic year and we need your help! Please send the names of up to two interested students from your department to gpss@vt.edu. Senators may be elected through your departmental graduate student organization or nominated directly. Feel free to reach out to the same email address if you have any questions. 

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.  

____________________________________________ 

7. Half-time GTA Position Available for GRAD 5004 

GTA Workshop, GRAD 5004, is seeking a half-time GTA for the course, starting in fall semester, 2025 (student selected will work with a full-time GTA). Duties: scheduling and taking attendance for sessions, grading, communicating with students, participating in planning sessions, helping with Phase I workshop. Qualifications: Taken and passed GRAD 5004, well-organized, diligent, multi-tasking, strong communication skills, strong judgment, GTA experience helpful. Start August 2025; possibility to serve for full academic year, possibly beyond. Apply using the following form: https://gs.vt.edu/grad   

Application deadline: June 25, 5 pm EDT. 

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 16^th, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events   

None at this time. 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember        

1. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

Policy Updates   

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements   

2. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Update Process   

3. Doctoral Candidacy Status Tuition Discount Process Update   

4. Call For Nominations for CGS ProQuest Dissertation Award 

Announcements for Distribution to Students 

 None at this time.  

Deadlines & Dates to Remember   

_______________________________________________   

 1. 2025 National Name Exchange Program 

The NNE program aims to help underrepresented undergraduate and master’s students learn about, apply to, and matriculate into graduate programs. The students considered “underrepresented” by NNE are racial and ethnic minorities, first-generation students, veterans, women in STEM fields, rural students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds. 

Students are nominated to participate by their current institution, but they need to take the steps to accept the invitation. The benefit for students is to support them in their process of considering and applying to graduate school.  In full transparency, the benefit for Virginia Tech is that once two students from VT have enrolled, VT gains access to the entire list of students and can participate in targeted recruitment. The benefit for those applying to Graduate School at Virginia Tech is that the application fee will be waived, saving applicants $60-75.  

The link for students to use to enroll is: https://cgsnet.org/national-name-exchange-for-students-enrollment-form#/webform/nne-profile 

Administrative Announcements 

____________________________________________ 

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

4. 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.  

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. 

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/   

April 16th, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

None at this time. 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

2. 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Update Process   

3. Doctoral Candidacy Status Tuition Discount Process Update   

4. Call For Nominations for CGS ProQuest Dissertation Award 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

 None at this time.  

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

____________________________________________

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th  

Mentorship training is invaluable to VT faculty members and postdocs, and the Graduate School is committed to enhancing mentorship training opportunities at VT. Towards that end, we are presenting a mentorship workshop on April 29th from 10:30am to 12:00 pm in Room C of the Graduate Life Center (GLC); lunch will be provided. We encourage interested early career faculty members and postdocs, especially, to sign up: https://gs.vt.edu/1o 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

4. 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. 

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/

April 1st, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

None at this time. 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

2. Process and timeline for 2025-26 Graduate Catalog Updates   

3. Call for nominations for CGS ProQuest Dissertation Award 

4. CO-OP Application Process Changes 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

 None at this time.  

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

___________________________________________

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th  

Mentorship training is invaluable to VT faculty members and postdocs, and the Graduate School is committed to enhancing mentorship training opportunities at VT. Towards that end, we are presenting a mentorship workshop on April 29th from 10:30am to 12:00 pm in Room C of the Graduate Life Center (GLC); lunch will be provided. We encourage interested early career faculty members and postdocs, especially, to sign up: https://gs.vt.edu/1o 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

2. Process and timeline for 2025-26 Graduate Catalog updates 

The Graduate School will provide an online questionnaire again through which programs can either indicate that they have no updates to make or request updates to the program listings as they appear in the current catalog.  

The questionnaire will be distributed to GPDs currently listed in the Graduate Catalog and to those who completed the questionnaire last year on behalf of their program. The survey will be open to anyone, so it’s up to each program to decide whom they wish to designate to complete it.  

Timeline for update requests:  from mid-April through mid-July 

3. 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. 

4. CO-OP Application Process Changes 

The Graduate School is updating the co-op application form and process, which will go live on April 9th.What this means for students is that they will apply using a Microsoft form instead of a Google form. Advisors that approve co-op submissions will be able to approve the request in an email, as opposed to clicking a link that goes to another form. Note that the advisor request email will look like it is coming from Microsoft Power Automate (at this time there is no way to change that). The new process shouldn’t affect students and advisors too greatly but will be a much quicker and simpler process overall.  Any students who have applied in the previous Google form system will still be assisted and processed after the application form change. Please contact grads@vt.edu with ‘CO-OP’ in the title if you experience any issues with the new system or have any questions. Co-op website: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-services/GradCoop.html

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/

March 17th, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

2. Fellowship and Assistantship Nominations Managed by the Graduate School 

3. Graduate Education Week: March 24th-March 28th, 2025 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

4. New Procedures for Conflict-of-Interest Review and Mitigation 

5. Judges Needed for GPSS Research Symposium on March 26th, 2025 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

6. IDP Workshop with Dean Surprenant on April 2nd

Meetings, Workshops, & Events

1. Mentorship Workshop on April 29th  

Mentorship training is invaluable to VT faculty members and postdocs, and the Graduate School is committed to enhancing mentorship training   opportunities at VT. Towards that end, we are presenting a mentorship workshop on April 29th from 10:30am to 12:00 pm in Room B of the Graduate Life Center (GLC); lunch will be provided. We encourage interested early career faculty members and postdocs, especially, to sign up: https://gs.vt.edu/1o 

Deadlines & Dates to Remember  

_______________________________________________   

2. Fellowship and Assistantship Nominations Managed by the Graduate School   

Nominations are accepted for a number of fellowships and assistantships managed by the Graduate School. For eligibility and nomination information visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school.html. Questions can be sent to gradfinance@vt.edu. 

3. Graduate Education Week, March 24th-March 28th   

Graduate Education Week is March 24-28 and this year’s theme is “Create Your Own Adventure.” The week’s events celebrates graduate education and recognizes outstanding graduate students, graduate advisors and graduate research faculty and staff for their contributions to quality graduate education. This year there are celebrations and events on both the Blacksburg and DC campuses. Find all of the events here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-services/graduate-education-week.html

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

4. New Procedures for Conflict-of-Interest Review and Mitigation 

We have recently updated our procedures and form to manage potential conflicts of interest that may arise in graduate education. You can find details about the process and a link to the new form at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/expectations/COI.html. We have reached out to over 300 VT employees who are pursuing graduate coursework or graduate degrees, requesting that they complete the COI form to document either that there is no conflict between their dual roles of employee and student, or if a conflict is identified, share a mitigation plan. We ask for your assistance in reviewing and signing these forms before submission to the Graduate School. Questions about the form can be sent to gsdean@vt.edu.  

5. Judges Needed for GPSS Research Symposium on March 26th, 2025   

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is seeking faculty or post-docs to judge their 41st annual research symposium. Judges are needed in all disciplines for poster presentations, flash talks and symposium presentations. The research symposium will be held on Wednesday, March 26 in the Graduate Life Center. Please complete this form if you are interested in being a judge: https://forms.office.com/r/XCiqSNuq4R   Contact the GPSS Research Symposium co-chairs if you have questions, atlas@vt.edu and ishveen@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. 

____________________________________________ 

6. IDP Workshop with Dean Surprenant on April 2nd, 9:00-10:30AM, GLC Room B or via Zoom 

You have put a lot of time and effort into pursuing your graduate degree. Now it’s time to focus on how to leverage your expertise into a satisfying and productive career. The Individual Development Plan (IDP) concept is designed to help you define and pursue your career goals. In this interactive workshop, I will first describe what an IDP is, why IDPs are useful, and provide some tools for you to get started on making your own. In the last half of the workshop, we will work on creating an IDP together. Please bring a laptop to engage in the exercise. Please note: NSF GRFP grantees are required to have an IDP on file with the Graduate School. Register here: https://gs.vt.edu/idp 

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/

February 28th, 2025 

IN THIS BULLETIN:    

Meetings, Workshops, & Events  

None at this time.  

Deadlines & Dates to Remember 

1. Upcoming Fellowship and Assistantship Nominations Managed by the Graduate School 

2. Graduate Education Week: March 24th-March 28th, 2025 

Policy Updates  

None at this time.  

Administrative Announcements  

3. Graduate Honor System Presentations Available by Request 

4. New Procedures for Conflict-of-Interest Review and Mitigation 

5. Judges Needed for GPSS Research Symposium on March 26th, 2025 

Announcements for Distribution to Students

None at this time.

Deadlines & Dates to Remember  

_______________________________________________   

1. Nominations are accepted for a number of fellowships and assistantships managed by the Graduate School: 

– Powell Fellowship: deadline is April 1, 2025. 

– McNair Assistantship: deadline is March 1, 2025 

– Dean’s Diversity Assistantship: deadline is March 1, 2025. 

For eligibility and nomination information visit https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school.html. Please email gradfinance@vt.edu 

2. Mark your calendars for Graduate Education Week, March 24th-March 28th 

Administrative Announcements

____________________________________________ 

3. Graduate Honor System Presentations Available by Request 

Departments and graduate programs may request a presentation by the Graduate Honor System as part of your new student orientation, faculty meeting, class presentation or for other occasions. Presentations may range from short 15-minute introduction to the GHS to hour-long interactive discussions about academic integrity and/or GHS panelist training. If you would like to request a presentation or training session for your students or program faculty, please complete this online request form: https://gs.vt.edu/ghspresentation and a training session will be schedule at your convenience. If you have any questions, email ghs@vt.edu or call Monika Gibson at 231-9564. 

4. New Procedures for Conflict-of-Interest Review and Mitigation 

We have recently updated our procedures and form to manage potential conflicts of interest that may arise in graduate education. You can find details about the process and a link to the new form at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/expectations/COI.html. We have reached out to over 300 VT employees who are pursuing graduate coursework or graduate degrees, requesting that they complete the COI form to document either that there is no conflict between their dual roles of employee and student, or if a conflict is identified, share a mitigation plan. We ask for your assistance in reviewing and signing these forms before submission to the Graduate School. Questions about the form can be sent to gsdean@vt.edu.  

5. Judges Needed for GPSS Research Symposium on March 26th, 2025   

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is seeking faculty or post-docs to judge their 41st annual research symposium. Judges are needed in all disciplines for poster presentations, flash talks and symposium presentations. The research symposium will be held on Wednesday, March 26 in the Graduate Life Center. Please complete this form if you are interested in being a judge: https://forms.office.com/r/XCiqSNuq4R   Contact the GPSS Research Symposium co-chairs if you have questions, atlas@vt.edu and ishveen@vt.edu.