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Fall Application for Degree (AFD) Deadline: 10/1


Students who anticipate completing their degree in the Fall semester must go to HokieSPA to submit their AFD.  Please follow the links under Degree Menu –> Graduate Student Degree Menu –> Application for Degree.  Students must complete the AFD by October 1st  for their name to appear in the Fall 2011 Commencement Bulletin. 

PhD and EdD students must also include their dissertation titles when submitting the AFD for their names to appear in the bulletin. Without this title, the student’s name will not be listed. The information entered electronically is used to order  diplomas, so students are asked to ensure that all the entered information is correct. When the AFD is submitted, an AFD fee of $25.00 will be assessed to the applicant’s account.

Student’s who have their personal information listed as confidential will not have their names appear in the bulletin.

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Graduate Recruitment

The Graduate School Office of Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives is seeking recruiters. If you would like to help in the recruitment of more graduate students from your alma mater, home country, or from your discipline please contact Dannette Beane at dannette@vt.edu. Recruitment materials, travel funds and training are available.

Emphasis is given to recruitment involving Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and conferences focused on underrepresented students (this includes women in STEM).

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Notice about Graduate School Closure

The Graduate School will be closed for staff training on Monday, August 8, 8:00am-1:00pm. We will be open to the public 1:00-5:00pm that day, then resume regular hours from Tuesday, August 9. We apologize for any inconvenience this closure may cause.

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New Student Guide and Orientation Programs

Orientation Programs:
We offer a new graduate student orientation in the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown (GLC) on Friday, August 19, 9:00-11:00 in the Auditorium. Morning refreshments will be served 8:30-9:00 in the Multipurpose Room.

We also provide a variety of information sessions and activities to help new students get started in their graduate career, including an information fair in the GLC between August 15-19. The fair features more than 50 campus and community organizations and services. 

Detailed information about the orientation and Welcome Week activities>>

Getting Started as a Student:
We created an online guide for new students to help you get started. The guide includes information and links to a variety of campus services, including student ID cards, class schedule and registration, tuition payment, policies, financial resources, health and wellness, campus life and more. Visit the online guide>> .

If you have any questions or concerns about getting started at Virginia Tech, please contact us by phone at 540.231.9561 or by email.

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Call for Nominations

The Graduate School announces a call for nominations for the William Preston society Master’s Thesis Awards. Three awards will be selected, one from each of the following categories:

· Life Sciences.

· Social Sciences, Business and Education.

· Innovation Application of Technology to Scholarship.

Eligible students will have completed their master’s thesis in Summer 2010, Fall 2010 or Spring 2011. Winners will be recognized at the William Preston Society Annual Meeting in September 2011 and be submitted as a nominee for the awards selected by the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.

For complete information about eligibility and nomination process, please see this link: http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/honors_awards/graduate_awards/index.html.

The deadline for submission of nominations is Friday July 29, 2011 at 5 pm.

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Diversity and Recruitment Summit I & II

This summer, the Graduate School’s Office of Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives (ORDI) will host a Graduate Diversity and Recruitment Summit I and II. Your participation is important as this will be an interactive and collaborative exchange of information and ideas.

 

Summit I will take place Thursday, June 16, 2011 from 10-noon in the GLC room F and 401 NVC.

The agenda will include the following:

·         Snapshot of graduate applications from 2010-2011

·         Are we growing in numbers and diversity?

·         Current recruitment efforts

·         Future recruitment efforts

·         Brainstorm about best practices and ways to improve

 

Summit II will take place Wednesday, July 20, 2011 from 2-3:30pm in the GLC room F.

The agenda will include the following:

·         2011-2012 ORDI Initiatives

·         Coordinated School Visits Program forecast

·         Campus recruitment schedule

·         Marketing of our graduate programs

·         Climate and retention

 

Please participate to learn about and contribute to the graduate student diversity and recruitment efforts. Please share this email with others as needed.

 

*National Capital Region will have the ability to participate, more details to come.

Contact Dannette Gomez Beane with questions at dannette@vt.edu.

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Graduate School Summer Hours

Starting Monday, May 16, the Graduate School’s Blacksburg offices in the Graduate Life Center (GLC) will operate with summer hours, opening at 9:00am each day and closing at 4:00pm. The summer schedule will be in effect through Friday, July 29. Regular business hours (8-5) will resume on August 1. When the Graduate School is open but the GLC is closed, access Graduate School offices through the entrance door facing Squires Student Center.

The Graduate Life Center will remain accessible 24/7 to all graduate students with a valid Hokie Passport.

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Search for New Chief Justice of the Honor System Now Open

The Graduate Honor System is opening a search for a new chief justice, due to the impending graduation of the current chief justice, Kim Carlson.

All nominees and applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be graduate student in good standing who has been in residence for a minimum of one semester
  • Be able to serve as Chief Justice for at least one year while enrolled full-time in the Blacksburg campus

Preferably applicants should have experience as an Honor System investigator or panelist. The application deadline is April 22.

Applicants should submit a statement of purpose (why interested in serving in this capacity, how will contribute to the GHS, ideas or vision for the improvement of the system, etc) and a resume to:  Monika Gibson, Graduate Student Services (0325), 117 GLC, or by fax to 231-3714, or by email to gibsonm@vt.edu.

The new Chief Justice will be selected by a committee and ratified by the Graduate Student Assembly and the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies before final appointment by the president.

Please share this information with graduate students who you think would be good candidates for the chief justice position and encourage them to apply. For more information or with questions contact Monika Gibson by email or phone at 231-4558.

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2nd Call for Proposals – Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP)


Program Description:

The Graduate School will support three new IGEPs beginning Spring 2012 for planning purposes, with the first cohorts of students enrolling Fall 2012.  The purpose of the IGEPs is to promote and sustain support of interdisciplinary graduate research and education at Virginia Tech.  Each IGEP will address a major fundamental problem or complex societal issue requiring an interdisciplinary team of scholars. Each new IGEP will be awarded four funded GRA positions from the Graduate School.  In addition, each IGEP will receive funding for recruitment, operations, and a shared staff person (one staff person for two or three IGEPs).

Each IGEP will develop its own criteria on which to be evaluated.  The criteria would be finalized based upon input from the Deans and final review by the Graduate School.  The plan for sustainability of the program should include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Statement of commitment to reach a steady state of graduate students (n=10?) by year 3 of the IGEP, with plans of how the IGEP will grow in numbers beyond that steady state.
  • How and when the GRAD 5134 course will be taught.
  • Plan of how the IGEP PIs will obtain additional funding as appropriate.
  • Evaluation of return on investment: i.e. grants, publications, presentations, time for students to complete degree, and other quantitative measures that will be accomplished in 3 years.

The criteria set forth in the plan must be met by the third year of funding at which time the decision will be made about the continuation of funding for the IGEP. 

Interested groups of faculty representing several disciplines should submit proposals for new IGEPs electronically to Karen P. DePauw, Vice President and Dean of the Graduate School at kpdepauw@vt.edu by November 11, 2011.  Proposals will be peer reviewed and should be no more than five pages in length (single space, 12 point font, and 1” margins) with ten pages as maximum including appendices.  Results will be announced by the end of January 2012 so that planning can occur in the Spring semester.    

 

Proposal Description and Requirements:

a)      Title of proposed program; names of colleges (minimum of two) and departments (minimum of three) involved; names and contact information of faculty members involved. Limit: 1 page.

b)      Introduction: rationale and need for interdisciplinary graduate education program.  Identify education and research goals of the IGEP. Limit: 1 page.

c)      Description: of long term goals and intellectual focus of proposed program (existing courses and courses needed); student recruitment and retention plan; plan for securing funds for assistantships; plan to reach and sustain a steady state of graduate students; and plan for program assessment and outcomes.  All proposals must include a plan of utilization of the already established GRAD 5134 Interdisciplinary Research course at least once in a three year period. Limit: 3 pages.

d)      Support: proposed programs should provide a letter documenting support from their Departments and Deans. Appendix. 

e)      Desired criteria: Plan for securing extramural funding over time; plan to reach across the disciplinary landscape to incorporate disciplines (particularly the Social Sciences and Humanities) and integrate within the proposed curriculum. Appendix. 

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Graduate Education Week 2011

Graduate students and members of the Virginia Tech community are invited to participate in Graduate Education Week events from March 21 through March 25. Workshops, research symposium, student contests, photo and art display, and a variety of social events mark the 11th annual Graduate Education Week.

For a full description and schedule of events, visit our GEW 2011 website.

Graduate Education Week highlights the importance of graduate education; increases the university community’s awareness of the contributions of graduate students to teaching, research and service; and enhances the graduate student experience through professional development programs and celebratory events.