Graduate School Bulletin

Announcements/Deadlines

• Graduate Education Week in Blacksburg: March 26-30, 2007
• Graduate Education Week at NCR: March 26-30, 26 – 30, 2007
• VT NCR Graduation, GMU Center for the Arts, May 13, 2007 at 2:30
• Application for Degree submission deadline : March 1, 2007
  Please note: The system will still accept submissions after this deadline.
  However, an AFD must be submitted by the deadline for the student’s name to appear in the Commencement Bulletin.

  Personnel announcements
  David Trauger, Interim Associate Dean for National Capital Region (NCR)
  effective February 1, 2007
  James Turner, Interim Associate Provost for Graduate Student Diversity Initiatives
  effective July 1, 2006

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)
The Graduate School posts the progress of course review at http://grads.vt.edu/graduate_school/gcc/

The following degree proposals were reviewed by CGS&P in February:
Virginia Tech – Georgetown University Master of Science Degree in Biomedical Technology Development and Management (approved February 7)

PhD in Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (first reading, February 21)

Graduate Catalog Changes
The Policies and Procedures section of the Graduate Catalog has been revised and posted. The links from the contents to sections of the policies have not been established, but will be active shortly. The ability for academic programs to update their respective sections in the catalog will be forthcoming. The policies have been reorganized and updated and there is now a Table of Contents at the front of the document. If you find apparent errors or things that need clarification, please send an email to Anne McNabb for the next revision in the fall.

Revised Course Justification Request
The Graduate School has revised the Course Justification (Revalidation) form and process used to determine that a graduate student has remained current in the body of knowledge represented by all classes older then 5 years when filing a Plan of Study. Please submit the revised form as out of date forms will not be acceptable for processing. The new form, Course Justification Request, can be found in the forms section of the Graduate School website.

Graduate Education Week Details
Virginia Tech will celebrate its seventh annual Graduate Education Week March 26-30.
GEW is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of graduate students, bring attention to graduate education, and build graduate community. The Graduate School is scheduling programs and events to mark this occasion, but your participation will make Graduate Education Week a campus-wide recognition of graduate students. Please help us promote GEW events, encourage participation, and consider coordinating a special event or gesture for your students during this week. Several ideas are listed below. If you notify us of your event, we will be happy to list details with the rest of the Graduate Education Week itinerary on our website. We appreciate your assistance in honoring our graduate community.

Ideas:

• Encourage faculty members to take their students to the Student Appreciation Luncheon on Monday, March 26 at the GLC. (Details and reservation requirements to be posted soon on our website).
• Stop by the GSA Graduate Research Symposium in the GLC Multipurpose Room on Wednesday, March 28.
• Visit and vote on your favorites of the graduate student art work and photos that will be on display in the GLC during GEW.
• Create a listing of student achievements (publications, conference presentations, awards, etc.) and post it on departmental bulletin board and website, or create small brochure if there are a lot of listings — circulate these in the department and share with the Graduate School.
• Take pictures of graduate students in academic action (in lab, teaching, writing, etc.) and post them on departmental bulletin board, along with an action photo of their life outside the university (if the students are willing). If you share these photos with the Graduate School, we can include them in the slide show presented during commencement.

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees
The Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees has been reviewed and approved for ’07-’08. A copy of the plan is attached for your information.

Welcome back to the start of a new semester and a new year!

Announcements/Deadlines

• Proposals for the ’06-’07 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) are due February 1
• Graduate Student Award Nominations are due January 26
• Graduate Education Week is scheduled for March 26-30
• Outstanding Interdisciplinary Program Ph.D. Student Award Nominations are due Friday, February 9, 2007 to the Graduate School. Eligibility is limited to Ph.D. students in three formally approved VT interdisciplinary programs.
• All Colleges and Departments are asked to think about a potential nominee for the upcoming 2007 Graduate Alumni Achievement Award. A formal Nomination process will be sent to the Colleges shortly. The winner will receive this award at the spring 2007 Graduate Commencement ceremony.

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)
Degree proposals approved by SCHEV

• PhD Architecture and Design Research, (ADR)
• EDP Spin-Off PhD Degree – Architecture and Design
• EDP Spin-Off PhD Degree: Planning Governance and Globalization
• Online MS, Agriculture and Life Sciences

Degree proposals approved by the commission, and forwarded to University Council:

• Master of Arts in Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
• PhD in STEM Education: Engineering Education

Online Graduate Catalog
The online Graduate Catalog will be entering its first phase of internal testing in the middle of January. We expect that testing to take place for two to three weeks. At that point we will contact a few departments to test for approximately a week. We hope to be contacting departments to add their information at the end of February or early March.

The online catalog will allow programs to update information such as graduate program faculty, and program contact information at any point in the year. Edits with details about each program can be made at any time, but will be queued to be altered at the beginning of each academic year. Detailed program information will be expanded to include test score requirements, GPA requirements and similar items. Updates and additions to graduate policy during an academic year will now be added as they become effective.

We will post the most recent version of the policies and procedures in early February.

Policies & Procedures Updates & Clarification
Independent Study (5974) and Special Study (5984) are courses available to departments that provide some flexibility for curricular offerings. Independent Study (5974) is intended for an individual student who is working closely with a faculty member on an individual project. On the other hand, Special Study 5984 is intended for a group of students who are engaged in a special course (e.g., pilot for a permanent course; one time offering). Approval and enrollments for Independent Study are handled at the department level. Special Study 5984 requires Graduate School approval prior to the start of the semester. The paperwork for establishing a pilot course as a permanent course should be prepared after the first offering to allow time for approval through the governance system (a course is limited to being offered twice as a 5984).

Quite a few students incorrectly sign up for 5974 credits without understanding the nature of Independent Study. This usually results in requests to the Grad School for late drops and other adjustments to the student’s schedule. Departments can exercise control over 5974 projects by setting the enrollment at zero. After the paperwork describing the project has been prepared and signed by the instructor, a departmental staff member can add the course to the student’s schedule. If the department requires that all 5974 projects be submitted and entered within the Add period for the semester many enrollment errors can be avoided and students can begin work on these projects in a timely manner.

Assistantships (GRA, GTA, GA) are provided as part of the academic experience for our graduate students. It is important that incoming and continuing students are informed of the responsibilities of their assistantships as well as the length of time they can expect to hold an assistantship. Most of our graduate students are seeking multi year support in terms of GRA or GTA. I encourage you to develop guidelines for providing multi year funding for graduate students and share this information within your department. Although we can’t guarantee funding, our goal should be to provide a reasonable length of assistantship support that approximates a typical time to degree.

As you know, ETDs are to be filed within two weeks following a successful final oral examination. This long standing Graduate School policy is grounded in the assumption that faculty have read the penultimate draft of the thesis/dissertation, that the student is prepared to defend the thesis/dissertation at the final examination, and that changes to the documents should need not more than two weeks to complete. Please encourage your students to review the requirements for the ETD prior to the final examination and start the process as early as possible. Please consult the website for more information.

Annual progress review
Annual progress review is an important part of the academic advising process for graduate students. Spring is the typical time for conducting the Annual Progress Reviews (see Presidential Policy 229). Please conduct these reviews, share with the graduate students, and please send us copies of the individual reviews for all the graduate students in your program.

Course Withdrawal Policy for Graduate Students
As a reminder, the course withdrawal policy can be found listed with Presidential Policy Memorandums. Students must request a Graduate Withdrawal (WG) by the Friday of the last full week of classes for the semester.

Probation letters
Probation letters will be coming out soon for all those students who dropped below a 3.0 GPA at the end of fall semester. Students have one semester to remedy their GPA deficiency and departments should work closely with these students to help them succeed in raising their GPAs.

Graduate Applications & Admissions
As with any department, there will be personnel changes. For the time being, any questions related to residency, changes (of graduate program, status, name, campus), leave of absence, graduate certificates, BS/MS or Dual students, simultaneous degree, and Commencement should be directed to Jacqueline L. Nottingham. She can be reached at 540/231-3092 or ntnghm@vt.edu.

Applications are no longer being considered for Spring 2007 enrollment. Please make sure that any applicants without a decision for Spring 2007 be completed or moved to a future term immediately. Please work directly with any students wishing to re-admit for Spring 2007 and encourage them to complete their paperwork now. Requests to re-admit later in the term will only be considered for students who are returning to defend.

The December 2006 Commencement is rapidly approaching and I encourage each of you to attend and bring other faculty members with you. Commencement is a very special time for our graduates and their families, and I hope you will join your colleagues in recognizing our graduates and celebrating their accomplishments. A new musical composition for graduate commencement will be played for the first time. See you there!

Announcements & Deadlines:

Call for Nominations for Graduate Student Awards
Nominations for the 2006-07 graduate student awards (outstanding dissertation, service, teaching, college, etc) are due January 26, 2007. Please review the list of awards, nomination criteria and further details on submission requirements at http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/honors_awards/graduate_awards/06_07_GEW_call.pdf

Graduate Preview Weekend nominations are being accepted
The nominated individual should have submitted an application for graduate study and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident residing in the United States. Graduate Preview Weekend is February 15-18, 2007. For more information, contact Marilyn Kershaw, Director of Graduate Student Recruiting at 1-2494 or at mkershaw@vt.edu.

VT National Capital Region Orientation: 1/13/07, Northern Virginia Center

Temporary Expedited Admissions Status 1/8/07-1/22/07
Occasionally, students learn about a course that they’d like to pursue at the last minute. This paper application can only be used for students who wish to apply within one week before classes begin and up to the last day to add courses. It is a one-time status and allows registration for no more than 6 credits in the semester when the student applies for this status. For more information contact GSSO gsso@nvc.vt.edu, 703-538-8327 in the National Capital Region or Jacqueline Nottingham ntnghm@vt.edu , 540-231-3092 in Blacksburg.

New Fellowship
The David W. Francis and Lillian Francis Scholarship Fund was established to provide graduate fellowships in research emphasizing longer, safer and healthier lives. The disciplines designated in the endowment include agriculture, engineering, bioinformatics, plant pathology, wood science and forest products, veterinary medicine and biotechnology. The Francis Research Fellowship includes a stipend of $18,000 plus tuition for one academic year. One research fellowship will be awarded each academic year. PhD students whose research emphasizes “longer, safer and healthier lives” and are in their final year of research are eligible for the Francis Research Fellowship. Doctoral students should be nominated by their department. The nomination packet should include a letter of support from the academic unit, a letter from the faculty advisor(s), a description of the student’s academic work, and a synopsis of the student’s research and its relevance to promoting “longer, safer and healthier lives”. Nominations are due by February 1 and should be submitted to Karen P. DePauw, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies & Dean of the Graduate School.
http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu/financial/for_departments/gs_funding.html

Policies & Procedures Reminders/Updates

Enrollment
Academic units are encouraged to remind students that they should enroll in courses prior to the start of the semester and adhere to the drop/add deadlines set by the university. Departments should refrain from enrolling students so that we can avoid unnecessary drops/withdraws. Only under unusual circumstances will graduate students be allowed to add a class after the add deadline.

Instructors of record for graduate courses
Graduate School policy requires that graduate courses (4xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx) be taught by faculty members holding the appropriate terminal academic degree (e.g., PhD). Graduate students (including staff working for graduate degrees) can teach undergraduate courses but are not authorized to teach graduate courses. Please note this requirement in planning course offerings in the future.

Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies

The commission approved a revision to the Applications and Admissions Statement, as follows:

Applications and all related materials for admission should reach the Graduate School Office at least eight weeks before the beginning of the semester in which enrollment is requested. Consideration for admission to the Graduate School is contingent upon receipt of:
1) An official academic transcript showing courses taken and degree(s) earned.
2) Evidence of a Bachelor’s degree from a four year or equivalent (e.g., see Bologna Process) accredited college or university.
Documentation of at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 scale) for the last half of the credits earned for the undergraduate degree; or, the completion of 12 graduate course credits with at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average

New degrees
The commission forwarded the new degree proposal, Doctor of Philosophy in STEM Education: Engineering Education, to the University Council. Currently, the commission is in the final stages of review for the degree proposal, Master of Arts in Foreign Language, Culture, and Literature.

Announcements & Deadlines:
Call for nominations for graduate student awards – submission deadline January 26, 2007. Departments and colleges are encouraged to consider nominating their students for outstanding contributions to teaching, research, service, and other scholarly accomplishments. See attached details.

Deadline to accept international students for spring 2007 – November 1
The spring 2007 deadline to accept international students residing outside the United States is November 1st. Since the visa application process may take 2-3 months, we must allow sufficient time for students to make all their arrangements. International students are expected to arrive no later than January 14 and participate in the mandatory international student orientation. Departments may request an exception for specific individuals by contacting the National Capital Region international student advisor Marija Telbis-Forster, Northern Virginia Ctr., 7054 Haycock Road, Room 203, Falls Church, VA 22043 or at 703/538-3743. Blacksburg Immigration Specialists may be reached at the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown, or 540-231-8486, igss@vt.edu

National Capital Region Open House
Virginia Tech in the National Capital Region held a Graduate School Information Fair, Wednesday, October 18, 7-9 p.m., at the Northern Virginia Center, 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church, Virginia, for prospective students to explore opportunities in master’s, doctorate and certificate programs. If you have any questions please contact the Graduate Student Services Office at 703-538-8327 or gsso@nvc.vt.edu

Nominations for Cunningham Doctoral Scholars
As an integral part of our recruitment efforts to attract outstanding doctoral students to Virginia Tech, I am pleased to open the competition for the 2007 Cunningham Doctoral Scholars Program. Please review the guidelines and timelines available on the Graduate School web site , http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu/index.html

Graduate Congressional Scholarship (Spring 2007)
The Graduate School is pleased to announce the availability of a one semester Graduate Congressional Scholarship for students currently enrolled at Virginia Tech. The scholar will be able to participate in the everyday work of Congressman Boucher’s office. While specific duties will depend on the scholar’s experience and interests, as well as the needs of Congressman Boucher’s office, duties will likely include constituent services, special studies, and support of on-going office activities such telecommunications, science and technology, social issues, labor and education.

The scholarship is open to master’s and doctoral students in all fields. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program at Virginia Tech and have completed at least 18 credits of graduate coursework. The ideal candidate should possess excellent writing skills. The successful applicant will receive a one semester stipend and tuition scholarship up to $16,000.

Applicants should submit a 250 word statement of career goals, a current resume, and two letters of support, at least one of which must be from a Virginia Tech faculty member in the student’s graduate degree program. Please submit applications or nominations by December 15, 2006 to Dr. Karen P. DePauw, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School, Mail Code 0325, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

New Faces at the Graduate School
Dr. James Turner (Mathematics) is serving as associate provost for diversity in the Graduate School and chairs the “Diversity Think Tank”. Ms. Sheila Steele is the new administrative assistant in the dean’s suite. Ms Kristen Hicks, Ms. Jennifer Mitra, and Ms. Mary Reed have joined the Admissions and Academic Progress team.

Enrollments & Earned Doctorates
Graduate enrollments for fall ’06 have reached an all time high of 6111 university-wide. This includes full-time and part-time enrollments in Blacksburg, extended campuses, and beyond. Doctoral students now comprise 40% of the graduate enrollment. The number of individuals who have earned doctoral degrees has also increased to 366 for ’05-’06.

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) – Call for Proposals
The Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) provides the overview of our academic plans for graduate education at Virginia Tech. The IPGD is updated annually and in this regard, I’ve included the call for proposals below.

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policies
The Graduate Curriculum Committee has approved the Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Education. The degree proposal will be presented to the Commission on Graduate Studies and Polices for a second reading at the November 1st meeting.

Policies & Procedures Reminders/Updates
Reminder: Banner report, SYRB601, allows departments to review and sort the list of applications that are still waiting for a decision. The report provides a data file that you can pull into an Excel file so that you can sort the data by student name, ID, campus, application status and citizenship status. If you need assistance in accessing or running the report, please contact the Graduate Student Services Office in the National Capital Region at 703-538-8327 gsso@nvc.vt.edu or the Admissions and & Academic Progress Office in Blacksburg at 540-231-2727.

Annual Call for Proposals
Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD)

The Graduate School calls for new degree proposal for inclusion on the Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD). The IPGD is comprised of a list of degree programs that are approved for development to begin during the 07/08 academic year. The intention is that these programs would be implemented no later than Fall 2010.

We anticipate that colleges will review and select from proposals generated by their academic units. We would like to receive the college-approved proposals by February 1st so that we can finalize the ‘07’-’08 update to the IPGD by the end of the Spring 2007 semester.

Please provide the following information (in two pages or less) for degree programs you wish to have considered for inclusion on the plan:

• Need and Demand for the degree
• Target audience
• Faculty resources to be utilized
• Graduate courses (existing and proposed) underpinning the degree
• Conformity with the VT Strategic Plan particularly with regard to research emphasis and interdisciplinary nature
• Source of financial support
• Anticipated implementation date

The proposed degrees currently listed on the wish list will be considered for pre-approval in this review cycle. Please review the current “wish list” and indicate those proposals that should be removed from consideration.

Please send proposals to Karen P. DePauw in the Graduate School by February 1, 2007.

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the events for our Grand Opening,
October 2 – 6, 2006. We hope you can join us in celebrating the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown, a unique place and space for graduate education at Virginia Tech!

Monday, October 2: Marty Party! 7:00p-9:30p, GLC Multipurpose Room
The Graduate Arts Council and the Department of Theatre Arts present Obie-
Award winning solo performance artist, Marty Pottenger, for an evening of lecture/demonstration of her work, including Homeland Security and Arts & Equity Initiative.

Tuesday, October 3: Graduate School Distinguished Lecturer: Daniel Pink
4:00p-5:30p; GLC Multipurpose Room
Daniel Pink’s latest book, A Whole New Mind, provides a snapshot of the new
world of work where "right brain" thinking trumps "left brain" thinking and a host of profound new rules and strategies apply. The lecture will be followed by a book signing and reception.

Wednesday, October 4: GLC Open House; 10:00a-6:00p; GLC Lobby & Corridors
You are invited to explore the newly renovated GLC and join us for some fun!
Vote on graduate student art and photography, take a tour of the GLC, view displays, enter raffle drawing for door prizes, compete in a scavenger hunt, enjoy free samples from Au Bon Pain, and more!

Thursday, October 5: GLC Graduate Student Art Contest; 7:00a-11:00p; GLC Lobby & Corridors
Please visit the GLC and vote on the graduate student photos and artwork
displayed throughout the GLC. Students with the most votes on their art will receive prizes

NCR Graduate Alumni Organization
In an effort to promote graduate education in the National Capital Region, The Alumni Association and the Graduate Student Services office have combined forces. The first event was hosted on 9/19/06 showcasing the college of Natural Resources which included a documentary, Down in the Old Belt: Voices from the Tobacco South by Jim Crawford, a VT Geography Alum. The event was attended by alumni, current students, faculty and deans from college of Natural Resources. It provided a sense of community, and an opportunity to make connections. Another program will be hosted next semester.

Policies & procedures updates
Application fees
After a review of our current application fee structure, the Graduate School will be moving to a change in application fees. Beginning November 1st, all degree-seeking applicants will be charged $45 per application; all Commonwealth Campus, visiting students, expedited, and non-degree applicants, plus readmission and certificate applicants will be charged $25 per application. To compliment this change, we are asking that all students who are moving degree status (i.e., non-degree seeking to degree- seeking) submit a new application to the graduate school. This will provide a cleaner process for individuals, departments, and the graduate school, and it will also ensure that all appropriate documentation is in place for the student to be considered for the new degree level.

Commonwealth Campus Applications
Currently, the Commonwealth Campus applicant is allowed to apply directly to a department for admission. In some cases, the department will make a recommendation on the application for admission; in others, the review is being done by the Graduate School. Beginning with spring 2007 applicants, all Commonwealth Campus applicants will be listed with the "major" of Graduate Studies and will be reviewed by the Graduate School.

Admissions Decisions
The Graduate School encourages departments to make final decisions on all applicants for each upcoming term two weeks prior to the start of the new semester in which they intend to enroll. To that end, the Graduate School will be communicating directly with departments regarding their admission/enrollment cycle and the actions to be taken (accept, reject, withdraw) to clear up any outstanding decisions for the term. Your assistance in this endeavor is greatly appreciated.

Announcements/Reminders

• Graduate Fair, National Capital Region, October 18, 2006, Northern Virginia Center, Falls Church, VA 22043, room 100 at 6:30-9:00. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate Student Services Office at 703-538-8327.
• Graduate Preview Weekend is February 15-18, 2007. Nomination forms will be available online on November 1st.

Welcome to the new academic year! This year should prove to be another exciting one for graduate education at Virginia Tech starting with the re-opening of the Graduate Life Center (GLC) at Donaldson Brown and the move of the Graduate School to the GLC. On August 4th, we closed our offices in Sandy Hall and opened our doors to the newly renovated Graduate School offices in the part of the GLC once known as Alumni Hall. Graduate student residents of the GLC moved into the building on August 12th. Although minor renovations will continue for some weeks, the entire complex, with the exception of the auditorium, will be fully operational starting August 21st. We are planning a grand opening in October but please come by to visit when you get a chance.

New faces in the Graduate School
Please join us in welcoming new Graduate School staff:

Miya T. Simpson, Ph.D., Director of Development for the Graduate School
Jennifer Catalano (Jenny), Admissions & Academic Progress
Cheng Hu, Web Application Developer
James R. Turner, Ph.D., Interim Associate Provost for Diversity

Temporary Expedited Admissions Status
Occasionally, students learn about a course that they’d like to pursue at the last minute. In order to accommodate these students, we have developed the Application for Expedited Admissions and are implementing a pilot test for this fall. This paper application can only be used for students who wish to apply within one week before classes begin and up to the last day to add courses. For fall semester, 2006, those dates are Monday, August 14th thru Friday, August 25th. This is a one-time status and allows registration for no more than 6 credits in the semester when the student applies for this status. For more information, please review recent email from, or contact, Jacqueline Nottingham, phone: 231-3092, email: ntnghm@vt.edu.

Week of Welcome a success!
The Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) workshop was a success! Phase I of the GTA Workshop for 2006 was attended by about 570 new graduate students for three half days, August 14-16. Workshop attendees also will attend two sessions in Phase II of the workshop from August to October. There were excellent presentations and panels by faculty and continuing GTAs (approximately 50 contributors) that were very well received.

Policies & procedures updates
During the spring semester, we added a site to our webpage called Procedures and Guidelines in which you can find some helpful information about recent changes in policy or procedures. We will keep you updated as new policies and procedures are reviewed and revised.

Announcements/Reminders

• September 1, 4:30 – 6:00 Graduate student welcome on Graduate School lawn
• September 2, 10:30-12:30 3rd annual Graduate Alumni Homecoming
• NCR Graduate Alumni Organization will hold its first event scheduled for September 19th, 2006 and will showcase Natural Resources
• The Graduate School gets many requests for Late Course Drops and Withdrawals that result from inattention to registration problems. Most of these could be avoided, so please consider announcing the following at departmental graduate orientation meetings at the beginning of the semester: (1) graduate students should check Hokie Spa to make sure they are enrolled in the correct courses during the first week of classes so problems can be corrected early, (2) instructors should check that all students attending their classes are on the class list available through Faculty Access before the end of the first week of classes. Students who aren’t on the class list should not be allowed to participate in a class.
• The new Graduate School brochure, Transforming Graduate Education, will be coming to your units within the next week. Please let Marilyn Kershaw (1-2494) know if you want additional copies.

Announcements/Deadlines

• Graduate Education Workshop for graduate program directors, coordinators, and staff is scheduled for May 1st from 10:00 a.m. until noon in the GLC auditorium. The workshop is designed to provide an overview of changes in policies and procedures, update progress in graduate education at VT and to invite dialogue about the future. Everyone is welcome to attend.
• The Graduate Commencement ceremony in Blacksburg will be held at 3:00 pm in Cassell Coliseum on May 12, 2006.
• The National Capital Region Spring 2006 Graduate Commencement Ceremony will be held at 1:00pm on May 14, 2006, at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University.
• GTA Workshop will be the afternoon of Monday, August 14 and the mornings of Tuesday, August 15 and Wednesday, August 16, 2006.
• Deadline to accept international students currently residing outside the U.S. is May 15
• Photos from Graduate Education Week have been posted

Graduate Life Center and Graduate School Move

The entire Graduate Life Center complex will close on May 17th for renovations and upgrades during the summer months. The facility will reopen in early August. During the first few days of August 2006 the Graduate School offices in Sandy Hall will close and we will move our entire operation into the mezzanine and second floors of the former Alumni Hall. After we’re all settled in the GLC complex, please watch for the announcement of our Grand Opening during the fall semester.

Initial Announcement about Awards

The Virginia Tech Preston Society offers two Master’s thesis awards annually. For 2007, the categories include (a) Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering, and (b) Humanities and Fine Arts. The winners of the Preston Society awards are then forwarded to the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) as our nominees for the 2007 CSGS Master’s thesis awards. Although the details of the nomination process will not be available on the web until late summer, please begin to think about deserving nominees from among the spring and summer graduates.

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD)

The Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees is designed to advance the academic agenda for graduate education at Virginia Tech and to meet the goals outlined in the University’s Strategic Plan. The plan, updated annually, includes the identification of new graduate degrees to be added to our existing degree offerings. Attached is a copy of the latest update to the IPGD. The pre-approved status gives the departments the "go-ahead" to start developing the proposal for submission through university governance.

Annual Progress Review Reminder

Spring is the time for conducting the Annual Progress Reviews for graduate students (Presidential Policy 229). Please conduct these reviews, share with the graduate students, and please send us copies of these reviews. It would also be useful to have a summary of the departmental review procedure and a summary of the results. Anne McNabb will be following up with each department about the review process.

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)/University Council

In order to implement the revised policy regarding staff and administrative faculty entering graduate degrees, the commission recently approved the following procedure.

1. As a component of the graduate application, a potential student, graduate advisor, and supervisor/department head will sign the Graduate School Application Supplemental Form that specifically addresses potential conflicts of interest, time, and commitment between the student and employer. Successful applicants will:

a. Satisfy all admission and program requirements;
b. Submit a preliminary plan of study with a stated timeline and department/program approval;
c. For those entering a PhD program, make arrangements for satisfying doctoral residency requirements with their employer;
d. Conduct thesis/dissertation research that is distinguishable from work that is part of the employment responsibilities;
e. Abstain from service on university committees dealing with curricular decisions and policy/procedures for graduate education;
f. Avoid situations which may create a conflict of interest including those which could arise from pursuit of a degree in one’s own unit and those which are directly administratively related to the staff member’s unit of employment. Employment supervisors will abstain from chairing and/or serving on the candidate’s graduate thesis/dissertation advisory committee; and
g. Reach a common understanding concerning the relationship between job responsibilities and the required academic study.

2. Requests for admission to the Graduate School for staff and A/P faculty will be reviewed by the Graduate School using guidelines provided. On behalf of the Commission, appeals will be considered by the Graduate Student Appeals sub-committee of the Commission for Graduate Studies and Policies.

Tracking progress of the Graduate Curriculum Committee

To help facilitate tracking the progress of proposed graduate courses, certificates and new degree proposals, the Graduate School has prepared a table titled: "2005-2006: GRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE COURSE REVIEW RECORD". Current and prior year information may be viewed online.

The table is updated regularly, so that you will be able to determine the status of academic proposals moving through the Graduate Curriculum committee (GCC) and university governance system.

Drops & Withdrawals Clarification

Electronic "withdrawals" from individual courses within the drop period are done by the student within the published deadlines for the semester. This process is identified as Drop and the course does not appear on the student’s transcript. The tuition refund rules are on the Bursar’s webpage.

Withdrawals from courses after the drop period are identified as Graduate Withdrawal. These carry a WG designation on the transcript but do not affect the GPA. This process requires the use of the Graduate Course Withdrawal Form which must be signed by the student, the instructor, and the student’s advisor or departmental graduate coordinator and be approved by the Graduate School. This WG designation is a new category approved by the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies and the University Council earlier this academic year. Withdrawals from courses after the semester is over are not permitted.

Withdrawal of registration for the semester requires the Student Resignation/Withdrawal Form from the Registrar’s office. To drop all classes for the semester by the first day of classes, only the student’s signature is required. To withdraw from all classes after the first day of classes, the student must officially "resign" or withdraw. This requires a graduate dean’s signature. Withdrawal/resignation from all courses for the semester will result in the designation of WG for the semester and the removal of the courses from the transcript. Retroactive resignations or withdrawal after the semester is over are not permitted.

Graduate School Forms

The forms required for transactions with the Graduate School are posted on the Grad Homepage under Academics, Form. Please do not use modified versions of these forms

Announcements/Deadlines

• The Graduate Commencement in Blacksburg will be held at 3:00pm in Cassell Coliseum at 3:00 p.m. on May 12, 2006.
• The National Capital Region Spring 2006 Graduate Commencement Ceremony will be held at 1:00 p.m. on May 14, 2006, at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University.
• Gaston Caperton, President of The College Board and former Governor of West Virginia will be the Graduate Commencement speaker on Friday May 12, 2006.
• Dr. Joe Hairston, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, has been selected to receive the 2006 Graduate Alumni Achievement Award. This Award will be presented at Graduate Commencement.
• Please make your admissions decisions for fall admissions as soon as possible, especially for international students. The deadline to accept students from overseas is May 15, 2006. Any exceptions for specific international students must be discussed with an immigration advisor. For the Graduate School in Blacksburg, please contact Zelma Harris or Ruth Athanson with details about the student’s situation. Contact Marija Telbis-Forster in the National Capital Region with details about the student’s situation. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis after evaluating the applicant’s chances of receiving the immigration paperwork and applying for a visa in time to arrive by August 14, 2006. A Banner report, SYRB601, allows departments to generate a list of all applicants that still are awaiting a decision. SYRB667, Department Digest Report (Status of International Student Applicants) shows international students’ status in terms of acceptance AND file status of immigration/financial requirements (complete or incomplete), and whether an I-20/DS-2019 has been issued.
• GTA Workshop will be the afternoon of Monday August 14 and the mornings of Tuesday August 15 and Wednesday August 16, 2006.

Annual Progress Review

Spring is the time for conducting the Annual Progress Reviews for graduate students (Presidential Policy 229). Please conduct these reviews, share with the graduate students, and please send us copies of these reviews.

New Staff in the Gradaute School

The Graduate School is pleased to announce three new employees in the Graduate School. We welcome:

Jacqueline L. Nottingham, Director of Admissions & Academic Progress

Janice Austin, Educational Specialist on the Admissions & Academic Progress team

Lauren Keister, Graduate Student Services Coordinator in the Graduate Student Services Office. She will also be in charge of taking reservations for the GLC meeting rooms.

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)/University Council

The proposals for the PhD in Geospatial & Environmental Analysis (College of Natural Resources) and the PhD in Rhetoric & Writing (Department of English) were approved by the Board of Visitors and will be submitted to SCHEV for final review in May. The BOV also approved two EDP spin off degrees: PhD in Architecture and Design Research and the PhD in Planning, Governance & Globalization. These degrees are being prepared for submission to SCHEV in the near future.

Reminders/Updates

• A new section Procedural Guidelines (under Academics) on the Graduate School website is being developed to aid in understanding and complying with some of the Graduate Policies and Procedures. This section is intended to supplement the Policies and Procedures section of the Graduate Catalog.
• Plan of Study and justification of old coursework
  In February 2006, the Commission on Graduate Studies & Policies approved changes for replacing the revalidation concept with justification for the inclusion of “old” coursework (i.e., > 5 years old) at the time of submission of the Plan of Study (POS). The changes are effective Spring 2006. The new procedures are included at the end of this Monthly Memo and will be posted in the Procedural Guidelines on the Graduate School website.
• Manuscript format for ETDs
  We have revised the description of the manuscript format. The revision is included below and will be posted in the Procedures Guidelines Section on the Graduate School website. . Please share with your faculty and students.
• Completion of The Survey of Earned Doctorates is required for all doctoral students. Please submit these to the Graduate School no later than the time of ETD submission. We will take responsibility for mailing them to NSF.

 

Appendices

Manuscript Format Guidlines

In addition to the standard format for dissertation/thesis, the Graduate School allows for the use of an alternative format. The manuscript format refers to the use of articles and/or book chapters to replace the standard dissertation/thesis chapters. Publication of the manuscript(s) is not a requirement of this format. The following guidelines apply:

1. The manuscript format for dissertation/thesis shall consist of at least one (for Master’s degree) or at least two manuscripts (for Doctoral degree). The content of the manuscript(s) should be based upon research done at Virginia Tech. The manuscript(s) can be previously published, to be published, or in preparation for submission.
2. The graduate student is to be the major contributor and writer of the manuscript(s), as usually represented by sole author. In the case of multiple authorship, the contribution of each author is to be detailed in the Introduction or separate Attribution section.
3. The graduate student is to provide the Graduate School with a letter of copyright release for previously published & copyrighted material.
4. Whether previously published or to be reviewed, the manuscript shall be formatted to fit within the margins acceptable by the Graduate School and satisfy all requirements for submission in ETD format.

Section about Manuscript format from Appendix I of the Graduate Catalog entitled Preparation of Dissertation or Thesis. Note: This needs to be a separate section.

The body matter for a Manuscript Format will vary but generally contains the chapters of the thesis or dissertation, in logical order, each with its own title. Chapters may, but are not required to, include:

Chapter 1 Introduction & overview of the research

* sections as appropriate for the chapter

Chapter 2 Literature Review (optional)

* sections as appropriate for the chapter

Chapter 3 Title for Manuscript 1 (sections as appropriate for the chapter)

* Title
* Abstract
* Introduction (literature review)
* Materials and Methods
* Results
* Discussion

Chapter 4 Title for Manuscript 2 (see above)

Chapter 5 Conclusions

* Summary
* Overall model if appropriate (text or illustration if appropriate)
* Conclusions

References

Appendices (as needed)

Justification of "Old" Coursework for use on Plans of Study

In February 2006, the Commission on Graduate Studies & Policies approved changes for replacing the revalidation concept with justification for the inclusion of “old” coursework (i.e., > 5 years old) at the time of submission of the Plan of Study (POS). The changes are effective Spring 2006. The wording for the procedural changes follows:

The POS should consist of graduate coursework not older than 5 years at the time of POS filing. In some cases, graduate coursework older than 5 years may be included on the POS. Justification for inclusion of such coursework should be provided by the advisor, with the support of the student’s advisory committee, at the time of POS submission. Justification should consist of an explanation of how the student will achieve currency in the subject matter of the old coursework during the time in degree. Examples of how this may be achieved include taking related courses in the same subject area, work experience that requires currency in the subject area, reading original literature in the area as needed for the thesis/dissertation or other strategies deemed appropriate by the advisory committee. Once the Plan of Study is approved, no further justification is required for active graduate students. If a student becomes “inactive” (i.e., is on a Leave of Absence or does not register for a calendar year or more), the student must apply for readmission to the degree program. If readmission is recommended by the department/program, the Plan of Study must be reviewed to determine if the POS is still appropriate for the degree and all old coursework must be justified.

Some examples of methods of justifying old coursework:

The method of justification needs to be explained, i.e. how the Advisory Committee will ensure that the student is current in the subject matter for courses more than 5 years old that are included on the POS. The explanations for achieving currency vary with individual students and with subject matter fields. The Advisory Committee’s strategies for inclusion of old coursework and insuring currency should be consistent with the graduate program goals for its graduates. Examples of student-specific justification strategies are:

• the student is working in the field (currency is provided by professional activities),
• other related courses on the POS provide subject matter currency,
• the thesis/dissertation research requires currency in the field through work with current literature,
• the student will be tested on new material in the subject area of old coursework (although this is a possibility, in most cases it would require a long and detailed special exam to cover all the recent subject matter on several old courses. Thus, we question whether this is the most appropriate method of justification in most cases. If an exam is conducted, information about the nature of that exam and when it occurred or will occur should be provided),
• other individual justification possibilities exist, for example, one committee had an employer attest to the current language skills of a student in an international relations program.

The method(s) for justification of old coursework should be entered in the Comments section of the electronic POS form. The POS and Justification of old coursework are to be filed by the time the student completes 15 Credit hours of coursework. Once the POS is approved, it will be considered current until the end of the degree as long as the student remains in active status.

Announcements/Deadlines

• Graduate Education Week is scheduled for March 27 th -31st. Please watch for more details.
• Graduate education week, National Capital Region, is scheduled for March 27th-31st. For more details, lease visit http://www.ncr.vt.edu/
• March 1st — Application for Degree submission deadline

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)/University Council

In the first two months of 2006, the University Council has approved two new PhD programs and two spin-off degrees. An external site visit is scheduled for the proposed PhD in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis and the PhD in Rhetoric and Writing in mid March. At its March meeting the BOV will review and approve the two new PhD degrees plus the spin-off degrees in Architecture and Design Research (ADR) and Planning, Governance & Globalization (PGG) prior to submission of these degrees to SCHEV for approval at its June meeting.

The Graduate Withdraw (WG) policy was also approved by University Council at its February 20^th meeting. The new policy is effective Spring 2006.

CGS&P approved changes in the revalidation process, replacing the revalidation concept with justification for the inclusion of "old" coursework with the submission of the Plan of Study. The changes are effective Spring 2006. The wording for the procedural changes follows:

"The Plan of Study should consist of graduate coursework not older than 5 years at the time of filing of the Plan of Study. In some cases, graduate coursework older than 5 years may be included on the Plan of Study. Justification for inclusion of such coursework should be provided by the advisor, with the support of the student’s advisory committee, at the time of submission of the Plan of Study. Justification should consist of an explanation of how the student will achieve currency in the subject matter of the "old" coursework during the time in degree. Examples of how this may be achieved include taking related courses in the same subject area, work experience that requires currency in the subject area, reading original literature in the area as needed for the thesis/dissertation or other strategies deemed appropriate by the advisory committee. Once the Plan of Study is approved, no further "revalidation" is required for active graduate students.

If a student becomes "inactive" (i.e., is on Leave of Absence for a year or more), the student must be readmitted to the degree program. If re-admission is recommended, the plan of study must be reviewed and all"old" coursework justified."

Reminders from Admissions & Academic Progress

1. Returned plans of study can be reviewed on banner screen SZAGREV. All departments should check this screen regularly to see any returned plans of study. In future, we hope to automate triggers to alert departments of returned plans.

2. SYRB601 departmental no action banner report shows applicants for a particular semester that are pending or out to department.

3. Departments can get a listing of those graduate candidates that have submitted application for degrees and have degrees pending or awarded with report SYRB672.

 

Monthly Meeting of Graduate Secretaries and Coordinators

We held the inaugural meeting in February. We look forward to the interactions we will have in future meetings on the second Thursday of each month.

If you have agenda items that you would like to discuss, please send them to Monika Gibson at gibsonm@vt.edu so that we can ensure the proper people are at the meeting. Feel free to review the notes and presentation at: https://secure.graduateschool.vt.edu/grad_coord_meetings/

Similar sessions will be coordinated in the National Capital Region. Please contact Marija mtelbisf@vt.edu .

 

Graduate Education Week (GEW)

Virginia Tech will celebrate its sixth annual Graduate Education Week March 27-31.

GEW is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of graduate students, bring attention to graduate education, and build graduate community. The Graduate School is scheduling programs and events to mark this occasion, but your participation will make Graduate Education Week a campus-wide recognition of graduate students. Please consider coordinating a special event or gesture for your students during this week. Several ideas are listed below. If you notify us of your event (by email to grads@vt.edu), we will be happy to list details with the rest of the Graduate Education Week itinerary on our website. We appreciate your assistance in honoring our graduate community.

Ideas:

— Encourage faculty members to take their students to the Student Appreciation Luncheon on Monday, March 27 at the GLC. (Details and reservation requirements to be posted soon on our website).

— Stop by the GSA Graduate Research Symposium in the GLC Multipurpose Room on Wednesday, March 29.

— Visit and vote on your favorites of the graduate student art work that will be on display in the GLC during GEW.

— Create a listing of student achievements (publications, conference presentations, awards, etc) and post it on departmental bulletin board and website, or create small brochure if there are a lot of listings — circulate these in the department and share with the Graduate School .

— Take pictures of graduate students in academic action (in lab, teaching, writing, etc) and post them on departmental bulletin board, along with an action photo of their life outside the university (if the students are willing); May include some interesting information about the students, such as the title of their favorite book, their dream vacation destination, favorite food, etc.

CollegeNET review for the next admissions cycle

In the first two weeks of March we will be sending an email to departmental staff who are involved with applicant information through CollegeNET to review the new online application. This has been a very long time in coming and we are quite excited about the new structure and features that we will be able to utilize. We have made some large structural changes and look forward to your feedback before we go live. Details will be provided in the upcoming email.

Graduate Catalog

We continue to develop the online Graduate Catalog. In the coming months we will be contacting select areas to do some beta testing. When that is complete and we have made the necessary adjustments, we will have general testing for all areas. Once we emerge from that testing period we will launch this into a production environment. We expect that to be no later than the beginning of the fall 2006 semester.

Welcome back to the start of a new semester and a new year!

Announcements/Deadlines

• Proposals for the ’06-’07 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) are due February 15.
• Graduate Education Week is scheduled for March 27 — 31.
• Preview weekend is scheduled for February 24 — 25.
• Graduate Student Awards — application/nomination deadline extended to Jan 27. Graduate students may apply or be nominated for the following awards: Outstanding Dissertation; Graduate Student Teaching Excellence; Graduate Student Service Excellence; Graduate Man and Graduate Woman of the Year. Nominations and applications are accepted until January 27, 2006. Notifications about the Outstanding Graduate Student by college must be submitted to the Graduate School by February 15, 2006. Awards will be given at the Graduate Student Awards Banquet on March 30, 2006. More information >>
• Commencement Ceremony in the National Capital Region, Center for the Arts, Fairfax, Virginia, Sunday, May 14, 2006.

Commission on Graduate Studies & Policy (CGS&P)

The following programs have been approved by the commission and forwarded to University Council:

• Ph.D. program in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis
• English Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing
• EDP Spin-Off Ph.D. Degree — Architecture and Design
• EDP Spin-Off Ph.D. Degree — Planning Governance and Globalization
• School of Construction

The commission accepted the changes proposed by the Degree Requirement Standards Criteria and Academic Policy (DRSCAP) committee and recommended the following modifications for inclusion in the Graduate School Policies and Procedures section of the Graduate Catalog:

(1) Incomplete grades
An incomplete (“I”) may be given when the requirements of a course have not been completed because of illness or extenuating circumstances. Grades of “I” remain on the transcript until they are replaced with a letter grade when the student has completed course requirements. A student may not graduate with an “I” in a course on the Plan of Study. Grades of “I” that remain on the transcript may indicate failure to make satisfactory academic progress and may affect eligibility for assistantships and continuation in a degree program.

(2) New section on withdrawal from courses. (This section would follow the section on incomplete grades.)

Withdrawal from Courses (to be designated as WG)
Until the drop deadline, students may withdraw from courses, but they must adhere to the terms of assistantships or other requirements about the minimum number of hours of enrollment, and they may need to add other courses as substitutes to meet the minimum. After the drop date, students may withdraw from courses with the approval of their advisor and the Graduate School. The course will remain on the transcript with the grade of W. If a student withdraws from all the courses in a semester, a notation on the transcript will indicate the date of withdrawal, but the course names will not appear.

(3) Grades of W on transcripts; repeated courses and NG, NR in GPA calculation
Grades of W will appear and remain on the official transcript. A statement about the transcript record will be added to the [policy] section on grading systems.

In addition to the above grades, the following grades may be issued: I (incomplete), P (taught on a Pass/Fail basis only), X (continuing courses), W (withdrawal after the add-drop period), NR (not reported), NG (no grade), and EQ (review or equivalent credit for research credit). Grades of NR, NG, and W are not calculated in computing the GPA, but they remain on the transcript. When courses are repeated, both course enrollments remain on the transcript, but only the second grade counts in the GPA. A notation on the transcript indicates that the first grade is not counted.

Course withdrawal policy for graduate students
The commission has forwarded a resolution to University Council which will establish a separate course withdrawal designation, “WG”, for graduate students based upon the approved recommendations above.

Personnel changes in the Graduate School

On January 17, Brian Mihalik, Professor in the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, joined the Graduate School as .50 Associate Dean. His primary responsibilities will include graduate curriculum & academic programs, awards, and working with the Transformative Graduate Education/Preparing the Future Career Professional initiative. He will also assist with daily operations in the Graduate School

Erika Golart will be leaving the Graduate School on February 3 to join her husband in Florida as they begin a new phase of their professional lives. Best wishes to Erika and her family! We thank her for all of her efforts!

Christina Dillon and Kathy Hale have departed the Graduate School for new professional opportunities. Thanks to Christina and Kathy for their years of dedicated service to the Graduate School! Their positions should be filled soon.

Monthly meeting of graduate secretaries and coordinators

The Graduate School will hold monthly meetings for graduate coordinators on the second Thursday of each month starting in February, from 1-2 pm in Room C of the GLC. The purpose of these meetings is to share information about ongoing or upcoming Graduate School initiatives, provide timely training and assistance with procedural matters, discuss problems and solutions related to day to day operations, and create a forum where concerns and practical ideas can be shared.

Imaging system update

We are now in production with the Nolij Transfer product. While not directly related to imaging and workflow, it is allowing us to better batch load data from our online application process. Soon, you will be able to see online applications in Banner within a business day. Nolij is on-site for the final full week of January to assist the Graduate School and Central IT with work on our workflow and scanning procedures. We anticipate that departments will begin to see some documents for their applicants via the OAA in the next month.

English proficiency and TOEFL scores

English proficiency is an important factor in admissions of international students. As you know, the primary way to demonstrate such proficiency is through the submission of TOEFL scores. In the past, the Graduate School has automatically rejected those with low TOEFL scores. We have modified this approach using our electronic AA form and will provide the TOEFL score data so that departments can make recommendations on all students.

Final oral examinations

It is fairly standard practice around the nation that at least a portion of the final oral defense is open to the public (faculty, students, family, community).  Some academic units ask the graduate students to make a public presentation with Q&A that is followed by a closed portion in which the committee asks questions. The discussion of student’s performance portion is always closed and limited to those who can vote on the candidate’s performance. It has come to my attention that some graduate students feel as if they should provide food at the examination. The final examination should be considered an academic event, not a social event. Because the practice of bringing food could create awkward situation, the Graduate School encourages departments to develop some guidelines for final oral examinations.

Reminders

• Spring semester deadlines for completing degrees are published on the web and in the handout available in Graduate School.
• Faculty should not allow students to participate in their courses unless those students are registered in the course from the beginning of the semester. This applies to research, independent study, and project/report courses as well as formal A/F-graded courses. Late Adds are considered exceptions to policy and require the approval of the Graduate School under unusual circumstances.