Week of March 23-27

Faculty Affairs: Call for nominations for 2026-27 Provost’s Leadership Development Program 

Faculty Affairs has announced a call for nominations for the 2026-27 Provost’s Leadership Development Program: Leading in Place cohort. This program embraces a broad view of academic leadership, from formal position-based roles to a more lateral view where leadership roles are available to all. Session themes include: 

• Starting Strong: Mapping Your Leadership Journey
• Leading from Within: Emotional Intelligence and Values in Action
• Navigating Tension: Leading Through Conflict and Courageous Dialogue
• Finding True North: Ethical Leadership in Complex Times
• Finding Your Place: Mapping the Institutional Landscape
• The Leader as Architect: Shaping Culture, Building Teams
• Creating Belonging: Leadership Through Connection and Community
• Drawing the Next Map: Integrating Learning and Leading Forward 

All applications should be submitted on or before April 15. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their nomination by May 15. 

For more information including the process and online form for nominations, visit the Provost’s Leadership Development Program: Leading in Place webpage.

TLOS: Accessibility Awareness Week at Virginia Tech runs March 23-29 

Accessibility Awareness Week 2026, March 23-29, provides a collection of activities and resources intended to engage Virginia Tech community members to think, discuss, learn, and take action regarding digital and physical accessibility. 

Hosted annually by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS), Accessibility Awareness Week features info sessions, workshops, entertainment, and networking opportunities, all designed to promote accessibility. Events include: 

• Slay Your Ableist Dragon! Technoableism, Gaming, and the Importance of Play 
• Comedians with Disabilities Act 
• Accessibility Network Meeting 
• ADA and Accessibility Services Open House 
• Visual Accessibility and the Built Environment 
• My iPhone Can Do That? 

For more information including registration and a schedule of events, read this Accessibility Awareness Week campus notice or email Holli Drewry in TLOS. 

Global Education Office: Mandatory training for faculty leading student groups abroad 

The Global Education Office (GEO) offers trainings during the spring semester to support faculty and administrators in their efforts to lead study abroad programs. 

Virginia Tech Policy 1070: Global Travel Policy requires university employees leading either credit-bearing or co-curricular student groups abroad to complete training with GEO prior to departure and again every two years. 

• New Program Leader Training, March 24, 8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m., is designed to provide program leaders and those supporting programs with the tools and resources to lead students abroad.
• Returning Program Leader Training, April 15, 9:00-11:00 a.m., for those who have previously attended the New Program Leader Training. 

For more information on these trainings and other resources, visit the PageUp registration webpage or email the Global Education Office.

Policy and Governance: Reminder of Policy 4815 - Minors at Virginia Tech, training requirements 

As we move through the spring semester and start to see an increase in minors on campus with various youth camps and educational events taking place, faculty and academic staff are reminded to refer to Policy 4815: Minors at Virginia Tech. 

This policy was established to bring awareness to the presence of minors in activities conducted or hosted by the university, and to set minimum requirements for the screening and training of individuals working with minors. 

Faculty and staff who are planning to work with minors on campus or invite them to participate in a program or event hosted at Virginia Tech during the spring semester or upcoming summer sessions are encouraged to carefully review the policy. 

For more information, read this Policy 4815 campus notice, visit the Office of Youth Protection webpage, or email Virginia Tech’s Youth Protection Associate Specialist. 

ICYMI: Guide to support colleges, departments conducting faculty searches 

Faculty Affairs has published a new teaching and research (T&R) Faculty Search Guide to support Virginia Tech colleges and departments in conducting thoughtful, rigorous, and effective faculty searches. The new Faculty Search Guide provides: 

• Principles for faculty searches grounded in fairness, merit, and excellence.
• Step-by-step guidance on initiating and conducting a search, from forming committees to posting positions to evaluating candidates.
• Best practices for active recruiting, as well as holistic candidate assessment and equitable evaluation.
• Practical tools and resources including checklists, sample charges, and summaries of search chair and committee duties. 

In addition and in collaboration with with our Human Resources and Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education (CRCPE) partners, Faculty Affairs is revising search committee training, which will align closely with the new guide. 

For more information and further details, view the downloadable Faculty Search Guide or email Faculty Affairs. 

Additional Resources and Updates

Newsletter Spotlight: The Governance Corner, Volume 7 (Policy and Governance) 

• 13^th Annual Hume Center National Security Colloquium set for April 21
• Blacksburg campuswide steam shutdown to occur beginning May 24
• Board of Visitors committee to hold virtual meeting on March 30
• Nominations requested for university IT Governance working committees
• Encourage your students to 'Create Connection: Apply to be a TCP Facilitator’
• Registration is open for the 2026 Summer Institute
• Duo ending support for older versions of Duo Mobile App, update today
• Graduate School seeks artist submissions for new public installation