The Dean's Weekly Updates

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Congratulations on making it through the first week of the semester! To those of you who have just joined us at Virginia Tech: Welcome, I hope you are settling in and finding your way around. To those of you who are returning: Welcome back, I hope you are re-charged and ready to dive into your work.
 
To help you make the most of your semester, here are some planning tips:

1. Set Clear Academic and Research/Scholarship Goals: Define what you want to achieve this semester. Break larger goals into manageable milestones to stay motivated and on track.

2. Create a Detailed Schedule: Map out your classes, study sessions, research time, and any professional commitments. Use digital calendars or planners to keep everything organized. Make sure to include family responsibilities and time out for illness or other emergencies. 

3. Prioritize Self-Care: Graduate and professional studies can be intense. Make sure to allocate time for rest, exercise, and social connections to maintain your well-being.

4. Engage with Resources: Take advantage of campus resources such as the library, (1) writing center (2), career services (3), and counseling (4). Don’t hesitate to seek support when needed.

5. Network and Collaborate: Connect with peers, faculty, and professionals in your field. Collaboration often leads to new insights and opportunities.

Remember, you have full access to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) (5), which has webinars and resources to help you engage in thoughtful planning now to set you up for success throughout the semester and beyond. We’ve been working all summer to plan activities and sessions for social/personal development, career planning, and professional development opportunities for you in collaboration with our partners across the university. Please read the Monday newsletter carefully and take advantage of the many resources available to you. 

We’re here to support you every step of the way. Let’s make this semester one of growth, achievement, and progress toward your degree and your life goals.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

Notes:
1 Library Events - University Libraries

2 Writing Center | University Libraries | Virginia Tech

3 Graduate Students – Career and Professional Development | Virginia Tech

4 Cook Counseling Center | Cook Counseling Center | Virginia Tech

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! For those of you in Blacksburg, I hope you’ve been enjoying the energy on campus with lots of events and gatherings over the past few weeks. I have a great vantage point as my office overlooks the GLC lawn where lots of activities occur. I especially like the petting zoo visits—they bring llamas (or alpacas—I can’t tell the difference) and goats and other animals to campus. For those of you in Alexandria, I hope you are enjoying the activity in the new building. For those of you elsewhere, I hope you are enjoying whatever is going on around you! 
 
As I was reading through social media this morning, I came across a post from a professor that inspired my topic for this week. The professor wrote:

“New Ph.D. students this week. ...We got some really good ones! The 3rd year one really developed a lot. He used to treat me like a buddy and took his work not so serious; now he sends plots ahead of meetings, has an agenda, thinks ahead and drives the project.”

I also spoke with a student earlier this week who had just defended her thesis who told me that her committee was impressed by how she had made her project her own. She was rightfully proud of her work and felt prepared for the next steps in her career. 

From a professor’s point of view, the best graduate students are those who take ownership of their ideas and drive their projects forward. No one will care about your research or scholarship as much as you do—so it’s up to you to make it the best it can be. There’s a nice article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on this topic (1). The author has some specific steps for you to follow to take charge of your Ph.D. Step 1 is to identify how hands-on or off your supervisor is. Interestingly, there is a complex interaction of supervisory styles and student motivation (defined as academic passion) and psychological capital (defined as hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism) that predicts a student’s performance in graduate programs (2). Like in any multiple regression those dimensions can trade off and a successful relationship can be achieved with any number of combinations of variables. 

My main point is that graduate school is a time for you to establish your independence and to think for yourself. Somewhat counterintuitively, the best students I have had are the ones who have argued with me, presented compelling evidence to support their view, and convinced me to allow them to take a different approach to the one I had expected. There’s nothing like the proud feeling of a supervisor watching their student forge their own path!

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.


Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

NOTES
1 Taking Charge of your Ph.D., a column frmo Inside Higher Ed

2 Yang, B., Guo, S., & Xu, J. (2022). Supervisory styles and graduate student innovation performance: The mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of harmonious academic passion. Frontiers in Psychology, Educational Psychology, Volume 13.  Frontiers | Supervisory styles and graduate student innovation performance: The mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of harmonious academic passion

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! It has been a busy week for me with the start of all the meetings for the semester that were paused over the summer. This week I’ve met with the Global Distinction Committee, Research and Innovation Council, Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators, Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Affairs (CGPSA), President’s Council, Academic Affairs Council, and the Deans with the Provost meeting. We had lots of presentations, including updates on the federal research landscape, leave policies, the IT strategic plan, the Academic Resource Alignment exercise, a few discussions around AI, and more. Of most interest to you is that the chair of CGPSA discussed the report that the Working Group to Formulate University Policy to Combat Unprofessional Behaviors Towards Graduate and Professional Students, which was just sent to the Provost. I believe that the report will be discussed in the next GPSS meeting and you will have the opportunity to provide your input into the proposed process via the Senate.  

We also held a 2-hour webinar for Graduate Program Directors, Coordinators, and faculty who are advising international students. The Graduate School partnered with Cranwell International Center to describe the labyrinth of regulations and procedures required to keep our students’ status. We emphasized the various additional pressures on our students (both domestic and international) due to global climate and political turmoil. We want our faculty and support staff to know about when and where to send students who need help.

Speaking of that, and given that September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month (1), this is a time for all of us at VT to reflect on the importance of safety in fostering student success. Sadly, Virginia Tech has a lot of experience in this area. Our campus is safer than any time before, thanks to the diligence and hard work of our emergency management crew, Dean of Student’s Office, the dedicated university police department, and all the supporting security programs and infrastructure.

Here are a few resources: First, there are helpful safety tips (2), such as common scams, theft prevention and more. We have the Hokie Ready mobile app (3) that provides campus maps, global travel, and emergency response guides, including emergency contact information. There is also VT Alerts (4), which is used to communicate critical information with the Virginia Tech community in the event of an emergency on or near Virginia Tech campus locations. VT Alerts are issued when there is a need for community members to take immediate protective action from a threat to the safety or health of the university community; during significant changes to university operations; or during system-wide testing in the fall and spring semesters. You can sign up for text alerts, phone calls, or email alerts (or all three!). Alerts are available at different campuses.

Finally, we have a Threat Assessment team at VT (5). This team is comprised of representatives from student affairs, law enforcement, human resources, counseling services, and residence life. The team meets on a regular basis to evaluate threat referrals, develop case management plans and, if necessary, intervene in a manner appropriate to the situation. If you have any concerns or need assistance yourself, please reach out to them. They are quite friendly and helpful.

All of this is summarized on the Be Hokie Ready web site (6).

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

NOTES

1 https://www.campusdrugprevention.gov/news/september-national-campus-safety-awareness-month

2 https://police.vt.edu/safety-security/safety-tips.html

3 https://emergency.vt.edu/programs/HokieReadyApp.html

4 https://www.alerts.vt.edu/

5 https://threatassessment.vt.edu/

6 https://emergency.vt.edu/ready.html

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Greetings! I hope you have enjoyed your week and can take some time to unwind over the weekend. Today I’m visiting Norfolk State University to discuss ways for us to collaborate more closely. Next week I travel to Kisane, Botswana, to visit Dr. Kathleen Alexander’s research station (1) and meet with local university administrators to see how we can work together. I’m looking forward to the visit and I hope to take a day to see the scenery. 

It has been a busy week as we’ve started to put into action the plans we made over the summer. The Commission on Graduate and Professional Studies and Policies (CGPS&P) met for the first time on Wednesday. We have a busy agenda looking at a variety of policies with an eye toward making sure they continue to meet the needs of students and programs. One big project is our sub-committee examining course-only master’s programs to evaluate the systems, policies and procedures for course only graduate programs and develop a plan for implementing these changes. Another group is working on revising policies for improving our accelerated master’s programs. You can find the minutes of the meetings on the governance website (2). I’ll keep you updated on our activities.

I’ve been reading a book called Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing by Joseph L. Badarocco (3) and have found it both enjoyable and horrifying in turns. The author’s thesis is: “The vast majority of difficult, important human problems — both inside and outside organizations — are not solved by a swift, decisive stroke from someone at the top. What usually matters are careful, thoughtful, small, practical efforts by people working far from the limelight. In short, quiet leadership is what moves and changes the world (p. 9).” 

What is enjoyable about the book is that it describes a leadership style that I resonate with — an emphasis on "preparation, caution, care, and attention to detail (p. 6)” along with humility, collaboration, and compromise. What is horrifying are the examples of how this is done in practice — often bending rules, protecting the status quo, compromising principles, acting with mixed motives, and prioritizing self-preservation. We prefer our leaders to act with moral clarity and for the good of society with an unfaltering dedication to noble causes. We expect them to inspire and to be better than regular people. This can lead to bitter disappointment when a leader makes a mistake, and trust can be shattered with a single misstep. However, when we recognize that our leaders are as flawed as we are, it empowers us to take a leadership role in everyday matters. I encourage you to take a minute to consider what small, meaningful changes you can make over time to improve your departments and communities. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School
 
Notes
1 Home | CARACAL

2 Governance | CGPSP

3 Leading quietly : an unorthodox guide to doing the right thing - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! As I mentioned last week, I’m currently visiting Virginia Tech’s research station in Kisane, Botswana (1). The facility is impressive, with a wildlife rehabilitation area, extensive sample banks collected from animals and humans over decades, and equipment and facilities for tracking disease through socio-ecological systems. They take a systems-biology approach, integrating communities, wildlife, and ecosystem dynamics to solve emerging societal and environmental problems. They also integrate their research programs with education and outreach initiatives, including a wide array of integrated government partners. The purpose of this trip is to start to create formal connections with local universities to find ways for their students and faculty to use the facility, participate in the programs, and collaborate on research and educational programs with our students and faculty. We also hope to encourage students and faculty at VT to think about how they might engage with the resources at the facility. The possibilities go well beyond wildlife ecology and include opportunities for truly engaging in a comprehensive one-health paradigm. The large amount of data available makes it an outstanding opportunity for computational modelling and other edge computing approaches. Kisane is a beautiful place with impressive wildlife: In the short time we had going through Chobe National Park (2), I saw elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, impalas, bush bucks, and even a hippo or two! It is a wonderful and welcoming community. I’m excited to see the next steps for this project.

On Monday and Tuesday, I’ll be in Alexandria at an NSF-funded workshop focused on Expanding STEM Ph.D. Funding Streams (3). Given that only about 34% of our Ph.D. students choose to take academic positions (4), it is essential for us to ensure that their training includes activities that will prepare them for all types of careers. The Council of Graduate Schools survey (5) shows that Ph.D. earners who entered industry were generally very happy with their degree — about 75% of respondents (N=8,173) indicating that they definitely, or probably, would pursue a Ph.D. again. The top-rated job skills were analytical thinking and adaptability/flexibility, certainly skills all graduate students obtain over the course of their programs. The workshop will include a series of presentations from successful partnerships, and breakout sessions to allow us to explore approaches for collaboration with industry at the Ph.D. level. We’ll address important issues such as intellectual property, financial and administrative management, program life cycle, co-mentoring, and we will discuss how to ensure our students can engage in scholarship and research that is worthy of the Ph.D. degree while still providing value for our industry partners. I’m looking forward to it and hope to come back with ideas for smoothing the way for more of our students and faculty to create and sustain these industry partnerships.

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes

1 https://www.caracal.info

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chobe_National_Park

3 https://web.cvent.com/event/f0dcc073-f51e-463c-9da6-cdfe2185c465/summary, for a Sept. 29-30, 2025 workshop

4 National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2023). Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2021. NSF 23-319. National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23319

5 https://cgsnet.org/project/understanding-phd-career-pathways-for-program-improvement

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! Monday and Tuesday this week I attended a workshop on university-industry partnerships for Ph.D.s sponsored by NSF and UIDP (1). We talked about expanding funding streams beyond federal funding, intellectual property and publication rights, and program life cycle (how much time at the industry partner, when is that time best spent, etc.). Once the report from that meeting gets published, I’ll talk with faculty, students, and LINK (2) to figure out how to best think about this from a Virginia Tech perspective. Then on Thursday and today I am attending the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools meeting at UVA in Charlottesville. I’m learning about what other graduate schools in the state are doing to support their students as well as brainstorming about how we can highlight the great work you all do and the value that brings to the Commonwealth and the world. I updated the group on our working committee on mentor-mentee interactions, and they are very interested in implementing something similar at their institutions. 

As you are aware, the US Federal Government failed to pass a continuing resolution to fund the budget, so the government has shut down all but essential activities. You can find a message from the Provost here (3). In terms of federal funding for grants, although grant proposal preparation and submission are still available and existing deadlines are in force, the review process will not begin, and new awards may be delayed. Once normal operations resume, there will be guidance on new funding timelines. For existing grants, grantees may continue performance under their existing awards to the extent funds are available. Specific information for grantees can be found at NSF (4). Other federal funding agencies follow similar guidelines. For the time being, there should be no direct impact on your funding or on the day-to-day operations of the university. 

However, although for most of us the shutdown will not have a big effect on our daily lives, for those of you who have family or friends who are in the federal workforce, or are part of it yourselves, this is a difficult and stressful time. Federal workers and active-duty military service members will not receive a paycheck during the government shutdown. This is not a small number of people: about 750,000 federal employees are expected to be furloughed each day, according to the Congressional Budget Office (5). Hundreds of thousands more are required to keep working without pay until funding resumes, including essential staff like air traffic controllers and border patrol agents. Although employees will receive back pay when the government opens again, the uncertainty about the length of the shutdown and job prospects when it ends means deep financial uncertainty for them. We all hope this shutdown gets resolved soon. In the meantime, please keep our federal workforce in your thoughts. 

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School
 
Notes
1 Summary - Expanding STEM PhD Funding Streams: A UIDP Workshop, on Sept. 29-30, 2025

2 LINK: Center for Advancing Partnerships | Innovation and Partnerships | Virginia Tech

3 Message from Provost Cyril Clarke and COO Amy Sebring: Monitoring Federal Government Shutdown | Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost | Virginia Tech

4 This was a link to the National Science Foundation page regarding issues related to the U.S. government shutdown. The page has since been deactivated.

5 Potential Effects of a Federal Government Shutdown

6 University Guidance and Updates | Virginia Tech

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a good week. I spent Monday through Wednesday catching up on meetings after traveling for 2 weeks and am ending the week with a visit from representatives from Norfolk State University to talk about ways in which our institutions can better collaborate.

The Federal shutdown is still in place, and the university is monitoring the impact it is having on our community. As was the case last week, you can get updates on this web page (1). Nothing much has changed with that situation, so we’re still in a holding pattern. 

We’re already halfway through the fall semester and will soon be in panic mode preparing for the end of the semester. The pressure on students (and faculty) begins to build during this time, and it is tempting to take shortcuts to get through crunch times. Thus, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the supports the Graduate School provides for students to help them navigate the ethical challenges and risks to integrity they might face. Our Graduate Honor System is set up not to punish offenders, but to try to “promote honesty and ethical behavior in all academic pursuits, including, but not limited to, study, research, teaching, and extension” (3). We also provide resources for avoiding plagiarism, addressing AI issues, navigating ethical dilemmas, and more on our website (4). I’m proud of the way in which our honor system has been developed for and by graduate students and the way in which it has a restorative justice rather than a punitive core. This priority is consistent with our educational mission and the way in which we try to have all of our activities take a student-centered lens. 

Of course, academic pressures are one thing, but there are also pressures on you and your faculty members to produce publishable research or scholarship. Our Office of Research Integrity has an educational focus similar to that of our honor code, with training, resources, consultation, and events focused on helping our community navigate the ethical dilemmas and grey areas in research (5). They are available for consultation on the day-to-day decisions we make in the lab and how to ensure that those decisions are ethical and follow our policies. Of course, like the honor code, there is a process for complaints and allegations of misconduct, but the goal is to do everything we can to prevent that process from ever being needed. Please reach out to them if you need advice if you are ever unsure about a situation you are in or have observed. 

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School


1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vt.edu%2Ffederal-guidance.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C4b5481cab2c7413778af08de081e6229%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638957123742905959%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HzOaCt%2BiffKIwrR%2FoyroZI3w6Ohj8o6TLQXc62TEhzg%3D&reserved=0

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! This week’s weather in Blacksburg has been stunning — crisp blue skies overhead and the trees turning their autumn colors. And to top it all off, I caught a glimpse of a shooting star during my morning walk this morning. I hope you have been able to take advantage of it and get outside for a while.

Recently, the Nobel Prizes were announced, and I wanted to take the opportunity to remind you all that every scientific breakthrough is built on a foundation of careful, incremental work done by hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists like yourselves. The 2022 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, put it well: “Knowledge becomes the foundation for the next generation (1, 20:53).”

Scientific breakthroughs that earn things like Nobel Prizes begin not with fanfare, but with quiet persistence. They are built on incremental insights, careful experiments, and small discoveries made by researchers like you. The double helix, the Higgs boson, CRISPR — all these transformative ideas stood on foundations laid by thousands of scientists who may not be household names, but whose contributions were essential.

Your experiments may refine a method; your paper may clarify a mechanism; your observation may challenge a long-held assumption — these are the foundations on which future discoveries are built. You may not see the impact today or tomorrow, or even in your lifetime, but remember that, as they say, science is not a marathon, or a sprint; it’s a relay. Each step forward, no matter how small, brings the field closer to a moment of profound change.

So, keep going. Stay curious. Be rigorous. And remember: the Nobel Prize is not just a recognition of genius — it’s a tribute to the collective effort of a scientific community. One day, someone may stand on a stage, honored for a discovery that was only possible because of the work you’re doing right now.

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes
1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nobelprize.org%2Fprizes%2Fchemistry%2F2022%2Fbertozzi%2Finterview%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cdf1cf75661174979c3ac08de0da55971%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638963200971890507%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=E2tfW4Ldetuef8SlpWDogTEhJtcM%2FHWskhlLIWG6ruE%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! Fall is here in Blacksburg, with beautiful colors, crisp, cold mornings, and vast starry skies above. If you can, please get outside for a while, even if it is to just sit on a bench. Interestingly, merely spending time in a “natural environment” improves cognitive performance. In one study, “participants were randomized into walking and sitting groups, with cognitive performance measured before, after, and 10 min. post intervention. Both groups demonstrated improvements in cognitive performance, with no significant difference between groups (1).” Note that these improvements were observed after just 10 minutes outdoors. The sample size is only 50, so generalizing from this is a bit dangerous but, even so, it is an impressive result. 

The government shutdown has now entered its 24th day and, unfortunately, there's no end in sight. Many federal employees won’t receive paychecks today; their first full missed payday. Our colleagues in Northern Virginia are seeing and feeling this up close every day. Many of our students, faculty, and staff are directly affected or have family, close friends, or acquaintances who are furloughed or laid off. The uncertainty generates a great deal of stress and anxiety. Please keep them in your thoughts. 

Earlier this week, the candidate for the Provost and Executive Vice President (2), Dean Julie Ross, gave a public presentation outlining her approach to the position. Before I tell you about that, I want to answer the question: “What is a Provost, anyway?” At Virginia Tech, the Provost is our Chief Academic Officer and oversees the academic side of the university (3). They are responsible for overseeing all academic affairs, including curriculum development, faculty hiring and evaluation, research initiatives, and student academic policies. They serve as the bridge between the faculty, deans, and executive leadership and provide the budgets for all the academic units. The graduate dean reports directly to the provost and so they indirectly support initiatives aimed at enhancing teaching, research, and student success for you all.
 
In her presentation, Dr. Ross described her number one priority as “supporting our people,” which includes recruiting, nurturing, challenging, and retaining talent by fostering a positive environment and supporting a healthy work-live balance. A second priority, building on the first, is “supporting our work” through resources, including financial, infrastructure, and policies that may help or get in the way of that work. The third priority is “supporting a thriving academic culture” by fostering open communication and transparency, clearly articulating shared values, vision, and mission, and promoting strong, healthy relationships. She specifically noted that she includes all of our community in each priority: faculty, students, and staff. I’m encouraged by her approach and am looking forward to working with her, should the committee recommend her appointment. 

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes
1 Bailey AW, Kang HK. Walking and Sitting Outdoors: Which Is Better for Cognitive Performance and Mental States? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 11;19(24):16638. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416638. PMID: 36554519; PMCID: PMC9778927.

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Halloween! We’ve had some much-needed rain in Blacksburg, and it has turned cold and blustery all of a sudden. On the plus side, I’ve been able to make use of my rain pants on our morning walk. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have good news to share on the government shutdown. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be cut off this weekend. Our governor has authorized emergency funding from Virginia (1) for those who are receiving SNAP benefits. The Market at Virginia Tech (2), as well as the local Thrive Network (3), offers food options and other resources, and both are accepting donations. Other resources for families can be found under the references below. 

I’m at the Institute for Teaching and Mentoring meeting in Atlanta (4), where I’m learning from and sharing ideas with other graduate deans and professionals. Although the main program is for students, a parallel track is for institutions with grants from the Sloan Foundation. In my sessions, we are focusing on mentoring and tools that can be accessed and used by our faculty and students. I’m learning a lot and sharing some, too. It is always fun spending time with other people who think about graduate education and graduate students all the time. 

I came across a cartoon the other day that I really liked (5). It describes a strategy of zooming out on your perspective to make the point that many of the things we are stressing about right now, in the grand scheme of things, are not that important. It also reminded me of a research strategy that has worked well for me in my career—zooming in and zooming out. Our day-to-day research is often focused on very small, incremental steps, and it can be a bit demotivating and isolating if you spend all of your time zoomed in on your small problem. But, when you zoom out, you see how your little piece adds to the universe of knowledge and is a solid brick in the cathedral of knowledge that we are all building (6). So, take some time, zoom out and remind yourself of the purpose of your work. Then, zoom back in and buckle down to solve that problem. 

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

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Family resources:

Huddle Up Moms is a nonprofit that empowers women through education, meaningful support, and community connections. We have two programs where we support mothers and families:

Moms Under Pressure for pregnant individuals to help prevent preeclampsia and other cardiovascular diseases; and

Support Shop and Diaper Bank for families with children ages three and under. We provide diapers, wipes, formula, baby clothes, baby items, and maternity/nursing clothing free to the community.

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday, I hope you have enjoyed your week. Mine was jam packed with meetings including discussing seed fund grant proposals, a dissertation defense, CGPS&P (1), planning with co-presenters for a national conference, meeting with the Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators, dinner with some graduate student athletes, a reception celebrating research, and various other meetings with students and faculty in the Graduate School. It was busy, but interesting. 

I have nothing new to share with you on the federal government shutdown or any major university initiatives that could affect you. The new Provost was officially announced (2), and I am pleased that Dr. Julie Ross, Dean of the College of Engineering, was chosen for the role. She is an outstanding academic and a wonderful human being. We are very lucky that she agreed to take on this position at such a turbulent time.

I want to tell you about a report that has been hanging over my head for the past month. It had been haunting my sleep, following me on my walks, ping-ponging around my brain, and generally causing me stress and worry and rumination. Yesterday I sat down and got most of it out of the way in about two hours. This happens all the time and every time I resolve to just buckle down and do something right away rather than let it weigh me down for a long time. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it had been marinating around in my mind the whole time. Psychologists call this phenomenon “incubation” and there has been quite a bit of debate about the mechanism behind it. Three major explanations of this phenomenon are: intermittent conscious work; beneficial forgetting; and unconscious work. Recent research seems to verify my intuition: Gillhooly (2016) reviewed the literature and argued in favor of unconscious work that occurs probably through some sort of neural consolidation. I also found a study that shows that sleep facilitates problem solving (4) via a similar mechanism (which supports my pre-existing bias toward sleep being a cure for many things!). In short, if you are working on a problem requiring insight (a problem that does not have an immediately obvious solution), put it in the back of your mind, take a nap, or otherwise think of something else for a while. When you consider it again, you’re more likely to have found a solution than if you had worked on it constantly for the same amount of time. 

In closing, I just found out about a wonderful Town of Blacksburg/VT symposium “bringing together Virginia Tech and Blacksburg community members, policymakers, and thought leaders from across the Commonwealth to explore climate policies and opportunities for public participation in light of an evolving federal landscape (5) being held on November 19. Please attend if you can!
 
That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgraduateschool.vt.edu%2Fabout%2Fmission-and-governance%2Fcgsp.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C7ae68db5e19e448ad28f08de1e2205d8%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638981328633291264%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XCbuEp51q2KMpkmJW%2FOlAcbwvYV3kSeuLHcCl4n6Hxc%3D&reserved=0

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3 Gilhooly KJ. Incubation and Intuition in Creative Problem Solving. Front Psychol. 2016 Jul 22;7:1076. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01076. PMID: 27499745; PMCID: PMC4956660.

4 Beijamini F, Valentin A, Jäger R, Born J, Diekelmann S. Sleep Facilitates Problem Solving With No Additional Gain Through Targeted Memory Reactivation. Front Behav Neurosci. 2021 Mar 3;15:645110. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.645110. PMID: 33746720; PMCID: PMC7965947.

5 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fclimatefuture.vt.domains%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C7ae68db5e19e448ad28f08de1e2205d8%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638981328633330506%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aGuDlq6m%2FDi7eT2aF2IozsBlv1F8M9%2BYleRbPPAe9gs%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Friday has rolled around again, and we are working toward the crescendo of the semester. We are now in the ramp up to a frantic few weeks and tensions are running high. Make sure to pause and take a breath sometime during your busy day, look up into the sky and bask in the sunshine—even if it is just for a minute.

As you know, the government shutdown has ended, but it will take some time for things to settle down. Hopefully, the agencies will be able to restart operations soon. 

This week we held our annual Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down event co-sponsored with the GPSS (1) and the Women’s Center (2). The room was packed with families bringing home items donated by the community. It was, as always, a rousing success and a fun time for all.

Yesterday we spent some time refreshing the Future Professoriate Certificate (3). Our goal is to equip graduate students with the tools, knowledge and skills to thrive in diverse career paths. Your department and college provide disciplinary expertise, while we strive to provide experiences and opportunities that fill in the gaps in order to prepare you for diverse work and professional environments regardless of discipline. I’m excited about the new courses and new direction and look forward to sharing it with you when it is finalized.
 
I recently wrote a report outlining some ideas about reimagining graduate education. The report started with a description of the future we want to see, from my point of view. I said: “The future we want to see is one in which graduate education fulfills its highest purposes in an environment where students truly thrive. It is a future where every student experiences a sense of intellectual excitement and personal growth; where their journey through graduate school is both rigorous and human, challenging and supportive. In such an institution, graduate education is not a test of endurance, but a period of discovery—of self, of knowledge, and of purpose.” 

I hope you can resonate with that and we can work together to make that vision a reality. 

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School
 

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I hope you have enjoyed your week and are looking forward to having no classes next week. Campus will be nice and quiet, and we can get lots of work done! 

However, I hope you can take some time to have a break and celebrate, even if it is for a while. This year College of Science Dean Kevin Pitts and his wife, Toni, have opened their annual Thanksgiving meal to all undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows (1). When Dean Pitts was asked if he was worried that too many people will come, he quipped: “Isn’t the saying ‘There’s always room for one more?’ ... We may be about to find out.” Of course, you and your families are also welcome to come to our Graduate School Thanksgiving lunch on November 25 in the Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room (2). The fantastic staff and faculty in the Graduate School make the most awesome chili (vegetarian/vegan/GF versions available) and desserts. It is always a wonderful event.

I’m going to make this short today and just say that I’m so thankful to be part of this amazing community and to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I will not be sending my Friday email next week, so I’ll talk to you again in December!

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

It is hard to believe but today marks the last day of the last full week of the semester—this semester has flown by in a flash. For me, the next few weeks will be filled with end of semester celebrations, commencements, congratulations, and lots of requests from students and faculty for end of semester exceptions, last minute course changes, grade changes, etc. It is always a busy time, but also a joyful one. 

It has been a difficult week, however. Tragically, a graduate student was struck and killed by a police car while crossing Main Street (1) and there was a fire at Foxwoods Apartment complex, which displaced about 65 people, including 38 students (2). Thankfully there were no injuries from the fire, but it has still been quite traumatic for those affected. Many lost all of their possessions in the fire. All of the residents were provided with housing, and the students have been supported by a caring community, including the Dean of Students office, Cranwell International, the Graduate School, and the GPSS. 

Today I am at the Council of Graduate Schools Annual meeting in Washington, D.C., and I will be on a panel later this afternoon discussing graduate student professional development. I’ll be talking about our Future Professoriate Certificate (3), including some new modifications and additions to the program. You may not know this, but opportunities like these courses and the certificate are quite rare at other universities. Although professional development opportunities for graduate students have been increasingly offered, our program is unique in that it is credit bearing, transcriptable, and comprehensive. We aim to provide our students with the knowledge and skills to be successful as future faculty, administrators, industry leaders, and researchers. I’m looking forward to hearing what the other panelists have to say and hopefully will bring back some new initiatives for us to enhance our offerings.

That’s all from me for now, as always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes

1 https://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/virginia-tech-pedestrian-killed-by-a-blacksburg-police-officer/article_d6b63226-bf1f-47d8-aad6-f8c07284b5b2.html

2 https://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/blacksburg-apartment-fire-displaces-residents/article_5b9d680d-56d3-4347-9dae-09506edaa785.html

3 https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/programs/graduate-certificates/Future_Professoriate_Certificate.htmll.html

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! It has been a week filled with ice and snow, which resulted in cancellations and disruptions to our normal routine. But meetings can be moved to Zoom, much work can be done remotely, and life goes on. Please take care walking on campus—the grounds folks are busily salting the sidewalks, but you might still find some slippery spots. 

Last night I bumped into a lab group gathering for a holiday dinner and was reminded how community-building activities add value to our work, both professionally and personally. The cycle of faculty mentoring students, senior grad students mentoring new ones, and passing along wisdom and advice is an important part of the experience. That pattern repeats at every level in the university like a fractal: “colleges and universities are fractal systems--complex organizational structures where the same patterns repeat at every scale, creating emergent behaviors that defy simple interventions (1).” 
 
Dr. Skip Myers, the author of the blog post above, argues that this is why seemingly simple policy changes can have unpredictable outcomes. He suggests that: “Rather than fighting the system's complexity, we can work with it. The same recursive patterns that make simple solutions fail can also make thoughtful innovations spread throughout the institution.” 

What this also means is that the mission and values of the university reverberate through the university, and those core values are duplicated and reflected throughout every level. One thing that I love about Virginia Tech is that our motto, Ut Prosim (3), and our Principles of Community (4), are on the lips, in the minds, and in the hearts of everyone, from undergraduate students to the President. The collective commitment to these values helps us build a community where we support each other and makes us stronger. As is often said, a chorus can hold a note for much longer than a soloist because when one member stops singing to take a breath, the others fill in that gap. Circling back to the beginning of this note, that lab group dinner is a part of building and reinforcing this community and, since patterns repeat at every level in a fractal, these values also cascade outwards in every direction.

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all, you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

1 Why Your Quick Fix Won't Fix Higher Ed (And What Fractals Teach Us About Complex Systems)

2 Hrabowski, Freeman A., III. The Resilient University : How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central, ProQuest Ebook Central - Book Details

3 That I May Serve | You're In...Now What? | Virginia Tech

4 Principles of Community | Virginia Tech

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Today is Fall Commencement Day at Virginia Tech, and I’m attending both the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies. Commencement refers to the start of something, and in an academic context, the ceremony signifies that you're starting the next chapter of your lives. So, congratulations to all of our graduates—we are so thankful for all that you have given us and look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments. 

I often hear students say, “I don’t want to go to commencement—it’s just a meaningless ceremony.” And in one sense, that’s true. Commencement doesn’t add another line to your CV or get you another publication. You’ve already earned your degree through years of hard work, late nights, and persistence.

But here’s the thing: ceremonies are not about grades or CVs. They are about meaning. They are about marking transitions in our lives. Commencement is a ritual—a rite of passage—that says to the world: I have completed this chapter, and I am ready for the next. Ceremonies matter because they give us closure. They help us pause, reflect, and recognize the journey we’ve taken. They remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves—a family, a community, part of Virginia Tech, a story that goes well beyond ourselves.

And commencement is not just for you. It is for your family, your friends, your mentors—the people who cheered you on, supported you, and sometimes sacrificed for you to be here today. When you walk across that stage, you are giving them a moment too: a moment to celebrate, to feel proud, to see the culmination of years of encouragement and love.

So yes, commencement may be “just a ceremony.” But ceremonies are powerful. They transform achievement into celebration, effort into memory, and endings into new beginnings. And that is why commencement matters. Have fun, celebrate the milestone, be happy, be proud of yourself, as we are proud of you.

That’s all from me for now. As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all, you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Happy Friday! I hope you are enjoying the change in weather—it has suddenly become summer. 
The Board of Visitors (BOV) met on Monday and Tuesday and, among other things, approved the 2025-2026 budget (1). Before I get to those details, I wanted to give you some information on the Board and what their responsibilities are (2). The BOV is composed of 14 members, 13 of whom are appointed by the Governor. The 14th member is the President of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. At least 6 of the 13 appointed members must be alumni or alumnae of VT. The term of each board member is 4 years, and they are staggered so that two or three new members are appointed each year. What this means is that over a 4-year period a governor eventually fills the board with their appointees—just in time to finish their term! There are also constituent members on the board who are non-voting and advisory including representatives from each senate and some administrators including the President, Provost, EVP and Chief Operating officer, etc. The BOV has particular responsibilities (outlined in the bylaws, (3) which include appointing the President, establishing fees, tuition, etc., and reviewing and approving the University’s budget. In practice the administration proposes a budget, and the board discusses and votes on the proposal. The Proposed FY26 operating budget can be found in the board materials on page 1,362 and the presentation to the board on page 1,376 with the graduate assistantship compensation described starting on page 1,442 (4). That proposed budget was approved by the board without amendments.  
In 2022 the Provost and I convened a task force to develop proposals for improving graduate student compensation. In February 2023, the group released its Report of the Graduate Assistantship Support Task Force (5) with eight recommendations designed to help graduate assistants meet the cost of living where they reside and complete their academic programs. At the time, the Task Force identified the cost of living for a single graduate student living in Blacksburg as $2,734 a month. Based on this work, the board approved raising the minimum stipend from Step 1 ($1,852) to Step 12 ($2,305) for 2023-24, and then raised the minimum stipend to Step 14 ($2,679) for 2024-25. In the current budget the board voted to approve raising the stipend table minimum to $2,800 (a 4.4% increase).  In addition, the stipend table as a whole was streamlined and increased by 3.0 percent effective August 10, 2025, consistent with the statewide employee compensation program. They also agreed to increase the academic-year stipend supplement from $458 to $565, an increase of $107, to help mitigate university assigned costs (i.e., athletic fee).
In Fall 2022 the number of students on assistantship whose stipend was less than $2,743 (the amount recommended in the task force report) was 3,029. Last fall it was 769, and in Fall 2026 it will be zero. Does this mean that we have met the goal and are finished with the work? No, as inflation and other costs keep rising, we will continue to advocate for increasing stipends. The University Mission Initiative to recommend policies for funding doctoral research will be working this summer, which will include discussion of mechanisms to ensure that stipend levels keep up with what is needed. I’m pleased with the progress while understanding that there is more work to be done.
Also at the meeting Katie Drinkwater, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Engineering Education, was appointed the graduate/professional student representative, replacing Will Poland, whose term has ended. I really enjoyed working with Will last year and am looking forward to working closely with Katie. She'll be reaching out to you all to find out how she can most effectively represent your issues to the Board. 
The other parts of the board meeting were alternately dull and interesting and, if you wish, you can read through the whole 1,495 pages of materials! But, seriously, the budget presentations (p. 1,376 of the board package) are informative and interesting and give you a sense of how complex of an enterprise this is. I encourage you to look through them.
As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.
Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

 

1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.vt.edu%2Farticles%2F2025%2F06%2Fcm-bov-meeting-0603.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C96ce92dd2a6048a22d3708dda5247611%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638848298228831373%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=icg%2BghR24sOjWjUrNTemSXphJuhuD0G1eH9UORu6ydk%3D&reserved=0
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5 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.provost.vt.edu%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fprovost_vt_edu%2FGraduate%2520Assistantship%2520Support%2520Task%2520Force%2520Report.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C96ce92dd2a6048a22d3708dda5247611%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638848298228947536%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fiVgm2y3Ej7gGizy%2FzEov3rTFrQ9keTVRGbKvoN6gtI%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional students,
Happy Friday the thirteenth, I hope you have a lucky day. The better weather has encouraged me to ride my bike to work most days and I’ve now surpassed 1,500 miles. Not a lot for serious bike folks but pretty good for a person who hadn’t ridden a bicycle in over 30 years (and who has not ridden for transportation for over 40 years). I do enjoy the ride and realize that I’m quite lucky to be able to take the Huckleberry Trail for the majority of my ride. What an amazing resource we have in this community. 
I have to be honest with you all—I have a topic in mind and have been working on putting my thoughts down on paper but I’m just not motivated to work on my message to you today. So, instead, I’m going to make my message this week be the following: Sometimes you just have to drop the ball, be a disappointment to yourself and others, and give up on getting something done. Put more positively, I’m going to take a break (1)! I’ll be refreshed and ready to go next week.
As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

1 Jan Packer, Taking a break: Exploring the restorative benefits of short breaks and vacations, Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, Vol 2, Issue 1, 2021, https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1016%2Fj.annale.2020.100006&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca2f66d68acf24022513108ddaa9af052%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638854304625390208%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=S%2BvdKEztXKxH6dYMb9p51lgS95%2FskIL%2FjrvL2V6oEfM%3D&reserved=0.

Dear Graduate and Professional students, 

I hope you had a nice week and are enjoying your Friday.   

A few months ago, I chatted with a student about the format of their prelim exam. They described a process whereby they were basically given a week to learn a literature adjacent to their own area of expertise and to write a review of that area. My first feeling was jealousy—the idea of locking myself in a room and immersing myself in a new field without everyday distractions or responsibilities sounded like heaven to me. That is one thing that I miss about being a professor and scholar—the opportunity to immerse myself in an area, make connections to my discipline, and form new questions that I can ask, based on the existing literature. In formal terms, this is called dialectical research, which is: “a form of exploratory research, in that there is not so much a research hypothesis to be tested, but rather new understandings to be developed (1).” Once I identified the source of my dissatisfaction, I realized that I have the power to change that. Thus, my summer reading list will include a literature that is not exactly my own, but one that I can understand deeply, including research, theory, and application. I may even write about it.  

In 2008 Martin Schwartz (a microbiology professor) wrote a provocatively titled paper called “The Importance of Stupidity in Research (2).” In the article he argued that “if we don’t feel stupid it means we’re not really trying (p. 1771).” What he means by this is that research and scholarship are all about discovering things we didn’t know. Thus, somewhat counterintuitively, in order to be a scholar and a scientist or humanist there have to be things you don’t know. What makes it scary and difficult is that, once we realize that, we look around and see that the scope of what we don’t know is tremendous, infinite in fact, and that realization can be overwhelming. Your job as a scholar, in this infinite universe of unknowns, is to find a path that is promising and will be productive. You can only succeed at this if you have another essential quality: curiosity.   

Curiosity has long been recognized as a fundamental trait of successful researchers and scholars (3). It is what drives us to be creative and innovative. Curiosity is more than just asking random questions; it is being willing to question the status quo and formulate a plan for finding the answers to your questions. This can lead to profound discoveries and insights. For instance, scientists often begin their research with a question that challenges existing theories or seeks to fill gaps in knowledge. Of course, this can also lead to dead ends and the realization that your question or findings are not profound at all. This failure is an important aspect of research and, in fact, every winner begins as a loser (4). The successful researcher is curious about why they failed and uses that failure to ask even more questions. 

While searching for a citation on scientific curiosity, I stumbled upon a concept that was new to me: empathic curiosity (5). I was immediately fascinated and wanted to learn more. This exemplifies my point—by being stupid and curious, I might have actually found a direction for my summer reading. Or, maybe I’ll go down the rabbit hole of the importance of failure in research. Who knows? I may not know where I’m going, but the journey will be interesting! 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter. 

Aimée M. Surprenant 
Dean of the Graduate School 


1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDialectical_research&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C07ecb00766c24bd3495608ddb024560f%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638860392295039859%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vcI41Mj%2Fvw1L7dWdU%2Ba499lTkcZjRO7xd2ahwnanI60%3D&reserved=0 

2 Martin A. Schwartz; The importance of stupidity in scientific research. J Cell Sci 1 June 2008; 121 (11): 1771. doi: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1242%2Fjcs.033340&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C07ecb00766c24bd3495608ddb024560f%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638860392295059401%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jOg9Vp%2B1v79E3HfbDqvqp4UdOu42H5NiE%2FzKRvYps4o%3D&reserved=0

3 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch-studies-press.co.uk%2F2025%2F03%2F04%2Fwhy-curiosity-is-the-key-to-becoming-a-great-scientist%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C07ecb00766c24bd3495608ddb024560f%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638860392295074726%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6qV1J1Rs1pW5kAfls%2FFM3jg%2B6Pig9pwZ%2BC1QU3z2k4Y%3D&reserved=0 

4 Yin, Y., Wang, Y., Evans, J.A. et al. Quantifying the dynamics of failure across science, startups and security. Nature 575, 190–194 (2019). https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1038%2Fs41586-019-1725-y&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C07ecb00766c24bd3495608ddb024560f%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638860392295089939%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ktdLvH0T6vOYGVgX2oJ455%2BJ5aW1DBjsJwwwgsLkRJo%3D&reserved=0 

5 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shaileyminocha.info%2Fblog%2F2024%2F3%2F1%2Fempathetic-curiosity-for-impactful-research-and-scholarship&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C07ecb00766c24bd3495608ddb024560f%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638860392295104958%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Hg2uQlfh10k65zzsH8B%2F0sV7a%2FrZCKtu3KTuUU6zT1g%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Those of us who are in Blacksburg are living out a normal (if hot) summer, with few people on campus and a slow, almost sleepy feeling. But, as you know, there is turmoil and conflict around the world that is deeply affecting many in our community. Worries about distant family and friends, uncertainties about the future, and distress about current events can all lead to stress and negative emotions. That in turn can lead to difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and a lack of motivation. Please realize that these feelings are normal and it is okay to be sad or anxious from time to time. Stress can even be a positive force in motivating growth (1). However, prolonged periods of anxiety can put your health at risk (2). So, what to do about it?

First, simply recognizing and naming your emotions has been shown to help you manage negative emotional experiences (3). Pennebaker (4) summarizes the research on how simply writing or talking about emotional topics can lead to positive outcomes, including improvements to both physical and mental health. 
 
Another powerful tool in managing negative emotions is hope. Hope isn’t just wishful thinking — it’s a strong emotional force that can contribute to a meaningful life. A recent article in the journal Emotion argued that hope can “boost meaning in life even in the face of trauma, adversity, or uncertainty” and that “(t)imes of distress and uncertainty may be precisely the contexts when feeling hopeful is most necessary to support meaning in life” (5). Additionally, hope can boost physical and mental health. In one study (6), physical activity, frequency of contact with friends, closeness with spouse or partner, and volunteering all had a significant correlation with their measure of hope.

How else can you work to foster hope? One way is to pay attention to and appreciate positive moments — even small ones. Simply noticing when things are going well can foster hope. Another strategy is to recognize ongoing progress and growth in your work or your life, which can inspire thoughts of a positive future. Additionally, taking care of others or participating in nurturing activities can foster hope. Tending to others or planting trees can symbolize future possibilities and investing time in activities that nurture growth can reinforce a hopeful mindset. Engaging with your local community is another positive way to foster hope. Try your local library to find groups that you can engage with. And when things feel bleak, it’s important to remember that nothing is permanent. Situations can change — and hope begins with the belief that they will.

Finally, take advantage of resources to manage mental health (7). TimelyCare is available to all, even if you are not registered for the summer (8). 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.


Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School


1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhbr.org%2F2015%2F09%2Fstress-can-be-a-good-thing-if-you-know-how-to-use-it&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604537652%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gNZoPq7iA%2BV3IcOs0jPC65BU595wLs07i5tz3qNxntY%3D&reserved=0

2 How stress affects your health. American Psychological Association. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apa.org%2Ftopics%2Fstress%2Fhealth&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604563152%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EsQGZ6LySEx08rR87v29vn8QW4seHJR63rLLMQoZTL0%3D&reserved=0

3 Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting Feelings Into Words. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421-428. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1111%2Fj.1467-9280.2007.01916.x&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604579570%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FnKatFYXHrg5EyZ7z6ycjtGm%2BEwq3L1YIMVlxrSre70%3D&reserved=0 (Original work published 2007)

4 Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F40063169&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604596584%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BL5xfky1MV1Fga%2FTKmXokwFJv820uMGUwU0HJAK5ALk%3D&reserved=0

5 Edwards, M. E., Booker, J. A., Cook, K., Miao, M., Gan, Y., & King, L. A. (2025). Hope as a meaningful emotion: Hope, positive affect, and meaning in life. Emotion. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi-org.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu%2F10.1037%2Femo0001513&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604612338%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qrfpKSi32XkkPbA%2B5ByNpiY4QB0lkn8JkT5b0auXjhI%3D&reserved=0

6 Katelyn N.G. Long, Eric S. Kim, Ying Chen, Matthew F. Wilson, Everett L. Worthington Jr, Tyler J. VanderWeele. The role of Hope in subsequent health and well-being for older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach, Global Epidemiology, Volume 2, 2020, 100018, https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1016%2Fj.gloepi.2020.100018&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cbbb363d43d6b4b5aa68c08ddb584abf5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638866303604628635%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RRuiKbr7q4tBs%2FMOOmxoo7znXhiUmXJXViAdZyvW9RE%3D&reserved=0.

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Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Happy Friday! I hope you had a good week. I’ve been visiting my mother this week and we’ve been working in the garden, cooking together, and going on long walks. It has been a restorative and relaxing time. I’ll be back on the train tomorrow and in the office on Monday ready for a busy week.

The word “restorative” means “something that makes you feel better or more energetic if you are feeling tired or ill” (1) and taking restorative breaks is crucial to your mental and physical well-being. Somewhat counterintuitively, restorative breaks are also important for your research and scholarship—particularly when you run into a difficult problem. Psychologists typically break problems into two broad categories: incremental and insight problems. An incremental problem is one in which you work steadily toward a solution. You have a clear problem space, goal, and know the steps you need to get there. You can readily predict how long it will take to solve. For these problems, working steadily gets you to the goal. An insight problem on the other hand, is often underdefined, has no clear solution, and requires an “Aha!” moment. It is difficult to predict how long it will take to solve (2).  In these cases, trying the usual solutions and hammering at the problem often leads to failure and the best strategy is to put the problem aside for a while and take a restorative pause. This period of incubation can lead to a sudden moment of illumination where you make a breakthrough that allows you to solve the problem. 

Why this incubation period works is still unclear (2) but what is clear is that many of our best inventors, famous scientists, prolific writers, and creative artists have benefited from this strategy. For example, according to this article entitled, “Darwin Was a Slacker and You Should Be Too (3)”, Charles Darwin worked in the mornings and took long contemplative walks in the afternoons interspersed with some nice naps. Working with this schedule he managed to write 19 books, including volumes on climbing plants, barnacles, and other subjects, the Descent of Man, and The Origin of Species; a book that is influential to this day. Habit such as these are supported by data: In a classic study, Anzelst and Kerr (1952) surveyed 194 research scientists and found “decreasing returns with increasing hours (4).” Their data showed that scientists who spent 25 hours in the workplace were no more productive than those who spent five. Scientists working 35 hours a week were half as productive as their 20-hour-a-week colleagues. Those working 60 hours a week were the least productive. More contemporary data can be found in this book REST: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (5). 

I don’t necessarily recommend that you work only a few hours a day but I do recommend that you measure your success in terms of how much you get done rather than the hours you spend staring at your computer. Those who work the hardest are not necessarily those who are the most productive. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes
1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.cambridge.org%2Fdictionary%2Fenglish%2Frestorative%23google_vignette&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cc927110e0a674579d30308ddc0934a4d%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638878461016382528%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NjNJfd85DeTNp8KaKffMDkYG9IO2El4h0UBgXzgsXK0%3D&reserved=0

2 Chu, Yun and MacGregor, James N. (2011) "Human Performance on Insight Problem Solving: A Review," The Journal of Problem Solving: Vol. 3 : Iss. 2, Article 6.

DOI: 10.7771/1932-6246.1094

3 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnautil.us%2Fdarwin-was-a-slacker-and-you-should-be-too-236532%2F%3Futm_content%3Ddedicated-free-darwin-t1-article%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsite%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dnautilus-newsletter&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cc927110e0a674579d30308ddc0934a4d%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638878461016402949%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xXYrL9mJV%2BhC%2Bpjqno2XhhkT4jJlP%2F1rGWDH9HBI4N8%3D&reserved=0

4 Anzelst, R. H., and Kerr, W. A. Some correlates of scientific and technical productivity. J. Abnorm-soc. Psychol., 1951, 46, 470-475.

5 Alex Soojung-Kim Pang (2016). Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. Basic Books. ISBN-13 9781541604834

Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Happy Friday! We’ve reached the point in the summer where we look at the calendar with horror. There’s no way that we are more than halfway through July already — it feels like the summer has just begun. Unfortunately, this has happened to me every single summer for the past 30 years. Rather than panicking, however, I’ve learned to schedule a mid-summer rethink of my goals and re-calibrate them based on more realistic expectations while still managing to have some time away from the computer (1).  

Today I want to talk about failure. I was inspired to tackle this topic by one of our outstanding graduate students, Mary Adebote, who wrote a wonderful blog post about the setbacks and disappointments she has suffered on the way to success. She noted that we "often celebrate milestones without asking what it took to get there. The applause, the congratulations, the glowing announcements — they rarely reflect the messy, painful, and complicated road that led to success. And yet, that road is where the true story lies” (2, shared with permission).

Failure is an essential part of research and scholarship. You cannot be a good scientist or scholar without going down the wrong path, making hypotheses that are not supported, or having ideas shot down by others. However, we don’t talk about failure much and we certainly don’t teach our students that failure is not only inevitable, but necessary to make progress in any field. It is such a fundamental part of academia that there is an actual Center of Trial and Error in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Investigators at the center wrote a useful paper on failing successfully in academia (3) that includes a list of resources for learning more about failure and/or finding others who have experienced similar struggles. Their list of ten simple rules of failure starts with defining what failure is, realizing that what one person calls a failure might not be the same for others. Secondly, and most importantly in my opinion, we need to take risks in academia which, by definition, can lead to failure. Taking only the logical next step in a research project or following an already trampled path does not usually lead to important discoveries. It is also kind of boring, to be honest. This insight is what the poet Robert Frost meant when he wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference” (4). The rest of the advice (keep track of both failures and successes, when to compare yourself to others and when to avoid it, making failure part of the process, etc.) is worth reading to see what resonates with you and what you can incorporate into your academic life.  

I would like to emphasize their final point: Pay it forward. Like Mary Adebote, share your struggles, share what you have learned about failure, mentor others to help them manage failure in a way that is positive and reframes failure into an essential part of the journey.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

 Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes

1 https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2023/06/15/nine-ways-to-maintain-work-productivity-while-still-enjoying-summer-fun/

2 https://marysoetaninitiative.home.blog/2025/06/20/no-glory-without-the-story-lessons-from-my-phd-journey/

3 Gaillard S, van Viegen T, Veldsman M, Stefan MI, Cheplygina V (2022) Ten simple rules for failing successfully in academia. PLOS Computational Biology 18(12): e1010538. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010538

4 https://www.robertfrost.org/the-road-not-taken.jsp

Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Happy Friday! This week I attended a conference in Washington, D.C. (more about that below). While I was there, I took some personal time and did a walking tour of Georgetown. It was interesting and educational to learn about the history of the area and fun to hear about the gossip and scandals. One of the best perquisites of being an academic is traveling the world and learning a range of histories, societies, and cultures. It gives you a broader perspective and makes you realize and appreciate the diversity of experience of our students, faculty, and staff. I recommend that you take advantage of that privilege and learn a bit about every place you visit. 

The conference was held at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine located on the National Mall within sight of the Lincoln Memorial. The setting itself is inspiring, and you can almost feel the weight of history around you (1). The conference, “Reimagining STEMM Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Career Development: A Summit” (2), included graduate administrators and professionals, representatives of scientific foundations, scholarly societies, academics, and some individuals from industry. The sessions focused around a series of “What if” questions. There were a number of great sessions, but I want to discuss one today: What if We Coordinated Programs and Resources to Improve Graduate Education? The speakers in this session outlined some outstanding resources that we can take advantage of. 

First, the Council of Graduate Schools has created an Innovations in Graduate Education Hub (3). This is a collection of projects, including mentoring toolkits, a curriculum for peer review and publishing, ways to build micro-credentials into Ph.D. programs, and more. The project I want to highlight here is a resource developed to make better use of individual development plans (IDPs). IDPs are meant to help you define and pursue career goals and generally include exercises for you to examine your skills, interests, and values; lists of career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests; tools for setting strategic goals for the coming year; and articles and resources to guide you through the process. But, just creating an IDP is not enough: you have to use it and engage with others to discuss and brainstorm around your goals and create a community for support and accountability (4). I plan to use some of these resources to build on the IDPs that many of you have created via a community of practice to be formed in the fall.

Many more outstanding resources were shared including one called Ph.D. Paths (5). This is the brainchild of Ashley Moses, who is currently a Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at Stanford University. She recognized a gap in her program: they did not have a lot of resources for those who wanted jobs outside of academia. When she looked around, she found a lot of resources (like IDP tools), but felt they were too abstract. She wanted to hear the stories about the variety of paths that people took to their current positions. So, she recorded interviews with over 250 professionals with Ph.D.s. Her materials include informational interviews, comprehensive guides, and career discovery tools designed to help you make informed decisions about your career. You can find someone who received the same degree as the one you are working on and hear about their journeys. The stories are powerful and inspiring and include the failures and disappointments that we talked about last week. It is a great idea and I highly recommend the resource. 

Finally, one speaker introduced Ph.D. Hub (6),  “a multi-stakeholder initiative to advance the career and professional development of scientists.” The goal is to enhance career and professional development for Ph.D. holders. They work with career professionals to help them gain expertise in advising Ph.D. students on their career options.
 
The presentations and discussants kept emphasizing the importance of thinking about career from the beginning of your program, not at the end. Use the available tools and take advantage of the resources provided by the university and the community. 

Inside Higher Ed also has a listing of online tools you can use (7). 

I’m still digesting some of the other sessions and will share my thoughts on those in future emails.
 
As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

 
Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School


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Dear Graduate and Professional students,

Welcome to August! Time flies when you are having fun (1), or at least you think you’re having fun when time flies (2), so I guess this summer has been fun, because time has certainly flown by! I've had a busy week with meetings and discussions around the next academic year. There’s a lot planned for you, so please keep reading the Monday newsletters and coming to events that interest you. One opportunity I want to highlight is the new season at the Virginia Tech Center for the Arts in Blacksburg (3): It is a great one that includes orchestras, ensembles, Broadway shows, dance and theatre works, family-friendly favorites, and holiday classics. Students can get tickets to most performances for $10. There are also some free experiences “offering deeper connections with artists and their work, including artist talks, post-performance question-and-answer sessions, and hands-on workshops.” If you are a student in Blacksburg or Roanoke, you are being offered an incredible opportunity to experience some globally renowned performers and performances so please take advantage of it.  

Runing through the recent talk around reimagining graduate education that I wrote about last time has been a consistent thread: There are certain skills, competencies, and experiences that are crucial for your future professional goals that transcend any specific discipline. There is a realization that graduate education must move beyond disciplinary training to preparing scientists and scholars who can engage ethically and effectively with society. This includes equipping our graduates with the tools to communicate with diverse audiences, respond to real-world needs, and who can reflect on the broader implications of their work. 

Through the years the Graduate School at VT has worked hard to develop and support initiatives that reach beyond individual disciplines including our Preparing the Future Professoriate Certificate (4), Communicating Science (5), Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) offerings (6), internship and coop opportunities (7), and more. The challenge comes when we think about the time it takes to engage in those opportunities while trying to become an expert in your particular discipline. There has to be change at the system level to allow space for you to explore those skills that will equip you for success regardless of your chosen path. These are some of the conversations we are having and will continue to have as we commit to a student-focused graduate education. I’ll keep you updated on where we are going with these initiatives. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant, Dean of the Graduate School

Notes

1 Simen P, Matell M. Why does time seem to fly when we're having fun? Science. 2016 Dec 9;354(6317):1231-1232. doi: 10.1126/science.aal4021. PMID: 27940832; PMCID: PMC6042233.

2 Sackett, Aaron & Meyvis, Tom & Nelson, Leif & Converse, Benjamin & Sackett, Anna. (2010). You're Having Fun When Time Flies: The Hedonic Consequences of Subjective Time Progression. Psychological science. 21. 111-7. 10.1177/0956797609354832.

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! We are approaching the end of the summer, but there is still plenty of time for you to do something fun. As I’ve noted before, doing something enjoyable or creative outside of your discipline improves not only your mental health but also your professional life (1). So, if you can’t justify doing something just for the fun of it, tell your conscience that it is good for your work! 

This week we had our “All Hands” team meeting in the Graduate School and were visited by our colleagues in the D.C. area. Together, we refined the new strategic plan, tested some of the new resources we are developing for you, and discussed the challenges and opportunities we anticipate for the coming year. It was both engaging and productive, and we got to know one another on a personal level. One thing I have consistently observed is that people who know each other work better together. The time taken to build those personal connections is never wasted. People tend to like people they know more than they like people they don’t know (the mere exposure effect; 2). 

Throughout the summer, I’ve talked to a number of graduate students who said to me, “What can I do to help?” I have been thinking about this and have come up with a few answers. First, support your fellow students in your departments, units, and all over the university. Some of you are already doing this, putting together career panels, orientation materials, lab manuals, mock thesis defenses, etc. Each lab, unit, and department has its own culture, policies, and procedures, so this must be done at the local level. Don’t forget to include undergraduate students—they look up to you and would be thrilled to be included in your activities and will benefit from your mentorship. 

Second, look for opportunities to apply for external awards and grants. This may sound self-serving (and it is), but it also helps the department and the university. There are tons of small grants and awards that we don’t know about. When you find them, let us know and we’ll advertise them and/or nominate you for them (if appropriate). We try to keep a list (3) but it needs constant updating. 

Third, learn to communicate your research and scholarship to the public, either through formal training such as through the Center for Communicating Science (4) or the Science, Technology, and Engineering Policy group (5), or more informal ways by looking around at the free resources available. Join a community group in Blacksburg (6) or Alexandria (7), or wherever you are and help spread the word about the great work you are doing. Our communities are vibrant and energetic, and you can contribute to building connections between the local community and the university. Remember the mere exposure effect cited above? Just getting to know people in the community increases their liking for you and the university as a whole. 

Those are just a few things and if I think of other ways you can contribute (beyond what you already do in your research, teaching, and engagement), I’ll let you know.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.


Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School


1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidehighered.com%2Fblogs%2Fgradhacker%2Fstay-bold-creative-pursuits-while-graduate-school&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C55b3cb3078bb4ac8676308ddd69b257e%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638902684047926049%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DMa1PQeVjfsij4i5ftmHlzdTK8XqgdLD2qVoYGMfiI%3D&reserved=0

2 Rindfleisch, Aric & Inman, J.. (1998). Explaining the Familiarity-Liking Relationship: Mere Exposure, Information Availability, or Social Desirability?. Marketing Letters. 9. 5-19. 10.1023/A:1007958302123.

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students, 
 
Happy Friday! The campus is starting to get more and more busy with students moving into their dorms, increased traffic, filled parking lots, and all the other hubbub that happens every year. Those of us who have been around all summer are being jolted out of our quiet existence and thrust into a chaotic swirl of people. It is both bothersome and invigorating at the same time.  
 
We are in a bit of a chaotic state in other ways with world events in the political, environmental, and social spheres. One piece of advice that we frequently hear is to limit our exposure to negative news. However, that is not always possible—particularly if you have family or ties to certain areas of conflict or you just want to stay informed and understand what is happening. 
 
A new article by Shabahang and Weber (1) recognizes these real constraints and suggests that a “mindful-harmonious consumption of negative news may serve as an adaptive strategy for contemporary users, who are continuously exposed to negative news yet still require it.” This means paying attention to shifts in your moods and emotions, noticing how the news makes you feel, and slowing down when needed. They argue that it is not the time spent consuming negative news that is harmful it is how you consume the information. They recommend that you follow these simple steps while you read the news (2):  
 
“1. Pause and take a few deep breaths. 2. Check in on your feelings. Do you have the capacity to read negative news right now? 3. Reflect. What is motivating you to engage right now? What are you trying to find out? 4. Stay critical, pay attention to where the information comes from and ask whether it is credible or not. 5. Tune into how it’s making you feel. Do you notice any physical signs of stress, such as tension, sweating or restlessness? 6. Take time and reflect on that news before going on to something else.” 
 
One part of the advice is particularly good and not something that people always understand in a conscious way—our capacity to manage stress fluctuates over time depending on the other things we are experiencing. There will be times when you have the capacity to absorb difficult information and other times when you simply do not have the mental space for it. So, before doom-scrolling, take a minute to do a quick check of where you are. If you are already on the edge, go for a walk, read a book, take a nap, or do whatever brings you joy instead.  
 
As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter. 
  
Aimée M. Surprenant 
Dean of the Graduate School 
 
1 Shabahang, R. & Weber, R. (2025). Front. Psychol., 17 June 2025, Sec. Mindfulness, Volume 16 - 2025 | https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2025.1606604&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C651d1a1243c5466ba41a08dddc274ac4%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638908783495630565%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=9C%2BRQ6ZPYXyiGf9n1nkFw8LDs9P%2Fktz7QSw3ZD%2FLyUM%3D&reserved=0 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontiersin.org%2Fjournals%2Fpsychology%2Farticles%2F10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2025.1606604%2Ffull&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C651d1a1243c5466ba41a08dddc274ac4%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638908783495652174%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Yo9REHjjWZAblvs9x6ssSZcadvPSkABg9MqMbbEgbjo%3D&reserved=0 
 
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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! The new semester starts on Monday, and it is exciting to see all the activity on campus and the energy that comes along with the arrival of our new and returning students. 

It has been a busy week with Board of Visitors meetings on Monday and Tuesday (1) and welcome and orientation activities happening for the rest of the week. This afternoon I will take the train to Alexandria to meet our new students there on Saturday morning. It has been fun to see the new faces and help guide them toward all of the resources and opportunities available at Virginia Tech. I’m looking forward to a great semester. 

I’m working on a few initiatives that got started over the summer and I will share them with you over the coming months. In the meantime, I want to let you know that, in part because of your advocacy, Microsoft storage limits for graduate students have been modified (2). Departments will manage graduate student OneDrive storage and have the ability to increase individual storage well above baseline if needed. This is great news and I thank you all for your feedback on this issue.

As you may know, I work closely with the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (3) as well as the two graduate commissions (4) to hear and respond to your concerns and ideas for improvement. Our ultimate objective is to create a place where “graduate students can thrive, not just survive (5).” That goal is a continually moving target and we work hard to zoom in on specific issues (like data storage limits) and zoom out to tackle systemic issues (like stipend levels or mentoring). One initiative that we are taking on this semester in response to the shifting landscape is an information session for international graduate student supervisors and program staff to inform them of essential federal requirements, institutional policies, and procedures that impact international students, along with culturally aware mentoring strategies to foster a supportive academic environment. We also have created many activities to help faculty, programs, and departments support good mentoring (6). That connection with faculty is a key area of focus for me over the next year.
 
Next week I’ll formally welcome the new students to this space. Until then, enjoy the last weekend before the start of the fall semester. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

 
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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Welcome to the last Friday of the semester! There have been lots of outdoor activities happening outside of my window over the past week and I’m enjoying the energy and excitement. 

This is going to be short today as I don’t have a lot of information to share. But, I wanted to let you know that we will host two town halls for graduate students on May 8: one in-person session in the Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room at 1 p.m. and one via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. If you have questions and/or concerns that you would like me to address during these meetings, please submit them ahead of time at the link (1). I’ll address as many questions/topics as I can during these sessions, and hopefully we’ll have time for some in-person questions as well. I’m expecting some of the questions to be challenging, so please be prepared for me to open the floor for your ideas.

I’ve been looking into on campus housing for summer for those of you who are unexpectedly staying in the area over the summer. The housing folks would like to know who might be interested in such an opportunity, so we’ve included a question asking about interest in that on the town hall question form (1).  

I also wanted to mention that The Market (2) will hold weekly Open Market Hours throughout the summer. The dates/times will be posted widely early next week but will be every Tuesday from 10-3 for the entire summer. Students will not need to be enrolled in summer coursework to use our services and as always, for Open Market Hours, there is no screening or intake process required.

Finally, please remember to fill out the climate survey. A few issues have come up already that we can address—things we would not have known about except for the survey.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! Campus already seems deserted as the end of the semester approaches. Starting Wednesday, there will be a happy buzz of excitement with all the commencement ceremonies both here and in Northern Virginia. We are expecting just under 300 Ph.D. students at the Graduate School commencement ceremony and a large number of master’s students who will march in their respective college ceremonies. In the D.C. area, almost 500 graduate students earning degrees in 45 programs will attend their commencement ceremony. I always look forward to the pomp and circumstance—even if I look a bit like a penguin in my robes! 

I held two town halls yesterday to fill you all in on where we are on three of the major issues facing universities in the U.S. right now: research funding, DEI, and international student issues. I can’t reproduce all of the questions and answers here, but we will create a forum for questions and answers to be given as they arise throughout the year. I welcome your ideas on the best format for that; please send them to gsdean@vt.edu.

In general, however, there are a lot of anxieties out there and every day brings a dizzying array of events—sometimes in direct contradiction to what we heard the day before. We’ve all learned to take a breath and wait and see before reacting to events. In the short run, please know that colleges and administrative units are working on planning scenarios to adjust to anticipated budget shortfalls. While this is currently simply a process of scenario planning, it will prepare us to make thoughtful, timely, and strategic decisions as clarity emerges regarding the budget for the coming years. We are committed to maintaining mission-critical activities—which includes graduate student support—and to advancing our goals in the new environment.

In the long run, given that we are being forced to adjust to a new reality, one in which federal funding cannot be relied upon, where we have to guard our academic freedom, and where international students will have a harder time getting here—if they even want to come—we are going to have to re-think everything about the university. This will be an ongoing conversation, and you will be included in it.

(BTW: I had a specific question about tuition and fees—the questions are all anonymous so I can’t send the answer to that person. The short answer is yes, the number cited included comprehensive fees. Please reach out to the Bursar’s office for a breakdown).   

I will be continuing this Friday email throughout the summer, but with some breaks along the way. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! I’ve been immersed in commencement activities all week and still have a few more to go so things have been pretty busy. It is always a joyful experience seeing all the happy folks walking the stage, some with babies or children, reminding us that family and community help us get through challenging experiences and, in the end, are what really matters. Congratulations to all of our graduates!

Last Friday, the Vice President of Research and Innovation held a town hall where he and others responded to some questions from the research community. The bottom line is that we still don’t have a lot of clarity on what is coming and what the future funding landscape might look like. I know it is frustrating, but at the moment the only thing we can do is to concentrate on the things that we can control and wait to see about the rest. I’ll make sure to keep you updated on any issues that come up over the summer. 

At the beginning of the semester, I pointed you to some of the NCFDD planning resources available to you (1). I want to redirect you back there as they have a really helpful webinar entitled "Every Summer Needs a Plan” (2). They hold weekly writing groups as well and, for those of you in the writing stage, I suggest you take advantage of those or form your own accountability groups. I also recommend that you take some time planning your summer before diving into work—create a realistic plan that can help you set goals that you can achieve. Make sure to include some time to find something that brings you joy—even if it is a day or two here and there when the weather is good or to bake (and eat!) cookies on the next rainy day. 

As for resources, I came across a recent Nature article on why you should write your PhD thesis backwards (3). The article has some practical advice that you can implement. I also strongly recommend a document put together by Dr. Amber Davis, the originator of Happy PhD called “Finding your Academic Voice” (4). It is the most powerful advice I have ever seen on how to create a scholarly identity, including how to construct your core argument, how to use the literature, your research design, finding your place in the field, and the writing process. Not only is it wonderful advice, but it is also phrased in a stirring, almost lyrical way that lifts your heart, inspires, and excites. 

Finally, I came across an article on how to write a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal (5). These fellowships are “a component of the Horizon Europe programme with the goal of supporting postdoctoral researchers to undertake ambitious, independent, and international research for 1–3 years. Proposals are accepted across all disciplines, can include secondments and non-academic placements, and the programme is in principle open to applicants from all nationalities.” The research sites are all in Europe Union or Horizon Europe associated countries. The process is evidently a bit difficult and time-consuming, but this guide can help you through. As you think about your future, make sure to cast a wide net and allow yourself to explore the world of opportunities open to you. The career center can help you think of defining yourself not only in terms of your degree but in terms of your skills, values, and interests so that you can find the career that will be fulfilling and bring you happiness. As Peter Fisk, the author of Put Your Science to Work: The Take‐Charge Career Guide for Scientists (available in the library for free!) states: “The point in life is to be happy. All other goals (money, fame, status, responsibility, achievement) are merely ways of making you happy and are worthless in and of themselves (6).”

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! It has been a busy week on the administrative side of my job—lots of grade changes, awarding of degrees, exception requests, and the like. It reminded me that I had some questions at the town hall about how flexible we could be with policies and procedures. It turns out that the answer is “it depends.” I’ll expand below, but first I want to tell you a little bit about the Graduate School.

The Graduate School is unique in the university in that it is almost equally balanced among administrative, academic, and student support functions. On the administrative side, we strive to be an efficient and responsive partner to units around the university by focusing on improved workflow, communications, procedures, and support. On the academic side, we work to advance and promote the goals and priorities of Virginia Tech’s Strategic Plan, Academic Enterprise, and the Global Distinction initiative. On the student support side, we work to foster an inclusive and welcoming student-centered environment, emphasizing graduate students as individuals with diverse needs and challenges. This tripartite mission means that we are bound by an astounding array of policies and procedures on the one hand, a duty to support the university’s mission on a second hand, and a commitment to provide a welcoming place where students can thrive on the third hand. All of those must be balanced in everything we do.

Today I’ll focus on the administrative side—mainly policies and procedures. In my years in administration, I’ve come to understand that there are three types of rules: those that can be bent easily based on uncommon situations or administrative errors; those that must be followed to the letter due to state or federal laws; and those that can be bent--but only in extreme circumstances. The first two are easy; I can confidently and firmly say yes or no to them. It is the last type of rule that takes the most time and effort to decide on. I need to weigh all of the missions of the graduate school when I make those decisions including thinking how this will affect decision making in the future. I will often consult with multiple people to get their opinions and wisdom. How do you know which is which? It is not always obvious, so just ask and we’ll let you know. 

Most of our policies and procedures were created for a specific reason or to solve a particular problem. When they are no longer serving their purpose, we work to change them. That change involves going through the Commission on Graduate and Professional Studies and Policies (affectionately known as CGPS&P). Although this is a slow process, it is necessary in order to make sure that the change is necessary and useful. Often that change is driven by the number of exceptions I have to grant. If I'm constantly granting exceptions, it doesn’t make sense that we have that rule. To give you an example, because they grew out of research degrees, the course-based master's programs require that the student schedule a “final exam”. This is a purely administrative process but, if the step is not completed for whatever reason, the student can’t graduate. So, we are working with programs to reformulate the policy so it makes sense in those cases. We are constantly engaging in this process of examining and updating policies as circumstances change. 

Anyway, that’s a bit of a glimpse into the administrative part of my job, next week I’ll try to give you a sense of how we collaborate with academic units to make sure the educational side of things is the best it can be. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! I have been out of the office on a short vacation most of the week, so I don’t have very much to report. However, the Board of Visitors meeting is next Monday and Tuesday, so next week I’ll give you a breakdown of what happened at the meeting.

Although I have been out of the office, I have been keeping track of the various challenges arising for our international students on a number of fronts. As has been typical lately, there is not much certainty about what this all means. 

First, there was an announcement that there would be a pause in appointments at embassies around the world for new student visas, while the State Department clarified some guidance around looking at applicants’ social media (1). Already existing appointments are being kept. We hope this is a short pause and things will get back to normal soon. Second, there was an announcement that the State Department would “begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in “critical fields.” (2).” Again, we don’t know what that means for us, but it does create stress for our students. NAFSA (Association of International Educators) keeps a web page that is providing timely updates, objective analysis, and advocacy and resources on policy changes under the current administration. I am keeping a close eye on the situation and will update you if we hear anything.

I do have one tip for you to remember: When you go on vacation, make sure to come back on a Friday. You just have one day of work before the weekend comes! I’ve always been happier with that than coming back on a Sunday and having to go to work on Monday. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday, I hope you had a good week. My daffodils are blooming and I rode my bicycle to work today—sure signs of spring! Last week was Graduate Education Week and it was filled with activities, showcases, awards, and community building—not just here but at our Potomac Yard building (1). The faculty and staff in the Graduate School as well as the GPSS executive board and members are to be commended for their efforts to build and sustain community, both during that week and throughout the year.

This morning President Tim Sands held a Town Hall (2) to discuss the implications of the Board of Visitors’ actions dissolving the Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence as well as other current events at the local and federal level. The event was live-streamed, and I hope you had a chance to see it. If not, you can watch the recording via the live-stream link. The President gave a remarkably honest, transparent, and candid assessment of where we are as a university, and he was forthright and realistic in his answers to questions. He clearly delineated where the university had power and where that power ends. He specifically noted that we will follow the law—and we will adapt as the interpretation of the law changes. At the same time, he emphasized our commitment to academic freedom and freedom of speech. Some will be unhappy or even angry with his answers, and some of the questions were ones that he simply could not answer. I am proud to have a president who faces difficult questions and answers them honestly—even when the answers are not what the audience wants to hear. 

One thing the President addressed and acknowledged were the concerns and anxieties of our international students studying, living, and contributing so much to our community. There was specific guidance shared. First, if approached by anyone identifying themselves as an authority, the best advice is to call Virginia Tech Police (540-231-6411) or the local police. Don’t try to handle it alone. We also heard that Cranwell Internatinal Center and the VP for Student Affairs are working to communicate with international students and are committed to hosting information sessions for you all. My understanding is that they are waiting for the list of countries with travel bans or restrictions before scheduling those listening sessions. Finally, please contact Cranwell for advice before traveling.

On a different topic, since 2013 the Graduate School has distributed a climate survey every three years and published the results in graphical format (3). Some of the initiatives that have come out of that survey (as well as other committees and working groups examining climate) include: enhanced mentoring training and resources for faculty (4), including a mentoring toolkit; increased emphasis and resources for yearly reviews (5), including best practices for departments; creating a process to require job descriptions for graduate assistants; the University Mission Initiative for Ph.D. funding; the working group to formulate a university-wide policy to combat unprofessional behaviors towards graduate and professional students; workshops, resources, and courses on student initiated proposals (6); updated cost of attendance resources, including links to tools to help you budget and provide cost-of-living estimates (7); writing retreats; increased efforts on fundraising, and more. We are starting the survey cycle again and the links for this round should hit your email sometime next week so please be on the lookout for it. This is an opportunity to get your voices heard.  

We are living in a world where news and events come at us with blinding speed and it is difficult to know what is truly a threat, and what we can ignore. This can cause anxiety and fear which, in turn, can lead to paralysis or panic (8). My best advice is to take a good deep breath, stay optimistic, and realize that plans are going to have to be flexible and subject to change as events unfold.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I’m sure that you are all aware that the immigration records for some of our international students have been cancelled (the exact number changes every day). President Sands outlined the situation very well in his message (1) and he also provided resources for international students to keep up to date on everything that is happening (2). Each individual case is different and there will not be a single path forward, but departments, colleges, and administrative units have been pulling together to do what we can to help the students. Unfortunately, Virginia Tech is not alone in this situation, as most other universities and colleges are dealing with the same actions (3).

President Sands’ message identified some resources for international students, but I wanted to add a few more things. First, each student has a FERPA passcode (4, 5) that identifies individuals that the university is allowed to share information with. Please check to see if your FERPA list is up to date. If we cannot get in touch with you, we cannot share information about you with anyone other than those on the list. Second, we will be hosting an information session on immigration issues on Friday, April 18 at 9 am (6). All are welcome. You are encouraged to submit your questions ahead of time. If we don’t have time to get all the questions, which is likely, a FAQ will be created, so please send questions along.

As notifications are shared with me, I have been getting in touch with each graduate student to offer support as needed. As President Sands emphasized, our international students are an integral part of our community—even more so for our graduate community. We deeply benefit from, and strongly support, our international students and scholars. More than that, they are our friends, our neighbors, and our colleagues. While the number of such instances at VT is limited thus far, the effect is understandably chilling to our international community. These actions have harmed us all in ways that will not easily be healed. 

In times like this, we must rely on the strength of our community. We are more than just neighbors or colleagues—we are a support system, a network of compassion and resilience. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we come together, check in on one another, and extend a helping hand wherever we can. Together, we are stronger. Together, we will get through this.

On a different note, you should soon receive a request to fill out a climate survey from the graduate school’s office of assessment and strategic data initiatives. The survey provides an opportunity for you to share your thoughts and comments about their experiences and to provide information on the specific things that are going well and those that need to change to make graduate education at Virginia Tech a better experience. To be honest, I had considered postponing the survey due to current events, but graduate students were overwhelmingly against that and convinced me to continue. So, please fill out the survey so we can hear your voice. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

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5 To set a FERPA passcode: HokieSPA --> FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Disclosure --> fill out the form

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

(I wrote much of the text below before learning about the dreadful events at Radford University and the Florida State University on Thursday. My heart goes out to all those affected. Please keep them in your thoughts today and reach out with support if you can.)

Friday has rolled around again and even though it’s been a bit chilly I’m still delighted with the signs of spring all around us. On Thursday, as I was riding my bicycle to work, I realized that I had left my cell phone at home. At first, I felt anxious—how was I going to get “credit” for all the walking on campus I needed to do that day? What if someone texted me and I didn’t respond immediately? How was I going to get through the day without my phone? It made me think about a blog post I had read by Joan Westenberg called “The Ordinary Sacred” (1). Westenberg neatly describes how, in the age of social media, we are constantly measuring, performing, and documenting every move and every thought. The essay poignantly continues; “I was tracking everything but feeling nothing. That was the moment something cracked open in a quiet, defeated realization: I don’t want to live like this. I don’t want my life to be a performance. I don’t want to be optimized. I just want to feel human again. I want to be messy. Boring. Unimpressive. Real.” Most importantly, the author articulated the idea that we should live our own lives and stop comparing ourselves to others. The realization that we can be ordinary is one I want you to sit with a little bit. If it resonates with you, read through the article and look at the author’s description of the journey and the changes that were made in their life and the realization that we all have permission to be ordinary.

Ok, enough with the philosophy. What news do I have for you? First, we had a webinar this morning on immigration issues, focusing specifically on international students. There was a lot of information provided — most importantly, Cranwell’s web page for resources. Keep checking back frequently as it will be updated as events evolve (2). As Dr. Keene noted in her closing, this event was held to push out as much information as we could, and opportunities for more back and forth conversations are in the works. I’m not sure of the format of those events, but look out for announcements. Also, ideas for what you need are always welcome. 

Second, I wanted to make sure that you knew about the research funding update provided by the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation (OVPRI) Dan Sui and President Sands this week (2). In that message, they provided a lot of information on the impact of federal funding decisions to date. They state: “Of Virginia Tech’s 2,315 active federal awards, 25 have been terminated and 12 are under full or partial stop-work orders, totaling $21.2 million or 1.3 percent of Virginia Tech’s $1.6 billion federal sponsored research portfolio." So far, we’ve been able to manage the fallout from these cancellations on an individual basis with departments, colleges, the Graduate School, and the Provost’s office working together. Although we are anticipating further actions, it is impossible to predict exactly where those may come from and what the impact might be. The OVPRI’s office is working with the budget office to plan for every scenario. We’re in a wait and see mode.

Finally, know that there are many conversations happening and it is challenging to try to find ways of conveying what is being discussed, what options are being considered, and what is being decided in a public forum. Please be assured that my goal is to do everything I can to help Virginia Tech and our community thrive and I know that my colleagues in administrative roles feel the same. 

As I have noted before, there is a bewildering array of “breaking news” that can constantly grab our attention and cause anxiety and stress. Try to let some of it wash over you and wait for the dust to settle before reacting (yes, I know I’m mixing metaphors terribly!).

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Today I’m in Harrisonburg at James Madison University attending the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (1) bi-Annual meeting. It’s a meeting of graduate school professionals from public and private graduate degree-granting universities in Virginia with the purpose of sharing issues and solutions for graduate schools in the context of the Commonwealth. One prominent item on the agenda is the concerns of our various graduate student associations. Like at VT, the biggest issue (after funding) is managing conflict with one’s supervisor. As you know, at VT we’ve been working on that in a number of ways, including mentoring training, toolkits, on-demand training, workshops for faculty and students, and links to lots of tools and resources on our web pages (2,3). 

I was pleased to share the formation of our working group (4) to create a process to combat unprofessional behaviors toward graduate and professional students. Although some universities have something of the like (e.g., 5), ours is more ambitious than most. The other universities will be watching how we make out with that group. To keep you up to date on that initiative, we had the first meeting of the group this week and shared the outstanding work that was done on this topic last summer. Once a plan is drafted, the group will reach out to the community for consultation (students, faculty, and staff). Be on the lookout for your opportunity to weigh in on the proposed plan.

On the topic of weighing in, you should have received an invitation to fill out the Graduate School Climate Survey. If you did not, please send an email to gradsurveys@vt.edu and we’ll send you another one. I urge you to fill it out. It is anonymous and we want to hear from you.

In other news, we are being informed of more federal grant cancellations, including all of our funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Some can be appealed (and we’re doing so) but some cannot. As before, the Office of Sponsored Research is continuing to work with individual PIs to find a path forward and is continuing to update the community (6). I know this causes a lot of anxiety among students—not the least of which is that it is upending a lot of plans that you have made for the future. In response to that, I’m working on creating a series of career workshops for students in different colleges to help you all be creative in forging a career path for yourselves in these uncertain times. I know that some department-level Graduate Student Associations are already working on this and I’d love to hear from you all about what you have learned and what you need. Stay tuned, I will get back to you soon.

I’d also like to find a time to have two events: an in-person town hall and a virtual one to discuss how we as a community navigate through current events. These events will probably be after commencement, but I’ll let you know when we’ve scheduled them and the venue(s) for each. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

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4 Working Group to Formulate University Policy to Combat Unprofessional Behaviors Towards Graduate and Professional Students 

Co-chair from the GPSS – Ronnie Mondal

Co-chair from the FS – Rachel Miles

FS representative from CFA/Faculty Ethics – Justin Lemkul 

Representative from Faculty Affairs – Barbara Lockee 

Representative from Dept Heads Council – Tracy Rutherford 

Graduate School Representative – Monika Gibson 

Graduate Ombudsperson – Bryan Hanson 

GPSS representative – Pooja Bhagawat 

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! Next week is spring break; hopefully you can take some time off, but I understand if you want to take the opportunity to get some “real” work done. When I was in graduate school, we had a class with 5 Ph.D. students and 1 undergraduate accelerated student. After spring break (which was 2 weeks at Yale, go figure), you could tell the difference between the pasty grad students and the tanned and relaxed undergraduate. Grad students don’t tend to travel to warm places over break, but, at least it will be calm on campus!

One assignment I give in my Future Professoriate class is for each student to make an appointment to meet with me individually. It is a bit difficult to squeeze them in as I have about 40-50 students each semester, but we make it work. Students often thank me for the opportunity, but I want to tell you a secret: those meetings are the best part of my week. My first question to the student is always: “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” I’m endlessly intrigued by how they interpret the question and the stories I hear. Some students start out telling me about their academic and scholarly path, some talk about their future plans, and some start from the beginning and tell me about their journey from childhood to the present. I hear about families, travel, challenges, and opportunities. I hear about hopes, dreams, and fears. If they don’t tell me about their research or scholarship, I ask about that. As a cognitive psychologist, I have a tiny bit of knowledge of everything from neuroscience to statistics to sociology to human development. But, the range of projects and areas of inquiry are so broad at Virginia Tech that I learn something every time. I learn about trail cameras and AI identification of wildlife, cancer and addictions research, machine learning and virtual reality, inquiry into pedagogy, social movements, how policy and science intersect, and more. Sometimes I know something about the subject, sometimes I’m completely lost, but always, I am fascinated and impressed. Your passion and dedication to your fields shines through. You are eager to learn and conduct experiments and analyze theories and are proud of contributing new knowledge to your field. 

But the graduate school process is often long, filled with obstacles, and requires a great deal of dedication and hard work. Sometimes your research doesn't give you the results you were hoping for, milestone breakthroughs become fewer, or you find yourself struggling to understand complex theories or methodologies. So, how do you stay on track? There is no end of advice that you can find on the internet (1) but it mostly boils down to: “Balancing work and life quality issues, mastering academic protocols, and developing collective efficacy in scholar development. (2, abstract).” Easier said than done, of course, but please realize that you are not alone in this. It is often a rollercoaster ride with large ups and downs. Try to identify when you are on a down swing and find support but also realize when you are up and offer support to others. 

I want to end by sharing a communication the Provost sent around on March 4 (3). In it he describes how leadership is working to manage the impacts of recent federal actions on our academic and research missions as well as the uncertainty around federal and state directives about DEI initiatives. As was the case last week, there is little clarity and a continually changing landscape, with directives followed by court challenges. The Provost informs us that leadership is focusing on actions that currently have direct impact. He closes by saying “Finally, we recognize that many in our community are experiencing a great deal of anxiety and frustration with both the short- and long-term implications of these orders. While most of these factors are beyond our control and information is limited, it doesn’t diminish the angst you and your colleagues are feeling and we want to reassure you that we understand, empathize with, and share in your concerns.” 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

1 A Happy PhD. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fahappyphd.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C81d8286d3dec4340901208dd5d9535f5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638769617657394305%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=D%2BjlCI%2BV5XjKMH77uOKkctY5UDEsTGd13CUVfHcNqYs%3D&reserved=0

2 Prieto, L.P. Who drops out of the Ph.D.? A Happy PhD, April 2019. Available online at https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopenriver.winona.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1016%26context%3Djaep&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C81d8286d3dec4340901208dd5d9535f5%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638769617657415313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8SDfjHzjTsax%2F9gJ8%2FXgpq%2F%2B9ndraP%2F22VCrynswcbQ%3D&reserved=0

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday! Spring seems to have come upon us all of a sudden. I’m seeing daffodils popping up everywhere. I'm excited that repair-work started on the brick patio outside the GLC. 

This is going to be a very short message as I’ve been traveling this week. I would like to remind you that Principles of Community Week is March 17-21 (1), and our Graduate Education Week is the week after; March 24-28 (2). Lots of great events and opportunities—check them out. I’m pleased to announce that, for the first time, we are hosting a variety of Grad Ed week events in the DC area including a movie night, a business meet-up, a research showcase, a cookout, and more! Fingers crossed for great weather both there and in Blacksburg. 

Hope you have had a great week and, as always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inclusive.vt.edu%2Fabout%2Fvtpoc%2Fpoc-week.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ce0909522d486428324f908dd6330998c%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638775782567578680%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ypvxUTiyrziu%2B6%2BULCrFCCvuTZuS2rOaIWKPTd9xVR0%3D&reserved=0
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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I’m currently in Dallas at the Council of Southern Graduate Schools annual conference. It is a gathering of graduate deans and other professionals in the graduate school space and, like most conferences, includes plenary sessions, smaller concurrent sessions, and lots of interaction with colleagues (and standing in buffet lines). We work together with our national organization, the Council of Graduate Schools (1) to advocate for graduate education and graduate students. Through this organization we write letters and comments to policymakers, including members of Congress, the administration, and federal courts, regarding issues that affect graduate education. We also learn from one another and share best practices and resources. One recurrent theme in the conference has been the importance of community in difficult times. I’ll share some of what I learned next week. 

I want to take a moment to directly address our international students. I know it has been a particularly difficult time for you. Various news stories and uncertainties around potential travel bans have created an atmosphere of stress and anxiety. Cranwell International Center plans to reach out to all of you as soon as the list of banned or restricted countries comes out. They will send notices with the new guidelines to students and will host a series of webinars and listening sessions for students from affected areas. The Graduate School and I will be involved in those meetings to support and hear from you. There are indications that travel risks are possible for all who are in the country on visas. Some individuals are suggesting that international students avoid non-essential travel outside the US (2). You are all intelligent, thoughtful people and I trust you to consult with others, pay attention to the news, and make decisions that are the best for you and your families.

I’ve recently been asked an important question: “How do you plan to continue working toward a community where all students feel welcome?” This is a goal I take very seriously, and one that we all have a role in achieving. While I continue to amplify your voices to your departments, colleges, and upper administration, this effort needs your active participation and input. To make sure I am representing you effectively, I need your help. Your feedback, ideas, and perspectives are invaluable, so please continue to share your experiences, challenges, and thoughts on what more we can do to foster a welcoming environment. Your voices guide the priorities I advocate for, and I want to ensure they are heard at every level.

Beyond advocacy, we all have a responsibility to build a stronger sense of community within our programs and departments. Here are some ways you can help accomplish that. First, support one another: Form peer-support groups within your department or across disciplines to create spaces where graduate students can share experiences, advice, and encouragement. These groups can help foster belonging and create networks of care. Second, promote inclusion: Make an effort to reach out to and include students who may feel marginalized or isolated. Simple actions like inviting someone to collaborate on a project, study together, or attend an event can go a long way in making others feel welcome. Third, collaborate on initiatives: Work together to develop ideas and strategies for initiatives that promote inclusivity, such as mentoring programs, workshops, or cultural events. These efforts can strengthen our collective commitment to equity and belonging. Fourth, communicate your needs: If there are barriers or challenges you’re facing, share them with your department, or bring them to me so I can help advocate for change. Transparency and open communication are key to sustaining a welcoming community.

Building a community where all students feel valued and supported is something we must invest in together. I am here to help facilitate and champion your efforts, but your involvement is crucial. Whether through sharing your ideas, forming supportive networks, or helping to implement inclusive initiatives, you play an essential role in shaping a culture of belonging.

Let’s continue to work together toward this shared goal. Your voices and actions matter, and I am deeply grateful for your commitment to making our university a place where everyone feels welcome.

As a community, we all need to work together supporting others and working to find solutions that will keep VT a great place to live and work. This is home (3).

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcgsnet.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C60999dc3b238496332dc08dd688d38f0%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638781677945640846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rJPRFJ9zSCQES4GkllaIFPWYudxvxNl7g3jZ2jhjnDM%3D&reserved=0

2 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Fnews%2Fother%2Fbrown-university-tells-international-students-staff-to-avoid-travel-abroad%2Far-AA1B65Tz&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C60999dc3b238496332dc08dd688d38f0%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638781677945660734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nBmWDDmx%2FQWHbSCFL5kLGg7ET6JIwnyg74AP5sRkXuA%3D&reserved=0

3 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.vt.edu%2Fvideos%2Fk%2F2022%2F05%2F1_ep6x16tt.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C60999dc3b238496332dc08dd688d38f0%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638781677945675316%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xYCa7MwnMEWGyLVyLWFZ2LzkuTKlaFGjDHT%2FQcF%2FRD0%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

As you probably know, the Board of Visitors (BOV) met this week to consider, among other things, a resolution to “dissolve the Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence and transfer compliant programs to new organizational homes....” During the meeting, each of the constituency representatives made strong and heartfelt statements about our inclusive communities. The faculty representative’s words were particularly compelling and quoted part of Dr. Nikki Giovanni’s famous commencement speech (1). Before the vote, the President and Provost also made statements regarding academic freedom and freedom of speech principles (2) and spoke strongly in support of VT’s Principles of Community. Nonethless, the board passed the resolution (with two no votes). We are still not entirely sure the implications of this action, but we hold strong to our commitment to working toward a community where all can thrive. Please be patient as we work through what this really means and the specific implications for our university.  

The board also approved increases to tuition and fees (3). Tuition and mandatory fees for in-state graduate students will rise by $653 to $19,218, and for out-of-state graduate students by $1,121 to $36,212. I have a small victory to report: the budget office has agreed to increase stipends for students on assistantship by the amount of the athletic fee increase (on top of any other increases to the assistantship steps). I’ve asked for clarity around that agreement and will share it with you once I receive it. I know this is not going to help everyone and I know it is disappointing; I share your disappointment. I should note that one board member commented that they had read “each and every item” submitted during the public comment period. Although the comments did not sway the vote in this case, I encourage you to continue making your voices heard.

Another small piece of good news is that the NIH has updated their guidelines (4) and is accepting applications for active funding opportunities. Some funding opportunities have been closed and others have been updated to align with agency priorities, but the announcement stated that the Federal Register Notices and meetings for scientific review groups/study sections are ongoing and that Federal Register Notices for National Advisory Councils/Boards have resumed. Hopefully this means that awards will continue to be funded with minimal disruption. I will keep you informed of anything I hear on this front. 

Finally, the Working Group to Formulate a University-wide Policy to Combat Unprofessional Behaviors Towards Graduate and Professional Students has been formed and will start their work soon. I’ll let you know how you can participate in that conversation after the first committee meeting.

I want to close by mentioning that feelings around the Board actions this week are a bit raw and new right now and I’ll need some time to discover the scope of the issues. What I do know is that the whole community will need to be involved in creating our path forward. The work ahead will challenge our imagination and ingenuity and will take some hard, serious work. But, we are strong, smart, and resilient and will find a way—together.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.vtmag.vt.edu%2Fmemorial07%2FVTMagazinePDF%2Fconvocation.8.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C8e143ca6d645445d068408dd6e1bc993%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638787787838717369%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FVfOWnuVKAERhoX6C9gdBWcsMBQUDekg0gw5jDA%2B088%3D&reserved=0

2 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.vt.edu%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fbov-resolution-march25.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C8e143ca6d645445d068408dd6e1bc993%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638787787838736216%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RbJzRXnmk%2FFpojP5PTISBSxeVmlHTd2YOfa%2BMbG0uO4%3D&reserved=0

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,
Happy Friday! The stars were twinkling brightly on our walk this morning and the bunnies were romping around and teasing the beagles. All in all, a great start to the morning.

Like last week, there’s not a lot of clarity in terms of the potential impacts of Executive Orders from the White House on our community. As I noted then, the research office has a web site that is frequently updated with information on federal grants. The Provost has also provided a statement on other impacts that have been felt in our community (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.research.vt.edu%2Fresearch-support%2Fnews%2F2025%2Ffederal-funding-updates-new-admin.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca99cf2148561438a7e2508dd479ea129%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638745468806418875%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=a6jUf1LzmEyC%2FxhbeiO9OEcssb1EtCn93nzXoqyTnaw%3D&reserved=0). I’ll keep you informed as any new information and guidance comes around. Right now, my best advice is to stop trying to make sense of every move, every announcement, and every new proposal. History tells us that disruptions come and go, but they settle into an equilibrium after a while. 

At his State of the University address on Wednesday, President Sands outlined some of the work being done with the Towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Montgomery County, the New River Valley Regional Commission, and Virginia Tech. The goal is to have everyone who lives, works, and/or cares about the future of our community to be part of this initiative. The Partnership for Progress has a survey for you to share your perspective as a community member. There are also opportunities to become involved and embed yourself within the local community. For those of you outside of Blacksburg, I encourage you to find local community engagement opportunities near you.
 
Building community in graduate school is essential for you to thrive in your program and there are many ways to build that community. You can join your discipline-specific graduate student organizations, attend a regional or national conference within your discipline, or get involved with your department. VT has many campus community centers where you can go, connect, and learn. More resources and advice can be found here: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgradschoolthriving.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca99cf2148561438a7e2508dd479ea129%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638745468806438994%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=L3LO5dq7HFMbxuPIZ3cla3h46gkhSqi%2B5HmzJOSqUpM%3D&reserved=0.

In addition to all the disciplinary, professional, and recreational supports available, perhaps the most important sources of support for all of us are the family and friends with whom we interact daily. I encourage you to actively identify and establish friendships with your fellow students, either within or outside of your discipline. Likeminded or otherwise, those new friends will expand your horizons, help you learn about others, and become positively curious about differences. In the process, you will gain lifelong friends and become a great friend to someone who needs you. One way to do this is to come to our weekly GLC Café in the Reading Room on Thursdays 3:30-5:00 pm, and on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month when school is in session during the fall and spring semesters. Stop by to enjoy snacks, tea, coffee, and conversation with fellow graduate students and Graduate School staff.  

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.
Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

Resources:

Updated information on federal grants - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.research.vt.edu%2Fresearch-support%2Fnews%2F2025%2Ffederal-funding-updates-new-admin.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca99cf2148561438a7e2508dd479ea129%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638745468806453429%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1dKvFEjtIzlAWEUweFGjjfuYQnD6gCfIdN9zPhVvDGg%3D&reserved=0

Partnership for Progress Survey - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.partnershipforprogress.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca99cf2148561438a7e2508dd479ea129%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638745468806467585%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=CiUd4qCkOm7BhgOzluvr%2Be3JH7ozMqpygOMBGvzrd9k%3D&reserved=0

Campus Community Centers - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fccc.vt.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca99cf2148561438a7e2508dd479ea129%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638745468806481555%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zuTsmKzEiY9aNGrvHq686to9BKRJ3GwLaD0v1AqY7Wo%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

(Given our ongoing struggles with links and Outlook, I’m sharing the links in footnotes below the text.)

This has been an interesting week with snow and ice storms hitting some places hard and others not at all. Slippery conditions made it treacherous for us on our walks, but the path was clear and beautiful this morning. I hope you all managed ok.

On Tuesday, the Provost and the Chief Operating Officer shared a message regarding a new NIH cap of 15% on facilities and administrative (F&A) costs (President Sands also made a statement, see footnote 1, below). They noted: "The F&A rate is negotiated periodically with the federal government based on analysis of our actual costs incurred in supporting extramurally funded research. A rate of 15% is substantially lower than the previously negotiated rate, and university leadership is in the process of assessing the potential impact of this change, which would be significant, particularly if other federal agencies follow suit.” They shared that the situation was evolving quickly and early in the week a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the cap. The hearing on that order will be held on February 21. 

Some federal grants have been affected by stop work orders and the Office of Sponsored Programs is working with PIs to formulate plans to address each project on a case-by-case basis. President Sands has established a working group to monitor, analyze, and develop strategies to address the rapidly changing federal landscape and that group is meeting frequently. I have been advocating for bridging funds for grants that are at risk and will continue to do so. I’ll let you know how those discussions go. Many of you are understandably anxious about your funding. I don’t have a lot to tell you right now, but I can say that funding from the university (mainly for GTAs) is unaffected. We are doing everything in our power to keep continuity in funding. 

While contemplating what to write about this week, I came across an interesting book on change (2), which led me to another interesting book about complexity and uncertainty (3). (As an aside, our library is awesome, both books are available electronically.) I haven't had time to read more than the introductions yet, but both look fascinating and are about chaos and complexity and how simple things can be complex and complex things can be simple. Even the little bits I have been able to read this week have been comforting in that, when we zoom out, we realize that our struggles are not unique, nor are obstacles facing us necessarily insurmountable. Others in the past have faced and overcome obstacles and we can do so, too. We have always lived with uncertainty and change and, rather than struggling against it, a better strategy might be to flow through it and understand that the only thing that is constant is change (Heraclitus, as cited in 4). Or, if you prefer a more contemporary quote, Bruce Lee reportedly said: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.” 

I’m working to embrace that uncertainty and to continue to work in concert with our community to move forward in a positive direction. 

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

Footnotes

1 https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/02/president-message-feb10.html

2 brown, adrienne maree. Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, AK Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vt/detail.action?docID=4548573.  

3 Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty. Taylor & Francis Group. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vt/detail.action?docID=564122

4 https://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/heraclitus-on-change/

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

(Given our ongoing struggles with links and Outlook, I’m sharing the links in footnotes below the text.)

I hope you are all keeping warm on this frigid day. On the plus side, I was able to wear my Canada Goose (TM) parka today—I was toasty warm on our walk this morning.

Earlier this week Bryan Hanson, the Graduate School Ombuds, gave our leadership team a summary of trends in issues that have been brought to him over the past year. Some consistent themes over the years are related to evaluative relationships and/or career/academic progression and development. These issues continue to be tackled by the Graduate School via a variety of initiatives that I've spoken about in this forum. However, Bryan identified an emerging theme that we hadn’t seen a lot of before: peer to peer conflict, mainly in a lab or team setting. We’re not sure why these issues are popping up in greater numbers, but I have some ideas that I'll outline below.

First, it is possible that the visibility of the Ombuds’ services has been elevated: more people know about his expertise in conflict resolution and are reaching out for help navigating difficult situations. If this is the case, we’re thrilled that his talents are being used. 
 
Second, it is possible that conflict is occurring because of a buildup of stress that makes it easy for a small thing to escalate into a full-blown conflict. This is the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”: the idea that it may only take a small thing, when added to many others, to cause an extreme reaction or response. We are better able to manage conflict when we have the mental capacity to think analytically, rather than emotionally, about a situation. Someone experiencing high stress is likely to react impulsively or even aggressively or may adopt avoidance strategies that end up being harmful (1). One way to circumvent this over-reaction is something called “cognitive restructuring”: a process for identifying and understanding unhelpful thoughts and for challenging and replacing automatic thoughts. The idea behind cognitive restructuring is that if you can change your automatic thoughts, you'll be able to influence your emotions and behaviors. It is a fundamental part of Cognitive Behavioral therapy (2). 
 
Third, it is possible that our labs and teams are not taking the time and effort to build a positive community. Antes et al. (3) describe how to be a good lab citizen, including building and sustaining relationships. In addition, the Council of Graduate School’s Healthy Research Teams & Labs initiative (4) has great resources available. By building trust and relationships, we become more tolerant of each other and fewer conflicts arise. 

Whatever the reasons, the Graduate School is dedicated to building supports you all need to be successful and thrive in your programs.  

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

 Footnotes

1 Leyro, T. M. et. Al. (2010). Distress Tolerance and Psychopathological Symptoms and Disorders: A Review of the Empirical Literature among Adults. Psychol Bull; 136(4): 576–600.

2 Huppert JD. The building blocks of treatment in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(4):245-50. PMID: 20635770.

3 Antes AL, Maggi LB Jr. How to Navigate Trainee-Mentor Relationships and Interpersonal Dynamics in the Lab. Curr Protoc. 2021 Mar;1(3):e86. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.86. Erratum in: Curr Protoc. 2022 Aug;2(8):e551. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.551. PMID: 33751862; PMCID: PMC8277482.

4 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcgsnet.org%2Fresources%2Ftoolkits%2Fhealthy-labs-and-research-teams&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca547cd0214a24019dbac08dd5296e5e1%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638757530269552376%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Cw93mqmUITY4N3klRWwIFBKwPwI%2Fgv79InaQZlbYIt0%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

(apologies for the lengthy nature of this email, there’s a lot to talk about)

I'm in Alexandria today for the official opening of the Innovation Campus building. The train ride up was smooth and comfortable, and the winter scenery was beautiful. If you're heading to DC, consider taking the train!

Today, I want to discuss two important topics that have come up frequently in my recent conversations with students: federal funding and DEI.

First, federal funding. I know that many of you are anxious about the disruptions to federal funding and worried about what it means for you. These and other issues were raised by graduate students and faculty in many places including the President’s Advisory Group meeting this week, where the President updated the members on the efforts devoted to understanding and managing the many issues arising from federal administration executive orders, memoranda, etc. Unfortunately, we don’t have definitive answers at this time about what funding will be affected or for how long. All I can say is that we are working on creating plans on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with PIs, departments, and colleges. Supporting our students is the highest priority and we will do everything in our power to continue to support you. But, I have no guarantees at the moment and the situation evolves every day. The research office continues to update its web page with any new information they receive (1) and I will let you know if I have anything more definitive to share.  

Second, DEI. Two weeks ago the U.S. Department of Education’s division of civil rights issued what is called a “Dear Colleague” letter (2) to educational institutions receiving federal funds notifying them that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and beyond. Part of the guidance in that letter called out initiatives around “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)” as being discriminatory, because they were interpreted as excluding people based on race or ethnicity. The letter described potential sanctions for violating these directives, including the loss of all federal funding. There is a great deal of confusion over the letter and how to interpret the guidance therein. Around the country there have been a flurry of challenges to the memo as well as ongoing discussions around legal interpretations regarding what obligations institutions of higher education have regarding compliance (3).  

First, as always, we follow the law. Academic freedom protects our teaching and research, and the recent federal guidance does not limit the academic freedom of our community to do research on or study any subject, our ability to exercise free expression within a safe and respectful community, or our ability to adhere to our Principles of Community (4). Unless there is a specific stop work order on your grant, there should not be an impact on your research or scholarship.  

Second, the Graduate School has always taken seriously our responsibility as a Land Grant institution and our Principles of Community and works to reduce barriers, increase access, build community, and support belonging for all our students. The educational opportunities offered by the Graduate School are intended to benefit the entire graduate student community, and all of our programs are open to all community members, regardless of background.  

Nonetheless, it is evident that some of the terminology and words we have used have taken on unintended meanings. As any linguist will tell you, words are polysemic: they can have multiple meanings. Added to that, meanings change over time in several predictable ways. One of those ways is what linguists call “degeneration,” in which the sense of a word takes on a less positive, more negative evaluation in the minds of the users of the language – the word becomes, essentially, a pejorative (5). When that happens, we adapt our language and avoid those words. In my opinion, this has happened to the word “diversity” as it is used in DEI contexts.  

This brings me to the Graduate School’s Inclusion and Diversity requirement. There are four main components of the requirement: VT’s Principles of Community; impact of personal actions and words; redress and shared responsibilities; and individual introspection. None of those are discriminatory, nor are they based on issues of race or ethnicity. Acknowledging the distinctiveness of the varied contexts across departments, programs, and colleges, the requirement lets each program determine the specific manner by which it meets those broad requirements. As a result, the plans vary widely and take the form of specialized workshops, stand-alone courses, online modules, or modules incorporated into existing courses. Some questions have been raised regarding the language used and the implementation of the requirement in some cases. We were already in the process of evaluating the requirement (as we do for all our activities), but current events have sped up the timeline.

As a result, the Graduate School has temporarily paused the Inclusion and Diversity Requirement while we undertake a review of the requirement and its various instantiations. My intention is to modify the resolution to clarify and update the language and reinforce the Principles of Community that underlie the requirement and our commitment to a whole person education. We will make any changes in consultation with the Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Policies and Procedures (CGPS&P). In the meantime, we will not require it on any plans of study submitted for Graduate School approval this semester until any other guidance is received. If you are graduating this year, you will not be required to have completed the requirement.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://www.research.vt.edu/research-support/news/2025/federal-funding-updates-new-admin.html?utm_source=cmpgn_news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vtUnirelNewsDailyCMP_feb2725-fs

2 https://www.ed.gov/media/document/dear-colleague-letter-sffa-v-harvard-109506.pdf  

3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/129LVji0weEUdpl-mbWMFWHKU7n5ZSRfX/view  

4 https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/about/vtpoc.html  

5 Bloomfield, L. (1933).Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

(apologies for the lengthy nature of this email, there’s a lot to talk about)

I'm in Alexandria today for the official opening of the Innovation Campus building. The train ride up was smooth and comfortable, and the winter scenery was beautiful. If you're heading to DC, consider taking the train!

Today, I want to discuss two important topics that have come up frequently in my recent conversations with students: federal funding and DEI.

First, federal funding. I know that many of you are anxious about the disruptions to federal funding and worried about what it means for you. These and other issues were raised by graduate students and faculty in many places including the President’s Advisory Group meeting this week, where the President updated the members on the efforts devoted to understanding and managing the many issues arising from federal administration executive orders, memoranda, etc. Unfortunately, we don’t have definitive answers at this time about what funding will be affected or for how long. All I can say is that we are working on creating plans on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with PIs, departments, and colleges. Supporting our students is the highest priority and we will do everything in our power to continue to support you. But, I have no guarantees at the moment and the situation evolves every day. The research office continues to update its web page with any new information they receive (1) and I will let you know if I have anything more definitive to share.  

Second, DEI. Two weeks ago the U.S. Department of Education’s division of civil rights issued what is called a “Dear Colleague” letter (2) to educational institutions receiving federal funds notifying them that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and beyond. Part of the guidance in that letter called out initiatives around “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)” as being discriminatory, because they were interpreted as excluding people based on race or ethnicity. The letter described potential sanctions for violating these directives, including the loss of all federal funding. There is a great deal of confusion over the letter and how to interpret the guidance therein. Around the country there have been a flurry of challenges to the memo as well as ongoing discussions around legal interpretations regarding what obligations institutions of higher education have regarding compliance (3).  

First, as always, we follow the law. Academic freedom protects our teaching and research, and the recent federal guidance does not limit the academic freedom of our community to do research on or study any subject, our ability to exercise free expression within a safe and respectful community, or our ability to adhere to our Principles of Community (4). Unless there is a specific stop work order on your grant, there should not be an impact on your research or scholarship.  

Second, the Graduate School has always taken seriously our responsibility as a Land Grant institution and our Principles of Community and works to reduce barriers, increase access, build community, and support belonging for all our students. The educational opportunities offered by the Graduate School are intended to benefit the entire graduate student community, and all of our programs are open to all community members, regardless of background.  

Nonetheless, it is evident that some of the terminology and words we have used have taken on unintended meanings. As any linguist will tell you, words are polysemic: they can have multiple meanings. Added to that, meanings change over time in several predictable ways. One of those ways is what linguists call “degeneration,” in which the sense of a word takes on a less positive, more negative evaluation in the minds of the users of the language – the word becomes, essentially, a pejorative (5). When that happens, we adapt our language and avoid those words. In my opinion, this has happened to the word “diversity” as it is used in DEI contexts.  

This brings me to the Graduate School’s Inclusion and Diversity requirement. There are four main components of the requirement: VT’s Principles of Community; impact of personal actions and words; redress and shared responsibilities; and individual introspection. None of those are discriminatory, nor are they based on issues of race or ethnicity. Acknowledging the distinctiveness of the varied contexts across departments, programs, and colleges, the requirement lets each program determine the specific manner by which it meets those broad requirements. As a result, the plans vary widely and take the form of specialized workshops, stand-alone courses, online modules, or modules incorporated into existing courses. Some questions have been raised regarding the language used and the implementation of the requirement in some cases. We were already in the process of evaluating the requirement (as we do for all our activities), but current events have sped up the timeline.

As a result, the Graduate School has temporarily paused the Inclusion and Diversity Requirement while we undertake a review of the requirement and its various instantiations. My intention is to modify the resolution to clarify and update the language and reinforce the Principles of Community that underlie the requirement and our commitment to a whole person education. We will make any changes in consultation with the Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Policies and Procedures (CGPS&P). In the meantime, we will not require it on any plans of study submitted for Graduate School approval this semester until any other guidance is received. If you are graduating this year, you will not be required to have completed the requirement.

As always, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant Dean of the Graduate School

1 https://www.research.vt.edu/research-support/news/2025/federal-funding-updates-new-admin.html?utm_source=cmpgn_news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vtUnirelNewsDailyCMP_feb2725-fs

2 https://www.ed.gov/media/document/dear-colleague-letter-sffa-v-harvard-109506.pdf  

3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/129LVji0weEUdpl-mbWMFWHKU7n5ZSRfX/view  

4 https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/about/vtpoc.html  

5 Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: HRW.

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday, and happy new year! I hope you were able to some time to relax and refresh over the past few weeks. 

To start the year out right, I want to talk a bit about planning. It may sound obvious, but having a plan is key to a successful semester. One helpful resource for figuring out how to create and use a plan is a webinar created by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity entitled: Every Semester Needs a Plan. VT has an institutional subscription to NCFDD and you can use all their resources for free (just use your VT login info). Even though it says “Faculty” in the name, there are many resources that are directly relevant for grad students and postdocs. The planning webinar can be done synchronously (Jan 9, 2-3 pm) or you can watch a recorded version. I watched the recording, and it is well worth the time. The most important exercises include identifying some achievable goals, mapping out the steps to reach those goals, planning how much time that will take, making sure you have enough time to meet the goals, and putting those plans in your calendar. Their advice includes knowing what you need as a human being and as a scholar, creating a realistic plan to meet those needs, and building in the supports and accountability you need to sustain and motivate you throughout the semester.

Although the advice was great, I think there are two major things missing. First, you need to take other people into consideration when you are making a plan. If you plan to give your thesis to your advisor for feedback on March 1, for instance, you need to make sure that it fits into their plan. What if they have a grant proposal due the next week? What if they have a big paper that is due in their class and they need to give feedback to 100 students? What if they have something else they must get done? This goes for your classes and academic progress as well. Please put important dates into your calendar, particularly dates for withdrawing from classes, exam deadlines, and other events that you might need in the semester. It causes everyone (including me!) a lot of stress if you miss those deadlines. Some of the actions require multiple signatures so trying to do it at the last second is unrealistic. I must admit to a bit of personal frustration here as last semester ended with a series of frantic pleas for exceptions to withdrawal deadlines due to them being submitted without time for processing before the end of the semester or because someone was on vacation. 

Second, I always advise people to build unexpected events into their calendars: things like getting sick, family emergencies, power outages, or broken equipment. All of these things are part of life, and you need to keep in mind that they will happen to you. You may not know exactly what the unexpected thing will be, but you know something will happen. If not, hey, you’ve got extra time! 

So, to summarize, identify your goals, map the steps, put projects, events, and deadlines in your calendar: what, how, when.

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

Resources:

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity: Every Semester Needs a Plan - ncfdd.org

Academic Calendar - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcatalog.vt.edu%2Facademic-calendars%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Ca60862140c164e8655af08dd2c0cbfc4%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638715155465609792%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=q6eb7aAUjSOAXtxkdDe3EZR2GpNqHL9jFqRKuxkcN0k%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday, and I hope you are keeping warm. Winter has descended upon us. I know it is hard when it is so cold and slippery outside, but please try to find some way to get outdoors or at least walk around a mall or on a treadmill to get some exercise.

I wanted to update you on some of the initiatives that are being worked on in the various commissions, committees, and the Graduate School. First, there are two resolutions that will have a second reading at the University Council meeting on February 10: 1. Resolution to Form a Working Group to Formulate a University-wide Policy to Combat Unprofessional Behaviors Towards Graduate and Professional Students and 2. Resolution to Form a University Mission Initiative Committee to Recommend Updated Policies for Funding Doctoral Research at Virginia Tech. Both of these resolutions will require committees made up of stakeholders from across the university—including graduate students. We will be reaching out to find people who are interested in working on those topics if they pass through governance. There will also be university-wide consultations on those issues, so please keep an eye out for those announcements.

We are recommending expanding the Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Affairs to include members from extended campuses. This is something that should have been done in the first place, but it somehow got overlooked. 

We are engaging with the Constructive Dialog Institute to obtain access to their training modules.

Two subcommittees of CGPS&P are working on amending policies and procedures to better streamline programs and to meet the needs of our students, faculty, and staff more efficiently. One of the subcommittees is specifically examining policies and procedures around course-only master’s degree programs and has made significant progress in simplifying those streams. It may sound boring, but it is important work.

We continue to expand our professional development workshops and offerings and publicizing what is available. These will continue to be updated as we add to them. 

Finally, I meet with Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators on a monthly basis, and, among other topics, we’ve been discussing the yearly progress reports that we require for each student. You may be surprised to know that many faculty are reluctant to give negative feedback to students who they perceive are not making sufficient progress. They often let things slide until they get to a crisis point and the student is surprised to be suddenly told their program is in jeopardy. We’re working with programs to help make this a normalized process so that there is better communication between faculty and students. 

This is just a snapshot of some of the things we are working on, I’ll keep you updated on progress on these initiatives. 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

Resources:

Governance/Resolution Tracker - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernance.vt.edu%2FResolutionTracker%2FUnderReview%23under-review&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cec23bb346b9a4445903608dd31b99806%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638721395380053614%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=zrbELBN2ckh0xXkmiDW3Ca5zI82H5sXNB1m8A%2FvvgWw%3D&reserved=0

Professional Development Workshops - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgraduateschool.vt.edu%2Fstudent-services%2Fon-demand-workshops.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cec23bb346b9a4445903608dd31b99806%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638721395380072080%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=q6oKakpjOrFMQaZ9PIxdwWkm3nIpVBbPxj15ltKBE9I%3D&reserved=0

Constructive Dialog Institute Training Modules- https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstudents.vt.edu%2Ffamilies%2FeNews%2F1124%2Fletter.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cec23bb346b9a4445903608dd31b99806%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638721395380207846%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=5XH0Jz69LmPA0jXd46dSQ%2F71tWcqmqJHHUP4LyZft54%3D&reserved=0

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

Happy Friday, everyone! This is the last Friday before classes begin, and the campus is starting to come alive with people and activity. The start of a new semester always brings a sense of excitement and possibility. We're happy to greet new students through various orientation and welcome events, including those at the new Innovation Campus Academic Building in Potomac Yard. I'll be taking the train to Alexandria later today to attend Saturday's events there and I am eager to meet everyone in this awesome new space.

At the same time, we are all aware of the significant challenges happening in the world—devastating wildfires in California, conflicts and wars abroad, and political turmoil—that weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. While these events can make it difficult to concentrate, I encourage you to focus on what you can control and seek opportunities to make a positive impact in your immediate environment. Do what you can to practice basic self-care as part of your daily routine, including physical activity, sleep, a healthy diet, social connection with supportive, positive people, and a daily routine and structure.

Psychologists tell us that in moments of great stress or uncertainty our human connection is the key to staying grounded (Folkman, 2012; this book is available electronically in the library). One way to make that connection is through something called: “Collective Effervescence (CE)—a state of intense shared emotional activation and sense of unison that emerges during instances of collective behavior, like demonstrations, rituals, ceremonies, celebrations, and others” (Pizarro, et al., 2022, abstract). The argument is that moving with others allows people to feel a part of something bigger than themselves and promotes physical health, calms the nervous system, and clears mental clutter and anxieties. Examples of collective effervescence would be jumping along to Metallica at the beginning of a game, going to a graduation, taking a yoga class, attending a concert, or dancing with a crowd. So, maybe give it a try: go to a basketball game or a performance at the Moss Arts Center (student tickets are only $10 for most performances!) or go see a movie with friends or for a hike together. For me, I’ll be basking in the positive emotions of our new students at the welcoming events. 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter. 

Aimée M. Surprenant
Dean of the Graduate School

References:

Folkman, Susan (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping, Oxford Library of Psychology (2010; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 Sept. 2012), https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi-org.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu%2F10.1093%2Foxfordhb%2F9780195375343.001.0001&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C3ebc00c36e4947ef2e3508dd371edf12%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638727327912045628%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Yemr7IdyC%2Fc%2B18wONbrpsp8R2fBLctG8MddFXaOO5Gc%3D&reserved=0, accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Pizarro JJ, Zumeta LN, Bouchat P, Włodarczyk A, Rimé B, Basabe N, Amutio A, Páez D. Emotional processes, collective behavior, and social movements: A meta-analytic review of collective effervescence outcomes during collective gatherings and demonstrations. Front Psychol. 2022 Aug 31;13:974683. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.974683. PMID: 36118463; PMCID: PMC9473704.

Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I hope you all had a good first week of classes. I know it was cold, but at least we had some bright sunny days. Take heart, the days are growing longer, and spring is on its way. 

My visit to the Innovation Campus Building (ICAB1) in Potomac Yard in Alexandria last weekend was fantastic. The layout, the spaces (indoors and out), the windows, and the artwork are all inspiring. I was worried that it would feel too “corporate” but, somehow, they managed to make it feel contemporary without being cold. The students and families I met were enthusiastic and excited about the new direction the programs were taking. I know there will be a few settling-in pains, but all in all, it all went very smoothly. I wanted to take a second to rave about the new Hokie One Stop managed by the Graduate School. This is our “centralized student-focused service center that provides students with access to multiple departments and information...provid(ing) student services relating to registration, transcripts, billing, housing, transportation, and much more.” It is located on the second floor of ICAB1. The staff are dedicated to making sure that students get what they need in an easy, accessible manner. Although it is focused on students in Northern Virginia and online, their resources are available for everyone, and they’ve got some good information on resources and contacts on their page. Check them out!

I also wanted to highlight our writing retreats. Based on feedback from last semester, this semester we are doing a series throughout the whole semester with 5 all-day retreats/workshops (the first is next Thursday, Jan 30) and weekly drop-in writing space on the weeks we aren't doing an all-day retreat. Zoom options are available for those who are not in Blacksburg. The web site is here: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgraduateschool.vt.edu%2Fprofessional-development%2Fprofessional-development-series.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cf8c27f4b5a994061deb608dd3ca6ea5c%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638733409783323174%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=IQF0bsKZBdO2%2BCmzjGKO8c%2FnrsIcud0SDH0GnnC1OU4%3D&reserved=0.

You may not be surprised to hear that we have based our investment in writing retreats on published data showing that retreats such as these support writing success for graduate students (Vincent et al., 2021). Vincent et al. (2021) investigated not just if writing retreats are helpful, but why. They argued that these activities “enhance Ph.D. candidates’ writing self-efficacy and self-regulation through goals setting and time management practices (Vincent, et al., 2021, abstract)”. Writing self-efficacy is an interesting construct centering around a writer’s belief in their capacity to write and includes one’s fear of being criticized and self-confidence around writing. Those who recognize that good writing takes work and improves with practice are most likely to increase their writing self-efficacy. Good writing workshops (like ours) include a discussion of this factor and ways to enhance it. The second factor of writing self-regulation is pretty straightforward: setting goals and sitting down and doing the work. Finally, writing workshops simply provide the time to write and do nothing else—an ideal opportunity to write. Of course, not everyone benefits from writing workshops, and not everyone wants or needs such structured writing times. Graduate students are a very diverse group with various needs. But, if it is something you think you might benefit from, take advantage of it. (And read the paper—there's a lot of other interesting stuff in there I didn’t talk about including some gender differences.)

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, please reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.

Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

Reference: 

Vincent, Cynthia & Tremblay-Wragg, Émilie & Déri, Catherine & Mathieu-Chartier, Sara. (2021). How writing retreats represent an ideal opportunity to enhance PhD candidates’ writing self-efficacy and self-regulation. Teaching in Higher Education. 28. 10.1080/13562517.2021.1918661. https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F351094671_How_writing_retreats_represent_an_ideal_opportunity_to_enhance_PhD_candidates%27_writing_self-efficacy_and_self-regulation&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7Cf8c27f4b5a994061deb608dd3ca6ea5c%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638733409783359240%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wE7uErQOeQlJ9ZiAZxb855Iu5qSvq4rCjhrVHNdgtV4%3D&reserved=0

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Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I want to start by expressing my shock and sadness over the terrible air accident in the D.C. area on Wednesday night. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this tragedy. Please take a minute to reach out to those you care for and let them know how you feel about them. 

As many of you are aware, on Monday the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the U.S. Federal Government issued a memo ordering that "agencies temporarily pause...grant, loan or federal financial assistance programs that are implicated by the President’s Executive Orders.” The initial memo sparked a lot of confusion over its scope and was paused by a federal judge and subsequently withdrawn. On January 28, the White House issued a clarification to the order, which can be found here: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitehouse.gov%2Ffact-sheets%2F2025%2F01%2Fomb-q-a-regarding-memorandum-m-25-13%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C52e7a42108a84d4edf9608dd422f3887%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638739492794110022%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eAvCXztrm2e2cqgHs5cfWtls7h3KEj0GOwJ7CHQKeH8%3D&reserved=0.

From what I understand, federal agencies (including grant agencies) will examine spending to determine if the projects are inconsistent with the President’s Executive Orders. Processes surrounding federal funding often take time to unfold, and details are likely to emerge over the next several weeks and months. Please remain patient as the situation develops. The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) has created an information page that can be seen here: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.research.vt.edu%2Fresearch-support%2Fnews%2F2025%2Ffederal-funding-updates-new-admin.html&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C52e7a42108a84d4edf9608dd422f3887%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638739492794130308%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=APnpYfLbJaauWBmvYYHaS4yKS3Tpxc3S2wBoBCK89XU%3D&reserved=0. It will be updated frequently. 

Along with the cancellation of some NSF and NIH study sections, this means that there may be delays in new awards, modification of requirements, or scope of existing awards. If any of that happens, PIs will be informed. I understand you may be wondering if your funding will be impacted. Unfortunately, I can’t provide an answer at this point. I know this uncertainty is stressful, but we'll just have to wait and see how things unfold.

I will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as soon as we have more concrete information. In the meantime, I encourage you not to make any immediate decisions based on early reports, as the full details may change or evolve. 

Given the constant stream of news and updates, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or anxious, especially when things are changing rapidly. While staying informed is important, it's equally crucial to recognize when it's time to step back and protect your mental and emotional well-being. In times like these, limiting news intake can be an effective way to maintain balance. Constant exposure to distressing headlines can amplify stress and anxiety, making it harder to focus on your work, your research, and even your personal life. It’s okay to take breaks from the news or set boundaries on how much time you spend consuming it.

If you find yourself feeling overloaded, try turning your energy to something productive—whether that’s through hobbies, mindfulness practices, or connecting with friends and family. Protecting your mental health is key to staying resilient during challenging times.

Please take care of yourselves and each other and reach out if you need anything. We are here to support you. Your problems, your worries, your fears, and above all you matter.


Aimée M. Surprenant

Dean of the Graduate School

 

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Dean of Students Office at 540-231-3787 - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dos.vt.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C52e7a42108a84d4edf9608dd422f3887%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638739492794180078%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=lLoEHRaWFReEYXodB%2FdcbxmxHcIKc4LVZBZYUtgJXWw%3D&reserved=0
Referral to a campus cleric may be made through this office. 

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Anthem at 855-223-9277 

Aetna at 888-238-6232 

Kaiser Permanente at 866-517-7042 

Optima Health Vantage HMO at 866-846-2682 

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Residential Well-being at 540-231-1139  - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frwb.vt.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C52e7a42108a84d4edf9608dd422f3887%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638739492794241015%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xM9lWGPNi9BdxWcY99%2FRdvWZGP9HnnoKifpF3Td9smU%3D&reserved=0

Equity and Accessibility at  540-231-2010  - equityandaccess@vt.edu

Women's Center at Virginia Tech at 540-231-7806  - https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.womenscenter.vt.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccathg14%40vt.edu%7C52e7a42108a84d4edf9608dd422f3887%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C638739492794254744%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ivLQeZTkDlTc7SAlcXkVFM1eP9txZmQ%2BGnz%2BSFe9K%2BQ%3D&reserved=0

University Ombuds Office at 540-231-3125  - www.ombuds.vt.edu

Graduate Office of the Ombudsperson at 540-231-9573 - www.graduate.ombudsman.vt.edu