Resources and Ways to Get Involved
Learn about the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program.
Learn about becoming a Graduate School Diversity Scholar.
Learn about VT-Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), a training program designed to increase the number of minorities with a PhD in biomedical and behavioral sciences and engineering.
Learn about the New Horizon Graduate Scholars program, administered from the College of Engineering Dean’s Office, that supports and enhances diversity among our graduate student population.
Academic Hispanic Outreach Alliance (AHORA)
AHORA is a mentoring program that targets Hispanic/Latino first semester College of Engineering students. The program helps students achieve academic and personal success. Contact Susan Arnold Christian (ceed@vt.edu, 540-231-3973)
My Sister’s Keeper
My Sister’s Keeper promotes networking and professional development opportunities for graduate and faculty women of color and seels to enhance scholarship, positive thinking, and social and academic adjustment within the Virginia Tech community. Through a series of discussion and informal social gatherings, My Sister’s Keeper intends to recognize, celebrate, and develop a support network for women of color. Contact Dr. Jody Thompson Marshall (maop@vt.edu, 540-231-5023)
Safe Zone Program
The Safe Zone Program’s mission is to foster a more accepting environment LGBT students at Virginia Tech. Safe Zone provides a network of people who are dedicated to providing a supportive community and that serve as a resource for accurate information about LGBT students.
Cranwell International Center
Cranwell International Center is committed to the university’s globalization initiatives and serves as the primary support service for the international community. Cranwell International Center promotes intercultural exchange, fosters a welcoming environment, and enhances the experience of all university and community participants. We support the university’s focus on teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement through our commitment to quality programming, strong advocacy, collaboration, a dedicated facility, and valuable services.
The Office of Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives
The Office of Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives (ORDI) seeks to promote a diverse and inclusive graduate community by acting as an enabler – assisting virtually every graduate program on campus to recruit, retain, and graduate a diverse student body. We follow the model of Inclusive Excellence as a way to improve the diversity of our student body, the success of all students at VT’s Graduate School, and improve the climate for all staff, faculty and students involved in graduate education. We want to make Virginia Tech’s Graduate School the number one choice for people of diverse backgrounds.
Intercultural Engagement Center
The mission of Intercultural Engagement Center is to promote the academic, personal, and social success of all students, particularly those from under-represented and historically marginalized populations. IEC values diversity and strives to transform the Virginia Tech community through cross-cultural exchange. We will increase multicultural competencies as a means of achieving educational excellence. We accomplish our mission through a combination of programs and services that promote the following areas:
- Cultural awareness – Coordinating annual cultural celebrations as a means of community celebration and exposure to a variety of ethnic communities.
- Multicultural education – Partnering with campus and community groups to create co-curricular opportunities that help expand cultural knowledge, skills, and competencies.
- Retention – Supporting the retention of students through advocacy, mentoring programs, and support groups.
- Leadership development – Promoting student leadership development through organization advising and training.
- Community building – Maintaining the Cultural Centers as safe and welcoming spaces for its constituent groups and all members of the Virginia Tech community.
#InclusiveVT
Read here the 86 initiatives by departments and offices across campus.
What is InclusiveVT?
- InclusiveVT is a framework that creates active, intentional engagement of Virginia Tech communities. InclusiveVT is anything that advances inclusion at Virginia Tech.
- InclusiveVT is Virginia Tech’s new approach to inclusion and diversity adopted by President Sands based on the unanimous recommendations of the Task Force on Inclusive Excellence created by former President Charles Steger.
- InclusiveVT is led by a newly established President’s Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council. The council, chaired by Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands, will guide, support, and be accountable for advancing inclusion and diversity initiatives throughout the university.
- InclusiveVT includes the affirmation of the campus’ Principles of Community and the Strong Together message.
- InclusiveVT adopts the existing Diversity Strategic Plan.
- InclusiveVT is all the work and spirit behind all efforts to enhance the climate and inclusivity of the Virginia Tech community and beyond.
- You are InclusiveVT.
How do I get involved?
There are many ways to be involved with InclusiveVT. Membership into the Advisory Community is completely up to you and your active, intentional and engaged commitment to inclusion efforts at Virginia Tech. There are student organizations, academic centers, professional development opportunities, advocacy groups, caucuses, curricula, governance and policy organizations that you can be a part of based on your interest and capacity. You can also participate in InclusiveVT forums offered at least once a term.
You are welcomed to reach out to the Inclusion Coordinatorsto learn more or to inform them of new groups/initiatives that are forming.
Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity
The Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) provides encouragement and support to engineering students, focusing on the under-represented population. Virginia Tech students are among the best and brightest–CEED assists them in achieving the excellence.
Mission: The goals and objectives of CEED are:
- to increase the diversity of students who apply to, enroll, and graduate from the College of Engineering;
- to increase the awareness of engineering and other technical fields as an exciting and rewarding career path to a diverse population;
- to provide academic, professional and personal support programs;
- to provide support to student organizations that support our mission, including the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and Council for the Advancement of Minority Engineering Organizations; and
- to foster collaboration between the CEED, the University, industry, and the local community.
- Join a group that focuses on diversity in our community.
- Contact your local and state representatives to ask for trainings, education, and changes in policy.
- Sign a petition.
- Donate to an organization that supports diversity and inclusion.
- Keep educating yourself and others, and keep conversations going about diversity and inclusion.