Virginia Tech’s 22nd Graduate Education Week, March 21-25, celebrates what the university and its graduate community have accomplished and considers what they can create next. The week’s theme, “Beyond the Legacy,” honors the university’s sesquicentennial, looking back at the history of graduate education and looking forward to what the next decades may hold. 

Graduate Education Week highlights the importance of graduate education and increases the university community’s awareness of the contributions of graduate students to teaching, research, and service. The Graduate School hosts a broad array of events and activities throughout the week, some of which are virtual or hybrid. The week culminates on Friday, March 25, with the annual barbecue on the Graduate Life Center lawn on the Blacksburg campus and with a happy hour for students in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area at the Virginia Tech Research Center — Arlington campus.

“We are excited to offer a week full of events celebrating graduate education and graduate student achievements. The mixture of in-person and virtual events will allow us to reach a wide audience both in Blacksburg and at our extended campuses,” said interim Graduate Student Services Director Lauren Surface. Free T-shirts will be available at all in-person events on the Blacksburg campus.

Surface said the week begins with a Zoom panel discussion featuring award-winning alumni on Monday, March 21, at noon. They will discuss their graduate school journey at Virginia Tech and how that experience contributed to their successful careers. The panelists include Laura Levi Altstaedter, associate professor at East Carolina University; Andrew Coggins, clinical professor of management at Pace University; Anurag Mantha, district engineer with the Virginia Department of Health; and Amanda Rumore, associate professor at Randolph College.

On Wednesday, March 23, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) will hold its annual research symposium with the theme of interdisciplinary research and communication. This year, the event will take place on Canvas. Those interested in attending can register via this link. For additional details, visit the GPSS website.

The complete list of events and activities can be found on the Graduate Education Week website

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