Rosemary Blieszner highlights all-in participation for Giving Day and achievements across the college

Welcome, VT CAUS family,

to the February 2022 edition of CAUS+effect. What will you be doing on February 23-24? We’ll be celebrating the 2022 Virginia Tech Giving Day, so I hope you’ll be checking the website during those 24 hours. I especially hope you’ll join hundreds of CAUS Hokies in showing the power of giving back by supporting our college and your school. We’ll have lots of fun challenges throughout the celebration, so dig out some throwback photos, dress up in Hokie gear, post a creative Twitter or Insta with #VTGivingDay or #HokiesGiveBack, and check out the other round-the-clock challenges!

Meanwhile, I’m pleased to report that the spring semester is off to a great start. Our classes and studios are meeting in person, with students also participating in design competitions and community-based living lab projects. Our busy faculty members continue to help students hone their skills through innovative and thought-provoking assignments while also pursuing their own research and creative scholarship. 

Mindful that we are teaching, learning, and working in the midst of pandemic-related challenges, President Sands, Provost Clarke, Vice President for Human Resources Bryan Garey, Vice President for Student Affairs Frank Shushok, and all the deans have prepared encouraging video messages to thank faculty, staff, and students for maintaining good health practices and to encourage us to care for each other so the university can remain open during this wave of the pandemic. 

On February 2, we broke ground for Hitt Hall, located in the former parking lot near Bishop-Favrao, Derring, Cowgill, and the New Classroom Building. This 100,000 gsf building will include research spaces for MLSoC as well as classrooms and a dining hall. We are proud and grateful to note that, in a surprise announcement at the ground-breaking ceremony, Dr. Brian M. Kleiner was named the first holder of the Vorster-Kleiner Chair in MLSoC, which was funded through donations by Industry Board members.

It's spring career fair season and the Myers-Lawson School of Construction (Feb. 22) and the School of Architecture + Design (Feb. 28) will hold their career fairs this month. We look forward to welcoming the firms and partners who support our schools and are eager to hire our graduates. 

In this edition of the newsletter, you will enjoy a story about students who serve their communities, which was written by Phil Miskovic (CPAP), our graduate student representative to the Board of Visitors. We also highlight the experiences of Landscape Architecture students who attended their professional conference last fall. Transdisciplinary collaborations are the focus of another story. And, you will read about visual arts students taking their 3D animation skills to new levels, and learn more about a professional development program in national security that is offered by SPIA.

Yours in the Hokie Spirit!
Rosemary