Newsletter - January 26

A Note from Desk of Dean Sarker

Dear Pamplin Community:

Hope your week has gone well!

It was great seeing many of you last Friday -- both in-person and virtually -- at the first faculty and staff meeting of the year.  I am glad that I got a chance to share with you important updates, including the findings of a report commissioned from The Segal Group, a higher education consulting firm.  Thanks to all who participated in a series of conversations with our consultants and for providing valuable insights that contributed to the organizational review of our college.  It's time to move forward from that review, and I'd like to now give you additional context as to where we are heading as a college and as a community. 

While Pamplin continues to be a strong and vibrant college of business, the changing landscape of higher education coupled with the transformative impacts of new technologies makes it necessary for us to adapt our perspective when looking ahead to Pamplin’s future. A good way of thinking about our next chapter is captured by the phrase “Next-Gen Pamplin”.

To get to this next phase of Pamplin’s growth it is important to understand where we are today.   Since I arrived seven months ago, I have engaged in a listening tour with multiple Pamplin and university stakeholders. I have also carefully reviewed the assessment of our college produced by a peer review team from the American Association of Colleges of Business (AACSB).  And I also studied the organizational review by The Segal Group.  The messages from these three sources are encouraging and consistent: we are agile and innovative; we have unrealized opportunities for programmatic and research collaborations within the college and the university; and we have strong support from our alumni and volunteers. 

However, to build towards the goal of a Next-Gen Pamplin, we will need to strengthen our spirit of community and togetherness, develop a more integrative and cohesive approach to our problem-solving, and move toward a revised organizational structure. One of the first steps will be to create a new strategic plan for the college. As part of this process, we will also carefully envision new programs that address current and emerging market needs and enhance our reputation.  We will also continue to emphasize research excellence and create opportunities for additional types of research, such as sponsored research.  We will “digitalize” Pamplin by integrating IT and data-driven approaches into our strategic initiatives. And we will foster a culture of responsibility and humility. 

To reach the next stage of relevancy, innovation, and excitement, we will need to reorganize ourselves appropriately, assemble a team that can help maximize Pamplin’s transformative capabilities, and do so in collaboration with a wide group of stakeholders.  

In the coming weeks, I look forward to providing you with additional details. In the meantime, stay well, stay safe, and enjoy the coming weekend.

Best,
Saonee

Beginning in February, the Dean's Message will be moving from a weekly to a monthly publication. Together with the Pamplin Pulse, these publications are an important vehicle for keeping our community informed as to events taking place at Pamplin, as well as providing a commentary by Dean Sarker on timely activities, developments, and issues concerning the College. Please continue to send relevant items for publication to:  Tracidb1@vt.edu until further notice.

Announcements

Introducing Pamplin News Page

We are excited to introduce the redesigned and reimagined Pamplin News page. This update to our web presence will allow us to showcase and narrate our academic and research achievements, breakthroughs, and initiatives in a new in-depth, versatile, and engaging manner. Our Pamplin News page is part of a comprehensive redesign for all the web sites housed within Virginia Tech’s colleges.

While we will continue to feature a news feed on the primary Pamplin page, having a dedicated news site will enable us to post more creative, comprehensive, and dynamic content, further enhancing a deeper connection with our community.

Special thanks to Tracy Price for making the site look good as it does and for her help managing the site.

To find the page, please bookmark news.vt.edu/pamplin-college-of-business or select “View More” on the news feed on Pamplin.vt.edu.

Gmail to Exchange Transition is coming

On February 9th, 2024, the College of Business is transitioning from Gmail to Exchange. This shift mainly affects Gmail users, with no change for existing Exchange users. This initiative is a stride towards Virginia Tech's vision of a unified and secure communication platform, streamlining our digital framework. Navigate your transition smoothly with detailed guides and support at http://pampl.in/EmailMigration-Spring24. For personalized assistance or inquiries, the Pamplin IT Help Desk is ready to help. Visit us in Pamplin 2008 or submit a ticket at http://pamplin.help for support.

2024 Pamplin Awards

The Pamplin Society is facilitating the 2024 Pamplin Awards, and we encourage you to nominate an individual or corporate partner you think is deserving of recognition by Pamplin and its fellow alumni, students, and faculty. The awards were created to recognize alumni and corporate engagement and contributions to Pamplin and our students.

The following awards invite nominations which will then be reviewed by Dean Saonee Sarker for final selection:

• Rising Alumni Award – alumni within the last 10 years who have achieved distinguished recognition in their career and rendered service to Pamplin and/or Virginia Tech since graduation.
• Mentoring Award – a distinguished alumnus who consistently embodies the spirit of mentorship of Pamplin students and/or graduates and those in their local community.
• Ut Prosim Award – a distinguished alumnus who has rendered service to the community and demonstrated a proven track record in the spirit of Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
• Corporate Ambassador Award – recipient is a company that has demonstrated ongoing support of Pamplin’s mission and its students.

The nominations will remain open through March 1, and we need your help! Please take a moment to review and share the call for nominations and this exciting opportunity to recognize efforts that are making a difference for Pamplin and our students. Additional information and the nomination form can be found here.

Appointment of Academic Director for Business Analytics (CBA)

The college wishes to appoint a current faculty member as the Academic Director for the Center for Business Analytics within the Pamplin College of Business.  The appointment, which will begin in August 2024, is a part-time, three-year appointment for a current tenure-track or non-tenure-track faculty member. The Academic Director will provide intellectual leadership and for the Center’s teaching and research activities.

Specific responsibilities will include:

1. Working with the Center’s Executive Director in further developing the curriculum of the M.S. in Business Administration with concentration in Business Analytics (MSBA-BA).
2. Encouraging the development of courses and programs that are consistent with the Center’s charter.
3. Serving as graduate program director for the Center, providing academic administration and advising associated with the MSBA-BA program.
4. Leading the interview and selection of students for acceptance into the MSBA-BA program.
5. Participation in planning and delivery of co-curricular and extracurricular elements of the MSBA-BA program such as orientation, workshops, information sessions, alumni gatherings, etc.
6. Representing the Center as needed on analytics-related committees and initiatives that arise within the college, university, and greater academic community. 
7. Working with Pamplin faculty to develop partnerships with Virginia Tech units beyond Pamplin that result in greater research, funding, and recognition for the Center.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact the CBA executive director, Jay Winkeler (jwinkeler@vt.edu) or the current Academic Director, Dr. Cliff Ragsdale (cragsdal@vt.edu) by February 9, 2024.

Employee Spotlight

Each employee below has been submitted for this recognition by their colleagues. 

The IT team at Pamplin received a heartfelt thank you note for their exceptional service. Both the professional and student employees were found to be knowledgeable and helpful in addressing the IT needs. The team's hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated, and they are truly the best.

Submit staff and faculty for upcoming issues here: Tracidb1@vt.edu

Upcoming Events

For more events, check out https://pamplin.vt.edu/events.html

Committee Corner

Extra Items

Have you seen the University updates for staff annual leave plans?

Most university staff will accrue more annual leave hours. To mitigate the impact of the holiday changes, eligible university staff will see an increase in leave earned per pay period based on years of service. For university staff with less than 20 years of service, this will equate to an additional three (3) to six (6) days of leave per calendar year. Visit the staff leave page for additional details, including a side-by-side comparison of the old and new leave accrual plan for university staff. To view more changes, review the policy here: Policy 4315: Guidelines on Holidays.

Dean’s Office Kitchen Renovation-

Renovation on the kitchen is beginning. The expected duration of the project is 4-5 weeks, depending on the demolition process. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Ridpath.

Did you know?

Trivia about Pamplin and Virginia Tech.

Each edition we will ask a question about Pamplin. This will include trivia questions, historical details, or current events. The answer will be published in the next edition.

Jan 19^th: What is Virginia Tech rated top 6% of universities in the nation for?

Virginia Tech is rated top 6% in the nation for research expenditures.

Jan 26^th: Can you guess how many acres the main campus in Blacksburg covers?

Check back next week to find out…..