Virginia Tech Global Distinction FAQs
Q: How is Virginia Tech activating Global Distinction?
A: The Global Distinction steering committee, through partnership with and support from university leadership, continues to define new processes and improve existing processes to support scholarly activities. The steering committee was charged with identifying measures of success, assessing current university-wide efforts, recommending approaches to accelerate progress, offering guidance on maximizing the visibility of impactful research and scholarship activities, and estimating the need for additional investment. University leaders and the steering committee are now working with key stakeholders to shape the initiative through subcommittees. Learn more about the subcommittees.
Q: How will Global Distinction benefit Virginia Tech?
A: Prioritizing support for scholarly activities of our faculty will allow the university to achieve its mission and expand its impact.
Q: How will Global Distinction impact faculty? How can they help shape our pathway to Global Distinction?
A. Now and into the future, the best ways for faculty to contribute to Global Distinction is by continuing to excel in their research, scholarship, and creative activity, and by sharing their insights into how they can be more empowered by the university to do this work. University leaders and the steering committee are examining ways to help faculty do just this.
Faculty can share questions or feedback
Q: How will we measure progress?
A: Global Distinction will result from elevating the quality, quantity, and prominence of our scholarship, research, creativity, and impact. Common measures include scholarly impact (e.g., citation impact, publication of books and monographs; curation of designs, visual art and artistic performances, etc.); extramural grant and contract expenditures; distinctive faculty awards, fellowships, and memberships; research-based doctoral education; and postdoctoral associate training. These measures do not comprehensively capture all of the ways Virginia Tech鈥檚 scholars impact the world, and the steering committee is exploring additional ways to measure success.
Q: How is Global Distinction funded?
A: Institutional, philanthropic, and other external funding resources will continue to be instrumental in supporting the scholarly activity of our faculty.
Q: What areas of Virginia Tech are involved in Global Distinction?
A: Because the initiative is designed to further our impact, all areas of the university are involved, across all academic disciplines and administrative units. Several university-level programs already exemplify the approaches that yield outcomes associated with global distinction, including thematic and investment research institutes, the Destination Area 2.0 program, research-based doctoral programs, and both capital and operational improvements to research facilities and infrastructure. Going forward, the steering committee (with representation from academic, research, and administrative partners across campus) and university leadership will continue to identify the connecting threads.
Q: What is the status of the Global Distinction initiative?
A: In the beginning of the 2024 calendar year, the Virginia Tech Global Distinction steering committee was charged with identifying measures of success, assessing current university-wide efforts, recommending approaches to accelerate progress, offering guidance on maximizing the visibility of impactful research, scholarship, and creative activities, and estimating the need for additional investment.
In fall 2024, the steering committee was re-charged to develop a strategic framework for Global Distinction that focuses on:
- Developing Global Distinction principles
- Supporting research talent
- Aligning research investment mechanisms