VT Engage announces new grant program

13 Feb 2013

Through the generosity of many donors, Virginia Tech’s VT Engage: The Community Learning Collaborative has established a new grant program, the John E. Dooley Student Engagement Grant.

The new grant opportunity will fund highly motivated students or student teams interested in implementing community-based civic engagement projects. Two grants will be awarded for 2012-13, amounting to $750 each.

The grant is named for previous vice president of Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, John E. Dooley. Dooley was highly influential in Virginia Tech's international initiatives, helping to triple the number of students studying abroad, as well as the founding of the predecessor to VT Engage, the Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships. Upon his retirement in 2012, private donors raised the funds for the grant to continue these ideals. Dooley currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Virginia Tech Foundation.

VT Engage grant programs have supported a variety of student projects over the years, including Bridges to Prosperity. Bridges to Prosperity works internationally with isolated communities to assist in increasing access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities through building bridges. The bridges help to link communities to those opportunities. Last year, the project utilized the VT Engage grant funds in a building project in LaChambre, Haiti.

VT Engage will accept proposals through March 29, at 5 p.m. The grant recipients will be announced at VT Engage’s annual Engagement Awards Ceremony on April 17.

The call for proposals, including application instructions and links to all of the application materials are available online. For any questions related to the grant, contact Lauren Kennedy.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.