Virginia Tech grows graduate students services, programming in the D.C. area
Graduate School leaders in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area welcome students at August orientation including Associate Dean Dr. Barbara Hoopes (far left), Director of Student Services Bryan Mitchell (center), and Director of Administration Ginny Wagg (far right), are joined by Dean Aimee Surprenant (right of center) and Graduate Admissions and Academic Progress Advisor Torri Brown (left of center). Virginia Tech photo
As the fall semester begins, the Graduate School leaders in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area are welcoming new and returning in-person and online students. Associate Dean Barbara Hoopes, Director of Administration Ginny Wagg, and Director of Student Services Bryan Mitchell are supporting new and returning students to the 43 programs from seven colleges spread across the eight locations in the region.
A space and place for Hokie One Stop
New this year is the centralized Hokie One Stop student services center. Until this fall, the Hokie One Stop existed as a webpage with links to a wide range of departments and units, from the Bursar’s Office to Cook Counseling Center to Cranwell International Center and the Graduate School. In early September, the Hokie One Stop will have a physical presence at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church, staffed by a student services associate.
“Student services always have been available, but bringing them under one roof for students to have access to is new,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been getting a lot of questions around some of the services that will be provided.”
That includes housing, he said. “I think as a team in the Graduate School, we’ve done a really good job of letting students know what housing options we have and adding options as needed.”
When the Innovation Campus Academic Building 1 opens for the spring 2025 semester, the Hokie One Stop will have a large space on the second floor with offices for programs and support services in addition to a front desk to answer general questions and check-in students.
Students with a wide range of backgrounds
As many of the D.C. area graduate students are working parents, Mitchell also is working with departments and organizations to provide more information about family services, including where to find lactation rooms at the various locations for students who may need them across the region.
Hoopes said students in the D.C. area programs come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. “We have a lot of part-time students that are working in government and industry. We have a lot of full-time students that are coming back for a graduate degree. We have a good number of international students that find the D.C. area appealing in terms of career and professional development opportunities," she said.
The area also is home to students taking degree-granting programs online, and the D.C. team is committed to providing the services and supports they need, she said.
More programming for students
The Graduate Student Assembly in the D.C. area also has expanded its programming. It now is a registered student organization, so students can find information on clubs and activities in the D.C. area or online on GobblerConnect. That team is working with student organizations on the Blacksburg campus to encourage them to indicate when something is available in hybrid fashion, as well, to include students from outside of Blacksburg in the Hokie community.
“We're working very hard to make these connections with Blacksburg even stronger, so everyone feels a part of the same community, no matter where their geographic location,” Hoopes said.
Forming partnerships in the region
Other information the team is gathering for students includes discount tickets for local events, free activities, and programming that other local higher education institutions that are open to Virginia Tech students. Virginia Tech recently established a partnership with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Transit Authority to provide full-time access to its UPass program, which allows them to ride Metro buses and trains without paying fares. Students pay for the passes as part of their comprehensive fees. The university also is establishing partnerships with businesses, agencies and other potential partners in the region to provide students access to more experiential learning opportunities.
Virginia Tech also works with members of the Consortium of Universities in the Washington Metropolitan Area. “As affiliate members, our partnerships with local universities are growing,” Hoopes said. “We have housing partnerships. The Innovation Campus has worked explicitly with some of the local universities to clarify the pathways for their undergraduate students to our graduate programs.”
Hoopes said the university is working hard to integrate into the fabric of the D.C. area, including finding ways to partner with other universities. “With the strength of the graduate school team that we have now, and the centralization of student services and communications to the students and to the programs, we are unifying a Virginia Tech community here in the region.”
For more information about the D.C. area programs, including a calendar of events, visit the D.C. Area webpage. Visit the Hokie One Stop webpage to find out more about the services available to students.
