New office integrates strategic affairs and InclusiveVT in support of the land-grant mission
Ten years ago, Virginia Tech’s ability to meet its growing responsibilities as a modern land-grant university faced significant challenges. The university’s enrollment demographics were stagnant, and its talent pools were shrinking. Top students from underrepresented and underserved families in Virginia were going elsewhere. Employers said Virginia Tech graduates were not known for having a high degree of cultural competency, an essential component of a globally competitive workforce.
Virginia Tech’s answer was InclusiveVT, an institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the spirit of inclusive communities, education, and excellence. Woven into the Strategic Plan, InclusiveVT involves the entire university in creating a pathway of inclusion and success for all Virginia communities.
Today, Virginia Tech has one of the fastest-growing application pools in the country with 40 percent of its highly competitive entering classes coming from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds, including Pell-eligible, first-generation, and veteran students.
“Our culture of community and service is attracting top faculty and staff talent and partners who are fueling our growth and impact, including new opportunities in the greater Washington, D.C., area,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “InclusiveVT is an essential part of our modern land-grant mission to build world-class research and academic collaborations that address challenges and opportunities in the commonwealth and beyond.”
As part of InclusiveVT’s ongoing evolution, support functions, projects, and initiatives based in the Office for Inclusion and Diversity will be integrated into areas that will promote and ensure their ongoing sustainability and impact across the entire university.
A new unit within the Office of the President, the Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence led by Menah Pratt as vice president for inclusive strategy and excellence, will encompass and expand the role of the Office for Strategic Affairs and integrate the universitywide Office for Inclusion and Diversity functions that support InclusiveVT and the university’s relationship with the communities it serves.
The Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence will develop its continuous planning capabilities to better support Virginia Tech’s Strategic Plan and the planning needs of individual units. The office also will create an incubator for experimental programs that advance the university’s strategic priorities, a need that was identified in the original 2016 Beyond Boundaries report.
“As our Strategic Plan advances, we are evolving and elevating InclusiveVT to support the university’s mission and key strategic priorities such as Virginia Tech Advantage,” Pratt said. “InclusiveVT will continue to be an integral part of our Beyond Boundaries Vision for Virginia Tech’s future as a 21st century land-grant institution.”
