Ends and beginnings

It’s that time of year again, when our first-year students start to pack up their residence hall rooms, and our seniors prepare to walk the stage. May always holds such a special place in my heart when the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and students are bustling around campus wrapping up the semester. Whether they are hunkered down in a lab or library or taking graduation photos outside of my office on the steps of Burruss Hall, I love to see the busyness of campus during this time.

There is a saying, “every ending is just a new beginning,” and that rings especially true in the month of May. As we wrap up this academic year, our students prepare to embark on their next adventures, or for our seniors, their next chapters.

As I say goodbye to the 2024-2025 academic year, I can’t help but reflect on what a year it has been. At the conclusion of the semester, Mark Sikes, Dean of Students, will transition into his new role as Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives. I want to thank Mark for his work as Dean of Students since his arrival to campus. We have begun a search for a new Dean of Students.

Even as the semester closes, students still have challenges and issues that arise that need the support and attention of my colleagues. Given that reality, I thought I would share a bit about a recent conversation I had with Rohsaan (Ro) Settle, director of the Dean of Students Office, to learn about the programs and new developments within this office, one of four departments supervised by the Dean of Students.

The Dean of Students Office is a hub of resources to support student well-being.

“You can't do well academically if you don't have a place to stay or you don't have food to eat,” said Ro. “Students have other stressors in their lives and may not know how to manage them. We are here to meet with students, connect them to resources, and help reduce or remove barriers they face.”

The Dean of Students Office provides an array of services for students, each designed to meet a specific need they might have. To provide resources for unforeseen financial hardship, students can apply for the Student Emergency Fund or apply to receive assistance from The Market at Virginia Tech, which supports students who may be facing food insecurity. For off-campus students navigating living on their own for the first time, the Student Concern Form is a tool to help resolve conflicts with roommates or other students. The Dean of Students Office also furthers its commitment to student success with its First Generation Success programs and Interfaith Initiatives.

Likewise, exciting new services are emerging from the Dean of Students Office to support our institutional priority, Virginia Tech Advantage. These programs focus on meeting students’ basic needs, including helping alleviate food insecurity, and providing short-term assistance for unexpected financial emergencies.

Ro offered two parting thoughts:

“For the parents of first year students, I would remind you to walk alongside your student instead of doing things for them. Saying, ‘let’s do this together’ is helpful, but doing the thing for them doesn’t actually help the student grow into an adult who is self-sufficient and confident.”

“Parents of graduating students: check in with them, as it is easy to miss upcoming deadlines in the chaos of graduation. Remind your student how proud you are of them, celebrating each success and semester that has brought them this far.”

I wholeheartedly echo Ro’s sentiments. As I reflect on this past year, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of my favorite memories from each month.

Congratulations to all our graduates! We hope that you will carry with you the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in all that you do. We look forward to seeing the positive impact that you will make in your journey following Virginia Tech.