Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The Student Opportunities & Achievement Resources (SOAR) Program at Virginia Tech is "dedicated to welcoming and retaining underrepresented minority students at Virginia Tech and promoting their success through campus collaborations."

VT's "Virginia Tech Difference: An Inclusive Process" states that, as of 2020, "The enhanced admissions process seeks to eliminate barriers and improve access for students, particularly those from underserved, first-generation, or low-income backgrounds."

On June 29, 2023, Virginia Tech issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "Virginia Tech leadership is reviewing the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court released this morning concerning consideration of race in college admissions...we remain committed to the mission of our land-grant institution – to offer a practical education to all members of the commonwealth, nation, and beyond. To accomplish this mission, we will continue to work hard to expand access to underserved and underrepresented populations."

One of the goals of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity at VT is to "increase the diversity of students who apply to, enroll, and graduate from the College of Engineering."

VT's Undergraduate Admissions department has a "Diversity Undergraduate Recruitment" webpage which links to relevant sites from around the institute.

The Black College Institute at VT is an "academic summer enrichment program" and is "designed to attract underrepresented and/or first-generation students..." The program is "planned using a multicultural perspective though we place special emphasis on the African-American identity."

"Virginia Tech requires every incoming first year and transfer student to complete the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion module. This module is part of InclusiveVT and the universities commitment to build a strong community where every one is recognized, respected and understands the importance diversity plays in their overall education at Virginia Tech. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion module covers three main content areas which include Identities, Power Privilege and Oppression and Creating a Culture of Respect."

As part of Virginia Tech’s InclusiveVT programming, “White Allies as Transformational Leaders” is a diversity education initiative geared specifically for white faculty to unpack “white privilege” and create “white allies.”

Virginia Tech's Office for Inclusion and Diversity offers a variety of "Inclusive Pedagogy" courses and training sessions for faculty including: "Fostering an Inclusive Classroom Environment," "Reducing Implicit Bias in the Classroom," and "Anti-Racist Teaching."

Virginia Tech's Professional Development Network offers a variety of "Capacity Building DEI [Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion] Courses" for staff and faculty including: "Creating an Inclusive Climate," "What is Privilege and Why Does it Matter," and the "Diversity Committee Toolkit."

VT's 2019-2024 Academic Advising Strategic Plan states that it has "[p]artnered with AAI to create a DEI focused training module for academic advisors who serve as mentors through the Academic Advisor Mentor Program (AAMP)."

VT states, "Every incoming first year and transfer student is required to complete the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion module within their first two months on campus." The module "covers three main content areas: Identities; Power, Privilege, and Oppression; and Creating a Culture of Respect."

Virginia Tech's Student Affairs Department states that "[e]very incoming first year and transfer student is required to complete Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging" online courses. This online course "introduces concepts such as inclusion, power, privilege, identities, and communication as well as strategies related to ally behavior, self-care, and creating inclusive spaces."

VT's "Pathways General Education" initiative allows undergraduates to "meet part of their general education requirements while addressing vital issues such as sustainability, social justice, cybersecurity, and big data, among many others."

The Department of Student Affairs at VT has a "Bias Incident Reporting Form" where students can "report experiences of bias, harassment, and discrimination, as well as file a complaint, ask for advice, express a concern, or simply tell someone."

VT's "Virginia Tech Difference: An Inclusive Process" states that "all search committee members must complete an unconscious bias online course."

As part of the onboarding process at VT, "[all] full and part time benefitted employees complete the course, Road to Cultural Competency, within 90 days (about 3 months) of receiving the Page Up LMS notification."

"The Equity and Social Disparity in the Human Condition Destination Area (ESDHC DA) is offering grants of up to $10,000 to support short conference, symposia, or forums that take a transdisciplinary approach to compelling topics of our time. Initiatives selected to co-brand as an Advancing the Human Condition program are ones that premise equity as a driving force of its deliberations."

The Diversity and Community Engagement Minor (2023-2024 Academic Catalog) requires students to take a course by the same name which is described in part as follows: "Focus on diverse identities, social justice, power, and privilege, applying social science theories and concepts, to facilitate intercultural awareness."

VT offers a variety of diversity grants, including "Departmental Diversity Grants," "Diversity Mini-Grants," and the "CLAHS Curriculum Innovation Program." The CLAHS Program is a "faculty development and curriculum development program that aims to ensure CLAHS courses contain diverse perspectives and utilize inclusive teaching methods that support the learning of a diverse student body."

Virginia Tech held a five-part learning series in 2022 on “Building Beyond Nice Racism: Catalyzing Institutional Change in the Food System” in an effort to “dismantle the attitudes, practices, and structures that hold racism in place as a step towards creating a more equitable food system.”

On August 28, 2021, Virginia Tech held its eighth annual Dialogue on Race, which is “a grassroots initiative to combat racism in five key issue areas: education, law enforcement, employment, African American presence in community governance, and the culture and practices of Jim Crow and white privilege.”

The Office of Inclusion and Diversity at Virginia Tech hosts a number of programs and initiatives towards promoting the InclusiveVT commitment of the school and provides a number of resources on anti-racism, racial equity, and diversity.

On August 10, 2021, Virginia Tech's Faculty Senate released a "Statement on Academic Freedom" which focuses on the topic of critical race theory in education and how new laws are defining how "educators can and cannot discuss gender, race, and ethnicity in the classroom." The Faculty Senate stated the following: "As scholars and educators, we are called to affirm that limits on discourse and inquiry are antithetical to intellectual and psychological growth. Laws that constrain the examination of slavery and racism and their impact on contemporary society are particularly disturbing for what they reveal about our inability to set aside political differences in the interest of scholarly, educational, and social advancement, for it is impossible to honestly consider the history and nature of the United States without asking uncomfortable questions about how race has shaped and continues to shape our society."

Virginia Tech's book store is selling Victor Ray's "On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters & Why You Should Care."

On March 25, 2022, Virginia Tech's School of Education co-sponsored a webinar series titled "Critical Race Theory & Rural Education."

The "InclusiveVT Digital Library" is for faculty and staff members who are "interested in learning more about diverse identities and experiences" and includes Ibram Kendi's "How To Be An Antiracisit."

On March 1, 2024, VT hosted the Advising Matters Conference which included a workshop titled "Affirmation, support and advocacy: Foundational Practices for Radical Love and Belonging." This workshop "[utilized] Critical Race Theory (a theory that validates everyday racialized experiences) to explore affirming, supportive, and advocacy techniques for advising students of color attending predominantly white institutions."

One of the "diversity objectives" for the College of Liberal Arts is to "build an infrastructure that promotes representation from underrepresented groups in decision-making processes across the curriculum and administrative affairs of the college."

An instructor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Development and Family Science apologized to her students for her own “white skin”, “innate racism,” and “many privileges” in the course syllabus.

VT's pledge titled "Principles of Community" states, "We take individual and collective responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training, and interaction with others."