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First-Year Faculty Experience (FYFE)

VT’s First-Year Faculty Experience (FYFE) is a new year-long professional development and community-building program for teaching and/or research faculty in their first-year at Virginia Tech. Led by the Office of Faculty Affairs in partnership with colleagues across the university, the program is designed to help new faculty navigate their first-year by connecting them with campus resources, colleagues, and practical strategies in teaching, research, service, and community. 

Register for the Program (Canvas)

Registration for individual sessions will be required and sent out three weeks prior to each session. Location confirmation will be sent out approximately two weeks in advance to those who registered.

2026-27 Academic Year Sessions

FYFE participants are invited to participate in monthly workshops that will highlight key aspects of faculty success and introduce them to the people, resources, and networks that support their work.

  • Session 1: September 4, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 2: October 2, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 3: November 6, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 4: December 4, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 5: January 22, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 6: February 5, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 7: March 5, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Session 8: April 2, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Locations will vary, so faculty have an opportunity to visit many campus spaces, and Zoom attendance is available for those who are not located on the Blacksburg campus. Registration for each session will be sent out two weeks prior to the session, and location will be confirmed the week prior to each session.

FYFE Outcomes

  • Navigate the Virginia Tech environment
  • Build a professional network with campus partners and other first-year faculty
  • Become acquainted with key aspects of faculty success:
    • Academic Freedom
    • Begin Building Your Scholarly Presence
    • Start to find a Work-Life Balance
    • Cultivating Success in the Classroom – For Your Students and You
    • Teaching with AI
    • Getting Started with Research Funding
    • Mentoring Graduate Students

New Teaching and/or Research Faculty will receive a direct invitation to participate in the program and its associated Canvas site, but Faculty Affairs appreciates administrators and mentors sharing widely about this program with new faculty.

Questions?

Email Leslie Stevens and Barbara Lockee.