The Office for Diversity and Inclusion will host a formal kickoff of the Strong Together Initiative with a reception Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., in Owens Banquet Hall.

A special presentation on the Principles of Community as well as remarks by students and university officials will begin at 4:15 p.m. The reception, which is free and open to all Virginia Tech students, staff, faculty, and community members, will also serve as a welcome-to-campus mixer for recently hired employees and their families.

The Strong Together Initiative is a year-long effort to promote inclusion and unity at Virginia Tech and will include a variety of programming and promotional efforts geared toward raising awareness and application of the Principles of Community among students, staff, and faculty. 

“The Principles of Community provide a framework for building the strong interpersonal relationships that are necessary for achieving and sustaining excellence as an institution,” said William T. Lewis, vice president for diversity and inclusion, “President Charles W. Steger and I are excited about the sense of unity and inclusion that the Strong Together Initiative will bring to the university community.”

RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated. Those who plan to attend are asked to send an email the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

The Virginia Tech Principles of Community, affirmed by the board of visitors March 14, 2005, are fundamental to the university’s on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members.

Persons with a disability who may need an accommodation to participate in this program are asked to email Perry Martin or call him at 540-231-7500.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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