VT-ENGAGE
History
REMEMBER SERVE LEARN
We know Virginia Tech as a land grant university with a mission of discovery, learning and engagement and a motto of Ut Prosim - That I May Serve.
We are aware that many of the victims of the April 16, 2007 tragedy here had dedicated a portion of their lives to service to others. By participating in VT-ENGAGE you can honor their commitment to service.
As members of the Virginia Tech community, it is important that we-individually and as a community-reflect upon the motto of Ut Prosim and the engagement aspect of our mission. And we must act. Through action, Virginia Tech can demonstrate its commitment to be a 21st century university, focused on social responsibility and justice. One of the ways to do that is through VT-ENGAGE. VT-ENGAGE is an outgrowth of what we have learned, what we can do - what we can continue to do.
VT-ENGAGE is about making a commitment to effect positive change in someone's life and in a community.
Through VT-ENGAGE, we can acknowledge the scores of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who engage in philanthropic activities as regular parts of their lives and honor the enrichment that brings to us all. And we can expand and strengthen our university-community partnerships.
VT-ENGAGE is an opportunity, and it is an individual choice. Some will choose to engage quietly and privately; others will choose to participate in a public group. Through VT-ENGAGE we are encouraging all to engage with society. But perhaps the finest outcome will be realized in the private moments of reflection on what it means to be a socially responsible university, and in our individual and collective commitment to "be the change [we] wish to see in the world (Gandhi)."
Karen DePauw
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies
Dean of the Graduate School
Member of VT-ENGAGE Steering Committee
Virginia Tech
September 7, 2007