Virginia Tech's - University Relations - Virginia Tech

inside 

VIRGINIA 

TECH

Virginia Polytechnic Institute 

and State University is a public 

land-grant university serving the 

Commonwealth of Virginia, the 

nation, and the world community. 

The discovery and dissemination 

mission 

of the 

university 

of new knowledge are central to 

its mission. Through its focus on 

teaching and learning, research 

and discovery, and outreach and 

engagement, the university creates, 

conveys, and applies knowledge 

to expand personal growth and 

opportunity, advance social and 

community development, foster 

economic competitiveness, and 

improve the quality of life.

VIRGINIA 

TECH 

Globally renowned faculty. 

Groundbreaking research. 

Inestimable service to communities and society. 

Eminent scholarship. 

Worldwide technological leadership. 

Challenging academic standards. 

Talented and motivated students. 

Dedicated staff. 

Loyal and successful alumni. 

Focused on improving economic conditions. 

A heartfelt motto of service. 

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 215 undergraduate 

and graduate degree programs to 31,000 students and 

manages a research portfolio of $450 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. 

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech attracts students 

from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The 

university’s eight colleges achieve quality, innovation, 

and results through teaching, research, and outreach in 

Blacksburg and at other campus centers in Northern 

Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Richmond, southern 

Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Roanoke. 

INSIDE VIRGINIA TECH 1

2 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECHLEARNING 

Virginia Tech develops and uses 

instructional technologies as the 

university transforms and improves the 

way students learn. While we continue 

to provide instruction in the classroom 

and laboratory, we have also moved 

beyond those traditional knowledgeacquisition 

sites to meet the needs of 

a technologically advanced age. With more than 90 percent of our academic departments 

offering distance education over the Internet, many of our students enroll in e-learning 

courses. Our courses, both traditional and electronic, are filled with top-notch students whose 

quality, potential, and commitment continue to grow. For example, students who were offered 

admission to the Class of 2016 boasted an impressive grade point average (GPA) of 3.98 on 

a 4.0 scale and average Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores of 1250 for the combined 

critical reading and math sections. 

Motivated students and a world-class faculty: 

A winning combination for acquiring knowledge 

Learning from diversity 

More goes into learning than academic credentials 

alone. To provide an education that will prepare our 

graduates for the global environment in which they 

will live and compete, Virginia Tech works diligently 

to create a diverse environment on campus— 

diverse, certainly, in terms of program offerings and 

research initiatives, but diverse in the culture and 

ethnicity of students, faculty, and staff as well. The 

university supports scholarly and social pursuits 

that provide a true multicultural learning experience 

and continues to take decisive steps to attract more 

underrepresented segments of the population to our 

campus. 

Pathways to learning 

We focus on educating the whole person through 

an integrated core/general education program of 

broadbased knowledge and education skills—the 

foundation needed to effectively function, reason, 

and interact in a broader intellectual community— 

that complements each student’s more focused 

area of expertise. All undergraduates participate in 

this program of first-year experiences, e-portfolios, 

integrated course sequences, and capstone 

challenges that include undergraduate research. 

Virginia Tech also now offers residential colleges 

that increase interactions with faculty preceptors 

and peers from all academic disciplines and provide 

a thriving sense of community that supports 

academic and civic engagement. 

Beyond the core/general education courses that 

provide students with critical-thinking skills, 

Virginia Tech also operates with a set of core values. 

These core values, which define the institution 

and its community, include a commitment to the 

freedom of inquiry, personal integrity, mutual 

respect, promoting personal and professional 

growth, fostering a lifelong commitment to learning 

and innovation, and contributing to society.

Renowned faculty experts 

Any institution of higher learning is only as 

good as those who provide the foundation 

for the learning experience. Virginia Tech 

is a community of scholars committed to 

the creation, preservation, transmission, 

advancement, and use of knowledge by 

means of rigorous intellectual inquiry. 

Year after year, faculty members across the 

campus earn national and international 

accolades and receive tangible recognition 

for their contributions in fields that span 

the spectrum of academic and research 

specializations. 

Faculty Excellence 

Thanks to these inspired scholars and 

others, Virginia Tech has long been known 

as a launchpad not only for technological 

innovation but also for the knowledge that 

leads to those innovations—knowledge 

that ultimately benefits the community, the 

commonwealth, and the world. 

Undergraduate programs and courses: 

www.vt.edu/academics. 

Graduate School and its programs: 

www.graduateschool.vt.edu or 

www.vt.edu/academics. 

Accomplishments of some of Virginia Tech’s 

distinguished faculty: www.vt.edu/about and 

www.provost.vt.edu/faculty_awards.php. 

Forty-two active faculty members have won National Science 

Foundation CAREER awards. 

Six have obtained Presidential Early Career Awards for young 

faculty members doing research in new fields. 

Nine professors have been named Virginia Outstanding Scientists. 

Three have received Lifetime Achievement recognition from the Science 

Museum of Virginia. 

Twenty-nine professors have been named State Council of Higher Education 

for Virginia Outstanding Faculty since 1987. 

Virginia Agricultural 

and Mechanical College 

was established in 1872 on the 

site of the Preston and Olin 

Institute, a Methodist school for 

boys, in Blacksburg. In 1896, the 

name was changed to Virginia 

Agricultural and Mechanical 

College and Polytechnic Institute, 

a cumbersome title that was 

almost immediately shortened 

informally to Virginia Polytechnic 

Institute or, simply, VPI. In 1944, 

the nickname was officially 

blessed as the school’s name by 

the Virginia General Assembly, 

which also named Radford 

College the Women’s Division of 

VPI. That merger ended in 1964. 

In 1970, VPI became Virginia 

Polytechnic Institute and State 

University, which remains the 

formal name of the institution. 

The most commonly used name— 

Virginia Tech—is sanctioned by 

the university and preferred for 

most applications. 

Twelve current or emeriti faculty members have been elected to the 

prestigious National Academy of Engineering. 

Four are members of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Student Excellence 

Two Virginia Tech students have been named Rhodes Scholars. 

Since 1989, 25 students have earned a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue 

a research project in their major field at a university in another country. 

Thirty-seven students have earned the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, 

established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater. 

The purpose is to encourage a continuing stream of highly qualified 

scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. 

Twelve students have earned Udall Scholarships for future leaders across 

a wide spectrum of environmental fields. 

Yong Woo Lee, biomedical engineering, working 

in his vascular biology laboratory. 

Three Hokies have been Truman Scholars as juniors with exceptional 

leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, nonprofit 

or advocacy sectors, education, or elsewhere in public service. 


4 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECHDISCOVERY 

Virginia Tech’s researchers and scholars 

often cross college and departmental 

lines to work together in a interdisciplinary 

approach to problem solving. More than 

100 research centers, institutes, schools, 

and groups address complex world 

issues, enhance human understanding, 

and create works of art. Examples of 

just a few ongoing projects include 

high-performance computing; advanced 

materials; wireless telecommunication; housing; human and animal health; cognition, 

development, and behavior; and the environment and energy. In the social sciences, 

scholarship and creative work include cultural expression and literature; interactions between 

ideas, technology, and people; and performing arts. 

Collaboration, innovation, and technology: 

Keys to advancing knowledge 

Finding the future 

Through the support of hundreds of sponsors, 

our faculty members and students are working on 

more than 3,500 research projects. In fiscal year 

2011, Virginia Tech had $450 million in research 

expenditures, researchers received 40 patents, 

and licensing revenues were valued at more than 

$2 million. Virginia Tech ranked 10th among 

universities globally in the IEEE Spectrum Patent 

Power Scorecards, which analyzed the strength of 

patent portfolios for calendar year 2009. 

Adjacent to campus and closely aligned with the 

university’s research activities is Virginia Tech’s 

120-acre Corporate Research Center (CRC), 

which has enjoyed stunning success in fulfilling 

its mission of building fruitful, results-oriented 

business partnerships involving the academic world, 

private corporations, and government. The CRC has 

grown to 140 firms with 2,200 employees housed 

in 27 buildings, and it is expanding to a second 

phase of construction. Its incubator program, VT 

KnowledgeWorks, facilitates the start-up of new 

companies. 

In 2010, the CRC was named the 2010 

Outstanding Research Park by the Association of 

University Research Parks as part of its Annual 

Awards of Excellence. The Virginia Tech Applied 

Research Corporation, a private nonprofit 

corporation established in fall 2010, fosters applied 

research and development and manages largecontract 

research projects. It applies Virginia Tech’s 

research achievements, expertise, and collaborations 

across multiple disciplines to solve complex national 

challenges in intelligence, cyber and information 

technology, national security, energy, and health. 

Great projects, 

amazing facilities 

Seven research institutes have been created to 

draw upon established strengths and enhance the 

university’s ability to address large-scale research 

opportunities by crossing traditional disciplinary 

and college lines. These institutes are: the Fralin 

Life Science Institute; Institute for Creativity, Arts, 

and Technology; Institute for Critical Technology 

and Applied Science; Institute for Society, Culture,

and Environment; Virginia Bioinformatics 

Institute; Virginia Tech Carilion Research 

Institute; and Virginia Tech Transportation 

Institute. 

The university expanded its research 

portfolio in summer 2011 when it opened 

the Virginia Tech Research Center — 

Arlington in a region that offers great 

opportunity for partnerships with corporate 

research entities and close proximity to 

government agencies and other public- and 

private-sector organizations. The building 

is one of the best-connected and most 

technologically advanced research facilities 

in the world. It incorporates next-generation 

Internet capabilities with direct fiber 

access to National LambdaRail, Internet 

2, and multiple federal networks. Highperformance 

connectivity links the center to 

Virginia Tech’s main campus in Blacksburg, 

as well as to other major universities and 

international free electronic traffic exchange 

points in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los 

Angeles, and Florida. 

The university is affiliated with two 

medical schools with a significant research 

component. The Virginia Tech-Wake Forest 

University School of Biomedical Engineering 

and Sciences integrates the capabilities of 

Wake Forest University School of Medicine 

and two Tech colleges. In addition, the 

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine 

and Research Institute, where students and 

clinicians partner in the research enterprise, 

addresses inflammation, infectious disease, 

neuroscience, and cardiovascular science. The 

mission is to become a premier institute of 

interdisciplinary and translational research 

within the medical sciences, to facilitate 

research-based medical education, and to 

improve patient care through discovery and 

partnerships. 

For more information about research 

activities at Virginia Tech, go to www. 

research.vt.edu/research/index.php or www. 

research.vt.edu/resmag/crossing. 

University Libraries 

Virginia Tech’s library system, 

University Libraries, includes 

holdings of more than 2.3 million 

volumes physically located in 

Newman Library, three branch 

libraries (Art + Architecture, 

Veterinary Medicine, and Northern 

Virginia Resource Service Center), 

and a high-density storage 

building near the campus. 

Among the holdings are unique 

special collections and numerous 

electronic databases. 

Careers 

Virginia Tech employs more than 14,000 people in Virginia and around the world. 

It hires the best and brightest innovators; faculty members who share our hands-on, 

minds-on philosophy for educating future leaders; and others who help make our 

university a true community. Careers include teaching, lab and research, information 

technology, engineering, housekeeping, trades, fiscal, food service, administrative 

support, law enforcement, health care, hospitality, public relations, human resources, 

and many more. 

Robotics demonstration at Newman Library 

For more information: 

www.jobs.vt.edu 

http://m.jobs.vt.edu (mobile site) 

www.twitter.com/VaTechJobs 

www.facebook.com/VirginiaTechJobs 

www.peopleadmin.com/rss/114.xml 


6 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECHENGAGEMENT 

Engagement is an integral part of an 

effective university, especially a land-grant 

institution. As the application component 

in the overall educational structure, 

engagement exists in a seamless 

relationship with learning and discovery. 

As part of its outreach and engagement 

mission, the university collaborates with 

business and community partners to help 

entire regions of the commonwealth to 

plan economic development based on existing assets; trains environmental resource, water, 

and wastewater management professionals from across the country; assists with global 

marketing efforts; manages sustainable agriculture projects around the world; and supports 

the university’s cross-college K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

education initiative to help teachers excel in their classrooms. 

Service to community and society: 

A land-grant tradition 

Outreach and 

International Affairs 

Professionals, organizations, and communities 

regularly tap Virginia Tech’s vast resources, 

expertise, and research results through hundreds of 

continuing and professional education programs. 

The university has a long history of providing 

innovative distance-learning techniques—satellite 

videoconferencing, multimedia, interactive video, 

interactive computer conferencing, and Web-based 

courses—to meet the various needs of working 

adults and other nontraditional students. 

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research 

in Danville, Va., provides an excellent example 

of how outreach can engage entire communities 

and regions. The institute, a collaborative venture 

involving Virginia Tech and numerous partners, 

including Averett University, Danville Community 

College, the City of Danville, Pittsylvania County, 

and the Future of the Piedmont Foundation, is 

working to attract innovative enterprises to help 

transform the economy of southern Virginia, which 

formerly depended heavily on tobacco and a variety 

of skilled-labor industries that have relocated 

offshore in recent years. Focus areas include 

high-value horticulture and forestry, motorsports 

and vehicle performance, renewable energy and 

bioproducts, and robotics and unmanned systems. 

The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference 

Center on campus and The Hotel Roanoke & 

Conference Center in Roanoke, both owned by 

Virginia Tech, consistently support the university’s 

engagement mission by working with faculty to 

plan and host conferences, workshops, and other 

efforts. 

Virginia Tech manages more than $92 million 

in funded economic development projects in 

44 countries. Current project initiatives include 

building institutional capacity at two universities 

in South Sudan, reducing the harmful use of 

pesticides in the Caribbean, and developing systems 

for conservation agriculture around the world. 

The university also encourages faculty members 

to develop global course content and studyabroad 

opportunities for students. The Education

Abroad program sends approximately 

1,200 students to as many as 48 countries 

annually. Among other service initiatives, 

Outreach and International Affairs organizes 

the university’s volunteerism initiative, 

VT-ENGAGE, and facilitates matching 

volunteers to service organizations. 

Virginia Cooperative 

Extension 

Virginia Tech’s formal involvement in 

public service began more than 95 years ago 

with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, 

a collaborative outreach effort that now 

involves Virginia Tech; Virginia State 

University, the commonwealth’s second 

land-grant school; the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture; and state and local governments 

in partnership with hundreds of thousands 

of citizens. With 107 city/county offices 

throughout Virginia, tens of thousands of 

volunteers, and 160 programs, Extension 

reaches and teaches millions of Virginians 

annually. The programs help people improve 

their economic, cultural, and social 

well-being. 

Learn more about Virginia Tech outreach 

activities at www.outreach.vt.edu and 

www.ext.vt.edu. 

Mascots and nicknames 

HokieBird, Virginia Tech’s famous 

mascot, evolved from a live turkey 

paraded on the playing field 

sidelines to a hand-sewn turkey 

costume with a papier mâché 

head to today’s professionally 

manufactured outfit. The path of 

the mascot’s development was far 

from straight and narrow. In 1913, 

Floyd Meade, a local resident 

nicknamed “Hard Times,” was 

chosen by the student body to 

serve as the team’s mascot. The 

athletic teams had occasionally 

been called Gobblers for several 

years, so Meade trained a large 

turkey that he paraded on the 

sidelines and could make gobble 

on command. 

Fans and sports writers began 

to regularly use the nickname 

“Gobbler.” The term “Hokie” was 

coined by O.M. Stull, Class of 

1896, when he wrote the “Old 

Hokie” (the “e” was added later) 

spirit yell, first used in the fall 

of 1896 (“Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy/ 

Techs, Techs, VPI”). Fans started 

calling Tech teams Hokies as 

well as Gobblers. In the 1980s, a 

football coach who did not like the 

Gobbler image encouraged use of 

the nickname Hokies, and the two 

monikers evolved into HokieBird. 

Hampton VCE Bluebird Gap Farm 4-Hers 


BEYOND BLACKSBURG 

Virginia Tech’s “campus” extends far beyond 

its 2,600 acres in Blacksburg. 

1 

The Powell River Project Education Center 

in Wise County, Va., conducts research and education 

programs to enhance restoration of mined lands and to 

benefit communities and businesses in southwestern 

Virginia's coalfield region. 

7 

Virginia Tech Richmond Center provides working 

professionals with complete graduate degree programs 

and classes from nationally ranked programs based at 

2 

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center 

in Abingdon, which responds to the needs of Southwest 

Virginia businesses for a skilled and educated work force, 

makes courses available from Virginia Tech and nine other 

Virginia Tech’s main campus in Blacksburg. Programs 

include business administration, education, engineering, 

public administration and policy, and information 

technology. 

3 

Virginia colleges and universities. 

The historical Reynolds Homestead in Critz, 

Va., features the birthplace and boyhood home of R.J. 

8 

Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center in Virginia 

Beach offers graduate and professional development 

programs to part-time adult students. 

Reynolds, a continuing education center, and a forest 

resources research center. 

9 

Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center 

in Leesburg deals exclusively with equine health. The 

4 

The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center 

attracts national and international conferences to 

Roanoke, expands training opportunities for residents 

and businesses in the area, and aids in the economic 

complex provides around-the-clock care and treats more 

than 2,000 horses annually. It also serves as an important 

training center for students in the Virginia-Maryland 

Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. 

5 

development of the region. 

Virginia Tech Roanoke Center is a joint venture 

with 11 other higher-education institutions. It provides 

10 

Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center is the 

home of several research and academic departments for 

the university in the National Capital Region. 

master’s degree programs from several of Virginia Tech’s 

colleges through interactive television, the Web, and 

traditional on-site instruction. 

11 

Virginia Tech Research Center — Arlington 

is a modern facility that helps the university expand its 

research portfolio in the National Capital Region. The 

6 

WVTF Radio provides listeners with classical, jazz, 

and National Public Radio programs broadcast from its 

Roanoke studio. The station covers western Virginia and 

also has a studio and office in Charlottesville and an 

antenna in Richmond. 

seven-floor, 144,000-square-foot building is U.S. Green 

Council LEED-certified and is among the best-connected 

research facilities in the world, incorporating nextgeneration 

Internet with direct fiber access to National 

LambdaRail, Internet 2, and multiple federal networks. 

12 

Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, 

located in Old Town Alexandria, combines Virginia Tech 

resources with those from other American and European 

universities to focus on the architectural issues of 

urbanization and development. 

8 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECH

Riva San Vitale, Switzerland 

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Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus 

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The Institute for Advanced Learning and 

Research in Danville is a catalyst for economic and 

community transformation using strategic research, 

advanced learning programs, advanced networking and 

technology, and community outreach. Central to this goal 

of transformation is research and education. Four strategic 

research centers, ranging from motorsports engineering 

to unmanned systems and robotics, are located at the 

institute. 

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of 

Medicine and Research Institute (VTC) 

is a public-private partnership that leverages Virginia Tech’s 

world-class strength in basic sciences, bioinformatics, 

and engineering with Carilion Clinic’s highly experienced 

medical staff and rich history in medical education. VTC 

improves human health and quality of life by providing 

leadership in medical education and biomedical and 

clinical research. 

Whitethorne-Kentland Research Farm in 

Montgomery County provides resources and 

assistance to research, teaching, and Extension programs 

that focus on many of Virginia’s major agricultural crop and 

livestock species. Support is also provided to programs 

related to environmental concerns, sustainable agriculture, 

natural resources, alternative crops, and improved 

agricultural efficiencies. 

Virginia Cooperative Extension operates 107 

local offices. 

4-H Educational Centers (with Virginia State 

University) serve youth and adults from six locations 

across the commonwealth. 

Cooperative Extension District Offices 

(with Virginia State University) are located in Abingdon, 

Danville, Harrisonburg, and Richmond. 

Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station has 11 

Agricultural Research and Extension Centers throughout 

the state, each dealing with agricultural research unique 

to its area. The facilities are Eastern Shore, Eastern 

Virginia, Hampton Roads, Middleburg, Shenandoah Valley, 

Southern Piedmont, Southwest Virginia, Tidewater, Virginia 

Seafood, the Alson H. Smith Jr. Research and Extension 

Center, and the Reynolds Homestead Forest Resources 

Research Center. 

Center for European Studies and 

Architecture, located in a 200-year-old villa at Riva San 

Vitale, Switzerland, offers undergraduate students a unique 

international study environment. 


Visit our Blacksburg Campus 

From Interstate 81 (north or south): Take Exit 118B onto 

Route 460 West and follow the signs for Blacksburg/Virginia 

Tech. To reach the Visitor and Undergraduate Admissions Center, 

continue on U.S. 460 for 8.5 miles to the Prices Fork Road exit 

for “Downtown.” Turn right at the first traffic light on Prices 

Fork Road and then take an immediate right and up the drive to 

the center. The center issues free visitor parking passes that are 

required Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

965 Prices Fork Road 

visit.vt.edu 

10 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECH 

The nearest airport served by major airlines is 

Roanoke Regional Airport, about 35 miles away. 

Various companies provide transportation between the airport 

and campus, including the Smart Way Bus, which offers regularly 

scheduled and affordable service between the two destinations. 

Private planes may land at the Virginia Tech/Montgomery 

Executive Airport (540-231-4444). 

For more info or to reserve a spot for a tour or session, visit: 

https://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.admiss.vt.edu/visit/ 

register/index.php/schedule

SELECT RANKINGS 

undergraduate 

from U.S. News & World Report’s 

“America’s Best Colleges 2012” (fall 2011) 

graduate 

from U.S. News & World Report’s 

“America’s Best Graduate Schools 2013” (spring 2012) 

Virginia Tech ranked 28th among national public universities. 

Among all national universities, including such private institutions as 

Harvard and Yale, Virginia Tech ranked 71st. 

The Virginia Tech College of Engineering undergraduate program 

ranked 15th in the nation (tied with Johns Hopkins) among all 

accredited engineering schools that offer doctorates. The program 

ranked seventh among engineering schools at public universities. 

The Pamplin College of Business undergraduate program ranked 

46th among the nation’s undergraduate business programs and 26th 

among public institutions. Pamplin’s overall ranking places it in the 

top 10 percent of the more than 600 U.S. undergraduate programs 

accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of 

Business International. 

The undergraduate programs in architecture and landscape 

architecture, both in the School of Architecture + Design, ranked 

No. 4 and No. 3, respectively, in the America’s Best Architecture & 

Design Schools study conducted by the journal DesignIntelligence. 

The school’s programs in interior design and industrial design also 

ranked in the study’s top 10 in their respective fields. 

The Princeton Review ranked Tech among the nation’s top 50 

public universities in its “Best Value Colleges” for 2011. Princeton 

Review selected 50 public institutions and 50 private ones for its 

rankings. 

Virginia Tech ranked among the top 100 public colleges and 

universities that offer a first-class educational experience at a bargain 

price, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. 

A Wall Street Journal survey of 479 employers ranked Virginia 

Tech 13th in the nation for preparing graduates to succeed on the job. 

The apparel program in the Department of Apparel, Housing, and 

Resource Management was ranked 15th in the world by Fashion- 

Schools.org, based on the quality of programs, job and internship 

placements, industry reputation, teaching facilities, and tuition costs. 

Dining Services was ranked No. 2 in the nation for Best Campus 

Food in 2011 by the Princeton Review and No. 3 in the nation in 

2010 by the Parents and Colleges publication. 

The College of Engineering’s overall graduate program 

ranked 24th among all schools of engineering. 

Four departments within the College of Engineering finished 

in the top 10 of their respective category. The Charles E. Via 

Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ranked 

eighth among civil engineering programs, with the environmental 

engineering program tying for seventh. The Grado Department 

of Industrial and Systems Engineering ranked third among 

industrial/manufacturing programs. The biological systems 

engineering department, also part of the College of Agriculture 

and Life Sciences, tied for seventh in the nation among biological/ 

agricultural programs. In addition, mechanical engineering ranked 

18th and the aerospace program ranked 13th. 

The career and technical education graduate program in the 

College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences’ School of Education 

tied for fifth among vocational and technical specialties for the 

third year in a row. 

The public affairs program in the School of Public and 

International Affairs, College of Architecture and Urban 

Studies, ranked 37th in the nation. 

Three programs within the College of Science were rated among 

the best in the nation. In the geosciences department, the 

paleontology program ranked ninth, geochemistry ranked 

13th, and the earth sciences program ranked 28th. 

The Pamplin College of Business ranked 37th among the 

nation’s best part-time M.B.A. schools. 

Veterinary Medicine ranked 17th in the nation. 

DesignIntelligence ranked the graduate landscape architecture 

program fourth in North America, the graduate interior design 

program 10th, and the graduate architecture program 12th. 

Virginia Tech, with an average starting salary of $51,600 for 

graduates, ranked fifth in the nation in that metric among NCAA 

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, behind Stanford, Duke, 

Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame, according to the website Payscale. 

com. The ACC ranked first among all FBS conferences. Virginia 

Tech also ranked in the top 20 nationally for mid-career salaries of 

graduates of FBS schools. 


TECH AT A GLANCE 

address 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

Blacksburg, VA 24061 

Academic calendar 

Two semesters and two summer sessions 

Full-time instructional faculty 

Approximately 1,364; 62.8 percent are tenured 

Student-faculty ratio 

16:1 

University operating budget 

More than $1.2 billion annually (for FY 2012-13) 

Private giving 

$92.2 million (for FY 2010-11) 

Alumni 

Approximately 225,000 living alumni representing every state 

and more than 100 countries. 

Admission 

Undergraduate admission applications are available at 

www.vt.edu/apply. 

The university prefers that graduate admission applications be 

completed online by going to http://graduateschool.vt.edu/ 

admissions/applying/index.html. If necessary, the application 

can be downloaded and mailed. 

Major facilities 

• More than 125 Blacksburg campus buildings 

• Corporate Research Center, housing more than 

140 companies 

• Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and “Smart Road” 

• Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive Airport 

• Whitethorne-Kentland, a 1,700-acre research farm in 

Montgomery County 

• Carol M. Newman Library, with more than 

2.3 million volumes 

• Cassell Coliseum, with seating for 10,000 

• Lane Stadium, with seating for more than 66,000 

• The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, 

a 193,000-square-foot facility with 147 guest rooms 

• Public Radio station WVTF in Roanoke 

• Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech in 

Pulaski County near Radford 

• Virginia Tech Research Center – Arlington 

president 

Charles W. Steger 

Learning 

The university offers about 65 bachelor’s degree programs through 

its seven undergraduate colleges. At the postgraduate level 

(master’s and doctoral degrees), the university offers about 150 

programs. The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary 

Medicine offers the nation’s only two-state academic program in 

veterinary medicine. 

Discovery 

The university conducts a $450 million-a-year research program 

(2011 fiscal year) that involves students and faculty engaged in 

some 3,500 projects. Virginia Tech is ranked 47th in the nation in 

research expenditures. 

Engagement 

Virginia Tech serves off-campus constituencies, such as 

community groups, governmental units, and state and local 

agencies, by providing valuable expertise and training through 

outreach and international programs. Outreach focus areas 

include economic development, continuing and professional 

education, governmental assistance, technology transfer, workforce 

development, and international research and development. 

Corps of Cadets 

Virginia Tech is one of only three public universities in the 

country to combine the advantages of a military-style leadership 

development program with a traditional academic and social 

experience. Three percent of the student body is enrolled in the 

voluntary Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. 

Athletics 

Member of Division 1-A of the NCAA and the Atlantic Coast 

Conference. Men’s varsity sports include football, basketball, 

baseball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, wrestling, 

tennis, golf, soccer, and swimming. Women’s varsity sports include 

basketball, tennis, swimming, volleyball, indoor and outdoor 

track, soccer, cross country, lacrosse, and softball. An extensive 

intramural program offers opportunities for participation in more 

than 20 recreational activities. 

. 


AGRICULTURE 

AND LIFE SCIENCES 

agriculture and life sciences 

Agricultural and Applied Economics 

Agricultural and Extension Education 

Agricultural Technology 

Animal and Poultry Sciences 

Biochemistry 

Biological Systems Engineering 

Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences 

Dairy Science 

Entomology 

Food Science and Technology 

Horticulture 

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise 

Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science 

architecture and urban studies 

14 INSIDE VIRGINIA TECH 

www.cals.vt.edu 

www.caus.vt.edu 

School of Architecture + Design 

Architecture • Industrial Design • 

Interior Design • Landscape Architecture 

School of Public and International Affairs 

Government and International Affairs • 

Public Information and Policy • Urban Affairs 

and Planning 

School of Visual Arts 

Art History • Creative Technologies • 

Studio Art • Visual Communication Design 

Myers-Lawson School of Construction 

(joint school with College of Engineering) 

Building Construction • Vecellio Construction 

Engineering and Management 

231-3724 

ARCHITECTURE AND 

URBAN STUDIES 

231-6386 

ENGINEERING 

engineering 

www.eng.vt.edu 

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering 

Biological Systems Engineering 

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences 

Chemical Engineering 

Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Computer Science 

Electrical and Computer Engineering 

Engineering Education 

Engineering Science and Mechanics 

Industrial and Systems Engineering 

Materials Science and Engineering 

Mechanical Engineering 

Mining and Minerals Engineering 

Myers-Lawson School of Construction 

LIBERAL ARTS AND 

HUMAN SCIENCES 

liberal arts and human sciences 

231-9752 

www.clahs.vt.edu 

231-6779 

Air Force ROTC 

Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management 

Army ROTC 

Communication 

English 

Foreign Languages and Literatures 

History 

Human Development 

International Studies 

Music 

Naval ROTC 

Philosophy 

Political Science 

Religion and Culture 

School of Education 

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies • 

Learning Sciences and Technologies • Teaching 

and Learning 

Science and Technology in Society 

Sociology 

Theatre and Cinema

NATURAL RESOURCES 

AND ENVIRONMENT 

natural resources and environment 

Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation 

Geography 

Sustainable Biomaterials 

SCIENCE 

science 

Biological Sciences 

Chemistry 

Economics 

Geosciences 

Mathematics 

Physics 

Psychology 

Statistics 

www.science.vt.edu 

www.cnre.vt.edu 

231-5422 

RESEARCH INSTITUTES 

AND CENTERS 

research institutes at virginia tech 

Fralin Life Science Institute 

Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology 

Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science 

Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment 

Virginia Bioinformatics Institute 

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute 

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 

university research centers 

Center for Geospatial Information Technology 

Center for Gerontology 

Center for Human-Computer Interaction 

Center for Survey Research 

Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Mathematics 

Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute at Virginia Tech 

Powell River Project 

Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research 

Virginia Center for Housing Research 

Virginia Water Resources Research Center 

231-5481 

PAMPLIN BUSINESS 

pamplin college of business 

Accounting and Information Systems 

Business Information Technology 

Finance, Insurance, and Business Law 

Hospitality and Tourism Management 

Management 

Marketing 

VETERINARY MEDICINE 

veterinary medicine 

Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology 

Equine Medical Center 

Large Animal Clinical Sciences 

Small Animal Clinical Sciences 

Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital 

www.pamplin.vt.edu 

231-6601 

www.vetmed.vt.edu 

231-7910 

COLLEGES AND 

DEPARTMENTS 

(Area code 540) 


general switchboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6000 

virginia tech homepage . . . . . . . . . . . www.vt.edu 

admissions 

Undergraduate, 201 Burruss Hall . . . . . . . 231-6267 

Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.admiss.vt.edu 

Graduate/Graduate Life Center at 

Donaldson Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6691 

Website . . . . . . . . . . . . www.graduateschool.vt.edu 

offices and facilities 

Career Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6241 

Washington Street 

Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-5278 

702 University City Blvd. 

The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center . 985-5900 

Roanoke, Va. 

Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-9331 

Southgate Center 

The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton 

Conference Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-8000 

Prices Fork Road 

International Research, Education, and 

Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6338 

526 Prices Fork Road 

National Capital Region . . . . . . . . . . . 703-518-2700 

Alexandria, Va. 

Northern Virginia Center . . . . . . . . . . 703-538-8324 

Falls Church, Va. 

Outreach and International Affairs . . . . . . . 231-3205 

330 Burruss Hall 

Parking/Vehicle Registration . . . . . . . . . . . 231-3200 

455 Tech Center Drive 

President’s Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6231 


Provost’s Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6123 


Research Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-6077 


Scholarships and Financial Aid . . . . . . . . . 231-5179 

200 Student Services Bldg. 

University Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-2801 

Gateway Center Prices Fork Rd. 

University Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-5396 


Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center757-552-1880 

Virginia Beach, Va. 

Virginia Tech Richmond Center . . . . . 804-786-1604 

Richmond, Va. 

Virginia Tech Roanoke Center . . . . . . . . . . 767-6100 

Roanoke, Va. 

Virginia Tech Southwest Center . . . . 276-619-4311 

Abingdon, Va. 

Visitor Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-3548 

UNIVERSITY 

CONTACT INFO 

(Area code 540 unless noted)

With a research portfolio of $450 

million, Virginia Tech is more than 

impact 

just Virginia’s leading research 

university. We are an economic 

engine that is fueling growth 

throughout the commonwealth. 

Providing research power, 

intellectual capital, and job creation, 

Virginia Tech is a catalyst for growth 

and innovation and a resource 

to help businesses be more 

competitive. 

The university also acts as a catalyst 

to bring together a community’s 

resources to support and expand 

local economic development 

initiatives through education, 

faculty expertise, working capital, 

technology, and other stimulus tools 

and partnerships. 

www.thisisthefuture.com

Published by University Relations 

Copyright © 2012 

VT/612/3M/UR2011-0144 

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants for admission or employment on 

the basis of race, gender, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or political 

affiliation. Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equity and Access.

Virginia Tech's - University Relations - Virginia Tech

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