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Virginia Tech

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
File:VTSeal.gif
MottoUt Prosim (Latin, "That I May Serve")
TypePublic
Established1872
Endowment$408.6 million (June 2005)
PresidentCharles W. Steger
Students25,800
Undergraduates21,400
Location
Blacksburg
,
Virginia
,
United States
CampusSuburban, 2,600 acres
AthleticsDivision I Atlantic Coast Conference, 17 varsity teams
MascotHokie Bird
Websitewww.vt.edu

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (also referred to as VPI&SU, VPI or most commonly Virginia Tech) is a public land-grant university in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. Virginia Tech has the largest full-time student population in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Through its focus on teaching and learning, research, and outreach, the university creates, conveys, and applies knowledge to expand personal growth and opportunity, advance social and community development, foster economic competititveness, and improve the quality of life. Its historical strengths are in agriculture, engineering, architecture, and veterinary medicine programs. In addition to its research and academic programs, Virginia Tech is known for its beautiful campus and scenic location in the New River Valley of southwestern Virginia near the Appalachian Mountains. Since 1990, Tech has also gained a reputation for the success of its football program. Virginia Tech faculty and alumni have had a proud heritage of service to the nation and world community since the university's founding in 1872.


History

Founded under the provisions of the Morrill Act, the institution became a state-supported land grant military institute called the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872. The school considers this to be its founding date, although some would like to date it to 1851 because the school purchased land and facilities from a private Methodist school on the same site. Under the 1891-1907 presidency of John M. McBryde, the school reorganized its academic programs into a traditional four-year college setup (including the renaming of the mechanics department to engineering); this led to an 1896 name change to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. The "Agricultural and Mechanical College" section of the name was popularly omitted almost immediately, though the name was not officially changed to Virginia Polytechnic Institute until 1944 as part of a short-lived merger with what is now Radford University. VPI achieved full accreditation in 1923, and the requirement of participation in the Corps of Cadets was dropped from four years to two that same year (for men only; women, when they began enrolling in the 1920s, were never required to join). Virginia Tech has the largest full-time student body in the Commonwealth of Virginia.


Shortly after its founding as a Military college, a rivalry began with VPI and Virginia Military Institute (founded 1839). In fact, "The Military Classic of the South" began as a rivalry between VMI and VPI. This heartfelt and robust rivalry continued into the late 1970's, when Virginia Tech simply became too large and competitive in its athletic programs for VMI to continue competing (VMI enrolls 1,200 cadets and is the Nation's only all-cadet or classical state military college). Later, throughout the early 20th century, another rivalry developed between Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia (founded 1819).


President T. Marshall Hahn (1962-74) was responsible for many of the changes that shaped the modern institution of Virginia Tech. The merger with Radford was dissolved in 1964, and in 1966, the school dropped the two-year Corps requirement for male students (in 1973, women were allowed to join the Corps; Tech was the first school in the nation to open its military wing to women). One of Hahn's more controversial missions was only partially achieved; he had visions of renaming the school from VPI to Virginia State University, reflecting the status it had achieved as a full-fledged public research university. As part of this move, Tech would have taken over control of the state's other land-grant institution, a historically black college in Ettrick, Virginia south of Richmond then called Virginia State College; this failed, and that school eventually became Virginia State University. As a compromise, the school added "and State University" to its name in 1970, yielding the current formal name of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The new acronym of VPISU was derisively spoken as Vippy-sue by students and Hahn detractors. In the early 1990s, the school quietly authorized the official use of Virginia Tech as equivalent to the full VPI&SU name; most school documents today use the shorter name, though diplomas still spell out the formal name. Similarly, the abbreviation VT is far more common today than VPI or VPI&SU, and appears everywhere from athletic uniforms (most notably on football helmets) to the university's Internet domain vt.edu.


Admissions

Admissions to this university is competitive. The entering class of 2005 had an average GPA of 3.76 with most falling in between 3.5 and 4.0. The average SAT score was 1263 with 50% of scores falling between 1140 and 1330. With qualifications rising for each entering class, it is expected that entrance into Virginia Tech will only become more competitive. Virginia Tech accepts approximately 60% of applicants.


Academics

Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs are offered through the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, the College of Architecture & Urban Studies, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the Pamplin College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Resources, the College of Science, and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers the only two-year associate's degree program on campus, in agricultural technology.


Virginia Tech boasts one of the best higher education programs in the country. In 2006, it was ranked among the top 100 higher education institutions in the United States. Its College of Engineering is ranked as one of the top engineering programs in the country and its College of Architecture is ranked as one of the top five in the nation. The Times, a national newspaper in the UK, ranked Virginia Tech as one of the top 200 universities in the world.


In the most recent (2004) survey of the Engineering Workforce Commission of the American Association of Engineering Societies, Inc., the Virginia Tech College of Engineering ranks eighth nationally for the number of undergraduate degrees awarded. “America's Best Colleges 2006” survey, released by U.S. News & World Report in August 2004, ranks Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering's undergraduate program 14 in the nation among all accredited engineering schools that offer doctorates, and eighth at public universities.


Campus

Burruss Hall, signature building on the Virginia Tech campus.

The Virginia Tech campus is located within Blacksburg; the central campus is roughly bordered by Prices Fork Road to the northwest, Plantation Drive to the west, Main Street to the east, and 460-bypass to the south, though it has several thousand acres beyond the central campus. The university also has several commonwealth branch campus centers: Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach), National Capital Region (Falls Church - Alexandria, Virginia), Richmond, Roanoke, and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.


On the Blacksburg campus, the majority of the buildings incorporate Hokie Stone as a building material. Hokie Stone is a medley of different colored limestone, often including dolomite. Each block of Hokie Stone is some combination of gray, brown, black, pink, orange, and maroon. The limestone is mined from various quarries in Southwestern Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama, one of which has been operated by the university since the 1950s.


Notable Buildings


Athletics

File:VT Emblem.gif

Virginia Tech's sports teams are called the Hokies, except for the swim team which uses a variant (H2okies using the chemical symbol for water). The Tech mascot is the Hokie Bird. Tech teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which the school joined in 2004 after leaving the Big East.


The word "Hokies," which originated from the Old Hokie spirit yell, is often used interchangeably with "Fighting Gobblers" to refer to the sports team, fans, students, or alumni, although the former is the official usage. The word "Hokies" originated in the 1890s; see Hokies for more information. The mascot is the Hokie Bird, a turkey-like creature. Originally the teams were known as the "Fighting Gobblers" and the turkey motif was retained despite the name change.


The stylized VT (the abbreviation for Virginia Tech) is used primarily by the athletic department as a symbol for Virginia Tech athletic teams. The "athletic VT" symbol is trademarked by the university, and appears frequently on licensed merchandise.


During the early years of the the university, a rivalry developed between the Virginia Military Institute and VPI. This rivalry developed into the original "Military Classic of the South," which was an annual football game between VMI and VPI on Thanksgiving Day on Roanoke, Virginia. This rivalry continued until 1970 when VPI's football program became too large and too competitive for VMI. Today, Tech's major athletic rivalries include the University of Virginia, West Virginia University, Florida State University, and the University of Miami.


Virginia Tech's fight song, Tech Triumph., was written in 1919 and remains in use today. The Old Hokie spirit yell, in use since 1896, is familiar to all Tech fans.


Virginia Tech has become a major power in college football in recent years. The Hokies currently have the fifth longest bowl streak in the country, having participated in bowl games each of the last 13 seasons. Head coach Frank Beamer has become one of the winningest currently active head coaches in Division I-A football (178 following the 2005 season). Since the 1995 season, the Hokies have finished with a top-10 ranking four times, won four conference championships (three Big East and one ACC), and played once for the national championship, losing to Florida State University 46-29 in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. Tech plays in one of the loudest stadiums in the country being named by rivals.com as the best home field advantage in 2005. Lane Stadium is currently undergoing major renovations to make it better. The program is noted for its blue-collar work ethic, die-hard fans, and exceptional ability to find and develop incredible talent other programs miss. The most noteworthy Hokie footbal alums include Frank Beamer, Bruce Smith, Don Strock, Antonio Freeman, Lee Suggs, Kevin Jones, and Michael Vick.


On the hardwood Techs basketball coach is Seth Greenberg. Greenberg's teams have been continuously improving since his arrival. Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon lead the way on the outside keeping them in most game.


Affiliated institutions

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1978, is a separate institution on the same campus, paid for by the two US states of Virginia and Maryland and jointly operated by VT and the University of Maryland. VMRCVM and VT jointly operate an equine center in Leesburg, Virginia, and VMRCVM has a small operation on the University of Maryland's College Park, Maryland campus.


In 2003, a school of osteopathic medicine called the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) opened in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, an office park adjacent to and owned and operated by the university as a local business incubator. VCOM is incorporated as a private, non-profit institution with no state interest, but is very closely affiliated with Virginia Tech on an operational level.


In 2002, a biomedical engineering program, called the School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES), was created as a cooperative venture between Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University. SBES offers opportunities to undergraduates and grants M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering.


Distinguished alumni

Sports

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Military

  • Antoine A.M. Gaujot, Class of 1901, Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as an Army Corporal at the Battle of San Mateo during the Philippine-American War.
  • Julien E. Gaujot, Class of 1894, Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on the Mexican Border in 1914, the only soldier ever awarded the Medal for actions of a peacekeeping nature, brother of Antoine Gaujot.
  • Earle D. Gregory, Class of 1923, Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as an Army Sergeant during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I.
  • Herbert J. Thomas, class of 1944, member of Virginia Tech's Athletic Hall of Fame, Awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Bougainville Island in World War II.
  • Jimmie W. Monteith, Class of 1944, Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as an Army lieutenant at D-Day during World War II.
  • Robert E. Femoyer, class of 1944, Eagle Scout Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as an Army Air Force B-17 navigator on a bombing mission over Germany.
  • Richard Shea, class of 1948, Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as an Army First Lieutenant at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill during the Korean War.
  • Major Lloyd Williams, Class of 1907, Williams has been attributed with one of the more famous quotes of World War I: "Retreat? Hell! We just got here!"
  • Lieutenant General Lewis A. Pick, USA, Class of 1914.
  • Lieutenant General Wallace H. Robinson, USMC, Class of 1940
  • Lieutenant General John H. Elder, Jr., USA, Class of 1941
  • Lieutenant General Joseph G. Wilson, USAF, Class of 1942
  • Lieutenant General Howard H. Cooksey, USA, Class of 1943
  • Lieutenant General Walter D. Druen,Jr., USAF, Class of 1951,commander of Allied Air Forces Southern Europe and deputy commander in chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Southern Area
  • Lieutenant General Robert L. Moore, USA, Class of 1952, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Missile Command
  • General Thomas C. Richards, Four Star General, Class of 1956, Deputy Commander in Chief of US European Command.
  • Lieutenant General Lance L. Smith, USAF, Class of 1969
  • Lieutenant General Joseph R. Inge, USA, Class of 1969, Deputy Commander, United States Northern Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command
  • Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, USA, Class of 1971, Assistant Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence

Business, government and academia

Research computing

In 2003, Virginia Tech created a supercomputer which ranked as the 3rd fastest in the world. The system was made from 1100 dual processor Power Macintosh G5s and cost $5.2 million. The supercomputer, called System X, was disassembled shortly after it was ranked in order for it to be replaced with Apple's rack-based servers which consume both less space and power.


Internet networking research is an important part of Virginia Tech's history. It has participated in Suranet, Internet2, Abilene, the Lambda Rail and other such networks. Virginia Tech also participates in the management of Net.Work.Virginia and the Mid Atlantic Crossroads.


Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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