Virginia Tech Alumni Association News - Spring 2001
On
the Horizon...
An Alumni
and Conference Center: A Home of
Our Own
There's No Place Like Home
"For more than four decades, university and alumni leaders have recognized the need for a facility on campus that would help forge and preserve relationships of alumni with their alma mater," stresses Tom Tillar '69, vice president for alumni relations. "They envisioned a building that would allow us to honor and showcase the achievements of our alumni - a place where our Virginia Tech family and friends would always be welcome."
Now, the construction of a dedicated Alumni and Conference Center is a top priority of the university and alumni leaders. The center will not only serve alumni and friends, it will also provide the university and the surrounding community with a modern conference center and world-class hotel. In just 25 years, the number of living Virginia Tech alumni will approach 300,000. Now is this time to address this need.The late G. Burke Johnston, C.P. Miles Professor Emeritus of English and the first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, described the physical beauty of Virginia Tech, its campus, and the surrounding mountains as the "special character of this place." Embracing that sentiment, William E. Skelton '40, national campaign chairman, says "The proposed new Virginia Tech Alumni and Conference Center will embrace all the attributes of that 'special character.' It will serve as a functional flagship for the Virginia Tech campus and will create a lasting impression of Virginia Tech for visitors, friends, and especially alumni, whether they are coming to campus for the first or the hundredth time."The Alumni and Conference Center will truly touch every college, every student, every faculty member, and every alumnus by giving Virginia Tech the capacity to host greater numbers of regional, national, and international conferences. It will enable the university to fulfill alumni requests for activities that are not possible given the current facility limitations as well as provide a place for students to become familiar with their future role as alumni, fostering lasting ties with Virginia Tech.
This planned facility can become reality with the support of Virginia Tech alumni and friends... through the "A Home of Our Own" Campaign
Virginia Tech History Museum
The new center will serve a dual purpose. It will provide alumni and friends with a home on campus when they return to Blacksburg. And it will facilitate Virginia Tech's educational agenda by giving the university's eight colleges and other academic programs high-tech space for meetings and conferences. It is, in fact, anticipated that the center will be the most utilized facility at Virginia Tech. This project will be an important factor in maintaining the university's role as a leading research and teaching institution by bringing the world to Blacksburg and, in turn, bringing Virginia Tech to the world.
The Alumni and Conference Center will be located at the intersection of Prices Fork Road and West Campus Drive. This site offers the dual advantage of having the center serve as the major "gateway" to the university and, as a result of the elevation, providing a panoramic view of the mountains to the west, the Duck Pond to the south, and the main campus to the east. There will be ample room for terraced parking lots as well as close proximity to the large commuter parking lot on the opposite side of West Campus Drive. And although the location will necessitate the reconfiguration of several holes on the golf course, golf professionals believe that moving these holes to the west side of the course will greatly improve and slightly lengthen its layout.
Virginia Tech's objective over the next three to four years is to provide a state-of-the-art Alumni and Conference Center. The university is launching a $16.2-million capital campaign to fund the site preparation, construction, and equipping of the alumni center. Successful completion of this $16.2-million campaign is critical to leveraging the additional $30 million needed to build the Conference Center and a Hotel.
The Alumni Center
The Alumni Center will be designed to meet both the needs of visiting alumni and the growing requirements of the university community. Functional areas on the lower level will include a lobby/reception area (the Grand Hall) that will serve as an easily accessible meeting place for alumni, friends, faculty, and students; an auditorium with state-of-the-art equipment for presentations and long-distance conferences; and a museum showcasing the history of Virginia Tech and its enduring traditions. On the second level, an open gallery will overlook the Grand Hall and provide an open space for receptions and gatherings. This level will also include a library and a boardroom that will offer additional meeting space for staff, alumni, visitors, and students. The third floor will be allocated to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association staff, allowing visiting alumni easy access to personal, one-on-one service.
Assembly Hall - The Conference Center
The Conference Center will be directly connected to the Alumni Center's second level, providing easy access to the spacious conference and dining rooms. It will feature a banquet/ballroom capable of seating 800 people for major events. Next to the banquet room, a pre-function hall will have a view of the Alumni Lawn, which will be suitable for large outdoor gatherings. The Conference Center will also house four large and four small conference rooms, as well as four meeting/breakout rooms, and will have high-technology teleconferencing and presentation equipment. Inside function and outside terrace spaces, when used together, will collectively accommodate more than 5,000 people.
The Hotel
The Hotel, which will adjoin the Conference Center, will provide approximately 150 comfortably appointed rooms and suites for conference attendees and other visitors to campus. It will share a lobby and kitchen facilities with the Conference Center. There will be spacious indoor and outdoor dining areas as well as two private dining rooms. The Hotel will also feature hotel/restaurant management lab space, a demonstration kitchen, and a classroom for students in Virginia Tech's hotel and hospitality management program.
A Home of Our Own
Grand Hall
Leadership gifts to the Virginia Tech Alumni and Conference Center will be permanently recognized in our new home. These named gift opportunities are available for alumni and friends whose investment in the center will be the key to a successful campaign. Opportunities are currently offered in all of the public rooms, administrative offices, and landscaped grounds. Please see the "Named Gift Opportunities" through the web site at www.alumni.vt.edu for a current list of opportunities.
We need your support to move closer to realizing our goal of building an Alumni and Conference Center. With your support, Virginia Tech alumni and friends will, finally, truly have "A Home of Our Own."