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Commentary

A Proud Hokie Nation Gathers in New Orleans, Once Again...

Another sweet bowl brought Tech alumni together in New Orleans from all corners of the country. Tech fans poured out in the thousands for "their" BCS bowl against 3rd ranked Auburn, while especially enjoying Tech's inaugural year of ACC membership as champions. The Superdome was sold out, and perhaps as many as 30,000 Hokie fans were present in force - pretty impressive considering only 15,000 tickets were allotted the university for sales to alumni and students.

Many references to the presence of the Hokie Nation accurately describe the enthusiasm and excitement surrounding Tech's third Sugar Bowl appearance in ten years. Indeed, the French Quarter was filled with the Hokie Nation. One hardly could turn around without running into someone they knew from another part of the country. The accompanying photograph confirms the number of Hokies per square foot on Bourbon Street the night before the game!

Two Alumni Classmates Make their Marks on their Alma Mater...

I am proud of my classmates Charles Steger and Frank Beamer. Little did they know almost 40 years ago as they entered Tech together, they were destined to serve as President and Head Football Coach at the same time. Steger and Beamer both graduated in the class of '69. Now, in 2005, Steger is celebrating his 5th anniversary as university president and his 29th on the faculty (37 total, including his undergrad and graduate study years). Beamer is in his 18th year as Head Coach (or 22nd including his years as a student and football team member). It is extremely rare for any university to be able to boast this combination of alumni leadership.

On this 5th anniversary for Charles Steger, we have summarized the highlights of his first five years as Virginia Tech's 15th president. Much of the vision he articulated in his inaugural address is taking shape, despite the limited resource environment for higher education in Virginia and nationally. This anniversary tribute appears on pages 5-6.

Frank Beamer ranks third in the nation for career wins. He was recently named Coach of the Year by SportsIllustrated.com. He has taken the university to twelve consecutive bowls. Only five institutions in the country share that distinction. Beamer has been selected as Coach of the Year by the Big East Conference three times and in, this, his first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His Hokies won the conference championship with seven conference wins. His all-time collegiate coaching wins total 177 in 24 years vs. 100 losses. Beamer's effectiveness as a recruiter, coach, and mentor to coaches and players is exceeded only by his humility and impeccable character.

The Class of '69 proudly salutes two if its own as they continue to lead the programs of their university to new heights.

Our Alumni and Conference Center Enters the Home Stretch of Construction...

Those who have visited the campus in the past year-and-a-half have seen the new Alumni and Conference Center rising out of the ground to virtually dominate the West Campus Drive entrance to campus. It has a presence that seems to announce "alumni are welcome here." By mid-summer the hotel, The Inn at Virginia Tech, will open for business. The adjacent Skelton Conference Center will house a restaurant and lounge, spacious banquet and meeting space, and beautifully appointed lobbies and pre-function space.

The new home of the Alumni Association, the Holtzman Alumni Center, opens shortly after in August. Like the other parts of the complex, it too will be distinctive, inviting and comfortable. Its museum, assembly hall, meeting, office and lounge spaces will welcome visitors as the new home for all alumni. From the Grand Hall reception space and outside donor terrace, one has a magnificent view toward the Duck Pond. The entrance road features a contemporary reproduction of the Alumni Gateway of the early 1900s that marked the campus entrance off Main Street. The outside entry court features a fountain; both it and the gateway were donated by the Class of '52. Our alumni reunions and homecomings will all be held in the new complex beginning this fall. Include a visit to the Alumni Center on your schedule when you get back for games or at any other time. See page 10 for more information on the Hokie Stone Alumni Terrace.

Our "Newest Alumni" Begin their VirginiaTechforlife Journey...

It is always a pleasure to visit with alumni at our chapter and reunion events - as they enjoy the VirginiaTechforlife experience. This Alumni Association theme is being defined every day by alumni who are touched by Virginia Tech in some fashion. However, it is not often that I get to visit with our brand new alumni at the beginning of their VirginiaTechforlife journey.

Our Alumni Association recently hosted students who were selected by our local alumni chapters to receive scholarships which our chapters raised and presented this year. The student awardees that attended represented 147 chapter scholarship winners for 2004-05. I congratulated them on becoming our "newest alumni" upon completing their first semester at Virginia Tech - which is how our Association defines alumni status. Having received scholarships from chapters across the country, they seemed to have a keen appreciation for the impact of private support on their college education. Our alumni chapters are to be commended for the many creative programs they sponsor to raise funds for scholarships for these and many other students year after year.

Congratulations to our ACC champion football team, to their alumnus coach Frank Beamer, to alumnus president of the university Charles Steger, and to our newest alumni in the class of '08. Stop by our new alumni and conference center on your next visit to campus.