At the quarterly meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors held this week resolutions on three new Bachelor of Science degree programs were approved, underscoring the university’s ongoing commitment to enhance and define undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
All to be based in the College of Science, the three new degree programs — the Bachelor of Science Degree in Microbiology, the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nanoscience, and the Bachelor of Science Degree in Computational Modeling and Data Analytics — will prepare students for interdisciplinary research and education, for employment in the private sector or in state and federal government agencies, and for post-baccalaureate training.
These programs will be unique to Virginia and will position Virginia Tech as a national and international leader in these emerging fields.Pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, students may enroll in these programs beginning this fall.
The resolutions on the new degree programs are among the hundreds of decisions affirmed by the board during the time Charles W. Steger served as university president.
During the board meeting, Rector Mike Quillen presented a resolution on Steger honoring him for his countless contributions to the Virginia Tech community during his more than 40 year career at the university, the final 14 as university president. Steger received a standing ovation from board members and other university officials attending the meeting.
In other business, the Buildings and Ground Committee approved the design of the Indoor Athletic Practice Facility to be located on the existing football practice field between Lane Stadium and the Football Locker Room Facility. Construction on the 85,000-gross-square-foot building is scheduled to begin later this fall. The $21.5 million project will be paid for with private funding.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee also approved designs for a new Virginia Tech Rescue Squad Vehicle Garage to be located at the corner of Barger and Stanger streets, and for the new Marching Virginians Practice Facility to be located near Chicken Hill. Both these projects will begin construction later this year.
On Sunday, the Research Committee received a report from Jon Greene, associate director for strategic planning and development at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences, on the university’s membership in the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. Virginia Tech was chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration to lead one of only six elite test sites in the United States that will help integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. The unmanned aircraft industry is expected to generate more than $500 million in the commonwealth by the end of the decade.
Virginia Tech’s proposal was picked after a rigorous 10-month selection process involving 25 proposals from 24 states.
Because the state budget had not yet been finalized as of this meeting, the board of visitors will schedule an additional meeting later this spring to consider tuition and fees for the 2014-15 academic year. The next regularly scheduled full meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors will be held June 1 and 2 in Blacksburg.
