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Message from Provost Cyril Clarke: D.C. area update

August 11, 2023

Washington D.C. area colleagues,

As announced previously, Virginia Tech is in the process of relocating academic programs currently housed at the Northern Virginia Center (NVC) in Falls Church to allow for redevelopment of the Falls Church site and to center administration of regional programs at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. This repositioning of academic programs and support services in northern Virginia is an important step towards enabling Virginia Tech’s long-range vision for the region. The purpose of this message is to update you on current plans for relocating academic operations and personnel over the next 12-16 months.

Closing of Northern Virginia Center (Falls Church)

Plans are being finalized to relocate academic programs and support personnel currently at the NVC to Innovation Campus Academic Building 1 (ICAB1) or the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington (VTRC-A) by fall 2024. The NVC will be vacated and cleared of all surplus contents by the end of calendar year 2024, when it will be turned over to the City of Falls Church. All academic instruction and support services at the NVC are anticipated to cease by the start of the fall 2024 semester or shortly thereafter.

This fall, David Wilder, senior director for DC Building Operations, will begin working with affected programs and offices to develop a detailed moving and relocation plan. This plan will be completed and moving services procured during the winter of 2023-24.

Moving and relocation will take place during the summer of 2024 with all affected faculty and staff settled in their new work locations by the fall of 2024. Management and execution of this process will be led by the Innovation Campus administration with support from Virginia Tech Facilities, Surplus Property, and other university offices.

Relocation of Tech Talent Initiative programs and personnel

In keeping with the Tech Talent Initiative, computer science and computer engineering faculty and staff affiliated with the Innovation Campus organization will relocate to ICAB1. This includes faculty who are currently located in Blacksburg but affiliated with the Innovation Campus organization. It also includes research faculty and staff associated with the Sanghani Center who are currently housed at VTRC-A. Upon full build-out of the graduate portion of the Tech Talent Initiative, affiliated computer science and electrical and computer engineering faculty, their students, advisors, and research programs will fully occupy the first five floors of the 11-story ICAB1.

Faculty and staff in computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering currently located in the D.C. region but not affiliated with the Innovation Campus organization have or will relocate to the VTRC-A.

Accommodation of other programs and student/administrative services at the Innovation Campus

Over the past several months, Innovation Campus leadership has worked with affected colleges to draft plans to move the following programs currently located at the NVC to ICAB1 on a temporary basis until permanent space is secured at either the Innovation Campus or elsewhere in the region:

The duration of these temporary relocations will depend primarily on the need for additional space to accommodate growth of the core Innovation Campus programs, but it is expected to last several years. Notifications to accrediting bodies of these relocations are underway.  It will be the responsibility of the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to plan and manage relocation of these programs to permanent spaces.

To support academic programs in the region, the Innovation Campus is also in the process of creating the Hokie One-Stop, a student services center that will provide a full range of resources for all D.C. area graduate students. Coordinated by Innovation Campus leadership and housed at ICAB1, this center will involve a collaboration of academic and administrative support units with appropriate reporting responsibilities to respective offices in Blacksburg.

Similarly, the university is currently assessing regional operational functions including human resources, finance, public safety, facilities, information technology, and others as we develop an operational support framework for the region. Several functions have already been installed in the region, and we are working to ensure that a full complement of employee and operational support services will be available either locally or through established connections to central support services in Blacksburg.

When fully established, we expect offices represented at the ICAB1 to include the Graduate School, Bursar, University Registrar, University Scholarships and Financial Aid, Cook Counseling Center, Dean of Students, Service for Students with Disabilities, Career and Professional Development, Veterans Services, Cranwell International Center, Transportation Services, Equity and Accessibility, Housing, Health Services and Hokie Wellness, Student Medical Insurance, Hokie Passport, IT 4-Help, and University Libraries.

In support of creating the Hokie One-Stop, Graduate School administrative and support staff with student-facing roles will be relocated from NVC to the Innovation Campus, as will library services staff and other student services staff currently at the NVC. Discussions are underway to determine the most appropriate locations for other administrative units such as Government and Community Relations, Advancement, and Equity and Accessibility. The ICAB1 building also will become the administrative center for collaborations with regional K-12 program providers. The Senior Director for D.C. Building Operations will manage both the VTRC-A and ICAB1 space in accordance with the special missions of each respective building.

Good progress is being made to enhance student and employee services, advance the work of the Northern Virginia Steering Committee in developing a cohesive vision and plan for the future of Virginia Tech in the Washington D.C. area, and position the Innovation Campus as the university’s academic hub in the region. However, we still have much to accomplish between now and fall 2024 and I look forward to working with you to address the necessary planning details required to make this important strategic repositioning process as smooth as possible. I very much appreciate all the assistance that you have provided thus far, including valuable input gained from your experience serving Virginia Tech in the Washington D.C. area.

If you have specific program or unit-related questions, I encourage you to contact your supervisors directly for guidance and information. I would also welcome your questions and feedback at provcomm@vt.edu regarding university-wide reorganization and program alignment in the D.C. area.

Cyril

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