After 12 years of service to the college group and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a profession devoted to the development of science and the impression of public increased schooling, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands intends to step down in the coming months. Sands made the announcement Thursday in a letter addressed “to Hokies everywhere.”
“There is no better role in higher education than to serve as the president of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,” Sands stated. “Stewarding Virginia Tech as president has been the most fulfilling experience of my career.”
Sands stated it was the proper time to start the means of stepping apart and supply the subsequent president the alternative to “take the baton at full stride” and proceed Virginia Tech’s important development and momentum, telling the group that “together we have transformed Virginia Tech for the better.”
During his tenure, the college skilled a 30 p.c enhance in undergraduate enrollment, 200 p.c enhance in purposes, 70 p.c enhance in extramural analysis expenditures, and 185 p.c enhance in the college’s endowment.
In sharing his plans with the rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, John Rocovich, Sands stated he was dedicated to serving till his successor was in place to guarantee a clean transition.
“I am deeply grateful to President Sands for his leadership and tireless dedication to our university and his vision for what we can accomplish in service to our students and the commonwealth,” Rocovich stated. “His drive to expand Virginia Tech’s impact through collaborative engagement with our communities and partners, and his steadfast commitment to public higher education have positioned us well for the future ahead. President Sands’ leadership in establishing the Virginia Tech Carilion Academic Health Center and the Innovation Campus will yield huge dividends to Virginia Tech for 100 years.”
Sands grew to become president of Virginia Tech on June 1, 2014, after serving as provost and performing president of Purdue University. In his set up tackle on Oct. 17, 2014, he referred to as on the college group to advance its impression on the commonwealth by growing the “binary star” created by the college’s principal campus in Blacksburg and educational applications, alternatives, and partnerships in the better Washington, D.C., space. Four years later, Virginia Tech introduced plans to construct an “innovation campus” in Alexandria as a signature a part of the increased schooling package deal that introduced Amazon’s HQ2 to Northern Virginia and continues to develop know-how expertise for the area.
The Alexandria constructing, now referred to as Academic Building One and residential to the new Institute for Advanced Computing, is a part of Virginia Tech’s important development throughout the commonwealth beneath Sands’ management. Fifteen main new development tasks have been launched since 2014 totaling 1.9 million sq. toes.
The North Academic District of the Blacksburg campus is the web site of the largest transformation impacting college students at practically 500,000 sq. toes. It consists of the Data and Decision Sciences Building, Hitt Hall and the Perry Place eating facility, the Undergraduate Science Laboratory, the New Classroom Building, and the New Business Building.
The Upper Quad additionally skilled important growth and enchancment with the development of Pearson Hall East and West, Upper Quad Hall North, and the Corps Leadership and Military Science Building.
Virginia Tech’s ongoing partnership with Carilion Clinic has been transformative in the Roanoke area with the growth of the Health Sciences and Technology campus. The transition of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine from an unbiased establishment to the college’s latest faculty is advancing a sturdy and rising educational well being care presence. The growth of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, with greater than 40 faculty-led analysis groups in 260,000 sq. toes of laboratory and educating area, doubled the college’s financial impression in Roanoke from $214 million in 2017 to $475 million in 2025.
Other new buildings which can be full or at present beneath development embrace Mitchell Hall, the Creativity and Innovation District residence corridor, the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility, and the Dairy Science Complex at Kentland Farm.
Additional highlights of Sands’ management embrace:
- Establishing the Beyond Boundaries visioning initiative to interact and encourage the college group to think about Virginia Tech’s function as a public land-grant college in 2047 and past and lay the groundwork for a brand new strategic plan
- Launching Virginia Tech’s sesquicentennial celebration to honor and mirror on the college’s historical past and encourage conversations about the future
- Successfully navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by partaking well being care, authorities, and group companions all through the area and leveraging the experience of Virginia Tech scientists, researchers, and labs to assist well being care wants throughout the commonwealth and advance world understanding of how the virus is unfold
- Achieving the preliminary $1.5 billion objective for Boundless Impact: The Campaign for Virginia Tech, partaking greater than 117,000 alumni, and subsequently surpassing the $1.872 billion expanded objective two years forward of schedule
- Increasing the college’s endowment from $800 million to greater than $2 billion, offering vital assets to make investments in Virginia Tech’s impression and excellence
- Launching the Partnership for Progress initiative to collaboratively establish and tackle shared challenges and alternatives for Virginia Tech and the surrounding area and to create a visionary, actionable highway map to improve high quality of life
- Establishing Virginia Tech Advantage to take away limitations for in-state college students with monetary want, supporting emergency assets in addition to analysis, study-abroad and internship alternatives
- Advancing Virginia Tech Global Distinction as the college’s dedication to institutional excellence throughout analysis, educating, and engagement, making the college a vacation spot for the finest school, college students, and companions who will pursue options to the world’s most complicated issues
- Championing the initiative to advance Virginia Tech Athletics’ success and impression to elevate the college’s nationwide visibility, protect its function as a regional financial engine, and reinforce its worth as a singular pupil management expertise
Of all the college’s accomplishments over the previous 12 years, Sands is most happy with the greater than 100,000 Hokies who earned their levels, saying the legacy of Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), lives on in them and the impression they are going to have on generations to come.
Sands and his spouse, Laura P. Sands, plan to stay in the space. “Laura and I will always be Hokies,” he stated. “We plan to stay rooted in Blacksburg as this is most definitely home.”
