The year 2022 marked 150 years of teaching, learning, research, and memories at Virginia Tech. For the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities, this sesquicentennial celebration signifies a century and a half of building, maintaining, and fostering a unique learning, work, and home environment for all Hokies.
“Our team works tirelessly to assure that the university’s buildings and grounds constantly express the sense of place and quality that is intrinsic to Virginia Tech,” said Chris Kiwus, vice president for campus planning, infrastructure, and facilities.
Established in 1872, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College was humbly located on present-day Alumni Mall. The university has grown into the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and a leading research institution. Virginia Tech now offers about 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across the commonwealth and manages a research portfolio of more than $556 million.
Virginia Tech has a 2,600-acre main campus in Blacksburg and a significant presence across the commonwealth, including the Innovation Campus in the greater Washington, DC, metro area; the Health Sciences and Technology campus in the Roanoke Innovation Corridor; sites in Abingdon, Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Newport News. Plus there are Agricultural Research and Extension Centers across the state, a campus in Switzerland, and an 1,800-acre agricultural research farm near the Blacksburg campus.
The Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities has contributed to this tremendous growth through planning, maintaining, and improving the university’s physical infrastructure. The division has played an integral role in delivering Virginia Tech’s distinct and beloved “This is Home” phrase to Hokies across all campuses and beyond.
“Our mission is to align the physical campus with the institution’s mission vision, core values, and strategic plan,” said Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect. “Anything you see in the physical realm and how that relates to what Virginia Tech means is what we want to achieve.”
Although the day-to-day operations of the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities are generally completed behind the scenes by more than 500 highly skilled employees, the results of their essential work are immediately seen, felt, and recognized by all.
From housekeeping in teaching labs and offices to campus planning and design in preparation for a new building, the division provides services that have allowed the university to thrive for 150 years.
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