Boeing Commits $50 Million to Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, Alexandria, Virginia
ALEXANDRIA, VA—At a press conference at Boeing in Arlington, VA, on May 4, 2021, Boeing announced its $50 million commitment to Virginia Tech’s new Innovation Campus.
The 65-acre Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia, will diversify and bolster the technology industry in the greater Washington D.C., area. Boeing, committing to a multi-year $50 million investment, becomes the first foundational partner in that effort.
Governor Ralph Northam, Virginia Tech President Dr. Timothy Sands, Boeing CEO David Calhoun, Vice President and Executive Director of the Innovation Campus Lance Collins, Senator Mark Warner, and Congressman Don Beyer, all spoke at today’s announcement.
“We all collectively need to continue to train and attract the brightest brains of the world. That is what the Innovation Campus is going to do for Virginia,” began Governor Northam.
Senator Warner added, “This kind of investment is more important than ever.”
As a leading technology university, Virginia Tech now emphasizes diversifying the accessibility and outreach of its curriculum through what Dr. Timothy Sands calls a ‘talent pipeline.’
“How do we make the most diverse tech campus in the country, if not world?” questioned the Virginia Tech President. “We need that talent, and this Innovation Campus will put us on that pattern.”
“Our vision is to be both a place and a culture that unlocks ideas,” said Lance Collins, Vice President and Executive Director of the Innovation Campus. “Diversity is a value of excellence. Diverse ideas raise the bar, raise performance, and raise the outcome.”
Boeing’s $50 million commitment to that diversification will fund student financial aid, faculty recruitment, and STEM programs within and beyond the Innovation Campus.
The financial aid will include full scholarships for Innovation Campus master’s degree students, additional scholarships for students looking to qualify for the Innovation Campus, and Ph. D. fellowships for researchers.
Some of the new programs on the Innovation Campus will include a student success center, a technology leadership program, a project-based mentor program, collaborative research projects, and opportunities for non-traditional undergraduates—such as veterans—to enroll in the Innovation Campus.
Programs beyond the Innovation Campus will include a K-12 STEM program, funding for a K-12 program director, and expanding access to technology related disciplines.
Expanding the reach of tech and STEM programs for not only post-graduates at the Innovation Campus, but also for young students aspiring to careers in the technology sector, will create that pipeline of talent mentioned frequently this morning.
Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun said, “Our investment is to build that pipeline immediately. We want to leverage everything the state of Virginia has done to accommodate and promote underrepresented populations across the state. We want a diverse student population in this school.”
Boeing and Virginia Tech have a long-standing relationship of over seventy years, and Boeing’s latest investment matches the largest gift ever given to the school. Boeing’s $50 million investment will help champion Virginia Tech’s goal of diversifying the technology industry.
Congressman Don Beyer concluded, “The basis of human progress becomes explosive on the Innovation Campus.”
