Visioning Initiative: Inventing the Future of Virginia Tech

The year 2047 will be the 175th anniversary of Virginia Tech. In order for the university to be well positioned to meet the needs of the communities it serves at this monumental point in time, Virginia Tech is preparing for two related goals: advancing as an internationally recognized, global land-grant institution, and strategically addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by the changing landscape of higher education.

This paper offers as a university-wide visioning process to address the complex questions facing our institution. The effort is conceived from an analysis of Virginia Tech’s strategic plan, President Sands’ installation remarks, the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia’s 2014 strategic plan, literature on the changing landscape of higher education, and the work and characteristics of benchmark institutions. From this research, we identified seven elements of the changing landscape and four thematic areas of inquiry that will serve as the foundation for the initiative.