 | Board of Visitors minutes April 3, 1993 |  |
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STATEMENT BY THE RECTOR
- The Rector made the following statement:
- "When the Board met in Abingdon in 1989, we presented a new sign to the Center. Some of you have observed that it has been replaced - not because it wasn't appreciated or needed. To the contrary. In four short years, what used to be exclusively the University of Virginia Center has expanded to become the focal landmark for higher education in Southwest Virginia. This building now serves as the temporary headquarters for the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center - a collaborative partnership between the University, Clinch Valley College, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Highlands Community College. When we return four years from now, we will convene in the Center's 9.9 million dollar facility on the campus of Virginia Highlands. With innovation and growth continuing at this pace, might we expect a relocation of the Grounds by 2020?
- The Higher Education Center already houses graduate programs offered by the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Tech currently delivers on-site a master's degree program in educational administration, and its M.B.A. and engineering master's are televised to this location. Clinch Valley College sponsors undergraduate courses here and at Virginia Highlands.
- In addition, two other universities have proposed additional degree programs to the Board of Directors of the Southwest Center: Radford University hopes to offer a master's degree program in social work at the Southwest Center; George Mason University proposes a doctor of arts program for community college teachers.
- With construction of the new building, the vision will have physical as well as programmatic reality: students graduating from Virginia Highlands will be able to earn a bachelor's degree from Clinch Valley College right here in Abingdon. They then will have a wealth of graduate opportunities from which to choose. The value of these opportunities to the economic development of the region - both in attracting new companies and retaining existing employees, cannot be overstated.
- The University has always sought partnerships
that would assure quality educational experiences for
Virginians - undergraduates, graduates and working
professionals. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education
Center is one such partnership, where cooperating institutions can share costs while maximizing opportunities for lifelong learning.4615
- It will be exciting to come back four years from now. Today the sign, tomorrow the building."
| Board of Visitors minutes April 3, 1993 | |