Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 30, 1994 TAG: 9408300088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The university will present the proposal to the General Assembly next year, it was announced at Monday's board of visitors meeting.
Earving L. Blythe, vice president of information systems, said the project will be a key component of Tech's information highway research efforts.
Professors experimenting with information technology are scattered all over campus. Blythe said the proposed building will consolidate many of those programs under one roof and create a ``synergy'' of ideas.
``We think it has pretty incredible potential,'' he said.
The building would sit near the corner of the mall and the drill field - near Brodie Hall - and be connected to the library by a sky bridge over the mall.
In addition to a research facility, Blythe said, the building is envisioned as a learning center open to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would differ from a traditional computer lab because the students would use test programs developed by the faculty.
One example of computer-aided teaching is the technical writing class of Virgil Cook, an associate professor of English, that is taught completely on computer. The computer reads text to Cook, who is blind, and students send him work via the Internet.
With a $25 million price tag, the building is one of the most expensive capital projects at any of the state's universities, but Tech administrators are confident it will get support.
``I think this will be very popular,'' said Ralph Byers, Tech's director of governmental relations. ``This is clearly meeting a need.''
Minnis Ridenour, Tech's executive vice president and chief business officer, told the board the project would be funded with state, federal and private money.
Though the figures are preliminary, Byers said he expects about $10 million would be needed from the state and $5 million from the federal government, with the remaining $10 million raised through a private capital campaign.
Blythe said he expects much of the private support would come from companies that specialize in information technology.
He and Byers both stressed that projects like Blacksburg's Electronic Village make Tech a national leader in information technology research and that this new building would strengthen that position.
``This is clearly the future of higher education,'' said Larry Hincker, Tech's director of university relations.
Tech President Paul Torgersen also unveiled the university's restructuring plan at Monday's meeting, stressing that communication technology is a fundamental element of the school's future.
He noted that a decade ago, Tech's College of Engineering was one of the first programs in the country to require every student to own a computer.
Torgersen also said it was his understanding that per capita, there are more students with computers at Tech than at any other school in the country.
Also on Monday:
The board passed a resolution directing the Commission on Faculty Affairs to study severance packages guaranteed to tenured faculty members who are laid off.
The board's academic affairs committee voted to delay proposals for a school of the arts and a school of public and international affairs until they are studied further.
The board approved the university's purchase or lease of seven acres in Fairfax County for the construction of a graduate center to be jointly run by Tech and the University of Virginia.
by CNB