Role In Technology Innovation Lauded At Alexandria's Virginia Tech Opening

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus is officially open in Alexandria, as state and local officials joined the school for a ribbon cutting of the first academic building Friday. But the event experienced a disruption from pro-Palestine protesters concerned about the school's partners.

The ribbon cutting marked the first major milestone of the campus development in Alexandria's Potomac Yard. The campus seeks to expand Virginia Tech's presence in the DC region as well as contribute tech talent and research.

The eleven-story academic building opened to students in January, offering graduate programs in computer science, computer engineering, and business. It also hosts Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business graduate programs in the DC region, including the online Master of Information Technology program, evening and online MBA programs, an executive Ph.D. Program, and Master of Science in business administration programs in hospitality and tourism management and global business analytics. Virginia Tech has over 500 graduate students taking courses at the new Innovation Campus.

"Virginia Tech now has an open front door in the heart of this region’s innovation economy, ready to welcome new talent, partners, and opportunities," said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in remarks at the ribbon cutting. "This is the new manifestation of an engaged university — meeting people where they live and work to understand their needs and seek solutions that make a difference."

Lance Collins, the vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, said the Innovation Campus noted a meeting between Sands and other officials in 2015 started conversations about Virginia Tech expanding in Northern Virginia. Two years later, Collins said Virginia officials saw an opportunity of a campus amid Amazon's competition for its second headquarters.

The next year, Virginia Tech's Innovation Campus was announced alongside Amazon choosing neighboring Arlington for its second headquarters. The groundbreaking for the campus happened in 2021.

"The Innovation Campus is delivering on what we set out to do: grow the talent that is needed to accelerate the technology ecosystem in Northern Virginia and develop new technologies that will have seismic positive impact on society," said Collins.

Research is a key component at the campus, where faculty and programs in Alexandria will pursue partnerships to advance research and learning opportunities on global-scale problems. Along with hosting Virginia Tech programs, the building is home to the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics.

Lamice Albaayno, a Master of Engineering student in computer science and applications, spoke on behalf of students at the ribbon cutting. Albaayno is one of the Boeing Scholars receiving a scholarship for her program. When she graduates in the spring, plans to use software engineering and artificial intelligence skills to pursue a career in her native Northern Virginia.

"This new and unbelievable facility in Alexandria is an ideal place to grow and innovate," said Albaayno. "It gives students direct access to some of the most exciting opportunities in tech."

The keynote speaker, Virginia Tech alumna and president and CEO of Wellcome Leap Regina Dugan, spoke to the importance of groundbreaking research.

"My wish for everyone who comes to call this campus home...is that you will meet this moment with passion, with resolve so that one breakthrough at a time, we can turn a disillusioned world toward possibility, so that together we can turn a doubting world toward hope," said Dugan.

Federal, state and local elected officials were present to tout the benefits of the Innovation Campus, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, who represents part of Alexandria, and Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins.

Youngkin said the campus represented "tremendous opportunity."

"It is that step into transforming the way we think about innovation, not just in the Commonwealth, not just for the region but around the world," said Youngkin in remarks. "The collaboration that is going to go on here is going to change the way we do things, the way we think about advanced computing and quantum computing, the way we think about involving corporate and academic research in a way that builds collaboration that drives forward to the application of what is studied and researched here."

About one minute into Youngkin's remarks, activists interrupted the event with a protest, holding a banner reading "genocide profiteers are not welcome here." The group identified themselves in a statement as local pro-Palestine protesters. The activists shared concerns about the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus's partnerships with companies they say profited off weapons, aircraft and vehicles sold to Israel in the war in Gaza.

Holding a ribbon cutting event to celebrate a campus that has major partnerships with companies that are sending weapons that facilitate the apartheid and genocide in Palestine is beyond appalling," said Shahed Sanuri, a Virginia Tech and co-president of Students for Justice in Palestine. "These same dangerous companies are praised and given platforms on our campus to serve as a pipeline for the younger generations and manipulate their involvement in committing war crimes."

The activists were ultimately escorted out, and Youngkin continued with his remarks.

Warner addressed the activists in his remarks, noting he disagreed with the disruption but defended their free speech rights.

"If they had raised their voice in authoritarian nations anywhere around the world, they would have lasted 30 seconds and be drug out in handcuffs," said Warner.

Warner, who had chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said national security is becoming less of a competition about weapons, aircraft, ships and tanks and more about competition in technology. He also spoke about the need to continue research funding approved by Congress, which was threatened by a funding freeze sought by President Donald Trump's administration. Warner said students and faculty need funding and other tools to help America compete with nations like China on technology.

"It is important for Virginia. It is important for America. It is important for the world," Warner said.

Kaine, who is on the Senate's Armed Services Committee and Subcommittee on Seapower provided a defense perspective for the Innovation Campus. He said three types of innovation are needed: talent, technology and cooperation.

"We need innovations and cooperation in relationships, because if we just get the first two, the talent and the technology, but we don't advance on the relationship and cooperation side, the investments and achievements in the first two aren't going to amount to so much," said Kaine.

Gaskins spoke to Potomac Yard's history as a rail yard, noting it was a site for innovation. She said Virginia Tech's new presence revitalizes the opportunity for innovation. One of the opportunities Alexandria's mayor highlighted was the chance for K-12 students to learn about emerging technologies, math and engineering at the Innovation Campus's K-12 Initiatives Center.

"We are a place of innovation because we are a place that welcomes new ideas, and we are a place that welcomes opportunity," said Gaskins.

Virginia Tech envisions two more academic buildings as the campus grows. Highlights of the first academic building are the Boeing Auditorium with a capacity of 200 in a classroom-style format or 300 in an auditorium format, 14 classrooms ranging from 25 to 90 seats, three instructional studios for online teaching and learning, 32 huddle rooms for student and faculty collaboration, a cyber physical lab, two-story drone testing cage and eighth floor roof deck with a capacity of 300 people.

By 2030, the Innovation Campus expects to enroll 700 to 900 master's degree students.