Virginia Tech president Tim Sands to step down
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands is ready to step down, bringing an finish to a tenure that started in 2014 and spanned greater than a decade in Blacksburg. His contract was set to run via the 2027 tutorial 12 months.
“There is no better role in higher education than to serve as the president of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,” Sands said in the release. “Stewarding Virginia Tech as president has been the most fulfilling experience of my career.”
Sands, who grew to become the sixteenth president of Virginia Tech after beforehand serving as president at Purdue University, oversaw a interval of great progress, together with enlargement in analysis, innovation initiatives and the college’s presence within the larger WashingtonDC space.
His retirement is a significant transition level for the college, each academically and athletically, as Virginia Tech continues to place itself and maneuver an ever-evolving panorama throughout larger training and school athletics.
Just weeks in the past, Sands delivered his annual State of the University Addressthe place he highlighted continued progress throughout key institutional priorities whereas additionally putting a notable emphasis on the way forward for Virginia Tech athletics.
“Today, the state of our university is engaged, energized, optimistic, and prepared to move ahead in 2026,” Sands stated.
That forward-looking tone carried all through the handle.
“This year, we will re-evaluate, re-set, and most importantly, raise the bar,” Sands stated.
He additionally emphasised the long-term path of the establishment because it continues to evolve.
“Our long-term vision continues to emphasize impact, attracting talent, ensuring institutional excellence, and elevating the ‘Ut Prosim difference’ that sets Virginia Tech apart,” Sands stated.
At the identical time, Sands made it clear that athletics will stay a central piece of that imaginative and prescient.
“At Virginia Tech, intercollegiate athletics is foundational to our regional economy, creates indelible connections between students, alumni and the university, expands our national brand,” Sands stated in the course of the handle. “Last year, the changing collegiate athletics landscape gave us a choice — step back or rise to meet the opportunity. We rose.”
That message aligned with one of the vital vital developments of his tenure: Virginia Tech’s renewed funding in athletics, together with the hiring of head coach James Franklin and a broader plan to make investments greater than $200 million into the division over the approaching years.
Beyond athletics, Sands oversaw main institutional initiatives such because the college’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria and the long-term “Beyond Boundaries” strategic imaginative and prescient.
“Research is a key aspect of our global mission, and our external research expenditures have increased 56 percent over the past four years,” Sands stated. “The impact of Virginia Tech research extends across land, sea, and sky.”
Sands’ departure now units the stage for Virginia Tech’s subsequent section. He stated it was the proper time to step apart and permit the subsequent chief to “take the baton at full stride.”
More particulars to come.
