Va. Tech receives $1M gift for learning accelerator

Virginia Tech on Tuesday announced that it will establish a new learning accelerator at the university’s Pamplin College of Business through a $1 million gift from an alumnus and his wife.

Omar Asali, a 1992 Virginia Tech graduate and chairman and CEO of Ohio-based Ranpak Holdings Corp., made the gift with his wife, Rula, through their family foundation.

The Asali Learning Accelerator will “provide a dedicated space for Pamplin undergraduates to receive and deliver academic coaching services that are tailored to support students’ individual academic goals,” according to a news release. It will be housed in the second building at Tech’s Global Business and Analytics Complex (GBAC), which is under construction and expected to be completed by 2025.

“Rula and I are proud to support educational initiatives that mentor students in both the classroom and applied situations,” Asali said in a statement. “Having immigrated to the United States from Jordan, I am grateful for the education I received from Pamplin. … The foundation of my undergraduate education 30 years ago well prepared me for the workforce and for graduate business school at Columbia University. The vision for GBAC elevates Virginia Tech’s reputation and reach with first-rate facilities that bring together business, engineering and science across one ecosystem.”

Ranpak Holdings provides sustainable, paper-based packing solutions for e-commerce and industrial supply chains. Asali has served on the board of the Virginia Tech Foundation since 2018, guest lecturing during Ethics Week, and serving as a Wells Fargo Distinguished Lecturer at Pamplin.

“We are grateful for Omar and Rula Asali’s generous commitment and for their continued philanthropic leadership and engagement in Pamplin,” Pamplin Dean Robert Sumichrast said in a statement. “This announcement marks a tremendous milestone in Pamplin’s efforts to scale its learning offerings for our undergraduate students.