Hollins University alumna makes $75M donation
Hollins University has received a $75 million donation from an anonymous alumna, the largest in its history and believed to be the largest private donation to a women’s college, the university announced Thursday. The gift will fund scholarships and undergraduate financial need. It will be given in $25 million increments to the Hollins endowment over […]
VCU president to chair American Council on Education
Michael Rao, president of Virginia Commonwealth University, has been elected chair of the American Council on Education Board of Directors, the council announced Tuesday. Rao, VCU’s fifth president, has been at the helm of the university — and VCU Health System — since 2009. He was selected as ACE’s chair Tuesday during ACE’s business meeting […]
Youngkin promises biz-friendly climate for Va.
Talent, taxes and regulations, broadband access and energy are the top concerns for Virginia businesses, according to survey results gathered for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Blueprint Virginia 2030, an action plan for strengthening Virginia’s economy. And those are also priorities for Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, he said Friday in a speech during the Virginia Economic […]
UK race car maker taps into Martinsville talent
College students in Martinsville can get on the fast track to careers with British race car manufacturer Radical Sportscars. In May, the Peterborough, England-based company opened its first U.S.-based sales office at Patrick & Henry Community College’s Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Complex, close to the school’s Racing College of Virginia. That will be followed in [&hell[...]
100 People to Meet in 2022: Educators
Ranked as CNBC’s Top State for Business for two consecutive years, Virginia earned the distinction in part for its “wealth of colleges and universities.” These are some of the educators and leaders who are helping to grow that national reputation for academic excellence. Suzanne Bergmeister Executive director, Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship at James Madison […]
Stephen Moret to leave VEDP
Virginia Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Stephen Moret will leave VEDP to become president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Strada Education Network in January, Strada and VEDP announced Wednesday. Moret expects that VEDP’s board will appoint Executive Vice President Jason El Koubi to serve as interim CEO and a nationwide search will be conducted for […]
Blackboard completes merger with Fla. company
Reston-based education technology company Blackboard Inc. and Boca Raton, Florida-based Anthology Inc. higher education software company announced Oct. 25 that they had completed their merger. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Anthology will be the parent company of the combined organization, with the Blackboard name remaining as a brand. Anthology has more than […]
Fluctuating fortunes
The Steward School campus in Henrico County looks a bit different this year. With five mobile classrooms, a tent on the patio and masked faces, the school has noticeably adapted to the demands of teaching students amid a pandemic. “In a lot of ways, we’ve gotten somewhat back to normal,” Head of School Dan Frank […]
Va. Tech launches National Security Institute
Virginia Tech has launched a research institute focused on national security with presences in Blacksburg and the Washington, D.C., metro area, the university announced Tuesday. The Virginia Tech National Security Institute aspires to become “the nation’s preeminent academic organization at the nexus of interdisciplinary research, technology, policy and talent development to advance na[...]
U.Va. adds real estate minor in commerce school
The University of Virginia will start offering a real estate minor for the first time this spring. The 15-credit interdisciplinary minor, housed within the McIntire School of Commerce, will be taught by faculty across multiple areas, including the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and […]
Va. Tech names real estate program for Blackwoods
Virginia Tech’s real estate program will now be named for the Blackwood family, a familiar name to those in the state’s real estate industry. Willis Blackwood, founder and president of Richmond-based Blackwood Development Co. Inc., his wife, Mary Nolen Blackwood, and their children, Morgan Blackwood Patel and Nolen Blackwood, donated $2 million to the program […]
Blackboard to merge with Fla. company Anthology
Reston-based Blackboard Inc. announced Monday it will merge with Florida company Anthology. Anthology is a cloud-based software company focused on serving global education institutions, and Blackboard is a provider of learning management software and has more than 150 million users. Its clients include higher education institutions, K-12 schools, governments and businesses. The financial details w[...]