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Virginia Tech, formerly known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, has rapidly gained a reputation for academic excellence, especially regarding its engineering schools. In its annual survey, U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it 34th among the nation’s public universities.
Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is in the Appalachian Mountain community of Blacksburg, which is about 220 miles west of Richmond, near Roanoke.
Enrollment
(main campus): 26,370, undergraduate and graduate
Race:
White, 69.5 percent; black, 4.3 percent; Asian, 6.2 percent; international, 7 percent; Hispanic, 2.2 percent; unknown, 10.2 percent
Average combined
SAT score: 1201 (for incoming freshmen in 2006)
Number of police
officers: 40
Most prominent
on-campus crimes in 2005: burglary, 22; arson, 9; forcible sex offenses, 7; aggravated assault, 5.
Most prominent
on-campus arrests in 2005: liquor law violations, 194; drug violations, 17; weapons violations, 6
Famous alumni:
Chet Culver, governor of Iowa; Christopher Craft, former director of flight operations at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston; Homer Hickam, author of “Rocket Boys”; Thomas L. Phillips, retired CEO of Raytheon Co.; Michael Vick, pro football quarterback; Charlie Byrd, jazz guitarist.
BLACKSBURG, VA.
Population: 39,573
Race: White, 84.4 percent; black, 4.4 percent; Asian, 7.8 percent
Number of police officers: about 50.
Crime trend: Number of crimes dropped 15 percent from 3,056 in fiscal 2003-2004 to 2,593 in 2005-2006. No murders were reported in fiscal 2005-2006, but number of assaults rose 13 percent, to 312.
Chicago Tribune