Virginia Tech has announced a $50 million, multiyear commitment from Boeing in support of a new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, Virginia.

The aerospace giant's commitment will provide funding for student scholarships, the recruitment of top faculty and researchers, and STEM pathway programs for underserved K-12 students looking to pursue a college degree and a post-college career in tech. The planned sixty-five-acre campus is a major component of Virginia Tech's commitment to the state's Tech Talent Investment Program, which, in partnership with eleven universities, has pledged to produce thirty-one thousand computer science and computer engineering graduates over twenty years.

With the funding, Virginia Tech will launch a data-driven approach to inclusion- and diversity-focused student recruitment that it hopes will model best practices for higher education; create a student success center that provides wraparound academic support and a new technology leadership program to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to shape the center's culture; and develop a project-based curriculum that embeds students with industry mentors, encourages multidisciplinary research in strategic learning domains, and supports programs that provide opportunities in computer science and engineering for non-traditional undergraduates, including veterans.

"We launched this campus with an ambitious vision to diversify the talent in high-tech fields," said Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. "It takes partners like Boeing to help us achieve such big goals. This gift allows us to begin initiatives now that would otherwise take years to start. We are honored to receive this record gift, and we look forward to delivering on what it has empowered us to do."