Community events, celebrations mark installation of President Timothy D. Sands Oct. 16-18
To commemorate the installation of Timothy D. Sands as the university’s 16th president, Virginia Tech will host a three-day celebration that will engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader community in events that exemplify the motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
The presidential installation website has been created to provide up-to-the-minute information on all associated events. The website will be updated as additional information becomes available. Events are free and open to the public.
Sands officially joined the Virginia Tech community as its 16th president on June 1. He previously served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Purdue University and had served as Purdue’s acting president in the fall 2012.
The formal presidential installation ceremony will be held Friday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. in Burruss Hall Auditorium. The 90-minute event will be streamed live on the university homepage.
The installation celebration will begin Thursday, Oct. 16, with a spirit rally and viewing of the Virginia Tech vs. University of Pittsburgh football game starting at 6:45 p.m. in the South End Zone Concourse of Lane Stadium.
Events on Friday, Oct. 17, will begin with “Morning with the President,” a conversation with Sands, and journalist Brian Lamb, the founder, executive chairman, and now-retired CEO of C-SPAN. The discussion, which will cover topics and issues central to higher education leadership, will begin at 10 a.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre in the Moss Arts Center, and will also be streamed live on the university homepage.
At 11 a.m., also in the Moss Arts Center, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology will host “Hands-on, Minds-on” to highlight Virginia Tech teaching and research creating connections among the arts, design, engineering, and science.
Following the formal installation ceremony, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will honor the new president by holding a pass in review at 3:30 p.m. on the Drillfield. An ice cream social, featuring performances by a variety of student organizations, will follow at 3:45 p.m., also on the Drillfield.
Later that evening, the film, "The Internship" will be shown starting at 7:30 p.m. on the Drillfield.
The celebration will continue on Saturday, Oct. 18, with an academic showcase, “Experience Virginia Tech: Learn, Explore, Engage,” to highlight innovative teaching and research conducted by Virginia Tech faculty. The three-hour event, which will be held 9 a.m. to noon at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, will include activities, displays, lectures, and talks suitable for families and young children.
Saturday’s events will conclude with a community pizza party starting at noon on Dietrick lawn and a pick-up basketball game with President Sands at 2 p.m. in McComas Hall.
More information on the career of Timothy Sands can be found on the Office of the President website.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
