College of Architecture and Urban Studies announces Outstanding Graduating Senior award recipient

Virginia Tech has named Andrew Valentine, a resident of Midlothian, Va., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Valentine is expected to receive a bachelor’s degree in industrial design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies in May 2008. He was recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America with a national scholarship awarded to only two students each year. Additionally, he has served as co-president of the society’s student chapter.

Valentine has also made contributions outside of the classroom. He took part in the Europe study travel group, and has had internships in Virginia Beach, Va.; South Carolina; and Salzburg, Austria. He also traveled to Mississippi to work on house demolition, reconstruction projects, and to assist with the construction of volunteer facilities after Hurricane Katrina.

The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.

The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their quality credit average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of two schools and the departments of landscape architecture, building construction, and art and art history. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 25 degrees taught by 160 faculty members.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Southside, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

Written by Stephanie Haugen-Ray.