Virginia Tech has renamed its Signature Engineering Building in recognition of the philanthropy of Alice and Bill Goodwin.

Goodwin Hall will be formally dedicated on Oct. 24 at 10:30 a.m., and is located near the corner of Prices Fork Road and Stanger Street.

The Richmond couple committed the largest single donation in Virginia Tech history to help fund construction of the 155,000-square-foot, $95.2 million facility, which opened in June and hosted its first classes in August.

“The mechanical engineering degree I earned from Virginia Tech helped me, and I believe in giving back,” said Bill Goodwin, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1962 and later earned an M.B.A from the University of Virginia.

The Goodwins initially made their gift anonymously.

“I’m thrilled to have their name on the building,” said Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Flanagan, Virginia Tech’s vice president for development and university relations. “The Goodwins’ support to our institution is helpful, and it certainly deserves this recognition.”

The Goodwins have a long history of supporting Virginia Tech, and they are charter members of the President’s Circle of the Ut Prosim Society, the university’s most prestigious donor recognition group. Bill Goodwin received Virginia Tech’s University Distinguished Achievement Award in 2005, one of the university’s highest honors.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the building naming on Sept. 15. The board also approved the naming of dozens of prominent, interior spaces within the building in recognition of major gifts toward its construction made by other donors.

Among those spaces were the Quillen Family Auditorium named in recognition of a $3 million gift, the William E. Betts Jr. ’32 Mechanical Engineering Lab named in recognition of a $500,000 gift, and a mechanical engineering lab named in memory of Margaret and John M. Scruggs with a gift of more than $427,000.

Bill Goodwin is retired chairman and president of CCA Industries, a holding company with assets that include golf resorts, hotels, and the CCA Financial Inc. technology- and equipment-leasing company.

“The importance of Goodwin Hall to the continued growth and excellence of our college cannot be overstated,” said Richard Benson, dean of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. “Speaking not only for myself, but for all our students, faculty, and staff, I want to thank the Goodwins for their leadership gift on this project, and to also thank each and every one of the more than 150 donors whose generosity helped us make this spectacular building a reality.”

Goodwin Hall contains eight classrooms; an auditorium; 40 instructional or research labs; and 150 offices for faculty, staff, or graduate students. The building is expected to receive LEED certification, and was designed so that researchers can track data on settlement, wind load, and other structural factors.

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.

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