Hundreds of cadets will move into New Cadet Hall, the second of two new residence halls for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, in August.

Construction on the residence hall is finished, and work on the surrounding sidewalks, flagpole plaza, and landscaping will be completed this summer. The first cadets will begin arriving on campus on Aug. 11 to make preparations for the cadet Class of 2021, which starts new cadet training on Aug. 19.

“We are extremely excited that our more than 1,000 cadets will be living in the two newest residence halls on campus and that the university has provided the infrastructure to support the corps for decades to come,” Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart said.

New Cadet Hall mirrors Pearson Hall, which opened in 2015. Both are built in the collegiate Gothic style that characterizes most of the Blacksburg campus and are accented with heraldry that celebrates the university’s history, the corps, and the ROTC units.

The 99,000-square-foot New Cadet Hall contains more than 230 rooms with study and lounge spaces on each level.

The rooms and hallways are designed for cadets and their training needs. For example, each building has a mud room that allow cadets to clean up and store equipment after outdoor training.

Both buildings’ basement levels contain a kitchen and laundry room for cadets, as well as offices for corps’ staff. New Cadet Hall includes a gym and workspace for the corps’ physical trainer.

Between the two residence halls is a new plaza featuring a 90-foot flagpole and a sidewalk in maroon-orange brick that forms the largest “VT” on campus to connect Lane, Pearson, and New Cadet halls.  Here, the corps’ monuments to honor the past will reside, along with the statue of Addison Caldwell, the university’s first student and cadet.

The Corps of Cadets, which dates to the university’s founding in 1872, is the oldest and largest of more than a dozen living-learning communities at Virginia Tech, said Patty Perillo, vice president for student affairs.

“While we know the broad benefits of living-learning communities, the corps experience is exceptionally unique,” Perillo said. “The opportunity to embrace both the curricular and co-curricular experience in this highly contextual environment is beneficial to our cadets’ well-being, as well as to their collegiate, career, and life success. The institutional traditions, as well as the integration of Military-Leader and Citizen-Leader tracks, truly support the corps’ mission to create global, ethical leaders.”

The Military-Leader Track prepares cadets to commission into one of the services. The Citizen-Leader Track, unique among the nation’s senior military colleges, allows cadets to experience the corps' military lifestyle and apply its skills directly to the public and private sector without a military obligation after graduation. 

The final piece of the Upper Quad overhaul is the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors-approved Corps Leadership and Military Science Building, which will be placed at the rear of Shank’s Plain.

This building will bring the commandant's staff and the Virginia Tech ROTC programs together to provide modern office and classroom space, as well as much-needed modern facilities for the Tailor Shop and the Corps Museum.

Construction is set to begin once Richmond legislators act on the university’s construction funding request. Preliminary design of the building is complete, and the private portion of the funds has been raised.

This summer, the final two old residence halls, Monteith and Thomas, are being razed, adding more green space to Upper Quad. 

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