The University will celebrate the grand opening of its Northern Virginia campus in Fairfax Friday, marking a major milestone in its efforts to expand educational access for working professionals in the Washington metropolitan area. A key initiative of the 2030 “Great and Good Plan,” the new campus is designed to serve students seeking flexible, in-person and hybrid learning options, all without relocating to Charlottesville.
With its central location, proximity to key industries and professional-focused programs, the campus is set to become a major hub for University students who live and work in Northern Virginia. The purpose of this new campus is to connect the University in Charlottesville with Northern Virginia.
According to Leanna Yevak, assistant director of communications at U.Va. Northern Virginia, the opening ceremony will feature remarks from several notable figures, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, University President Jim Ryan, Inova CEO Dr. Stephen Jones and Gregory Fairchild, dean and chief executive officer of U.Va. Northern Virginia.
After the ceremony, Yevak said attendees will have the opportunity to explore the new facility during an open house. The event will also include a program fair featuring representatives from all Northern Virginia-based University programs and members of DC Hoos, the local alumni group. Visitors can also meet with building design teams from the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Perkins & Will and University Facilities Management, who collaborated on the project.
The new 55,000-square-foot facility, located at the Inova Center for Personalized Health, includes six classrooms as well as various multi-purpose rooms, quiet study areas and a café, with interiors decorated in orange and blue and murals featuring Charlottesville landmarks. Faculty members from the Charlottesville Grounds will teach courses in Fairfax, ensuring that students experience the same high-quality instruction offered at the main campus.
The new campus offers courses from nine different University schools and aims to provide flexible, in-person and hybrid learning for students who want an education by the University without relocating to Charlottesville.
Among the academic offerings at the new campus is the Accelerated Master's Program in Systems Engineering, designed for working professionals. Bella Abbott, a current student in the program, represents the target demographic for the new campus — professionals seeking to advance their education while maintaining their careers in Northern Virginia.
“I really enjoyed how accessible it is to the D.C. area,” Abbott said. “I work full time just outside of D.C., so being able to have in-person classes so close to home has been a really great experience”
When asked what could be improved about the campus experience, Abbott, who attended the University of Maryland for her undergraduate education, said the experience could be improved by bringing more campus spirit, such as through networking and sporting events.
“Maybe just continuing to bring more of what it feels like to be on Grounds up to this campus, in terms of school spirit or events,” Abbott said. “Whether that's U.Va. networking events or more sporting events if they're playing a nearby team school, just more ways to help us feel connected to the U.Va. community, even though we're not down in Charlottesville with the rest of the student population.”
The Northern Virginia campus continues the University’s expansion across the Commonwealth as it marks the second satellite campus outside of Charlottesville, with the College at Wise being the first. The College at Wise was established to bring a strong liberal arts education to southwestern Virginia, while the Northern Virginia campus is tailored to more working professionals, with branches of the campus in Rosslyn, a neighborhood of Arlington, and Fairfax County.
The grand opening will officially take place Friday after the project received approval in 2018. The opening will feature events such as an a cappella performance, a photobooth and University merchandise. For more details, visit the campus website.
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