Campaigning for the College’s Future
William Hopkins, associate professor of wildlife sciences and director of the Wildlife Ecotoxicology and Physiological Ecology Program, knows firsthand how critical research facilities are. “The facilities provided in Latham Hall were influential in my decision to move my research program to Virginia Tech,” he reported.
Facilities like those in Latham Hall are helping the college address the very real challenges of the natural world by educating professionals who understand how to balance conservation, management, and the use of natural resources in the 21st century. And without private support, Latham Hall would not be nearly as effective.
Bill Hopkins’ lab in Latham Hall houses a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment on loan from the federal government — a velocity raceway that determines sub-lethal affects of common pesticides on small vertebrates. Hopkins’ research aids in understand how a changing global environment affects the health of declining wildlife groups.
Dedicated in April 2006, Latham Hall was named to recognize the support of Bill and Elizabeth Latham, whose gift provided laboratory equipment, undergraduate research stipends, graduate student fellowships, and other forms of support. The laboratories made possible through the Lathams’ generosity have already begun to make a positive impact. “The unique laboratory infrastructure provided in Latham has enabled us to leverage significant funding from the National Science Foundation as well as industry, and to pursue interdisciplinary problems that require such state-of-the-science facilities,” said Hopkins.
The college is committed to providing high-quality education for its students and giving its faculty the resources they need to conduct innovative research, both of which often require resources that can be hard to come by. Through The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future, the college is reaching out to individuals who see the importance of the college’s vision and research to the health and future of the natural world. Those individuals can, and indeed do, provide the resources that the college needs to continue its progress.
The college is making good progress toward its campaign goal of $10 million thanks to strong private support. Gifts to the college reached $9.23 million as of the end of May; annual giving almost doubled in 2008. Support for academics and faculty are particularly strong. But while these campaign successes are important, Dean Mike Kelly notes that a number of key components of the college’s future still need funding, particularly in the area of research facilities and equipment. Given the outstanding success of Latham Hall, Dean Kelly would like to see the college’s other research facilities reach their funding goals so they might also contribute to the college’s overall success. “Although we are doing quite well in some respects,” he said, “three very important goals have not been addressed — the Wildlife Research Laboratory, the Forest Products Research and Teaching building, and the Forest Research Laboratory.” The college also hopes to create an endowment for the new meteorology program.
The campaign is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, 2010. Reaching the campaign goal for research facilities and equipment is a priority for Dean Kelly and the college. For more information on how you can ensure the future of the college by supporting its research initiatives, please contact development director Bob Mollenhauer at 540/231-8859 or bobm5@vt.edu.