Whether you wish to help future generations afford college, to promote excellence in teaching and research, or to support valued programs at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, your endowed gift will make a permanent impact. Because endowed gifts are invested so that their earnings can be spent, they provide particularly valuable funding especially in assisting with projects and students, year after year, in support of your philanthropic aims. Donors who create endowments may name them for themselves or for others whom they desire to honor or memorialize by establishing a permanent legacy in support of educational excellence.
If you are interested in speaking with someone about establishing a named endowment at VTTI, please contact Carl Mitchell at 540-231-1548 or cmitchell@vtti.vt.edu.
Executive Directors are the visionary leaders responsible for maintaining and enhancing the quality of the research institutes they oversee. An endowed executive directorship provides discretionary funds to help an executive director realize his or her vision. Universities with endowed executive directors have a significant advantage in recruiting or retaining the best possible leadership.
Endowed division and center chair positions are a hallmark of academic quality and a means by which an institute honors division and centers of national and international distinction. Chair positions help make it possible to recruit or retain scholars with exceptional, sustained records of achievement.
Assist the Division of Data & Analytics in their efforts to assist industry, academic, and government sponsors with large-scale data collections. The division is well positioned to provide quantifiable data that can make a difference. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Division of Freight, Transit, & Heavy Vehicle Safety develop cutting-edge truck and bus technologies. The division is a leading force in integrating a safer and efficient heavy vehicle transit system. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Division of Technology Development and Deployment with developing and maintaining innovative systems for transportation research. The division is a leader in constantly developing advanced data collection systems. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Division of Technology Implementation with the development of hardware and software solution components. The division is a leader in bringing partners together to resolve legal, operational, policy, and technical issues required to conduct successful implementations. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Division of Vehicle, Driver, & System Safety with creating cutting-edge processes to improve the safety and effectiveness of transportation systems. The division represents hope for a brighter future with safer transportation. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Center for Sustainable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure in improving and managing our infrastructure facilities and systems. The center is a leading force in building the infrastructure of the future. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Center for Sustainable Mobility with developing solutions to society’s transportation mobility, energy, environmental, and safety needs. The center is well positioned to solve the environmental transportation issues of the future. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Center for Injury Biomechanics with mitigating human tolerance to transportation-related injuries. The center is well positioned turn trauma research into improvements for a safer future. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Assist the Global Center for Automation Performance Simulation (GCAPS) with vehicle simulation and physical data interpretation to enhance virtual expansion in the transportation industry. GCAPS is a leader in utilizing extensive modeling to provide concrete solutions. Endowments will go towards the priority needs as determined by the chair.
Endowed professorships recognize and reward exceptional faculty members. Because they are so highly prized within the research and educational industry, endowed professorships are a powerful tool for recruitment and retention.
This support fuels special projects within the divisions and centers. Purchasing equipment, hiring research assistants, or traveling for research are examples of the types of initiatives this type of endowment helps make possible.
Advancing knowledge through research is a primary responsibility for a university. Senior faculty fellowships advance the work of tenured professors who are conducting significant investigations or working on books or major research papers in joint roles at VTTI.
Post-doctoral fellowships help compensate highly qualified individuals who have earned their doctorates and are embarking on highly specialized research alongside researchers at VTTI.
Junior faculty fellowships support the research and teaching of untenured assistant or associate professors whose work shows remarkable potential. They encourage innovation in teaching and research, and help the university retain its most promising junior faculty members.
Graduate students play a key role in the academic environment of an institution. Faculty members rely on their support while teaching and conducting research, and all faculty members have attained an advanced degree themselves. And whether they go into industry or academia, graduate students' career accomplishments highlight the quality of their alma mater.
Innovative executives, nationally renowned authors, and eminent scientists are the types of lecturers who add to the research and educational environment at a great institute. By providing funds to cover the expenses of bringing distinguished transportation focused researchers and speakers to campus, endowed lectureships make it possible for extraordinary people to share their knowledge, enriching the VTTI and Virginia Tech campus experience.
Enrichment fund endowments provide supplemental funding for existing activities within VTTI’s divisions and centers or other administrative groups. These funds help ensure the continued success of promising transportation safety initiatives.
Gifts made without restriction are among the university's most valuable. They allow VTTI leadership and researchers to take immediate action when exciting new opportunities arise and to allocate resources where they can have the greatest impact.
Scholarships sometimes make the difference in whether talented students can attend Virginia Tech and perform transportation related research at VTTI. They also allow recipients to focus more exclusively on their schoolwork and to pursue extracurricular opportunities that lead to learning and personal growth. As a recruiting tool, scholarships help the university to attract outstanding individuals to campus.
Undergraduate research, a distinguishing factor of the Virginia Tech experience, helps all students develop critical thinking skills, whether or not they plan to pursue advanced degrees. This offers students an advantage when they graduate, because they can point to tangible accomplishments in their fields.