Named endowments

Whether you wish to help future generations afford college, to promote excellence in teaching and research, or to support valued programs at Virginia Tech, 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, 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.

Dean's chair: $5 million

Deans are the visionary leaders responsible for maintaining and enhancing the quality of the colleges or divisions they oversee. An endowed deanship provides discretionary funds to help a dean realize his or her vision. Universities with endowed deanships have a significant advantage in recruiting or retaining the best possible deans.

Sesquicentennial chair: $3 million

The position of sesquicentennial chair acknowledges the world-class, sustained accomplishments of our most esteemed scholars and teachers. Competition for faculty is fierce, and the opportunity to offer chaired positions of this magnitude helps us attract and retain academic leaders who will take Virginia Tech to new heights through its 150th anniversary and beyond.

Faculty chair/ institute chair: $2 million

Endowed faculty chair positions are a hallmark of academic quality and a means by which a university honors faculty members of national and international distinction. Chair positions help make it possible to recruit or retain scholars with exceptional, sustained records of achievement.

Professorship: $1 million

Endowed professorships recognize and reward exceptional faculty members. Because they are so highly prized within the educational industry, endowed professorships are a powerful tool for recruitment and retention.

Special research or teaching program endowment: $750,000

This support fuels special projects within colleges or departments. Purchasing equipment, hiring research assistants, or traveling for research are examples of the types of initiatives this type of endowment helps make possible.

Senior faculty fellowship: $500,000

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.

Post-doctoral fellowship: $500,000

Post-doctoral fellowships help compensate highly qualified individuals who have earned their doctorates and are embarking on highly specialized research alongside professors at Virginia Tech.

Junior faculty fellowship: $250,000

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.

Lectureship: $150,000

Innovative executives, nationally renowned authors, and eminent scientists are the types of lecturers who add to the educational environment at a great university. By providing funds to cover the expenses of bringing distinguished speakers to campus, endowed lectureships make it possible for extraordinary people to share their knowledge, enriching the Virginia Tech campus experience.

Enrichment fund: $100,000

Enrichment fund endowments provide supplemental funding for existing activities within colleges or other administrative units. These funds help ensure the continued success of promising initiatives.

Undergraduate scholarship: $100,000 ($150,000 to endow a position-specific athletic scholarship)

Scholarships sometimes make the difference in whether talented students can attend Virginia Tech. 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.

Graduate fellowship: $100,000

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 whether they go into industry or academia, graduate students' career accomplishments highlight the quality of their alma mater.

Undergraduate research endowment: $100,000

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.

Excellence fund: $100,000

Gifts made without restriction are among the university's most valuable. They allow campus leaders to take immediate action when exciting new opportunities arise and to allocate resources where they can have the greatest impact.

Library resource fund: $100,000

Endowed funds enable the dean of libraries to purchase materials in support of the wide-ranging needs of the many students, faculty members, and others who rely on Virginia Tech's library system.

Campus preservation fund: $100,000

Campus preservation fund endowments fuel projects to preserve and beautify campus, such as gardens, small park settings, plantings, and sculptures.