Global Business and Analytics Complex

The $250-million Global Business and Analytics Complex (GBAC) on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus is a catalyst to secure the university’s position as a world leader in data analytics and decision science and is why it is a named presidential priority in the Boundless Impact Campaign. The ability to collect, assess, and use data to predict results has altered business and society.

At Virginia Tech, ranked among the most innovative universities in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings, transformational initiatives are underway. As part of the university’s 6-year master plan, GBAC will be known for delivering an innovative educational model that keeps pace with the digital revolution through talent production — undergraduate and graduate — and transdisciplinary research, fueling the pipeline to key economic regions. The complex’s features — state-of-the-art teaching and research labs, classrooms, and collaborative spaces for students, faculty, and student startups - and Virginia Tech’s industry partnerships, will deliver top talent and spark research throughout the commonwealth and foster economic growth.

Amazon’s decision to locate its second headquarters in Northern Virginia included the value proposition Virginia Tech offers, the core of which is the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia and the undergraduate talent pipeline from Blacksburg campus. Virginia Tech’s commitment to increasing the number of undergraduates studying data analytics, computer science, engineering, and related disciplines at GBAC is an important factor in the Amazon HQ2 initiative. 

Virginia Tech produces 24 percent of the commonwealth’s four-year public-institution STEM-H degrees, more than any other institution in Virginia. The university is among nation’s largest provider of engineering and STEM-related graduates. Business Information Technology, the university's largest major with more than 1,500 students — is STEM-H designated. Pamplin College of Business is at the forefront of the GBAC initiative and analytics are being integrated into all business education disciplines at Virginia Tech.

The first GBAC academic building, the Data and Decision Sciences Building, is currently under construction. The facility will house faculty and classes from multiple colleges, including the College of Engineering, the College of Science, and the Pamplin College of Business. Its function is to bring together under one roof computer science, engineering, and data-related disciplines to provide opportunities for students, faculty, alumni, and even industry leaders, to work side-by-side to address some of the world’s significant data challenges.

Current phase: Construction is underway.

Expected completion: The building is expected to open ahead of the fall 2023 semester.

The second academic building will complete Pamplin’s relocation to the Global Business and Analytics Complex. The facility will enable the college to meet the demand for a modernized learning environment and to accommodate the exponential growth of faculty and students over the last 30-plus years. It will be a collaborative magnet for talent, research, and education, and will include approximately 105,000 square feet of academic space and advanced technology, such as data visualization and labs, team rooms, advanced classrooms, and collaborative spaces for faculty and students.

Current phase: Architect selection - Architectural/Engineering (A/E): Moseley Architects.

April 2022: The building was approved to enter the design phase by the Board of Visitors.

Expected completion: 2025.

GBAC's two residence halls within the proposed Student Life Village will include IMPACT, Pamplin and College of Science's data analytics living-learning community, and Innovate, Pamplin's entrepreneurship living-learning community. The residence halls will house approximately 700 students, with faculty and corporate partners engaged in the programming on a day-to-day basis. 

This $250-million, four-building GBAC project has university, state, and private resources already committed, and Pamplin is working to finalize funding for the college's new location within GBAC with private philanthropy. To date, Pamplin has raised more than $36 million, including commitments from nearly 100 percent of the Pamplin Advisory Council, as well as key alumni partners at Deloitte, EY, and KPMG, and corporate and family foundations such as the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Deloitte Foundation, EY Foundation, and KPMG Foundation.

The college is seeking to raise a remaining $4 million in private philanthropy to ensure the full vision of the design for this transformational building is realized. With its undergraduate pipeline in high demand by industry and government, this is a critical juncture for Pamplin. It remains a top priority in the Boundless Impact Campaign to fund the Global Business and Analytics Complex.

Seed success with your gift

Contact Elizabeth Mitchell, assistant dean of advancement at the Pamplin College of Business, to learn more about GBAC philanthropy opportunities (email | phone: 540-739-5192).

CURRENT PHASE - Data and Decision Sciences Building: Under construction with expected completion ahead of fall 2023 semester.

Second academic building: Design stage and architect selection underway. The building is expected to be completed in 2025.