Global Business and Analytics Complex

Vision

The proposed $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.

GBAC, Innovation Campus, and Amazon HQ2 

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

High-Demand Graduates

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. In 2017, 54.5% of Virginia Tech’s graduates earned a STEM-H degree. Business information technology — Pamplin College of Business’ largest major, withmore than 1,500 students, and the university’s second largest major — is STEM-H designated. The Pamplin College of Business is at the forefront of the GBAC initiative. Analytics is being integrated into all business disciplines. 

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