University of Virginia

UVA Expanding Presence in Rosslyn and N. Va.

By Vernon Miles
Rosslyn Twin Towers at 1000/1100 Wilson Blvd (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 10/1) The University of Virginia is expanding its footprint in Northern Virginia, including its Rosslyn campus.

The university currently operates a satellite location of its Darden School of Business in the top two floors of an office building at 1100 Wilson Blvd, one of the two Rosslyn “twin towers.” As part of the expansion plan, announced last week, the regional campus will be renamed UVA|NOVA and will offer more courses from other schools within the university.

“UVA|NOVA will be UVA’s campus in Northern Virginia, beginning with a site in the Rosslyn neighborhood of North Arlington and ultimately expanding to other sites in the region,” the school said. “The campus will build upon, and bring together, existing programs and serve as a platform for significantly expanding offerings – including in-person, online and hybrid instruction – targeting those who are interested in advancing in their careers.”

For now, most courses will be located within the satellite campus, according to university spokesman Brian Coy. It’s unclear how much the program will physically expand within Rosslyn, but Coy said the school is currently in talks about getting more space here.

“We will operate out of the 1100 Wilson building, at least initially,” Coy said. “We are in discussions regarding additional space and will make announcements as we can. Our expansions are going to be staged, focused on both the University’s current location in Rosslyn as well as other facilities in the Northern Virginia region.”

He did not say how many new students or faculty would come to Rosslyn through the revised program, or how the expansion will impact the campus or the surrounding area.

Per UVA’s website, about 300 students are based out of the campus, which offers courses in the master’s programs of business administration and business analytics as well as lifelong learning classes.

An article published by the school last week identified which programs will be added to or expanded within the Rosslyn campus:

In the near term, the UVA|NOVA initiative will include expanded course offerings in several schools, including the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Education and Human Development, the Darden School of Business, the McIntire School of Commerce, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and the School of Data Science. UVA will also offer a new degree beginning in the fall of 2022: a part-time MBA program in the Darden School.

The UVA article says the new classes will include in-person, online and hybrid instruction.

The announcement comes on the heels of Virginia Tech breaking ground on a high-profile campus in Potomac Yard. The Virginia Tech campus is being built alongside a new Potomac Yard Metro station, which recently had its opening delayed to next September.

Coy similarly said it was transit accessibility that played a part in the decision to expand the Rosslyn campus.

“The original decision was made to locate in Rosslyn because of its proximity to key partners in the region and to mass transit,” Coy said. “The area is also full of people who are pursuing rewarding careers in competitive industries and may wish to pursue additional education through UVA that could help them advance.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Board to Vote on Arts Grants — “County Board members on July 14 are slated to approve $215,810 in direct support to Arlington arts groups for the coming year. The funding request, which is in line with those of previous years, comes from the Arlington Commission for the Arts.” [InsideNova]

New Building Sign in Rosslyn — The logo for the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business now sits atop one of Rosslyn’s skyscrapers. The school recently expanded its facilities within the building at 1100 Wilson Blvd. [Twitter]

‘Instagrammable’ Sights in Arlington — Stay Arlington, the county’s tourism promotion agency, has a list of the “Most Instagrammable Places in Arlington.” The list includes: the Air Force Memorial, the Netherlands Carillon, murals in Crystal City, Theodore Roosevelt Island, New District Brewing Co. and the Mount Vernon Trail. [Stay Arlington]

Local Young Professionals Spend Wisely — A “money diary” for a married, young professional couple in Arlington has none of the excesses usually found in the genre. Instead, the couple jointly makes $175,000 per year, plus bonuses, and spends it modestly on things like cheddar Chex Mix and a $1,600 per month one bedroom apartment. [Refinery 29]

New Look for Our Homepage — You might have noticed that ARLnow’s homepage has a new look. This is an interim step on our way to launching an entirely new website design. Please let us know what you think about it in the comments. Also, let us know if you find any significant bugs or problems, as we’re still working out the kinks.

Nearby: Dual-Use Path on W&OD Trail — “Within the next year, pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to use separate, parallel sections along the trail in the city of Falls Church.” [InsideNova]

Photo courtesy Dennis Dimick

UVA Business School Expanding in Rosslyn High-Rise

By Katie Pyzyk
1/7

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business is expanding into two floors of a Rosslyn high-rise office building.

The new “state-of-the-art learning facility” will occupy the 30th and 31st floors of 1100 Wilson Blvd — owned by Monday Properties — with administrative, conference and classroom space taking up approximately 40,000 square feet. The school already has regional staff offices in the building and holds executive MBA classes at 1000 Wilson Blvd and 1919 N. Lynn Street.

“We are pleased to continue building Darden’s presence in Northern Virginia and the metro DC area at this premier Rosslyn location,” Darden School of Business Dean Scott C. Beardsley said in a statement. “Rosslyn’s proximity to major spheres of influence in D.C., including Capitol Hill and the White House, played a significant role in our decision, with the support of the University of Virginia.”

Local architects are designing the space, which will include tiered classrooms, flat classrooms, learning team rooms, open study areas, a board room, conference rooms and office space. A large ballroom will serve as a food service and conference space.

At its meeting last month, the Arlington County Board took up the issue of Monday Properties converting office space in the building to educational use. The business school is scheduled to move into its new location next spring.

Another change coming to 1100 Wilson Blvd next year is the opening of a 5,000-square-foot rooftop deck for tenant use. The indoor-outdoor space, touted by Monday as “one of the most expansive rooftop deck amenity offerings in the DC-metro market,” will be able to accommodate events and conferences.

Disclosure: Monday Properties is an ARLnow.com advertiser. Photos via Google Maps and Darden School of Business.

University of Virginia Looking to Expand Business School in Rosslyn

By Chris Teale
1100 Wilson Blvd (via Google Maps)

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business could expand into two upper floors of a Rosslyn office building.

Under plans before the Arlington County Board for its Saturday (September 16) meeting, building owner Monday Properties wants to convert existing office space at 1100 Wilson Blvd on the 30th and 31st floors to educational use. Just over 39,000 square feet of space would be converted.

“The renovated space will feature classrooms, multi-purpose spaces and supporting office space,” a staff report on the project reads. The report recommends the Board adopt the plans.

Per the application, the 30th floor would get three classrooms, a boardroom, a multi-purpose room, space for catering, conference rooms and break-out areas. The 31st floor would host two tiered classrooms — with auditorium-style seating for lectures, large discussions and the like — as well as a flat classroom and 12 case rooms for small meetings.

The report notes that the Darden School is the “anticipated tenant,” and that classes will be held at the site during off-peak hours and weekends to reduce strain on the building’s parking.

The school already hosts regional staff offices in the building, and provides executive MBA classes at 1000 Wilson Blvd and 1919 N. Lynn Street. It expanded into the D.C. area last year.

County staff said the nearby Radnor/Fort Myer Heights Civic Association president did not raise any objections to the plan, while the North Rosslyn Civic Association did not send any comments before the staff report was published. Staff from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District wrote in support of the proposal.

Disclosure: Monday Properties is an ARLnow.com advertiser. Photo via Google Maps.

W-L Senior Named National Boys Soccer Player of the Year

By ARLnow.com

Lucas Mendes, a 5’5″, 125 lbs. senior at Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School, has been named the 2016 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Mendes helped to lead the No. 1 ranked W-L boys team to a 9-0-2 record this spring. The team is scheduled to play its first game in the Liberty Conference Boys Soccer Tournament tomorrow.

Mendes was presented with his award from Gatorade by former pro soccer player and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman at Washington-Lee on Tuesday. (A video of the presentation is above.)

From Mendes’ profile on the Gatorade Player of the Year website:

At the time of his selection, Mendes had scored 10 goals and passed for five assists in his first year playing high school soccer after previously playing with D.C. United in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Ranked as the No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2016 by College Soccer News, he attended a training camp with the U.S. Soccer Under-20 Men’s National Team in January.

A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he has volunteered locally as a youth soccer coach. He has also donated his time to the Color of Leadership Conference, where he served as a mentor and participated in workshops to help middle school students of color discover and utilize resources to achieve their personal goals.

Mendes has accepted a full-ride scholarship from the University of Virginia, according to a press release from Arlington Public Schools (below, after the jump).

(more…)