VCOM Faculty Handbook

Blacksburg Community and Area Blacksburg is a desired community to reside in Virginia with a host of activities in the downtown area typical of a university community and excellent schools. The Blacksburg community adjoins Christiansburg with a combined population of over 70,000 exclusive of the 30,000 students from Virginia Tech. Two shopping malls support the communities along with a theatre, a host of dining choices, and entertainment. Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountain Region, a multitude of opportunities exist for outdoor activities that include hiking, bicycling trails, and nearby white water rafting and skiing. The New River Valley bicycle trail (a rails to trails bike path) is 54 miles long and travels along the New River to Galax. Claytor Lake nearby offers boating, skiing, and fishing opportunities. Challenging and recreational white water rafting on the New River begins within 30 minutes from campus. Blacksburg’s proximity to Roanoke provides additional experiences with a symphony, theater, opera, ballet, museums, and other cultural events. Roanoke has a regional airport offers transportation to Washington DC, Charlotte, and Atlanta for easy connection with all major airlines. Roanoke also has professional baseball and Division 1A college sports. Virginia Tech Activities The campus of Virginia Tech offers the broad array of social, cultural, and educational activities found on major campuses, yet is uniquely located in a community environment. Of course we could not say Virginia Tech without mentioning the ACC athletic teams “The Hokies”, as the enthusiasm of alumni and students bring up to 70,000 people to campus for the home games. A new center for cultural arts opened on campus and offers both art and music events for the community at large. The collaboration offers opportunities for Virginia Tech students interested in health careers to become involved with VCOM prior to enrollment. Internships with VCOM in research and medicine exist for Virginia Tech students. Virginia Tech students who contact the Associate Dean for Biomedical Research or the Associate Vice President for International and Appalachian Outreach are placed as appropriate. Over 400 students from Virginia Tech undergraduate programs have enrolled in VCOM to date. VCOM Carolinas Campus Overview The VCOM-Carolinas campus is nestled in the beautifully preserved, historic downtown area of Spartanburg, South Carolina. VCOM became the hub of development that is transforming the Northside of the city with a new walking/biking path, new housing projects, and restaurants. The Carolinas campus is surrounded by multiple colleges and universities including: Wofford College, Converse University, the University of South Carolina Upstate, a branch campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Spartanburg Methodist College, and Spartanburg Community College. Spartanburg is positioned approximately 30 miles northeast of Greenville, South Carolina, and approximately 70 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina; two cities that offer easy airport access. Main Facility The main campus building is over 70,000 square feet and is situated on a 20-acre campus. Ample parking exists for all VCOM students and faculty. The campus is a beautiful addition to Spartanburg and was voted the most beautiful medical school campus in the country in a published competition by the National MPH on-line students in 2008. VCOM’s information system provided through Virginia Tech and Clemson University, provide our campus community with access to information systems and resources worldwide. The classroom environment affords optimum learning conditions while demonstrating respect for both students and faculty. The facility houses two theatre classrooms that easily fit 150 students (and can seat up to 200 for events if desired). Over 20 moderately sized rooms are available for small group learning throughout the building. The main campus building includes a state-of-the art anatomy lab, a center for technology and simulated medicine, library and student study and lounge

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