Tweet

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech Athletics Department announced Tuesday that it has secured $1.2 million in funding to be used for enhancements in the areas of academic support, technology, and student-athlete development.

The funding is a combination of private donations, a corporate gift, and a $400,000 grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. This foundation is named after Mary Morton Parsons, who was the daughter of William Smith Morton, a lifelong resident of Richmond and the founder of Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company.

The foundation supports the capital needs of charitable organizations and typically issues between $3-5 million annually in grants to support capital projects, mostly on a challenge or matching basis. These grants only support organizations within the state of Virginia.

“Our goal is to use this generous grant to provide our student-athletes with the technology needed to thrive in a workforce that is becoming increasing automated, while also enhancing our academic support center, which most of our student-athletes use on a daily basis during the academic year,” Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. “We are also in the process of centralizing our student-athlete development unit that focuses on personal and leadership development and community outreach. This team has been creating programs that have been recognized nationally and are invaluable for our student-athletes.”

“We’re extremely grateful to the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation for their grant to be used to help our student-athletes,” Virginia Tech Deputy Athletics Director Desiree Reed-Francois said. “The athletics department met the requirements for the grant process by raising funds that equaled twice the amount of the grant. We’re thankful for the grant and for the private and corporate donations that will aid in this cause.

“Our goal is to provide our student-athletes with the opportunities to be successful in the classroom, in the community, and in their future endeavors. Our plans to use these monies in the areas of academics and student-athlete development will enhance those opportunities and help us to make them champions for life.”

The department is in the initial stages of soliciting designs, implementing plans, and establishing a timetable for the entire project. Those details will be released this summer.

For updates on Virginia Tech Athletics, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @hokiesports