Fralin: Virginia Western driving the region’s knowledge-based economy
Fralin is chairman of Medical Facilities of America Inc. and a member of the Virginia Western Educational Foundation Board of Directors.
The future is bright for the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley regions. We are moving away from an energy and manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. At the center of this movement are our educational institutions.
Our K-12 system is greatly improved, and our Governor’s School is excellent. The emerging Academic Health Center created through the partnership of Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic, and more recently, Radford University’s new nursing school are providing visible evidence of an exciting new economy.
Scientific and medical research has attracted world-class leaders, and all evidence indicates that the new facility for the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC will be completed this spring and bring with it more researchers who could work anywhere in the world.
One of the most important players in this movement to a knowledge-based economy is Virginia Western Community College.
Its growth not only in size, but also in stature, has been remarkable. Also extraordinary is that this growth has focused on quality.
To learn more, check out the whole article below.