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Virginia Tech President Tim Sands announced Thursday that he intends to step down in the coming months, ending a 12-year tenure that reshaped the university's footprint across the commonwealth — including the launch of the Alexandria campus that helped bring Amazon's HQ2 to Northern Virginia.
Sands made the announcement in a letter addressed "to Hokies everywhere," saying the timing was right to allow a successor to take over while the university has momentum. He has committed to remaining in the role until a replacement is in place.
"It is now time, while Virginia Tech has momentum on so many fronts, for me to start the process of stepping aside so that the next president can take the baton in full stride," Sands wrote.
For Alexandria, Sands' legacy is concrete and visible. In 2018, Virginia Tech announced plans to build an innovation campus in the city as a centerpiece of the higher education package that brought Amazon's second headquarters to Northern Virginia. That building — now known as Academic Building One and home to the university's Institute for Advanced Computing — held its grand opening in February 2025 and has become a hub for developing technology talent in a region defined by its proximity to the federal government and one of the world's largest tech companies.
Board of Visitors rector John Rocovich credited Sands directly with that vision. "His drive to expand Virginia Tech's impact through collaborative engagement with our communities and partners, and his steadfast commitment to public higher education have positioned us well for the future ahead," Rocovich said, adding that the Alexandria campus and the Virginia Tech Carilion Academic Health Center "will yield huge dividends to Virginia Tech for 100 years."
Under Sands, Virginia Tech saw undergraduate enrollment grow 30 percent, applications increase 200 percent, extramural research expenditures rise 70 percent, and the university's endowment climb from $800 million to more than $2 billion. The university launched 15 major construction projects totaling 1.9 million square feet since 2014.
Sands came to Virginia Tech in June 2014 after serving as provost and acting president at Purdue University. In his installation address that fall, he called for building what he described as a "binary star" between the main campus in Blacksburg and a growing academic and research presence in the greater Washington area — a vision that the Alexandria campus ultimately fulfilled.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., praised Sands' record while urging the board to be deliberate in its search for a replacement. "He strengthened Virginia Tech by prioritizing research and innovation, expanding enrollment while maintaining university competitiveness, and building lasting industry partnerships," Warner said in a statement. "As the university looks ahead, it is essential that Virginia Tech takes the time to conduct a thoughtful and thorough search for its next leader — one that reflects the institution's stature."
No timeline has been announced for a presidential search. Sands and his wife, Laura, plan to remain in Blacksburg. "Laura and I will always be Hokies," he said. "We plan to stay rooted in Blacksburg as this is most definitely home."
