Virginia Tech History Resources

Special Collections and University Archives holds several copies of this history about the university's first 100 years. Several other branches hold copies which can be checked out.

Six volume history of the university, with special attention to the Corps of Cadets, from 1872 thru 1934. Some originals related to the history are in Harry Temple's collection. Special Collections and University Archives and Newman Library have several copies.

The first edition of this book was published in 1997, at the time of Virginia Tech’s 125th anniversary. Wallenstein, a professor of history at Virginia Tech, situates the story of Virginia Tech firmly in the context of both American history and Virginia’s checkered history of higher education. One reviewer wrote that the book “may well be the most un-parochial history of a college or university that has ever been written.” The new edition features a lengthy new preface as well as other changes in text and images throughout. The book will interest historians, educators, students, and just about anyone who wants to know more about the history of higher education in America.

Special Collections and University Archives holds several copies of the second edition of the Historical Data Book from 1972.

Special Collections and University Archives holds the original edition of the Historical Data Book from 1964

Virginia Tech celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2022. Established in Southwest Virginia to promote agricultural, mechanical, and military education, the fledgling school grew into a comprehensive research university with a global land-grant mission. No Ordinary Moment: Virginia Tech, 150 Years in 150 Images explores the history of the school, from its mid-nineteenth-century origins as Virginia Agricultural and Military College to present-day Virginia Tech. The book features approximately 150 illustrations, including rare photographs and unique items from the Special Collections and University Archives at Virginia Tech and other campus sources. Compiled and written by Virginia Tech archivists, No Ordinary Moment is organized around three principal themes--the land-grant mission, the evolving campus, and the long tradition of innovation--which, taken together, provide an overlapping view of Virginia Tech's past, present, and future. Along the way, the book highlights the many notable milestones in the university's history, including its founding as a land-grant college in 1872, the granting of university status in 1970, and the arrival of female students and students of color. Likewise, the book illuminates the long-standing curricular strengths of the university in engineering, agriculture, architecture, and the sciences, as well as the liberal arts, athletics program, and social traditions shared by students, alumni, and the community. Also covered are the establishment of the Virginia Cooperative Extension and colleges for medicine and veterinary medicine, and Virginia Tech's leading example in new technological fields and applied sciences, such as cybersecurity, transportation, autonomous vehicles, and bioinformatics. No Ordinary Moment is a book for anyone who wants to learn more about the history and culture of Virginia Tech--from alumni, faculty, and students to members of the Hokie nation wherever they might live.