Virginia Tech names new engineering building Goodwin Hall in recognition of record donation

Published September 18, 2014 by Paula C. Squires

Virginia Tech has renamed its Signature Engineering Building in recognition of the philanthropy of Alice and Bill Goodwin.

Goodwin Hall, located near the corner of Prices Fork Road and Stanger Street, will be formally dedicated on Oct. 24 at 10:30 a.m.

The Goodwins of Richmond committed the largest single donation in Virginia Tech history to help fund construction of the 155,000-square-foot, $95.2 million facility. It opened in June to faculty, and students started attending classes there in August, when the fall semester began.

“The mechanical engineering degree I earned from Virginia Tech helped me, and I believe in giving back,” Bill Goodwin said in a statement. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1962 and later earned an MBA from the University of Virginia.

The Goodwins initially made their gift anonymously. They have a long history of supporting Virginia Tech. The Goodwins are charter members of the President’s Circle of the Ut Prosim Society, the university’s most prestigious donor recognition group. In 2005, Bill Goodwin received Virginia Tech’s University Distinguished Achievement Award, one of the university’s highest honors.

Bill Goodwin is retired chairman and president of CCA Industries, a holding company with assets that include golf resorts and hotels.

“The importance of Goodwin Hall to the continued growth and excellence of our college cannot be overstated,” said Richard Benson, dean of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.  “Speaking not only for myself, but for all our students, faculty, and staff, I want to thank the Goodwins for their leadership gift on this project, and to also thank each and every one of the more than 150 donors whose generosity helped us make this spectacular building a reality.”

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the building naming on Sept. 15. It also approved the naming of dozens of prominent, interior spaces within the building in recognition of major gifts by other donors.

Among those spaces were the Quillen Family Auditorium named in recognition of a $3 million gift led by alumnus Michael Quillen and and given by his family in Southwest Virginia, the William E. Betts Jr.  Mechanical Engineering Lab, named in recognition of a $500,000 gift, and a mechanical engineering lab named in memory of Margaret and John M. Scruggs with a gift of more than $427,000.

Goodwin Hall contains eight classrooms, an auditorium, 40 instructional or research labs and 150 offices for faculty, staff, or graduate students. The building is expected to receive LEED certification, and was designed so that researchers can track data on settlement, wind load, and other structural factors.