Engineering Extension

An Engineering Extension Division was established in 1923 with the primary function of presenting technical information in usable form. Engineering Extension Branch Schools were established in the 1930s to offer the first two years of Virginia Tech's principal engineering curricula in cooperation with other schools. The first of these branches was established in cooperation with the Virginia Mechanics Institute (later Richmond Professional Institute and now Virginia Commonwealth University) in 1930; the arrangement was discontinued in 1970. Similar arrangements were made with the Norfolk division (now Old Dominion University) of William and Mary in 1931 (discontinued 1963); Bluefield College in 1932 (discontinued 1964); and Lynchburg College in 1932 (discontinued 1938). Tech operated a Danville Branch (later Danville Division) on its own 1946‑68. Branch colleges were operated as Tech divisions in Roanoke (the division is now Virginia Western Community College) 1961‑66, in Wytheville (now Wytheville Community College) 1963‑67, and at Clifton Forge‑Covington (now Dabney S. Lancaster Community College) 1964‑67. In 1962 Engineering Extension became General Extension, which, in 1966, became part of the university-wide Extension Division.

Directors of Engineering Extension until it was replaced by General Extension: R. B. H. Begg (1924‑32); Earle B. Norris (1932‑52); John W. Whittemore (1952‑62). S. B. Row was director of Community Colleges and General Extension from 1962‑66 before absorption into the Extension Division.