The Lyric Theater hosted a town-hall style meeting Thursday with Mark Warner, former Virginia governor and senatorial candidate, and Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google who was raised in Blacksburg. The theater was packed full, and hundreds were turned away, as Warner and Schmidt discussed far-reaching topics such as energy innovation and technology in America. Schmidt funded the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean's Chair of Engineering with a $2 million gift in 2006. The Torgersens were neighbors to Schmidt while he grew up. Torgersen was president of Virginia Tech from 1993 until 2000 and dean of its College of Engineering from 1970 to 1990. College of Engineering Dean Richard Benson holds this position. Pictured left to right are Dorothy Torgersen, Paul Torgersen, Eric Schmidt and Richard Benson.
Learn more about Eric Schmidt’s gift to the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.