UMW may expand to Dahlgren naval base

BY JEFF BRANSCOME

Date published: 3/3/2007

BY JEFF BRANSCOME

The University of Mary Washington is getting $2 million from the state to buy land for and design a graduate school near the Dahlgren naval base.

Officials hope to open the 35,000- to 50,000-square-foot facility in King George County by the summer of 2010. It will cater to Dahlgren employees and people who work for nearby contractors, but others could also attend.

Gov. Tim Kaine included the money in next fiscal year's budget. UMW's board of visitors privately discussed possible sites for the facility at a recent meeting. It is seeking a site as close to the base gate as possible.

"After we do the planning, we have to go back to the state and request the construction funds," said Rick Hurley, UMW's vice president for administration and finance.

The site would host professors from five other state colleges--the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason--to teach engineering and science courses.

All of the colleges have offered courses at Dahlgren before.

Dahlgren officials proposed a similar project in the late 1990s, but it never materialized.

This time around, "it didn't take off until we brought UMW in as the landlord and operator of the facility," said Ted Hontz, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Council. "That sold to the folks in Richmond."

Over the last nine months, he said, the council has met with legislators and others to push for the center.

They first outlined their plans to university President William Frawley and other UMW officials about three months ago. By that time, Hontz said, both groups had similar visions.

"Dr. Frawley arrived and began meeting with anybody and everybody to find what the needs of the region are," Hurley said.

The graduate center would offer master's and doctoral degrees in programs such as systems engineering, electrical engineering and math, Hontz said.

UMW faculty would teach less technical subjects, such as business administration, political science and foreign languages, Hurley said.

He's not sure whether these professors would commute from the school's Fredericksburg or Stafford campuses.

This initiative may lead Dahlgren to expand its research into areas such as health care, Hontz said.

"It isn't just to satisfy the education requirements in Dahlgren," he said. "There's the potential to grow into something of much greater significance to the region."

Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com

Date published: 3/3/2007