The Darden School has decided to build a Northern Virginia office in the heart of the high-tech corridor running from Tysons Corner to Dulles Airport.
The office will not function as a satellite campus, but will instead promote Darden student business projects, foster executive education with area corporations and provide opportunities for case writing with such corporations.
Classes may be offered at the Northern Virginia office in the future.
"There needed to be a stronger relationship between Darden and the high-tech communities," Darden Vice President of Communications Phil Giaramata said. Giaramata called the Northern Virginia area the "most energetic and explosive part of the country among high-tech firms," which make up a healthy and formidable part of the economy.
"The business school that is there first with the best solutions will be very successful," Giaramata said.
He said he hopes the office will be in operation by this summer or fall.
Initial staff in Northern Virginia will consist of a standing faculty member in residence and a support person, said Wendell Dunn, executive director of Darden's Batten Institute. The staff will be expanded after the office's needs and opportunities have been assessed.
The Batten Institute helps Darden build partnerships with corporations and promotes student entrepreneurial projects and research initiatives in "value creation."
The program will be permanently housed at 2 Freedom Square in the Reston Town Center. Darden officials will negotiate the lease in the next several weeks. Giaramata said a neighboring building is providing a temporary location for the office.
The idea to create a Northern Virginia office was born Dec. 10, when Frank Batten, Sr. gave a $60 million gift to Darden, directing its use towards entrepreneurial leadership. Batten's gift is the largest ever given to a business school.
The office represents an opportunity for Darden to take the lead in national business issues such as e-business and the building of environmentally sustainable businesses.
Darden faculty members will be able to take their expertise and research findings to corporations through a physical site.
The office will provide "both the physical and intellectual infrastructure for initiatives," said Sankaran Venkataraman, Batten Institute director of research.
The decision to set up the office in Northern Virginia stemmed from the increasing importance of networks, which made interaction from Charlottesville difficult and necessitated a presence in the Northern Virginia area.
"You're just not going to be a player unless you're physically there on a regular basis," Giaramata said.
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