Alumni Notes Fall 2025

From the Alumni office

Hello from Upper Quad!  The first snow fell this morning, and the temperatures have fallen dramatically from those we had on M-Day, when over 500 first-year cadets arrived. That was our first alumni event of the academic year—around 20 alumni from the region greeted families as new cadets started their Corps journey. A little over a month later, we had Corps Reunion 2025—we are grateful that 450+ alumni came back home for that weekend. Two weeks after that, Virginia Tech held Homecoming, which included Highty-Tighty Reunion. It was great to see the HT alumni band march in the Homecoming parade on Friday and come together for their annual meal on Saturday.

Besides the wonderful alumni events this fall, we also had some big news from the Corps alumni office: Lisa Burton started as the new assistant director of Alumni Relations. Our main goal in the alumni office will be to communicate effectively and efficiently with the Corps alumni base so that you all know the fun and exciting things that are happening on Upper Quad. You can look forward to regional gatherings for our alumni and current families to meet Maj. Gen. Seely over the next 12 months. We will also come together with our alumni boards to meet in the first week of May, and we look forward to meaningful discussions.

Looking further into the summer, Virginia Tech will celebrate Alumni Weekend June 4 - 7, and we cannot wait to welcome Corps alumni who are able to come back to Blacksburg—when campus is less crowded and hotel costs are lower!  

Thank you again to all the alumni who we connected with this fall, and we look forward to opportunities in the spring to welcome you back home.

-Brian Callsen and Lisa Burton

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Office

Corps Reunion and Homecoming

Corps Reunion in September was an excellent opportunity for us to welcome more than 450 Corps alums back to Upper Quad.  The weekend included the dedication of the Fullhart Plain in honor of Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart and Kathy Fullhart, a pass in review on the Drillfield in honor of the Old Guard Class of 1975, the dedication of the 1st. Lt. Timothy E. Price ’01 Memorial Flag Plaza, and dinner and desserts on Fullhart Plain.  Just two weeks later, we had the opportunity to welcome almost 150 Highty-Tighty alumni and guests back to campus, where they marched in the Homecoming parade on Friday, performed during the pregame show at Lane Stadium on Saturday, and came together for their annual meal. Over 250 alumni, family members, friends, and current band members attended the meal at Dietrick Dining Hall after the football game. Event photos can be found on Flickr.

New Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

Our new assistant director of Alumni Relations has joined the staff. Help us welcome Lisa Burton, who previously worked as a special events coordinator with Virginia Tech Advancement. We are so thankful that she is here!  

And a New VTCC Museum Manager

Our new Corps museum manager— Ellie Smith—has also joined the commandant’s staff. We are equally thankful that Ellie is here! Ellie will have a range of responsibilities, the most important of which will be to update the Corps Museum catalog of holdings. We ask that alumni allow Ellie time to determine what potential donations the museum needs and what items (like Last Damn Rat Belts) we have in good supply!

It’s All About Communication

In the alumni office, our biggest goal is to stay in touch with you to let you know all the important things happening in our alumni community. We need your help to ensure we can do that.

Are You Reading this Magazine…  

…but haven’t received emails from our alumni office in a while? There might be a “Do Not Email” restriction on your VT record! That sometimes happens when emails from Virginia Tech bounce back more than once. Please contact the Corps Alumni Office at 540-231-9369 or 540-231-7431 if you want to ensure you will receive Corps alumni emails going forward.  

Closely related, if your contact information has recently changed, please email us at vtccalumni@vt.edu.

Loss of Access:  @vt.edu Accounts

If you still use an @vt.edu email address, please log in to your account using a computer web browser (not your phone!) at least once per month to keep it active. You will lose your vt.edu account if you do not use it within six months, resulting in the loss of your email and files, and this data cannot be recovered. You can read this article for more information.  

Upcoming events

February 18-19 (noon to noon): Giving Day

April 18: Caldwell March II

May 1: VTCCA Board of Directors meeting

May 1: Senior Send-Off on the VT

May 2: Change of Command Pass in Review

May 2: HT Alumni Board Meeting

May 15: Corps Graduation and Joint Commissioning  

Giving Day 2026

Mark your calendars and rally to help the Corps on Feb. 18-19. The Corps competes against other units at Virginia Tech to unlock funds from the university as bonuses during this 24-hour period of giving, and we don't think there's any reason for anyone to beat us. Participate, help cadets, and help the Corps win!