Exactly two years ago, we rolled out a redesigned magazine with a markedly different look on the cover and inside pages. Since that time, we've conducted readership surveys in which you've told us that the publication accurately represents the university's brand. We've also made subtle adjustments throughout the magazine as we familiarized ourselves with the new template. However, in order to keep the design fresh, we decided to revisit the cover—and we're already seeing how its configuration will give us more flexibility as we tell the Hokie Nation's stories. As always, thank you for reading Virginia Tech Magazine!

Jesse Tuel
Editor, Virginia Tech Magazine

As I pass the reins of leadership to Tim Sands later this year, reflecting on the many accomplishments we laid out in our 2001 strategic plan will be gratifying.

While there is much to feel good about across the university landscape [Editor's note: Campus growth is outlined in the fall 2013 edition of Virginia Tech Magazine], I am particularly satisfied to see new directions for the arts, arts education, and arts in research. Far from being peripheral, the arts are infused throughout the curriculum and campus experiences. Here, the nexus of art and technology imparts a flavor unique to our institutional character.

The new high-tech Moss Arts Center and its living labs devoted to the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology are but the most visible physical symbols. Beneath the surface, the campus teems with unusual collaborations among the science, engineering, arts, and design (SEAD) disciplines. Indeed, we're 'SEADing' the future here.

COMPUTING CREATIVITY »
Stephen Edwards, associate professor of computer science with the College of Engineering, loves to create. Some paint with a brush or write poetry with a pen. Edwards builds with a computer. Not buildings or animated films, but educational tools for students.

VIRAL SMARTS »
Trained in both human medicine and veterinary science, Dr. X.J. Meng is professor of molecular virology at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. The Qingdao, China, native was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2013, the first from the veterinary college to hold the prestigious title.

THE PLAID AVENGER »
John Boyer (geography '96, M.S. '98), senior instructor of geography in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, teaches a World Regions class that sometimes approaches an enrollment of 3,000, and he has a knack for landing guests who are household names. His alter ego, the "Plaid Avenger," fights ignorance of global issues from the pages of a comic book.