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2016 SESSION
WHEREAS, Paul E. Torgersen of Blacksburg, distinguished president emeritus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, who dedicated his life to inspiring the youth of the Commonwealth as an educator, died on March 29, 2015; and
WHEREAS, born on Staten Island, New York, Paul Torgersen was raised in New Jersey and earned a bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University; and
WHEREAS, Paul Torgersen began his career in education at Oklahoma State University, where he served as a professor until 1966; he joined the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as a professor and the head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research in 1967; and
WHEREAS, Paul Torgersen went on to serve as dean of the College of Engineering, which gained national recognition under his leadership; he served as president of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, interim vice president for development and university relations, and interim president of the university; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, Paul Torgersen was named president of Virginia Tech and helped the university achieve success in academics, athletics, and fundraising, all while continuing to directly inspire and motivate students as a professor, teaching at least one course each semester while he was president; and
WHEREAS, during Paul Torgersen’s tenure, Virginia Tech’s engineering and business colleges were ranked among the top schools in the nation, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine received full accreditation; he was an enthusiastic supporter of athletics programs and witnessed numerous postseason victories as president; and
WHEREAS, with Paul Torgersen’s able leadership, Virginia Tech’s endowment doubled, and the university raised millions of dollars in donations, including more than $300 million through The Campaign for Virginia Tech: Making a World of Difference; and
WHEREAS, Paul Torgersen championed diversity and representation in higher education; he hired the university’s first woman senior vice president and provost, the first woman dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and the university’s first African American vice president; and
WHEREAS, Paul Torgersen earned many awards and accolades throughout his career, including the 1992 Virginia Engineering Educator of the Year Award and the title of fellow in the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education; Torgersen Hall and Torgersen Bridge on Virginia Tech’s campus were both named in his honor; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Dorothea, Paul Torgersen will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Karen, Janis, and James, and their families and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Paul E. Torgersen, a highly admired educator and president emeritus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Paul E. Torgersen as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.