Bordering on North Carolina, the Dan River region of Southside Virginia is a largely rural area south of the state capitol, Richmond, and 135 miles east of Virginia Tech's main residential campus in Blacksburg. The structural problems evident today in this expanse of wooded areas, fields, small cities, and towns were born, in large measure, of the region's economic dependence on textiles, tobacco, and furniture for many decades. Over the past 25 years at least, severe economic downturns in these industries and the associated migration of jobs offshore have directly contributed to the inability of rural communities like those in Southside to compete on a statewide, much less a national or international, basis. This, coupled with a dearth of interstate roads and airports in the region has helped isolate its citizens from modernization and innovative enterprise on many fronts--social, economic, educational, and political. One foundation member, an active alumnus of Virginia Tech, approached the university about serving as a key partner and change agent in the revitalization of the Dan River region. In accepting his invitation, the university agreed to develop a plan that the foundation leadership supported and in which they could invest their influence and other such resources as might be required over time. The university proposed revitalization projects for the Dan River region in two comprehensive activity areas: (1) developing an advanced telecommunications and computing infrastructure, and (2) developing the related knowledge and skill base required for a human infrastructure that could drive renewal. Under these two umbrella activities, several projects were designed and implemented. (Contains 11 endnotes.)