Welcome to the Web site of the Roanoke Higher Education Center!

Making higher education and workforce training accessible in the Roanoke Region to meet the demand for high skilled jobs in the 21st Century is our mission.

When our doors opened in August of 2000, we began to offer a full range of undergraduate and graduate level courses as well as training programs tailored to meet the needs of workers in the region and of industries seeking highly skilled employees.

The six public and eight private colleges and universities partnering in this Center include: Averett University, Bluefield College, James Madison University, Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Hampton University, Hollins University, Mary Baldwin College, Nova Southeastern University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, Roanoke College, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Western Community College. In addition, This Valley Works offers job-training programs as a partner in the Center. The Center is also home to the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board.

The Roanoke Higher Education Center began with an initial $200,000 appropriation, obtained in the 1996 session of the General Assembly, to study the cost and feasibility of renovating the old Norfolk-Southern General Office Building-North in downtown Roanoke.

Subsequently, a group of business, civic and education leaders formed Destination Education to promote the project. As a result of their work with the Virginia General Assembly the Roanoke Higher Education Authority was established in 1998 by legislation, and subsequently developed and now operates the Center.

The synergy created by the Roanoke Higher Education Center will continue downtown revitalization, preserve the historic building and help build a better future for our region through education and training.

It has been said that widespread access to higher education is critical to the economic health and social welfare of the nation. We believe the Roanoke Higher Education Center is critical to the continuing prosperity of our region of Virginia.

John S. Edwards
Member, Senate of Virginia
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Roanoke Higher Education Authority