Spanberger removes Virginia Tech rector, citing ethics concerns; The Washington Post, May 30, 2026

 Sophia Solano, The Washington Post; Spanberger removes Virginia Tech rector, citing ethics concerns

"Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) removed the rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors this week, a move that angered Republicans and drew swift comparison to allegations of political interference in state colleges that were aimed at her predecessor.

In a letter Wednesday to Rector John Rocovich, Spanberger accused him of violating a code of conduct for state board appointees, as well as the university board’s Code of Ethics “requiring board members to act in accordance with the best interests of Virginia Tech.” 

The governor did not provide examples of alleged misconduct.

Spanberger appointed former board member Edward Baine to fill the remainder of Rocovich’s term through June 2027. She also appointed Sharon Brickhouse Martin to fill a vacancy through June; she was previously tapped for a four-year term that begins in July."

As Flint Fought to Be Heard, Virginia Tech Team Sounded Alarm; New York Times, 2/6/16

Mitch Smith, New York Times; As Flint Fought to Be Heard, Virginia Tech Team Sounded Alarm:

"But as government officials were ignoring and ridiculing residents’ concerns about the safety of their tap water, a small circle of people was setting off alarms. Among them was the team from Virginia Tech.

The team began looking into Flint’s water after its professor, Marc Edwards, spoke with LeeAnne Walters, a resident whose tap water contained alarming amounts of lead. Dr. Edwards, who years earlier had helped expose lead contamination in Washington, D.C., had his students send testing kits to homes in Flint to find out if the problem was widespread. Lead exposure can lead to health and developmental problems, particularly in children, and its toxic effects can be irreversible.

Their persistence helped force officials to acknowledge the crisis and prompted warnings to residents to not drink or cook with tap water. Officials are now scrambling to find a more permanent solution to the problem than trucking in thousands of plastic jugs, and are turning to Virginia Tech for advice.

The scientists “became the only people that citizens here trust, and it’s still that way,” said Melissa Mays, a Flint resident who has protested the water quality."