Virginia Tech (VT), officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is a prominent public land-grant and R1 research university in Blacksburg, Virginia, founded in 1872 as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. It also serves as a senior military college, and its athletic teams, the Hokies, compete in NCAA Division I. Today, Virginia Tech is one of the largest universities in the state, serving over 38,000 students with 280 diverse degree programs.

The university's early history was deeply tied to the Confederacy, with many of its initial presidents and professors, including its first commandant James H. Lane, being Confederate veterans. This heritage shaped various traditions, such as displaying the Confederate flag at athletic events, playing "Dixie," and featuring the flag on class rings. However, in the late 1960s, these Confederate symbols were controversially removed after student senator Marguerite Harper, a Black woman, successfully advocated for their discontinuation, marking a significant moment of social change for the institution.