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Officials discuss bringing higher education to Leesburg
Two colleges briefed Leesburg officials Nov. 10 on their shared plans to build campuses in Loudoun County.
A representative from George Mason University talked to Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd and the town council, and a Northern Virginia Community College official was also on hand.
NOVA has a campus in Sterling, while GMU has a learning center in Sterling where about 400 students take classes.
GMU, NOVA, the Town of Leesburg, Loudoun County and Loudoun County Public Schools have been working together since summer to develop a plan to bring more higher education to Loudoun.
The plan is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and there will be sessions scheduled for public input.
At Monday night's meeting, Jerry Coughter, GMU's campus executive officer for Loudoun, explained that the university works with campus models planned for three types of areas -- rural, suburban and urban.
“I would stress that for Leesburg, there are possibilities for all three of these,” he said.
Umstattd asked Coughter to look into several potential issues and include them in the proposal. Some of those were whether the campus needs Metro access, the transportation impact it would have on area roads, which model will work best and what economic impact similar campuses have had on nearby towns.
All of the town representatives agreed that having a university in Leesburg would be a great benefit.
Coughter expressed interest in working with the local business community, so courses offered could benefit their employees.
He also said GMU is willing to talk to property owners around Leesburg and the county to find suitable space for a campus, adding that GMU would need help from all parties involved to make the idea become reality.
“We can't afford to do it on our own,” Coughter said. “It needs to work for everybody.”
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