We are profoundly grieved and saddened by this horrible tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to the campus community of Virginia Tech, especially to the families of those who were killed or wounded. Virginia Tech is our sister technological university and partner school in the ACC, and the connections between Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech run broad and deep. Many in the Georgia Tech community have friends at Virginia Tech, and the anguish of this tragedy touches us deeply. I was on the faculty at Virginia Tech for a decade, and as dean of engineering, my office was in Norris Hall, just one floor above the classroom where the shootings occurred. I remember it as a place of life and vitality, where students and faculty met to share the joy of teaching and learning. It is incomprehensible that so many lost their lives there while engaged in the quest for knowledge that lies at the heart of a university's purpose. We extend our deepest condolences to President Charles Steger and the entire Virginia Tech community and stand ready to assist in any way we can as they try to deal with this painful and difficult chapter of their lives and find a way to move forward.