Virginia
Sullivan wraps up a career with deep roots in the forest
Jay Sullivan came to Virginia Tech as a newly minted Ph.D. He found a university with a strong forestry program, a passionate faculty, and motivated students. The forests and mountains of southwestern Virginia were a great place to make a home and raise a family, so he stayed here and made a career, a career that drew to a close when Sullivan retired in December after 36 years.
Sullivan joined the Department of Forestry before there was a College of Natural Resources and Environment. Through the changes, the expansions, and the promotions to full professor and former department head, Sullivan remained true to the primary mission of teaching and helping students reach their potential.
In 2015, Sullivan was selected as head of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. He served in that role until opting to step back into a full-time faculty position in January 2025.
Sullivan was asked to reflect on his long and distinguished career at Virginia Tech.
When did you come to Virginia Tech?
I arrived in fall 1988, shortly after completing my Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley.
What made you choose the field of forestry?
I grew up camping, fishing, and backpacking, and I wanted a career that promoted conservation of the resources I loved. Initially, my interests were forest biology and ecology, but an influential professor and co-student (to whom I’ve now been married for almost 45 years) got me interested in forest economics as a direction that might have the greatest impact on decision-making and policy formulation that would make a difference.
What have been your central areas of research?
As a grad student, I had the opportunity with the U.S. Forest Service to help build an economic impact analysis system known as IMPLAN. My role was to develop analysis procedures, and that experience was formative in my career. Interestingly, IMPLAN is still used today, though long-since privatized. I noticed the current version of that system was even used recently to examine the economic contributions of Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth.
At Virginia Tech my research focus has been on economic incentives for forest conservation and restoration, that is: how do we keep forests as forests? Projects have examined forest landowner challenges in Virginia and beyond, including threats of insects, ice damage, and others: afforestation of frequently flooded lands in the Mississippi River Delta, Appalachian hardwood reforestation of surface-mined lands, and establishment of gum plantations in West Africa. Of course, there have been numerous other studies over the years and all have been challenging, but having the opportunity to work alongside other faculty and students to solve the challenges we faced has been enormously satisfying, even if sometimes stressful in the moment.
How has the field of forestry changed in the years you’ve been a researcher and educator?
Technological advances in data acquisition like GPS, remote sensing, drones, and field equipment get a lot of deserved press, but, for me, in forest economics I am amazed at how the questions we address have evolved over the years.
As a student or new facility member, I never would have dreamed about some of the issues and products that have emerged, such as forest carbon as a valuable commodity, or a millennia-old product like barrel staves would be in such demand, or that we would be talking about aviation fuel as a viable forest product. It would have seemed like science fiction that solar facilities or data centers would become pressing land use concerns. The level of interest in all aspects of forests and forestry for their role in solving global challenges facing society is pretty amazing, too.
What has stayed constant in your time here?
The quality and passion of the students and faculty over the years in pursuing their careers and answering the fundamental issues in forestry.
What were the campus and university like when you arrived Virginia Tech?
You could see mountains from every window on the third floor of Cheatham Hall!
What meaning have you found in your career at Virginia Tech?
The most rewarding aspect has been seeing the success of our students in their careers, with so many in influential positions in industry, agencies, and academia. With many, those successes were expected, but some who you weren’t sure how they would even graduate turned up in amazing places with incredible responsibilities and important roles!
What advice would you offer to younger faculty members who are just entering their careers?
Pour into our students, as I think they always will be the greatest impact that we can have in our short careers.
What’s next for you?
I will be chasing my wife and grandchildren around the mountains of Southwest Virginia and across the globe, continue teaching the Bible to college students at my local church, do a little rock climbing and mountain biking, and promoting forestry education with the Virginia Forestry Education Foundation.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) launched a new measles dashboard amid an uptick in measles cases and an outbreak in Buckingham County.
The dashboard shows key information to help Virginians see measles trends, understand the impact and know their risk of exposure as measles cases increase nationally and across the commonwealth, VDH said in a press release.
“It’s important for Virginians to know what is happening in their communities in real time,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Cameron Webb. “This dashboard is our commitment to being as transparent as possible about the impact of measles across the Commonwealth. When people have clear, accessible information, they can make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families.”
How many measles cases are there in Virginia?
The dashboard shows how many measles cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been reported. You can also see case numbers by age, health district and other key factors. Updates will be posted Tuesdays and Thursdays around noon, said VDH.
To date in 2026, VDH has reported 40 cases of measles, with 13% of the cases requiring hospitalization. As of May 21, there are no reported deaths, according to the measles dashboard. Eighty-three percent of the cases are unvaccinated individuals.
Of those cases, 17 are related to an outbreak in Buckingham County. A measles outbreak is defined as three or more related cases among members of different households. The number of cases this year has quickly outpaced the five reported cases from last year.
Measles activity in the U.S., including Virginia, is rising due to increased travel-related exposures, both international and domestic, and declining national vaccination rates. Children younger than 12 months of age and others who are not vaccinated are very susceptible to infection if they are exposed to someone with measles, said VDH.
Protection against the measles, outbreak recommendations
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against measles, advised VDH. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective. If you or a loved one are not up-to-date with routine MMR vaccines, contact your healthcare provider or call your local health department to schedule a vaccine appointment today.
People who live in or visit the Buckingham County area should talk with their healthcare provider about outbreak vaccine recommendations. This includes considering an early MMR dose for infants older than six months to provide protection while measles is circulating in the community.
Measles is highly contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Most people in Virginia have immunity to measles through vaccination or previous infection with measles. Approximately 95% of kindergarteners in Virginia are fully vaccinated against measles. However, some communities within Virginia could have lower vaccination rates, making them more at risk to measles outbreaks. Fortunately, VDH said, an increasing number of people are seeking to confirm their MMR vaccine status following Virginia measles exposure events.
For more information about measles, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles. For additional questions, contact VDH’s Call Center at 877-829-4682 (option 2, then option 3 “other”), The VDH Call Center is available Monday–Friday (except holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monique Calello is a reporter at The News Leader in Staunton covering health in the Shenandoah Valley and in Virginia. Connect with her at mcalello@newsleader.com.
Eight months ago, Virginia Tech football hit its lowest point in recent memory. Not a close loss, not a bad beat. The Hokies got handled at home by Old Dominion, 45-26, and the head coach was fired three games into the season. They finished 3-9. Their recruiting class sat in the 120s nationally. The program felt stuck.
Then James Franklin walked through the door, and things started moving fast.
The former Penn State coach went 104-45 in 12 seasons in State College, cracked 10 wins in six of them, and took the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff in 2024. He signed a five-year, $41.75 million deal in November, pulled the recruiting class from the 120s to a top-30 class by signing day, and built what ESPN ranked as the 15th-best transfer portal class in the country.
So what does the ceiling look like if everything actually clicks?
There is no ceiling conversation without Ethan Grunkemeyer. The redshirt sophomore transferred from Penn State in January, and his story is worth understanding. When Drew Allar went down with an ankle injury last fall, Penn State handed the keys to a 20-year-old backup who had never started a college game. Grunkemeyer did not blink. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions, posting a 75.0 QBR. Over the final four games, he threw six touchdowns and zero interceptions and closed the year with a 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.
He is not walking into a new offense. He reunited in Blacksburg with offensive coordinator Ty Howle and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, the same staff he had at Penn State.CBS Sports ranked him sixth among ACC quarterbacks in March. What makes Grunkemeyer interesting is not the stat line. It is the end of his 2025 season, when the moment got big, and he got better. Virginia Tech needs that guy.
The piece that could make this offense genuinely hard to defend is tight end Luke Reynolds. The Penn State transfer was the No. 4 tight end in the portal per 247Sports. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, with a 4.5 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical, he is a seam-stretching mismatch at a position Virginia Tech has not had much of. He led all receivers in the spring game with five catches for 69 yards. Howle spent years developing tight ends in the Penn State system, most recently coaching Tyler Warren, who went No. 14 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft. Reynolds has the tools to become the best player on this offense by October.
The other thing worth knowing is that despite going 3-9 last year, the Hokies averaged 182.4 rushing yards per game and ranked third in the ACC on the ground. The running game was already there. The problem was everything else. If the passing game catches up, this offense has teeth.
Then there is the strange but logical decision to bring back Brent Pry, the same coach who was fired in September, now as defensive coordinator. Pry held that same role under Franklin at Penn State from 2016 to 2021. He knows the system, knows what Franklin wants from a defense and knows how to build one inside this staff structure. The roster needed work and got some, with additions at edge rusher, linebacker and in the secondary. None of them are household names yet, but Pry has the pedigree to turn them into quality college football players.
The schedule sets up the Hokies for a strong start. Virginia Tech opens with VMI and Old Dominion at home, then travels to Maryland in a non-conference road test before opening ACC play at Boston College on Sept. 26.
What is the ceiling for Virginia Tech?
Nine wins and a major bowl game is the realistic ceiling for year one. It requires Grunkemeyer to take command of the offense, Reynolds to be what the spring game suggested and Pry to piece together a defense faster than most rebuilds allow. None of that is guaranteed. But none of it is far-fetched, either.
Franklin took Vanderbilt from back-to-back 2-10 seasons to nine wins in his second year. He went from 7-6 in his first two seasons at Penn State to 11-3 in his third. He is not a guy who needs forever to make something work.
Blacksburg has not had a reason to believe in a while. It has one now.
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