College of Architecture and Urban Studies | School of Public and International Affairs

Marc Oliphant is March’s Featured Student.

Marc is a native of Arlington, VA. Before attending college he spent two years doing service in the Dominican Republic where he learned to speak Spanish. Marc earned a B.S. in Land Use Planning from Brigham Young University before accepting employment with the Fairfax County Park Authority where he worked on park planning issues. He is now pursuing a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Tech.

Marc secured an assistantship with the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development (OED) which is part of the University’s Outreach Office. At OED he says, “I have been able to work on various economic development projects for rural and struggling areas of Virginia and have enjoyed the work immensely.”

Sibel Atasoy, of Virginia Tech says of Marc, “Not only is he very hard working, but he is
also very pleasant to work with. He has been involved in a number of different projects requiring different kinds of knowledge and background, but he has been very successful in learning new methods and applying them. Marc's enthusiasm in getting involved new and different projects, his hard work and dedication are all key to his contributions at OED.”

Marc started the Virginia Tech MURP program in January of 2007 at the Northern Virginia Campus.

He says of his Virginia Tech experience, “My wife and I decided to move to Blacksburg so that I could attend school full-time in the fall of 2007. I chose Virginia Tech for its convenience and reputation. I love the fact that I can attend the same program in both Blacksburg and Alexandria. The faculty and staff at both locations have been excellent. I have found that each campus gives you a different experience. I would recommend that everyone spend some time at both campuses, if possible. The VT faculty are doing very cutting edge, exciting research. I love to see our faculty quoted in nationally distributed publications, and I see their quotes all the time. It means dollar signs to me, the more press our program gets the more my degree is worth.”

As for future plans, he says, “I would like to do a little of everything. I’m interested in planning at the regional level for alternative transportation modes (pedestrian, bicycle, bus, and rail). I also have an interest in working abroad, so I’m looking at opportunities with the State Department and Department of Defense in planning.”

Outside of school Marc is married and has a 2 year old son. He enjoys many outdoor activities including backpacking, sailing, cycling, and playing tourist.”

Would you like communicate with Marc regarding his work and activities with the Urban Affairs and Planning Program? Send him an e-mail: molipha@vt.edu

This student profile was written by MURP student Sarah Sturtevant.