A billboard sign along Highway 301, opposite the Commerce Drive office park near NSF Dahlgren, fronts the property acquired by the University of Mary Washington to site the Dahlgren Center for Education and Research.

According to Hurley, who conducted the briefing, the UMW Dahlgren Campus will serve as an anchor for development of educational and research partnerships between NSF Dahlgren, the business community and state higher education institutions.

‘‘We have a large billboard up (on Hwy. 301 North) now about the center,” he said. ‘‘The acreage we have is large enough for a second building and perhaps a third. The campus is situated on a road with expansion of the area in mind...it will be right next to the proposed Walmart.” UMW has acquired nearly 27 acres along U.S. 301 North of Route 206 near the base.

Hurley was also at NSF Dahlgren to gain perspective on whom to talk to at Dahlgren’s seven tenant activities for future student input support at the campus. His concern was that a number of other education institutions currently offer various courses on the naval base but will need to shift to the Dahlgren Campus when it is completed where they will be charged a facility usage fee.

The first building at the Dahlgren Campus will centralize existing graduate programs in a space tailored for technologically-supported education, and it will facilitate an increased number of offerings. It will also accommodate undergraduate students as UMW has partnered with area community colleges to offer both associate degrees, as well as specialty certificates. By locating the campus just outside NSF Dahlgren, academic programs will be available not only to those with access to the base, but also to the region’s citizens interested in continuing education.

Eight academic partners have teamed up with UMW: five other state universities—Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason and the University of Virginia—plus the Naval Postgraduate School and Germanna and Rappahannock community colleges. Graduate and undergraduate programs in science, engineering, technology, mathematics and others will be available, as demand dictates. Non-credit programs and services also will be delivered on an as-needed basis.

The mission of the Dahlgren Campus is to offer traditional science and engineering and other programs delivered on-site by Virginia universities, community colleges, and the Naval Postgraduate School to support the academic needs of the greater civilian, military and contractor community of King George County.

Additionally it will support the presence of the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program and Defense Acquisition University in offering both graduate and undergraduates programs as well as professional development programs. Also, it will establish a viable research presence to facilitate entrepreneurial opportunities resulting from the non-defense commercialization of technology-based innovations and contribute to the greater economic growth and long-term development of the greater King George County area.

‘‘The first building will be an academic center only,” Hurley said. ‘‘Hard research will still be done at the base with a future eye to a second building.”

The first building is planned to be a two-story, 40,000-square-foot academic facility that features classrooms of various sizes, computer laboratories, a media center, offices and a 3,300-square-foot conference space with a catering kitchen. The $20.4 million structure’s design will be flexible, with large, central open spaces containing group and quiet study areas, collaboration areas, lounges and breakout rooms. There also will be space available to lease for public and private events.

The building will have environmentally-friendly features, such as a ‘‘green” roof and geo-thermal heating and cooling. UMW plans to incorporate low-impact development of the site and to seek a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver building rating.