for concerts or convocation activities. The facility provides the region with its first venue to seat large crowds, something economic developers have said is needed to boost growth and development in far Southwest Virginia. The facility opened in 2011. Shortly after the death of Chancellor David J. Prior in February 2012, the facility was dedicated in his honor and named the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
== Campus ==
The University of Virginia's College at Wise comprises 396 acres (160 ha) just outside of the small town of Wise. It is approximately 52 miles (84 kilometers) from Kingsport, Tennessee and 48.5 mi (78.1 km) from Pikeville, Kentucky.
Crockett and Bowers-Sturgill Halls are two examples of a regionally-distinct architecture: simple buildings of local sandstone with shallow-pitched hip roofs and pronounced overhangs. In 2000, VMDO Architects completed an architectural palette plan that the school has followed since.
The university is its own census-designated place, in unincorporated Wise County, …
