Lucy Ferrari, a pioneering educator, longtime supporter of Virginia Tech’s architecture program, and a founding force behind the university’s study abroad efforts, died Jan. 16, 2026, in Switzerland. She was 96.

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said Ferrari’s influence on the university — and on generations of students — is difficult to overstate.

“Lucy Ferrari helped shape Virginia Tech’s global identity at a time when studying abroad was far from commonplace,” Sands said. “Her belief that experience beyond the classroom should be central to a student’s education helped transform how the university prepares students for a connected world.”

Ferrari’s influence is most visible at the Steger Center for International Scholarship, Virginia Tech’s European living-learning community in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Along with her late husband, Olivio Ferrari, she is also a namesake of the Olivio and Lucy Ferrari Library at the center, established through the couple’s donation of thousands of books to support student learning.

Her impact, however, runs just as deeply through the architecture program she helped build and sustain for more than five decades.

Architecture as a gateway to the world

Lu Liu, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, said Ferrari’s support was foundational to the program’s identity and long-term strength.

“I am profoundly grateful for the landmark contributions and enduring impact of Lucy Ferrari and her husband, Olivio Ferrari, professor emeritus in the School of Architecture, on the excellence and strength of our college,” Liu said. “Together, they helped build Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture into one of the finest in the nation. Through their practice, pedagogy, and legacy, they shaped generations of architects and educators — including Charles W. Steger, former president of Virginia Tech.

“Their generous support of architecture study abroad programs has been transformative,” Liu added. “For decades, Lucy served as a cherished mother figure to many architecture students. She will remain in the hearts of countless Hokie architects for years to come.”

Lucy and Olivio Ferrari joined Virginia Tech in 1965, when Olivio was recruited to help grow the newly formed College of Architecture and Urban Studies. While Olivio focused on curriculum and teaching, Lucy brought linguistic fluency, cultural insight, and organizational expertise that helped make early study abroad programs possible.

Together, the Ferraris launched one of Virginia Tech’s first extended study abroad programs in 1968, at a time when international travel required careful planning, personal networks, and extraordinary commitment.

Creating a permanent home abroad

As participation in study abroad programs grew, the Ferraris recognized the need for a permanent, university-owned facility in Europe — a place where students could live and study without the logistical barriers of arranging accommodations abroad.

That vision became reality in 1991, when the Virginia Tech Foundation purchased an 18th century villa in Riva San Vitale. The facility, then known as the Center for European Studies and Architecture, later became the Steger Center for International Scholarship, renamed in 2014 in honor of Charles Steger.

Steger, who as architecture dean and later as university president helped secure approvals from the Swiss government and negotiate the purchase, credited the Ferraris with the center’s success.

“The program has had many champions over the years,” Steger said at the time of the renaming, “but we are all especially indebted to Lucy Ferrari and her late husband, Olivio, for the devotion and energy they dedicated to it.”

Following Olivio Ferrari’s death in 1994, Lucy Ferrari served as director of the center for three years, continuing to guide its programs and mission.

A legacy carried forward

Guru Ghosh, vice president for outreach and international affairs, said Ferrari’s work reflects Virginia Tech’s land-grant mission at its best.

“Lucy Ferrari believed that learning should stretch students — intellectually, culturally, and personally,” Ghosh said. “Through her work with the architecture program and the Steger Center, she helped Virginia Tech create educational experiences that prepare students not just for careers, but for thoughtful lives of service.”

Sara Steinert Borella, executive director of the Steger Center, said Ferrari’s influence remains deeply woven into daily life in Riva San Vitale.

"Without Lucy Ferrari, there would be no Steger Center,” Steinert Borella said. “She taught generations of students what it meant to live and study abroad, and fostered an environment where learning, cultural exchange, and friendship are inseparable.”

Later this semester, the Steger Center plans to host a celebration of Ferrari’s life in Switzerland, giving students, faculty, alumni, and community members an opportunity to honor the woman whose vision helped make the center possible.

Lucy Ferrari, holding a framed resolution, stands inside the Steger Center with Frank Weiner and Sara Steinert Borella
Lucy Ferrari receives the honorary title of director emerita from the Olivio Ferrari Foundation board of directors at the Steger Center for International Scholarship in Switzerland, alongside Frank Weiner and Sara Steinert Borella. Photo courtesy of Sara Steinert Borella.

A living archive — and a lasting honor

Ferrari’s legacy within the architecture program is also preserved in the Lucy and Olivio Ferrari Archive, located in Cowgill Hall.

Inaugurated in 2017, the archive holds more than 1,000 items donated by Lucy Ferrari and her late husband — including original designs, paintings, sculptures, weavings, notes, chair prototypes, photographs, and student work. Together, the materials document the Ferraris’ central role in establishing what is now the School of Architecture and shaping its teaching philosophy from the beginning.

“The hope is that the Lucy and Olivio Ferrari Archive will serve as a place for asking beautiful questions about the past, present, and future of the School of Architecture,” said Frank Weiner, professor emeritus of architecture and the archive’s founding curator. “The atmosphere of the room, infused with the guiding spirit of the Ferraris, can inspire the next generations of students, faculty, and alumni.”

Lucy Ferrari often emphasized that the archive was meant to be used.

“It’s not like a museum,” she said. “It’s to be used by the students, and, hopefully, they’ll get some ideas out of it.”

In fall 2022, as she retired from service on the Olivio Ferrari Foundation board, the foundation honored Ferrari with the title of director emerita, recognizing her lifetime of leadership, service, and friendship.

A teacher who shaped generations

Shelley Martin, associate professor in the School of Architecture and current curator of the Lucy and Olivio Ferrari Archive, said Ferrari’s influence as a teacher was both philosophical and deeply personal.

“Lucy Ferrari was a North Star for thousands of students,” Martin said. “All who encountered her learned from her example that understanding history, place, architecture, and people requires careful witness and a belief in the significance of material culture. By encouraging students to closely observe and engage customs, artifacts, food, languages, and manners, she taught them how to better understand both themselves and the world.”

Weiner said Ferrari’s influence on the college extended far beyond programs and facilities.

“Lucy Ferrari’s warm generosity and down-to-earth presence graced the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design for decades,” Weiner said. “Her longevity was matched by the quality and scope of her educational contributions.”

Conversant in multiple languages, Ferrari introduced innovative approaches to teaching language and culture to architecture students and played a significant early role in the college’s study abroad programs.

“She was a longtime participant in study abroad efforts that began in the late 1960s alongside her husband, Olivio,” Weiner said. “Since the first group of architecture students arrived in Switzerland, scores of Virginia Tech students have had their educations enriched thanks to the critical role Lucy played.”

Service, stewardship, and friendship

Ferrari’s commitment to Virginia Tech extended well beyond her teaching and leadership roles. Over a 50-year period, she was a consistent supporter of the university, reflecting a lifelong belief in education as a public good.

In recognition of that generosity, Ferrari was a member of the Ut Prosim Society, which honors the university’s most generous donors, as well as the Legacy Society, recognizing those who include Virginia Tech in their estate plans or make other deferred gifts.

Along with her husband, she also helped ensure that future generations of students would benefit directly from her philanthropy. The couple established the Lucy & Olivio Ferrari Annual Scholarship and the Ferrari Study Abroad Award and provided sustained support to the Steger Center and the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.

John Dooley, former president of the Virginia Tech Foundation and vice president for outreach and international affairs, said Ferrari combined vision with deep personal care for students.

"We have lost a pioneer and early champion of Virginia Tech's global vision,” Dooley said. “Lucy’s legacy lives on through the many students who were the beneficiaries of her personal care and passion for global learning.”

Even after stepping back from formal leadership roles, Ferrari remained closely connected to students, often meeting with architecture cohorts at the Steger Center and traveling across Switzerland with them.

“She was seen almost as a maternal figure to many students,” Weiner said. “Lucy Ferrari didn’t just help build programs or facilities — she built relationships. And those relationships shaped how students understood architecture, travel, and their place in the world.”

Lucy and Olivio Ferrari walking in front of the Steger Center
Lucy and Olivio Ferrari in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, where their shared vision helped create a lasting home for Virginia Tech students studying abroad. Virginia Tech photo

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