University of Virginia

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“We wish to establish in the upper and healthier country, and more centrally for the state, a University on a plan so broad and liberal and modern, as to be worth patronizing with the public support.”
Thomas Jefferson

The University of Virginia was chartered by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1819. The University of Virginia is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. The University of Virginia also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of the University of Virginia may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Professional degree programs at the University of Virginia hold the following accreditations. The Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board. The Master of Architecture (M.Arch) is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning (B.U.E.P) and the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (M.U.E.P) are accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. The following School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) degree programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation: Master of Teaching (M.T.), Administration and Supervision (M.Ed.), Curriculum and Instruction-Reading Education (M.Ed.), and three Bachelor of Science in Education programs (Elementary Education, Special Education, Early Childhood Education). In addition, the following agencies accredit degree programs within the SEHD: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (M.Ed. in Speech Communication Disorders), the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (M.Ed. in Kinesiology), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (M.Ed. in Counselor Education), and the American Psychological Association (Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology). Degree programs in Accounting (M.S.), Commerce (B.S.C. and M.S.), and Management of Information Technology (M.S.) in the McIntire School of Commerce and the M.B.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The J.D. in the School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association. The following B.S. programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission or the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET: Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Engineering. The B.S.N., M.S.N., and the D.N.P. in the School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The M.D. in the School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The M.P.H. is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Ph.D. in Psychology (clinical program) in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System. In addition to these accrediting agencies, various University programs are certified by, or retain membership in, the American Chemical Society (B.S. in Chemistry), the Association of American Law Schools (J.D.), the University/Resident Theatre Association (M.F.A. in Drama), the Virginia Board of Education, and the Virginia Board of Nursing (B.S.N. and pre-licensure programs).

2023-24 Virginia Athletics Highlights

Team
• Virginia placed fifth in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings, marking its second straight top-five finish (fourth overall)

• Women’s Swimming and Diving captured its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship

• Virginia captured ACC championships in women’s swimming and diving (5th straight), men’s outdoor track and field (first-ever)

• Baseball advanced to its third College World Series in the last four seasons

• Men’s lacrosse advanced to its 26th NCAA Final Four, while field hockey to its sixth NCAA Final Four

• Men’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals

• Men’s outdoor track and field finished eighth at the NCAA Championships

• Softball advanced to its first NCAA Regional final

• Rowing finished 13th nationally

• Women’s cross country finished 15th at the NCAA Championships

• Men’s soccer advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen

• Men’s swimming and diving finished 17th at the NCAA Championships

• Women’s lacrosse advanced to the second round of the NCAA championship

• Men’s cross country finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships

• Women’s golf finished 28th at the NCAA Championships

• Women’s outdoor track and field finished 40th at the NCAA Championships

• Wrestling advanced four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships

• Men’s basketball advanced to its 26th NCAA Tournament

• Women’s basketball played in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament

• UVA women’s basketball had a record crowd of 11,975 for its game against Virginia Tech. It was the largest attendance for a women’s basketball game in the state of Virginia

• UVA received a $25 Million Gift for Athletics Master Plan from the Harrison Foundation

Individual

• Gretchen Walsh was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Swimming & Diving,  marking the third year in a row the winner has been from the University of Virginia after Kate Douglass won the last two Swimming & Diving sport awards
• Gretchen Walsh won three events at the NCAA Championships, setting American and NCAA records in the 50 Free, 100 Fly and 100 Free.
• Walsh was also part of four relays that won NCAA titles: 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay and 400 Free Relay
• Alex Walsh won two events (200 IM and 200 Breast) and was part of the four relays that won NCAA titles
• Jasmine Nocentini won the 100 Breast and was part of the four relays that won NCAA titles
• Maxine Parker was part of the four relays that won NCAA titles
• Carly Novelline was part of the four relays that won NCAA titles
• Shane Cohen won the NCAA 800m title to help the Cavaliers post their third-highest finish at the meet in program history with an eighth-place finish
• Gretchen Walsh was named the ACC’s most valuable swimmer after winning seven gold medals and setting four NCAA records at the ACC Championships
• Gretchen Walsh was named the ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year and Cavan Gormsen earned ACC Women’s Freshman of the Year honors
• Alex Walsh also picked up an individual gold and relay first-place victory to up her career ACC gold medal count to 26, the most ever by a Cavalier, topping former UVA standout Kate Douglass’ previous record of 25
• Cavan Gormsen (1,650 freestyle) and Reilly Tiltmann (200 backstroke) also earned individual gold medals at the ACC Championships
• Jack Eliason (men’s cross country/track and field), Anneloes Knol (field hockey), Jared Rayman (football) and Rebecca Skoler (women’s golf) earned 2024 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarships and were ACC Excellence Award honorees.
• UVA running back Mike Hollins was named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year
• UVA sophomore wrestler Nick Hamilton (165 pounds) won his division and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Championships.
• Reece Beekman (men’s basketball) became just the third player to repeat as the ACC’s defensive player of the year
• Gretchen Walsh was named the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America’s (CSCAA) Division I Women’s Swimmer of the Year
• Kate Galica was recognized as ACC Women’s Lacrosse Freshman of the Year
• Hibah Shaikh (women’s tennis) was voted the ITA Atlantic Region Senior Player of the Year and the region’s Most Improved Player
• Annabelle Xu (women’s tennis) was tabbed as the region’s Player to Watch
• Chris Rodesch (men’s tennis) was named the ITA Atlantic Region Senior of the Year
• Dylan Dietrich (men’s tennis) earned ITA Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year honors
• Alexander Kiefer earned the region’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award which recognizes outstanding student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
• Alexander Kiefer was named the national recipient of the 2024 Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award
• Gretchen Walsh was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Mary Garber Award Winner as the conferences’ top female student-athlete
   

Coaches/Administrators

• Todd DeSorbo will serve as head coach of the U.S. Women’s Swimming Team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France
• DeSorbo was named Women’s Division I Swim Coach of the Year and ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year
• The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee named DeSorbo as its 2023 College Coach of the Year.
• Former Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage and volleyball player Milla Ciprian were honored by the ACC as Virginia’s recipients of the 2023 ACC UNITE Award
• Brian O’Connor was inducted into the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
• O’Connor reached his 850th career win in a 6-3 victory against Penn State on March 5
• Carla Williams was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee
• Sonia LaMonica who was recognized as the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Co-Coach of the Year
• Sara O’Leary was named ACC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year
• Women’s tennis head coach Sara O’Leary was named the regional Coach of the Year, while associate head coach Gina Suarez-Malaguti was named the Assistant Coach of the Year
• Vin Lananna was named Southeast Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)
• Vin Lananna was named ACC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year
• Rowing head coach Kevin Sauer retired after 29 years, leading the Cavaliers to a pair of NCAA titles (2010 and 2012) and 22 ACC championships
• UVA named Wesley Ng as its second rowing head coach in program history, taking over UVA’s storied program after serving as the head women’s rowing coach at the University of Pennsylvania for the last eight seasons.
• The Tony Markel Family donated $3 Million to endow the position of head men’s golf coach and provide ongoing support for the Virginia men’s golf program. 

Academic

• Four Cavalier programs - women’s golf women’s lacrosse, softball and men’s tennis - posted perfect multi-year rates of 1,000 while a total of 16 (of 23) teams had a perfect APR for the 2022-23 academic year
• Gretchen Walsh (women’s swimming & diving) and Chris Rodesch (men’s tennis) were named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Eight members of the Virginia Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving program were named to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District team (Matthew Heilman, August Lamb, Sam O’Brien and Sergile Sebastien, Abby Harter, Maxine Parker, Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh).
• Five members of the Virginia wrestling team earned Scholar All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (Nick Hamilton, Krystian Kinsey, Justin McCoy, Kyle Montaperto and Nick Sanko)
• The Virginia wrestling team earned a 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Team Scholar All-America Top 30 ranking.
• Seven Virginia football players - Paul Akere, Jimmy Christ, Matt Ganyard, Jared Rayman, Brian Stevens, Malik Washington and Sackett Wood – earned National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society membership
• Chris Rodesch, Jeffrey von der Schulenburg and James Hopper were named to the 2024 Academic All-District Men’s Tennis Team
• Natasha Subhash, Mélodie Collard and Annabelle Xu were named to the 2024 Academic All-District Women’s Tennis Team
• Jeffrey Von der Schulenburg was awarded The Elite 90 award for men’s tennis. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
• Mikayla Houge, Sarah Coon, Jade Hylton and Courtney Layne of the Virginia softball team earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators (CSC)
• Natasha Subhash (women’s tennis) was named to the 2024 Academic All-America Women’s Tennis Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators, for the second straight season
• Pitcher Owen Coady was featured on the 2024 Academic All-District Baseball Team as selected by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA)
• Chris Rodesch, Jeffrey von der Schulenburg and James Hopper were named to the 2024 Academic All-America Men’s Tennis Teams as selected by College Sports Communicators
• Seventeen rowers - Lauren Benedict, Cameron Bentley, Dylan Bentley, Lily Bernero, Emma Bradish, Helene Dimitrijev, Savannah Fox, Sydney Fratamico, Eva Frohnhofer, Nora Grabcheski, Lily Jarrett, Lauren Jochims, Paige Loh, Ashlyn McGinn, Ailbhe O’Grady, Zoe Tekeian and Caeley Tierney - were honored as CRCA National Scholar-Athletes
• Eleven Virginia men’s and women’s student-athletes  - Laura Janssen (field hockey), Mackenzie Hoeg (women’s lacrosse), Morgan Schwab (women’s lacrosse), Maggie Bostain (women’s lacrosse), Amanda Sambach (womnen’s golf) and Lauren Benedict (rowing), Justin McCoy (wrestling), Kyle Montaperto (wrestling), Cole Kastner (men’s lacrosse), Connor Shellenberger (men’s lacrosse) and Chase Yager (men’s lacrosse) were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) At-Large Academic All-District Team
• Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs  were named to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Teams for the Spring 2024 semester
• Five members of the Virginia women’s golf team - Celeste Valinho, Rebecca Skoler, Amanda Sambach, Megan Propeck and freshman Jaclyn Laha were named 2024 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars.
• Nine Cavaliers – Will Anthony, Gary Martin, Nate Mountain, Alex Sherman, Samantha Romano, Maggie Hock, Esther Seeland, Caroline Timm and Anna Workman – were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team
• Will Anthony and Nate Mountain were named to the CSC Academic All-America third team
• UVA landed a total of 20 honorees on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic teams for the 2023-24 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons
• Connor Shellenberger (men’s lacrosse) was named a First-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 
• Volleyball was a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA )Team Academic Award
• Virginia placed 538 student-athletes on the Honor Roll
• Eight women’s lacrosse players -  Maggie Bostain, Maureen Duffy, Mackenzie Hoeg, Morgan Koeneke, Lauren Pederson, Morgan Schwab, Ashley West and Devon Whitaker - were selected to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll while the entire Virginia team was honored on the Academic Honor Squad list. 
• UVA men’s golfers George Duangmanee (Fairfax, Va.) and Bryan Lee (Fairfax, Va.) have been recognized by the Golf Coaches Association of America for academic excellence by being named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars for their performance in the classroom
• UVA earned 343 All-ACC Academic Team honors

2024 Paris Olympics

• Virginia athletes earned 14 medals (7 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze) at the 2024 Paris Olympics
• Gretchen Walsh (USA, swimming) and Kate Douglass (USA, swimming) each captured two gold and two silver medals
• Paige Madden (USA, swimming) earned one silver and one bronze medal
• Emily Sonnett (USA, soccer) and Pien Dicke (Netherlands, field hockey) each earned a gold medal
• Emma Weber (USA, swimming) earned one gold medal
• Heidi Long (Great Britain, rowing) earned one bronze medal
• Aimee Canny (South Africa, swimming), Alex Walsh (USA, swimming), Danielle Collins (USA, tennis), Emma Navarro (USA, tennis), Joe Bell (New Zealand, soccer), Filip Mihaljevic (Croatia, shot put), Bridget Guy Williams (USA, pole vault), Halle Hazzard (Grenada, sprints), Ashley Anumba (Nigeria, discus), Andrenette Knight (Jamaica, track & field) and Jordan Scott (Jamaica, triple jump) also participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics
• Rising senior Sky Dahl competed in the 2024 Paris Paralympics in rowing

University Code of Ethics:

1. We perform our public responsibilities, services and activities ethically, competently, efficiently and honestly, in keeping with University policy and applicable law.
2. We expect that all necessary and proper controls safeguarding public resources are in place and observed, with periodic auditing of functions and departments by the State Auditor of Public Accounts and/or the University Auditor who shall report directly to the Board of Visitors’ Audit and Compliance Committee.
3. While in the service of the University, we conduct ourselves free of personal conflicts or appearances of impropriety, mindful that our exercise of authority on behalf of the University has been delegated fundamentally for the public good. Conflicting interests or influences are promptly disclosed to our superiors and appropriate steps are undertaken to promote the integrity of University business and other transactions.
4. We do not accept anything of value offered in consideration of performing our public duties, other than the compensation, benefits and reimbursement of expenses duly authorized by the University or otherwise permitted by law. We do not accept any favor, loan, service, business or professional opportunity from anyone knowing (or when it should be known) that it is offered in order to improperly influence the performance of our public duties, or when acceptance thereof may reasonably be perceived as an impropriety in violation of University policy or state law. University procurements of goods or services are undertaken only by authorized personnel and, when competitive principles apply, decisions are made impartially and objectively in accordance with established policy and state law.
5. We preserve and respect the confidentiality of University records, including patient and student records. We do not externally disclose confidential records or other nonpublic information without appropriate authorization, and any confidential record or information we access as a result of our position or duty is neither exploited for personal benefit nor misused for any unauthorized purpose.
6. We are committed to the principles of federal and state law guaranteeing equal opportunity and nondiscrimination with respect to University services, programs, activities and employment, and we support an environment that respects the rights and opinions of all people which, in the words of our founder, promote “the illimitable freedom of the human mind.” Complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation are investigated and when warranted appropriate corrective action is taken and disciplined in accordance with University policy and applicable law.
7. Our communications on behalf of the University with all persons, including co-employees, clients, customers, patients, students, guests and vendors, are conducted professionally and with civility.
8. We do not condone dishonesty in any form by anyone, including misuse of University funds or property, fraud, theft, cheating, plagiarism or lying. We encourage and expect reporting of any form of dishonesty, and our managers and supervisors to appropriately investigate such reports. We also expect that the police and/or State Auditor of Public Accounts will be notified when circumstances reasonably indicate fraud or theft of University funds.
9. We strive for continuous improvement in our performance of public duties for the University, mindful of the public cost to our activities which must be reasonable and appropriately authorized.
10. We bring to the attention of supervisors and managers, the University auditor or other responsible University office, any violation of these principles or circumstances reasonably indicating that a violation has occurred or may occur. Such reporting in good faith in order to promote the ethical integrity of operations is expected and encouraged by the University, and retaliation by any University employee as a result against the person making such good faith report shall be subject to disciplinary action. We appropriately investigate all such reports and, when warranted by the facts, require corrective action and discipline in accordance with University policy and state law.

The University offers graduate and first-professional degrees through all of its 12 schools. Of the nearly than 26,000 students enrolled at the University, 8,355 are students in a graduate or first-professional (law and medicine) degree program. UVA offers 83 master’s degrees in 69 fields, 53 doctoral degrees in 53 fields, five education specialist degrees, and first-professional degrees in law and medicine. UVA is one of the top universities in the nation, ranked twenty-fourth overall and fifth among public institutions by U.S. News & World Report, with 31 fields, departments, or schools ranked in the top 25 for graduate study. In 2022 the University conferred 2,406 master’s degrees, 367 doctoral degrees, and 492 first-professional degrees.

Promoting excellence in graduate programs is a consistent point of focus across all schools and departments. In the last five years alone, the University announced four major awards totaling $53 million in support of graduate education. Included in these school specific investments is over $4 million to support the development and continuation of PhD Plus, a university-wide program to enhance career and professional development opportunities for all PhD students and open the aperture of career paths for PhD graduates. In addition to these school-specific investments, a number of programs have also been developed to support interdisciplinary graduate student research and to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations. Beginning in 2014 with the creation of the University’s Data Science Institute (now a school), the University has announced the creation of three additional interdisciplinary institutes: The Virginia Brain Institute, the UVA Environmental  Institute, the Karsh Institute of Democracy, and the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology `. Building research opportunities in conjunction with the development of these institutes has been a high priority. Exemplary of these efforts are the Presidential Fellowships in Data Science, Collaborative Neuroscience, which provides graduate and professional students with the opportunity to collaborate closely with other student and faculty across disciplines in the pursuit of research in areas of major social impact. Other programs developed to support graduate student research include the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences summer research awards, which provide up to $5,000 each for students conducting preliminary or exploratory dissertation research, and the External Fellowship Supplement program which provides necessary tuition support for students who have been successful in receiving federally funded grants, such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

The University also offers a number of opportunities for undergraduates to partner with graduate students conducting original research. In 2016 the University successfully revamped its Double-Hoo program, which offers research awards for graduate and undergraduate student pairs who proposed joint research projects across all fields. Through this innovative program student teams receive up to $6,000 and work with a faculty member on a project of their own design.

Additional resources in support of graduate education can be found in the University’s Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. With a commitment to the career and professional development of graduate students, this office houses Ph.D. trained personnel with expertise in a wide range of career and professional development opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. The Office provides students with support and advice in decision-making and planning for career pursuits within and beyond the academy. Through one-on-one advising appointments and other programs delivered through PhD Plus, the Office strives to prepare students for a wide variety of careers. The office also partners with the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence in support of programs such as an annual teaching workshop for graduate students, and Tomorrow’s Professor Today, a successful and long-running program designed to prepare the future professoriate with pedagogical training and professional development in a wide variety of areas.

As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to diversity in graduate education, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs also works to enhance the diversity of the graduate student body by fostering a welcoming environment for all students, and serving as a resource for administration, faculty, staff, and graduate students on matters of diversity. The office supports a vibrant mentoring institute intended to help facilitate the transition from undergraduate to graduate school, and serves as a resource for graduate student organizations focused on diversity. The office also serves as a liaison between UVA and minority-serving institutions. It participates actively in the recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds through efforts such as graduate student recruitment weekends, the creation and coordination of summer research and education opportunities and by representing the university in a variety of external networks and recruiting opportunities. 

More detailed information about graduate studies at the University is available on-line from the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, http://gradstudies.virginia.edu, by e-mailing gradstudies@virginia.edu, or by calling (434) 243-4014.

Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819. He planned the curriculum, recruited the first faculty, and designed the Academical Village. Comprised of a central lawn and surrounded by faculty residences called pavilions, with student rooms between and working service yards behind, the “village” symbolizes Jefferson’s intent to create an institution that supports the free and open exchange of ideas, close interaction among students and faculty, and collegial collaboration across disciplines. Together with Monticello, Jefferson’s mountaintop house, the Academical Village is an architectural design of global significance; UNESCO declared the pair a World Heritage site in 1987 in recognition of their universal cultural value.

Jefferson intended to establish an institution that would be, in his words, “based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind.” Yet, the construction of the Academical Village relied in large part on enslaved black laborers, and slaves were a significant part of the University’s operation for almost fifty years. Like other U.S. colleges and universities, the University has recently focused much-needed attention on the role of slavery in its early history. In 2015, the Board of Visitors named a newly constructed residence hall, Gibbons House, for William and Isabella Gibbons, husband and wife, who were enslaved by different professors and lived in different pavilions at the University in the mid-19th century. In 2017, the Board of Visitors named another building for former slave and stonemason Peyton Skipwith. For more information on slavery at the University, see the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University and Jefferson’s University the Early Life. In 2018, the Board of Visitors established the President’s Commission on the University in the Era of Segregation, to continue research on race and inequity for the century following emancipation.

With regard to its mission, the University was innovative for its day because it was dedicated to educating leaders in practical affairs and public service rather than for professions in the classroom and the pulpit exclusively. It was the first nonsectarian university in the United States and the first to use the elective course system. Where it excelled in regard to curricular innovation, however, it was representative of its time in the make-up of its student body and faculty. When the University opened for classes in 1825, its faculty of eight and student body of sixty-eight were all white and all male. Not until the 20th century would the University admit women and men of color or white women, and it would be one of the last public institutions of higher education in the U.S. to do so.

At the time of the University’s opening in the 19th century, instruction included ancient languages, modern languages, mathematics, moral philosophy, natural philosophy, chemistry, law, and medicine. Jefferson opposed the granting of degrees on the grounds that they were “artificial embellishments.” In 1831, however, the Board of Visitors authorized granting the Master of Arts degree, which throughout most of the nineteenth century remained the University’s most prestigious academic award. The M.D. degree was awarded to the first graduates of the School of Medicine in 1828, and the LL.B. was first awarded for law school graduates in 1842. The bachelor’s degree was awarded beginning in 1849, but did not become the standard undergraduate degree and a prerequisite for the master’s degree until 1899, bringing the University into conformity with other institutions of higher learning. The Ph.D. has been awarded since 1883.

• access to the Internet and the UVA network; WiFi access in most buildings around Grounds, including all student residence complexes, in the libraries, on the Lawn, and in most classrooms;
• centralized email, calendaring, and other computing accounts;
• file storage, including UVA Box and Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage for those who are eligible;
• Remote Apps, a virtualized software delivery system;
• UVACollab, the online course management and collaboration system;
• access to specialized academic software packages that are not available virtually; Qualtrics for survey creation; and Zoom for video, voice, and screen sharing; software downloads, most at no cost, including licensed, self-updating antivirus software, from in.virginia.edu/software; Microsoft Office® 365 tools for students; and the Windows operating system at no cost through UVA’s Campus Agreement with Microsoft (available to undergraduate and graduate students).
• ITS also supports the Integrated System for Finance and Student Information and is a partner with UVA Human Resources for Workday.
• The UVA Help Desk (434-924-HELP; in.virginia.edu/helpdesk) provides technical computing support at no cost to members of the University community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The University of Virginia is a public institution of higher learning guided by a founding vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of talented students from all walks of life. It serves the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world by developing responsible citizen leaders and professionals; advancing, preserving, and disseminating knowledge; and providing world-class patient care.

We are defined by:

• Our enduring commitment to a vibrant and unique residential learning environment marked by the free and collegial exchange of ideas;
• Our unwavering support of a collaborative, diverse community bound together by distinctive foundational values of honor, integrity, trust, and respect;
• Our universal dedication to excellence and affordable access.

The University of Virginia’s mission extends beyond the lives of its students, faculty, and staff to the surrounding community, the Commonwealth, the nation and the world. From professional development for elementary and secondary school teachers to leadership training for local governing bodies across Virginia, the University is committed to sharing its resources of expertise and scholarship in ways that improve the well-being of individuals and communities.

That commitment to sharing resources is evinced by the growing number of community-engaged courses. Designed by faculty in collaboration with community partners from around the world, community-engaged courses challenge students to apply classroom content to real-world issues identified by their community partners. These courses are complemented by a diverse selection of courses centered around discussing the underlying ideas of “community” and aspects of authentic engagement. In the 2017-2018 academic year, over 4,500 students enrolled in one of 282 community-based courses. Faculty help to advance the University’s mission of public service and engagement in other ways. As of the 2017-2018 academic year, over 180 faculty members, as well as 41 staff and 1,375 students took part in sustained collaborative work with organizations locally and internationally. These partnerships result in research, scholarship, and creative activity that is beneficial to the community partner, faculty, and to participating university students. Partnerships exist in areas ranging from local k-12 arts enrichment, to legal clinics for area residents, to community health in South Africa and Guatemala.

Students play an important role in fulfilling the Institution’s commitment to service. As an example, in 2017-2018, over 4,296 students in Madison House engaged in weekly community service during the regular academic session, giving over 106,168 hours of service to 185 community partners. Through the Office of Undergraduate Research, 22 student received grants to participate in local or international community-based research projects.

These many volunteer hours, community-based learning opportunities, and partnerships are foregrounded against the October 2018 inauguration of University President James Ryan. This administration has been clear its aim to support service at the University of Virginia and to guide the institution toward practices that benefit its neighbors near and far. In the fall of 2018, the Office of the President convened a Community Working Group which conducted a survey capturing what local community members saw as areas of concern, and of potential collaboration, with the University.

U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the University of Virginia as one of the nation’s top institutions. Since U.S. News began ranking public universities as a separate category, UVA has ranked either No. 1 or No. 2. UVA remains tied for second among all public universities and is tied for twenty-fourth among all universities, both public and private. U.S. News also ranked the McIntire School of Commerce fifth nationally.

In the U.S. News graduate rankings for 2014, several UVA graduate schools and graduate programs are among the nation’s best. The School of Law led the University’s rankings at No. 7. The law school’s tax law program tied for No. 7. The international law program ranked No. 10 in 2012, the most recent report in that category. In the “law firms rank schools” category, UVA tied for 6th. The School of Medicine was ranked No. 26 for research and No. 18 in primary care. The Engineering School came in tied for No. 39, and its biomedical engineering program ranked No. 23. The Curry School of Education tied for No. 22 and had four programs highlighted: special education (No. 5), secondary education (No. 9), education policy (No. 10) and administration/supervision (No. 10).

In March 2013, Bloomberg Business Week magazine ranked the McIntire School second among the nation’s best undergraduate business programs and the No. 1 MBA feeder school.

The Princeton Review and USA Today ranked the University first among public institutions in its 2013 list of “Best Value Colleges.” UVA consistently tops the list of highest African-American graduation rates, compiled by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Noted for its world-class research capabilities, the University of Virginia is engaged in a wide range of research in medicine, engineering, education and the arts and sciences. Cutting-edge research and scholarship by the University’s outstanding faculty bring opportunities to learn about the latest advances in the classroom as well as the ability to become involved in research work in many fields.

Research is an integral part of the educational process at the University. Opportunities to participate in research are available for both graduates and undergraduates and may result in published papers for graduate and some undergraduate students.

Since 1946, students and faculty of the University of Virginia have benefited from its membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), a consortium of colleges and universities and a management and operating contractor for the United States Department of Energy (DOE) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, and faculty enjoy access to a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Students can participate in programs covering a wide variety of disciplines including business, earth sciences, biomedical sciences, nuclear chemistry, and mathematics.

A distinct feature of the University’s research community is the extent to which it fosters interdisciplinary research. A number of research centers and institutes have been established in recent years to facilitate collaboration among faculty from different academic units who have common research interests and objectives. One outcome of this interdisciplinary emphasis has been the growth of joint academic programs leading to joint degrees.

Exciting research is undertaken jointly by faculty from both engineering and medicine in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Program in Engineering Physics. Other engineering faculty members have research ties with faculty in environmental sciences, physics, and other fields. Faculty in medicine and biology work closely on a variety of research projects, as do those in physics and chemistry.

Research collaborations are common among non-scientists as well. Faculty members from the schools of law and business have launched a center jointly with faculty in psychology. Professors in business and various humanities departments bring their separate viewpoints and research strategies to bear on common issues. Interdisciplinary research provides opportunities for shared use of facilities and for synergism in research efforts and augmented funding.

In fiscal year 2022-23, research at the University was supported by over 2272 separate awards totaling over $532 million dollars from federal and state agencies, industry, and foundations.

The University demonstrates its commitment to research by providing internal financial funding in certain circumstances. The University provides funding for particularly meritorious research which might otherwise have brief funding interruptions, thus maintaining continuity in important, ongoing projects. Through the Bankard Foundation endowment, year-long research grants support research in political economy. Another program provides grants for faculty research in the humanities and social sciences.

The knowledge being disseminated and the technology being developed today at the University of Virginia will play a vital role in how we live in the future. More detailed information about research and funding at the University is available on-line from the Office of the Vice President for Research, https://research.virginia.edu.

The Arts are an essential component of the University, its mission, and are a leading presence in the Charlottesville community. The Vice Provost for the Arts catalyzes and facilitates research, creative production, and service in the arts departments and schools, with The Fralin Museum of Art, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, the Virginia Film Festival, Heritage Theatre Festival & WTJU Radio, and by student-driven arts organizations. The Arts are crucial to the residential experience at UVA, enriching us all while inspiring our students to innovate, create, collaborate, explore, and discover. UVA Arts offers an array of performances, exhibitions, and creative opportunities for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and our entire community. Significant outreach efforts include the President’s Speaker Series for the Arts, artist residencies, and public-facing programs designed to cultivate a vibrant community that promotes creative expression and to augment and enrich the artistic offerings across the Commonwealth, nation, and world.

The Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds comprises The Fralin Museum of Art; Campbell Hall for the School of Architecture; the UVA Department of Drama building, which includes the Culbreth, Helms and the brand-new Ruth Caplin Theatres; Ruffin Hall for studio art; Fayerweather Hall for the Department of Art; the Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library; the Hunter Smith Band Building; and Culbreth Road Parking Garage.

The Fralin Museum of Art houses fine art collections from ancient to contemporary times that are supplemented by innovative and changing exhibitions. Ruffin Hall features student and faculty shows every month, and the Department of Art sponsors public talks and presentations by visiting artists.

The UVA Department of Drama presents productions year-round in the Culbreth, Helms and new Ruth Caplin Theatres, including dramatic works, musicals, workshops, and dance performances. During the summer, the Heritage Theatre Festival provides entertainment for drama fans with a blend of musicals, comedy and classic drama.

The McIntire Department of Music, located on the Lawn in Old Cabell Hall, produces 100’s of events each year. These music events include concerts by faculty and student groups and performances as well as master classes by visiting artists in music styles ranging from classical klezmer to computer music to bluegrass, and many more in between.

For major national and international acts, UVA is proud to have the John Paul Jones Arena close by. In its fifteen years of operation, JPJ has hosted performances by Dave Matthews Band, Bruce Springsteen, Cirque du Soleil, Elton John, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and many others.

Further off Grounds, there is the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, the only museum outside of Australia dedicated to the exhibition and study of Indigenous Australian art. They expand knowledge and understanding of Indigenous Australian art and culture to cultivate greater appreciation of human diversity and creativity.

In late fall, the Virginia Film Festival offers a four-day celebration of the art of filmmaking, featuring first-run features, classic cinema, documentaries and shorter works.

During early spring, the Virginia Festival of the Book, supported by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, features readings, signings and talks by novelists, poets, nonfiction writers, journalists, editors, scholars, and representatives of the publishing industry.

Each year, the area attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to see the Grounds of the University, visit Monticello, Montpelier, and Ashlawn-Highland, tour local breweries, distilleries, and wineries, and hike through the Shenandoah National Park, just 20 miles west in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Locals and visitors also enjoy water activities on the Rivanna and James Rivers.

Charlottesville has long-standing traditions, including spring’s Dogwood Festival and New Year’s Eve’s First Night Virginia. Every spring, runners in the Charlottesville Ten-Miler rush through town toward the finish line at University Hall.

A pedestrian-friendly downtown mall offers locally owned restaurants and shops, art galleries, movies and live theater, and a steady line-up of live music performance in a historic section of the city. Fridays After Five is a series of free summer concerts at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion at the east end of the Downtown Mall, and nationally known groups also perform there. Saturdays April through November find crowds at the nearby City Market, where local fresh food and crafts are on sale.

In the Court Square area, lawyers and business people occupy offices in buildings dating back to the 1700s. Charlottesville also boasts a rich resource in the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, which offers a robust program of events throughout the year. Lastly, Charlottesville has an extraordinary array of non-profits and volunteer organizations that contribute to our community life in the arts, but also pursue issues of social justice and community wellness.

Charlottesville is located 120 miles from Washington, D.C., and 70 miles from Richmond. The Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO), a non-hub, commercial service airport, offers more than 50 daily non-stop flights to and from Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York/LaGuardia, Washington/Dulles, Atlanta, and Chicago. CHO is served by Delta Connection, United Express, American Eagle, and US Airways Express. Major highways convenient to the city include Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 29. Nationwide bus and railway service for passengers and freight is provided by Greyhound, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and the CSX Corporation. The Charlottesville Area Transit service and the University Transit Service provide bus service on Grounds and around the city, free for University students, faculty, and staff. Visitors to the University are always welcome. On-street parking is limited, so visitors are encouraged to park at the paid hourly Central Grounds Parking Garage off Emmet Street.

 Maps of the University are available for visitors on-line at www.virginia.edu/Map/.

Since its inception in 1842, the Honor System has been a defining and evolving dimension of life at the University. Under the Honor System, University students have pledged to adhere to a common baseline of honorable behavior; that is, not to lie, cheat, or steal. This ideal of Honor is not imposed upon students; rather, by choosing to enroll at the University of Virginia, students commit themselves to a community that shares this ideal. Specifically, each student at the University signs a pledge to abide by the Honor System as part of their application for admission. Students also commit themselves to governing the system. The Honor Committee, as well as its support officer pool and hearing panels, is composed entirely of students. The Honor Committee and its operations are governed by the Committee’s Constitution and By-Laws, which can be found on the Committee’s website at http://honor.virginia.edu.

Although the University of Virginia has expanded to encompass more than one thousand acres, it retains the intimacy that characterized the original 42 acre Academical Village. Jefferson, a self-trained architect, enthusiastic builder, and inveterate tinkerer, chose a former farm over a mile away from the little town of Charlottesville for the site of his University.  Architectural precedents from the Roman Republic inspired his buildings at the University, as he believed them to be appropriate models for the new American Republic.

This educational community was built around a rectangular, terraced green — the Lawn — flanked by two continuous rows of one-story student rooms. Interspersed among the student rooms are the Pavilions, designed as residences and classroom buildings for the original faculty. Each pavilion has a unique façade in one of the classical orders. The student rooms and the Pavilions open onto colonnaded walkways fronting the Lawn. Behind the Lawn Rooms and Pavilions are gardens enclosed by serpentine brick walls. The gardens and alleys between them lead to another row of rooms on each side called the Ranges. These are broken up by larger buildings called Hotels, which were the original dining halls at the University. The Rotunda, inspired by the Roman Pantheon, is at the north end of the Lawn, while the south end was originally left open to a vista of the mountains. Enslaved African Americans performed most of the labor associated with realizing the Academical Village, from leveling the site to carpentry, brick making and laying, and stonework.

Jefferson’s design integrates housing for students and faculty as well as classroom, dining, and library space – a truly mixed-use community. Students lived on the Lawn and in the Ranges and dined in the Hotels. Faculty members lived and taught in the Pavilions, while the Rotunda housed the library, classroom space, and gymnasia. After the University opened, enslaved workers were essential to its operation, providing services to students, staff, and faculty.

The Lawn remains the intellectual and spiritual heart of the University and continues to serve many of its original purposes. Select students are awarded Lawn rooms in their fourth year; senior faculty and their families live in the Pavilions, where classes are also held; and graduate students live in the Ranges. The Rotunda contains classrooms and study space, and hosts meetings of the Board of Visitors, dinners and other ceremonial events, as well as many student activities.

The originality and importance of Jefferson’s design are widely recognized. Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable noted in The New York Times, that the University “is probably the single most beautiful and effective architectural group of its kind in the country, or in the history of American building.” In 1976, the American Institute of Architects proclaimed it “the proudest achievement in American architecture in the past 200 years” and in 1987, the Academical Village was listed along with Monticello as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Rotunda was the original library at UVA — the foundation on which the University built a transformative educational community — and supporting the UVA community remains the Library’s main purpose. What we call the UVA Library today is an array of spaces, resources, services, materials, and people, all combining to partner with users and collaborate in learning and discovery.

An immense collection of physical and digital materials is available through the Library — more than 20 million manuscripts and archives, about 5 million books and 1.5 million e-books,  368,000 e-journals, and millions of non-text materials such as images, audio, video, data sets, and more. You can get to all of this through https://www.library.virginia.edu and Virgo, the Library’s catalog. The Library also maintains a portal specifically for graduate students with links to resources and services to help with research, class instruction, publication, teaching, and much more. Online services also include Libra, the University’s scholarly repository, where faculty and students deposit their theses, dissertations, and articles.

The Library has a variety of spaces for study, research, and more, serving the University’s community and supporting all its academic programs. The Charles L. Brown Science and Engineering Library serves research needs in the sciences, mathematics, and related fields. Clemons Library contains video materials and provides advanced technology and digital media services in the Robertson Media Center. Clemons also houses the Dathel and John Georges Student Center, a space with academic, professional, and personal advising resources for students.

The University’s main humanities and social sciences library is undergoing a major renovation (it’s expected to reopen by spring of 2024), and the first floor of Clemons has recently been renovated to support the closure, adding shelving for 500,000 volumes and many more seats and tables for study and research space. In addition, the Scholars’ Lab, the Library’s center for the digital humanities (which offers three graduate fellowship programs), will be housed in Clemons during the renovation.

Additional collections and services supporting Art, Architecture, Music, and related disciplines can be found in the Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library and the Music Library. The University’s renowned collection of manuscripts, rare books, primary sources, and other materials vital for graduate-level research is located in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Public programs and exhibitions are also hosted in the building, which is shared by the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature, and Culture. The Library also maintains Ivy Stacks, an off-Grounds shelving and preservation facility containing more than 2 million items. Everything in Ivy Stacks is fully cataloged in Virgo, and items are delivered to Grounds for Library users when requested.

In addition to the University Library system, the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, the Camp Library in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, and the Arthur J. Morris Law Library serve their respective professional schools.

The Library provides access to extensive collections and varied spaces for research and study, but the heart of the Library system is the knowledgeable and experienced staff who contribute daily to the academic experience. They can always connect you with the materials you need, and subject liaisons for academic units can collaborate with you on research — and the Scholars’ Lab, Robertson Media Center, and Research Data Services  also offer specialized expertise and tools for technology-intense scholarship.

In addition to face-to-face services, librarians are available on chat or via online consultation. When in doubt, Ask A Librarian — we are here to help.

NEW SERVICE: Graduate students are now able to take advantage of LEO (Library Express On-Grounds) for delivery of Library materials to your department and/or the library of your choice.

Appointed by the Board of Visitors at the recommendation of the president, University Professorships are conferred on a small number of accomplished faculty who are distinguished in more than one discipline. They report directly to the president and have considerable freedom to teach across disciplinary and administrative boundaries university-wide.
Current University Professors are:

• Catherine P. Bradshaw, B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D., Education
• Mark W. Edmundson, B.A., Ph.D., English
• Robert E. Freeman, B.A., Ph.D., Business Administration, Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration
• K. Ian Grandison, B.S., M.L.A., English, American Studies
• Jagdish K. Kumar, B.A, M.S. Ph.D., Sociology, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology
• Michael J. Lenox, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Donna and Richard Tadler University Professor of Entrepreneurship, Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business Administration
• R. Jahan Ramazani, B.A., M.S., M.S., Ph.D., English, Edgar F. Shannon, Jr. Professor of English
• Larry J. Sabato, B.A., D.Phil., Politics, Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs
• Allan C. Stam, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Public Policy
• Michael F. Suarez, B.A., M.A., M.S., English
• Elizabeth H. Turner, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Art
• Sarah E. Turner, B.A., Ph.D., Education, Economics, Public Policy, Souder Family Professor of Economics
• Haydn N. G. Wadley, B.S., Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Edgar A. Starke, Jr., Research Professor of Materials Science

ALL OF THESE FACULTY ARE NOW RETIRED OR WILL BE BY 5.24.24

• Robert F. Bruner, B.A., M.B.A., D.B.A., Business Administration, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration
• John T. Casteen, B.A., M.A., Ph.D, English, President Emeritus
• Harry Harding, Jr., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Public Policy
• Donald F. Hunt, B.S., Ph.D., Chemistry, Pathology
• Teresa A. Sullivan, B.A., A.M., Ph.D., Sociology, President Emeritus