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The University of Virginia

History
The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, who outlined the institution's purpose, designed its buildings, supervised construction, planned the curriculum and directed the recruitment of the first faculty. As the first Rector of the University, Jefferson presided over the school's governing body, known as the Board of Visitors. James Madison and James Monroe were members of the board in early years.

When it opened for classes in 1825, the University of Virginia represented a dramatic innovation in American education. In an era when colleges trained students almost exclusively for teaching and the ministry, Jefferson dedicated his University to the education of leaders in practical affairs and public service.

Location
The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Va. The city, located in beautiful central Virginia among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has the advantage of proximity to metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C. (118 miles), Richmond (65 miles), and Roanoke (125 miles). Charlottesville is easily reached by interstate highway, bus, air and rail transportation.

The Grounds
Jefferson designed his "academical village" to house teachers and students alike in four long rows of rooms and larger buildings that provided classrooms and dwelling space for faculty families. The Rotunda, a half-scale version of the Pantheon, is the focal point of the historic central Grounds. In 1976, the American Institute of Architects proclaimed the academical village one of the outstanding achievements of American architecture; in 1988, the Lawn was named to the prestigious World Heritage List.

The University Today
Although the University has expanded to encompass more than 1,000 acres, it still retains the intimacy that characterized the academical village. University planners have been careful to reserve open space for study and contemplation while erecting modern facilities for each of the six undergraduate schools as well as the professional schools.

Total student enrollment is approximately 19,000, including 12,500 undergraduates, 4,500 graduate students and 1,700 first-professional (law and medicine) degree students.

The University of Virginia has regained its No. 1 ranking among public universities, according to the 2004 U.S. News & World Report. Since U.S. News began ranking public schools in 1998, U.Va. has never been lower than No. 2, and this is the fourth time in seven years it has claimed the No. 1 spot. In its 2004 edition of "America's Best Colleges," U.S. News also ranked U.Va. as No. 21 in its Top National Universities category, which includes public and private institutions. In both rankings, U.Va. tied with the University of California-Berkeley. In the 17-year history of the rankings, U.Va. has never dropped out of the top 25 listing.

Research and teaching are carried out in the University's 10 schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Architecture, the School of Law, the McIntire School of Commerce, the Curry School of Education, the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing.

The Faculty
In creating an academical village, Jefferson sought scholars who had distinguished reputations and were willing to live among their students--an unusual, but from Jefferson's point of view, essential combination. UVa's faculty, one of the most distinguished groups of scholars and researchers in the country, still exemplifies this tradition.

The University's full-time faculty numbers nearly 3,000, most of whom conduct research and publish their findings on a regular basis. As of Novermber 21, 2003, the University had 479 endowed professorships.

Student Achievement
The quality of the student body is evident in the awards and honors many UVa students receive. The University has graduated 43 Rhodes Scholars--the highest number graduated by a public university--and attracts some of the very best students in the country through the merit-based Jefferson Scholars Program.

Four years at UVa prepare students well for becoming adults who are thinking, contributing members of society. Whether they go directly to a job (many do), teach English in Africa for a year, enroll in law or medical school, or enter graduate school to pursue the scholarly life as a profession, their undergraduate years at Virginia provide the chance to explore subjects and ideas that will lay the foundation for their future careers and lives.

Athletics
A member of the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia fields twelve intercollegiate sports for men and thirteen for women. The intercollegiate athletic program ranked 19th in the final 2002-03 Division I NACDA Directors' Cup standings. U.Va. finished 19th among NCAA Division I schools based on the combined performance of men's and women's sports during the 2002-03 academic year with a total of 690 points. Virginia was one of four Atlantic Coast Conference schools in the Top 25. U.Va. has been ranked in the Top 30 in the NACDA Directors' Cup standings in all ten years of the Directors' Cup program's existence.

The University of Virginia had 230 student-athletes named to the 2002-03 Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll. The Honor Roll comprises those student-athletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the full academic year.

Virginia's 2002-03 Record
The men's intercollegiate athletic teams finished the 2002-03 athletic year with an overall record of 124-69-0. U.Va.'s women's teams compiled an overall record of 127-106-2. The combined record for Virginia's men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams in 2002-03 was 251-175-2. Virginia won the NCAA Championship in men's lacrosse, and won ACC Championships in men's lacrosse, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, and women's rowing.

Graduation Rates
The University of Virginia's entering class of 1995-96 had a 92 percent overall graduation rate, with 82 percent of student-athletes graduating. For comparison, in all Division I-A institutions' entering classes, graduation rates were 62 percent overall and 60 percent for student-athletes.

For the 20th consecutive year, the American Football Coaches Association has recognized the University for achieving a football player graduation rate of 70 percent or better.

Team Highlights of the 2002-03 Athletic Year

Basketball, Men	NIT Second Round
Basketball, Women	NCAA Second Round
Cross Country, Men	NCAA Regional, 4th
Cross Country, Women	NCAA Championships, 20th; NCAA Regional, 3rd
Football	Continental Tire Bowl Champions
Lacrosse, Men	NCAA Champions, ACC Champions
Lacrosse, Women	NCAA, 2nd
Rowing	NCAA, 6th; ACC Champions
Soccer, Men	NCAA Second Round
Soccer, Women	NCAA Third Round
Swimming, Men	NCAA, 10th; ACC Champions
Swimming, Women	NCAA, 13th; ACC Champions
Tennis, Men	NCAA (Individual Participants)
Tennis, Women	NCAA Second Round (Also Individual Participants)
Track & Field (Indoor), Women	NCAA (Individual Participants)
Track & Field (Outdoor), Men	NCAA (Individual Participant)
Track & Field (Outdoor), Women	NCAA, 55th (tie)
Wrestling	NCAA, 55th

University and Community Arts
The University contributes to the cultural milieu with a wide range of events sponsored by academic departments and student groups. Among these are the Tuesday Evening Concert Series, the University

Union Speakers Series; talks by government officials and public figures sponsored by the Student Legal Forum; several student singing groups, and a Collegium Musicum baroque group sponsored by the music department.

The University's Bayly Museum's broad-ranging art collections include outstanding examples of 20th-century American art and European art from Jefferson's era. The Bayly's growing permanent collections are supplemented by frequent visiting shows, the Fayerweather Gallery, which displays student and faculty art and other exhibits, and several private galleries in the city of Charlottesville.

Dramatic productions are presented year round by professional and local groups, including the highly acclaimed Heritage Repertory Theatre and the Virginia Players in the University's well-equipped drama and fine arts center. The theatre department regularly presents drama, musicals, and small workshop productions by students in the Culbreth and Helms theaters.

Activities
Plays performed by the Virginia Players; concerts of the Tuesday Evening Concert Series and student musicians; films from Cinematheque and the Filmwatchers Club; debates staged by the Virginia Debaters and the 170-year-old Jefferson Society; lectures sponsored by the Student Legal Forum, University Union, and various academic departments; and sports in all seasons, intramural and intercollegiate, dominate the University calendar.

The University Union, to which all students belong, generates many of these extracurricular events, including the Union short courses, rock concerts, dances and dinners, and contests in photography, playwriting, and painting. Madison House, the nation's largest student-managed campus volunteer service organization, provides volunteers for a wide range of community service programs.

Adding to the varied social life of Virginia students are nearly 60 fraternities and sororities as well as numerous student clubs and organizations--all providing opportunities for friendship, leadership and service.

Newcomb Hall, the University Union building on the central Grounds, is the center for student activities along with nearby Peabody Hall. Newcomb Hall contains several types of dining facilities, a cafe, a ballroom, numerous meeting rooms and offices of student organizations. Two other student centers, the International Center and Luther P. Jackson House, concentrate on international and African-American students, and the Graduate Student Lounge provides a meeting place for colloquia and lectures sponsored by various graduate clubs.

Several student publications record the school session, including the Cavalier Daily, the University Journal, the Declaration, the Law Weekly, and the yearbook, Corks and Curls. Magazines add their commentary as well: the Virginia Literary Review, Thoughtlines, Skandaline and the Virginia Advocate among them. Three student-staffed radio stations, WTJU, WUVA and WIRE, supply student-oriented musical programming.

The Honor System
The Honor System is one of the University's oldest and most venerated traditions. Based on the fundamental assumption that anyone who enrolls at the University subscribes to a code of ethics forbidding lying, cheating, and stealing, the Honor System allows students the kind of personal freedom possible only in an environment where respect and trust are presumed. For more than 150 years, this system has been administered by students.

The Libraries
The University's library system consists of 15 libraries containing four million volumes, including more than 20,000 periodicals and newspapers. Alderman Library houses a comprehensive reference collection, the electronic text center, humanities and social science materials, and special collections. Clemons Library provides a general collection of frequently used materials, reserve reading, audio and video materials, a computer lab, group study rooms, and equipment for the visually disabled. The science and engineering library and its branches (biology/psychology, chemistry, math/astronomy and physics) and the education, fine arts and music libraries serve the research needs of those disciplines. The professional schools of law, medicine and graduate business each have their own library.

Computer Facilities
The University operates extensive computer facilities to support research, instructional programs, administrative services and hospital systems.

The Information Technology and Communication division (ITC) provides computer resources and services to faculty, students and staff. This support includes a wide variety of computer systems and peripheral equipment, ranging from large mainframe systems to single-user microcomputers and workstations--primarily in public facilities around the Grounds for easy student access. Electronic mail and on-line connection to library catalogs and a Grounds-Wide Information System are among the services available from all systems.

Research
The University supports research and scholarship in many fields. Its areas of strength include research in the humanities and programs in the biomedical, physical, and engineering sciences. The yearly acquisition of new research instrumentation exceeds $10 million. In 2001, external support of research programs reached $225 million.

The University ranked 45th among the top one hundred U.S. universities in competitively awarded federal grants in 2000 (the latest year for which data are available).