University of Virginia
59801
225841460
2008-07-15T17:27:02Z
71.51.12.0
{{Infobox_University
|name =University of Virginia
|image_name =UVA_Rotunda_Logo.svg
|established =1819
|free_label =Founder
|free =[[Thomas Jefferson]]
|president =[[John T. Casteen III]]
|endowment =[[United States dollar|US $]]5.1 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]]<ref>[http://uvm-web.eservices.virginia.edu/public/reports/InvestmentReport_2007_11.pdf BoardReport_2007_11.xls<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
|calendar = Semester
|type =[[Public university|Public]]
|faculty =2,102
|undergrad =13,636
|postgrad =6,554
|doctoral =
|city =[[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]]
|state =[[Virginia|VA]]
|country =[[United States|U.S.]]
|campus =[[World Heritage Site]], small city, 1,682 [[acre]]s (681 [[hectare]]s)
|affiliations =[[Association of American Universities|AAU]], [[Universitas 21]]
|colors = [[Orange (colour)|Orange]] and [[Navy blue]]<br>{{color box|#CC6600}} {{color box|#333366}}<ref name="colors">{{cite web |url=http://www.virginia.edu/uvalogo/guidelines.html |title=Usage Guidelines |work=The Graphic Identity for the University of Virginia |accessdate=2008-07-03}}</ref>
|athletics =[[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I]] [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]]<br>[[Image:Virginia Cavaliers sabre.svg|30px]] 25 varsity teams
|nickname= [[Wahoos]]
|mascot =[[Virginia Cavaliers|Virginia Cavalier]]
|website =[http://www.virginia.edu/ Virginia.edu]
|logo =[[Image:ThomasJeffersonSignature.png|125px|center|Thomas Jefferson]]
}}
{{Infobox World Heritage Site
| WHS = [[Monticello]] and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
| Image = [[Image:Homer at UVa.jpg|226px|[[Homer]] statue on the Lawn]]
| State Party = [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|24px]] [[United States]]
| Type = Cultural
| Criteria = i, iv, vi
| ID = 442
| Region = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe]] and [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Americas|North America]]
| Year = 1987
| Session = 11th
| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/442
}}
The '''University of Virginia''' (also called '''U.Va.''', '''UVA''', '''Mr. Jefferson's University''', or '''The University''')<ref>Many universities' students and alumni refer to their respective institutions as "the university" for short. At the University of Virginia, this title is capitalized as a proper noun (i.e., "The University" or "the University")[http://www.hrs.virginia.edu/dot/topics/ppd/newsupervisor/university_slang.htm] in reference only to this particular school, much like [[The Lawn]] and [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]]. In recent decades many of the school's alumni and students have sported university-licensed bumper stickers and window decals of simply <small>THE UNIVERSITY</small> in the school's colors ([http://www.mincers.com/php-bin/ecomm4/products.php?product_id=514]), a practice not always well understood or appreciated by outsiders, leaving some to declare such usage to be elitist.[http://www.readthehook.com/newcomer.html] However, the vernacular tradition goes back more than a hundred years, as indicated in the following excerpt from a 1903 novel.[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15573/15573-h/15573-h.htm]<big>{{Quotation|But hardest of all to leave had been Archie, best and most promising of young brothers—Archie, who had come out ahead of his class in the high-school, all ready to go to The University—the University of Virginia is always "The University"; but who, it had seemed at a certain dark season, must give up this long-cherished hope for lack of the wherewithal...|[[Marie Manning]], 1903|Judith of the Plains}}</big></ref> is a highly selective public research [[university]] located in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]]. Conceived by 1800 and established in 1819, it is the only university in the [[United States]] to be designated a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]], an honor it shares with nearby [[Monticello]].
The University is notable in [[History of the United States|U.S. history]] for being the first educational institution to offer academic programs in disciplines now common, such as [[astronomy]] and [[philosophy]]. Its [[University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science|School of Engineering and Applied Science]] was the first engineering school in the United States to be associated with a university. Officially, the University of Virginia is incorporated as ''The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia''.
==History==
On [[January 18]], [[1800]], Thomas Jefferson, then [[Vice President of the United States]], alluded to plans for a new college in a letter written to British scientist [[Joseph Priestley]]: "We wish to establish in the upper country of Virginia, 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, and be a temptation to the youth of other States to come and drink of the cup of knowledge and fraternize with us."<ref name="wish">Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., ''In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson'', p. 336.</ref> In 1802, then serving as [[President of the United States]], Jefferson wrote to artist [[Charles Willson Peale]] that his concept of the new university would be "on the most extensive and liberal scale that our circumstances would call for and our faculties meet."<ref name="Peale">Alf J. Mapp, Jr., ''Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim'', p. 19.</ref> Although Virginia was already home to one university, the [[College of William and Mary]], Jefferson had lost confidence in his alma mater, partly because of its religious biases and lack of education in the sciences.<ref name="bias">Phillips Russell, ''Jefferson, Champion of the Free Mind'', p. 335.</ref>
The University of Virginia stands on land purchased in 1788 by an [[American Revolutionary War]] veteran, [[James Monroe]]. The farmland just outside [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] was purchased from Monroe by the Board of Visitors of what was then ''Central College'' in 1817; Monroe was beginning the first of his own two terms in the [[White House]]. Guided by Jefferson, the school laid its first building's cornerstone later in 1817 and the Commonwealth of Virginia would charter the new university on [[January 25]], [[1819]].
In the presence of [[James Madison]], the [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette|Marquis de Lafayette]] toasted Jefferson as "father" of the ''University of Virginia'' at the school's inaugural banquet in 1824. The University's first classes met in March 1825. Other universities of the day allowed only three choices of specialization: Medicine, Law, and Religion, but under Jefferson's guidance, the University of Virginia became the first in the United States to allow specializations in such diverse fields as [[Astronomy]], [[Architecture]], [[Botany]], [[Philosophy]], and [[Political Science]]. Jefferson explained, "This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."<ref name="Reason">[[Dumas Malone]], ''Jefferson and His Time: The Sage of Monticello'', p. 417-418.</ref>
An even more controversial direction was taken for the new university based on a daring vision that higher education should be completely separated from religious doctrine. One of the largest construction projects in North America up to that time, the new Grounds were centered upon a library (then housed in [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|the Rotunda]]) rather than a church—further distinguishing it from peer universities of the [[United States]], most of which were still primarily functioning as seminaries for one particular religion or another.<ref name="sem">[[Joseph J. Ellis]], ''American Sphinx'', p. 283.</ref> Jefferson even went so far as to ban the teaching of Theology altogether. In a letter to [[Thomas Cooper (US politician)|Thomas Cooper]] in October 1814, Jefferson stated, "a professorship of theology should have no place in our institution" and, true to form, the University never had a Divinity school or department, and was established independent of any religious sect. Replacing the then-standard specialization in Religion, the University undertook groundbreaking specializations in scientific subjects such as Astronomy and Botany. (However, today the University does maintain one of the highest-rated Religious Studies departments in the U.S. and a non-denominational chapel, notably absent from Jefferson's original plans, was constructed in 1890 near the Rotunda.)
[[Image:Lawn.jpg|250px|thumb|left|[[The Lawn]] during winter, with tracks through the snow. At center is the [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|Rotunda]], which was the original library building at the head of Jefferson's Academical Village.]]
Jefferson was intimately involved in the University, hosting Sunday dinners at his [[Monticello]] home for faculty and students, until his death. So taken with the import of what he viewed the University's foundations and potential to be, and counting it amongst his greatest accomplishments, Jefferson insisted his grave mention only his status as author of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] and [[Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom]], and father of the University of Virginia. Thus, he eschewed mention of his Presidency and national accomplishments in favor of being remembered for the newly established university.
In 1826, the nation's fourth President [[James Madison]] became Rector of the University of Virginia, at the same time America's fifth President [[James Monroe]] made his home on the Grounds (at [[Brown College at Monroe Hill|Monroe Hill]]) and was a member of the Board of Visitors. Both former Presidents stayed at the University until their deaths in the 1830s.
The [[University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science|School of Engineering and Applied Science]] opened in 1836, making it the oldest engineering school in the United States associated with a university.
At the onset of the [[American Civil War]], the University of Virginia was the largest in the [[Southern United States]] and second nationwide only to [[Harvard University]] in its scope.<ref name="1860size">''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9075476 University of Virginia], retrieved [[June 20]], [[2006]].</ref> Unlike many other colleges in the South, the University was kept open throughout the conflict, an especially remarkable feat with its state being the site of more battles than any other. In March 1865, Union General [[George Armstrong Custer]] marched troops into Charlottesville, whereupon faculty and community leaders convinced him to spare the University. Though [[Union Army|Union troops]] camped on the Lawn and damaged many of the Pavilions, Custer's men left four days later without bloodshed and the University was able to return to its educational routines.
Jefferson, ever the skeptic of central authority and bureaucracy, had originally decided the University of Virginia would have no President. Rather, this power was to be shared by a Rector and a [[Board of Visitors]]. As the nineteenth century waned, it became obvious this arrangement was incapable of adequately handling the many administrative and fundraising tasks which had become regrettably but unavoidably necessary amid the inner-workings of the growing University.
[[Image:Thomas-Jefferson.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Father of the University of Virginia, [[Thomas Jefferson]] was the first and only [[President of the United States]] to found an institution of higher learning]]
In 1904, [[Edwin Alderman]] resigned as President of [[Tulane University]] to take the same position at the University of Virginia. As the University's first President, he embarked on a number of reforms for both the University and the state of Virginia's public educational systems in general. A reform specific to the University of Virginia was one of the first school-sponsored [[financial aid]] programs in all of higher learning and, though primitive by today's standards, it included a loan provision for those "needy young men" who were unable to pay. Initially controversial and opposed by many at what had become a very traditional school, Alderman's progressive ideas stood the test of time and he today remains the longest-serving President in the University's history, having served for nearly thirty years until his death in 1931. Alderman Library, a popular landmark among today's students, is his namesake.
Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner [[William Faulkner]] became writer-in-residence at the University in 1957, keeping open office hours until his death in 1962. He was also a lecturer at the school, as well as taking the title "Consultant on American Literature to the Alderman Library". Faulkner had a large collection of his manuscripts and typesets given to and made available (the request reaffirmed by his wife and daughter) at the library upon his death.
In 2004, resulting from a stark decrease in state support, the University of Virginia became the first public university in the United States to receive more of its funding from private sources than from the state with which it is associated. Thanks to a Charter initiative that passed the [[Virginia General Assembly]] and was signed into law by then-[[Governor of Virginia|Governor]] [[Mark Warner]] in 2005,<ref name="Virginia restructuring">{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.edu/restructuring/legislation.html |title=Legislation |work=Restructuring Higher Education |publisher=University of Virginia |accessdate=2008-05-22}}</ref> the University—and any other public universities in the state that choose to do so (currently [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University|Virginia Tech]] and [[The College of William & Mary|William & Mary]])—will have greater autonomy over its own affairs.<ref name="Virginia restructuring FAQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.virginia.edu/restructuring/legislation.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |work=Restructuring Higher Education |publisher=University of Virginia |accessdate=2008-05-22}}</ref>
[[Image:Jm4.gif|150px|thumb|left|[[James Madison]] served as the second Rector of the University of Virginia until his death (1826–1836)]]
Also in 2004, the 100<sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">th</font></sup> anniversary of Alderman becoming President, the University announced the AccessUVa financial aid program. This program guarantees the University will meet 100% of a student's demonstrated need. It also provides low-income students (up to 200% of the poverty line – as of 2006, about [[Poverty line in the United States#Current poverty rate and guidelines|$40,000]] for a family of four) with full grants to cover all of their educational needs, and it caps the level of need-based loans for all other students. This program is the first to guarantee full grants to students of low-income families at any public university in the United States.
Though all-[[White American|white]] until 1950 and generally all-male until 1970 (women had for many years prior been admitted to the education and nursing schools), the University of Virginia is now more diverse. The makeup of the Class of 2008 was 10% [[African American]], 14% [[Asian American]], 5% [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanic]], 5% Other and 5% International. Fewer than two-thirds identified themselves as being white. Eighty-five percent of the University's entering Class of 2009 were ranked in the top 10% of their graduating high school class and 56% are female.
Today, minority students are particularly successful at the University of Virginia. According to the Fall 2005 issue of ''Journal of Blacks in Higher Education'',<ref>[http://www.jbhe.com/news_views/49_blackenrollment_publicivies.html ''Comparing Black Enrollments at the Public Ivies''. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2005]</ref> the University "has the highest [[African American|black]] student graduation rate of the [[Public Ivy|Public Ivies]] at 86 percent." The journal goes on to state that "by far the most impressive is the University of Virginia with its high black student graduation rate and its small racial difference in graduation rates."
The University of Virginia joined with [[Harvard University]] and [[Princeton University]] as the three universities announced the end of their [[Early Decision]] and [[Early Action]] programs in September 2006, stating that such policies limit low-income and [[middle class]] students from competing on an equal footing with applicants from wealthy families.<ref name="EarlyDecision1">{{cite web
| url = http://www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1163496126245800.xml&coll=1
| title = Early admissions - for better or worse?
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[November 15]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = ''[[Springfield Republican]]''
| language = English
}}</ref><ref name="EarlyDecision2">{{cite web
| url = http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--uva-earlydecision1207dec07,0,3972664.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
| title = University of Virginia sends out last 'early decision' letters
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[December 7]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = ''[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]''
| language = English
}}</ref> For its part, U.Va. noted that of 947 Early Decision acceptances for the Class of 2010, fewer than 20 of those students had applied for financial aid.<ref name="EarlyDecision3">{{cite web
| url = http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/26/uva
| title = Virginia Ends Early Decision
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[September 26]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = Inside Higher Education
| language = English
}}</ref>
==Grounds==
:''Main articles: [[The Lawn]], [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]], and [[The Range]]''
[[Image:University of Virginia Rotunda 1819 draft.jpg|thumb|196px|right|Elevation of [[The Rotunda]] drawn by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819]]
[[Image:University of Virginia Rotunda fire small.jpg|thumb|196px|right|The Great Rotunda Fire, 1895]]
[[Image:UVa Rotunda.jpg|thumb|196px|right|The Rotunda today]]
Throughout its history, the University of Virginia has won praise for its unique [[Jeffersonian architecture]]. In January 1895, less than a year before the Great Rotunda Fire, ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that the design of the University of Virginia "was incomparably the most ambitious and monumental architectural project that had or has yet been conceived in this century".<ref name="schuyler">''Architectural Record," 4 (January-March 1895), pp. 351-353<br></ref> In the [[United States Bicentennial]] issue of their ''AIA Journal'', the [[American Institute of Architects]] called it "the proudest achievement of American architecture in the past 200 years".<ref name="aia">''AIA Journal'', 65 (July 1976), p. 91</ref> Today, the University of Virginia remains an architectural landmark and popular tourist destination.
The University, together with Jefferson's home at [[Monticello]], is a [[World Heritage Site]], one of only three modern sites so listed in the [[U.S. state|50 states]], the others being the [[Statue of Liberty]] and [[Independence Hall (United States)|Independence Hall]]. It was the first collegiate campus worldwide to be awarded the designation.
Jefferson's original architectural design revolves around the "Academical Village", and that name remains in use today to describe both the specific area of [[The Lawn]], a grand, terraced green space surrounded by residential and academic buildings, the gardens, [[The Range]], and the larger University surrounding it. The principal building of the design, [[The Rotunda (University of Virginia)|The Rotunda]] ([http://www.virginia.edu/cgi-local/rcamcgi?Q RotundaCam]), stands at the north end of the Lawn, and is the most recognizable symbol of the University. It is half the height of the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] in [[Rome]], which was the primary inspiration for the building. The Lawn and the Rotunda were the model for many similar designs of "centralized green areas" at universities across the country (most notably those at [[Duke University]] in 1892, [[Johns Hopkins University]] in 1902, [[Rice University]] in 1910, Peabody College of [[Vanderbilt University]] in 1915, the Green at the [[University of Delaware]] in 1916, and Killian Court at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] in 1916 — the last of which was coincidentally founded by [[William Barton Rogers]], who immediately prior to founding MIT was a [[Natural philosophy|Natural Philosophy]] professor at the University of Virginia for 19 years). Frank E. Grizzard, Jr., a former scholar at the University, has written the definitive book on the original academic buildings at the University.<ref>[http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/grizzard Grizzard, Frank E.''Documentary history of the construction of the buildings at the University of Virginia, 1817-1828''. University of Virginia Libraries. 1996-2002.]</ref>
Flanking both sides of the Rotunda and extending down the length of the Lawn are 10 Pavilions interspersed with student rooms. Each has its own classical architectural style, as well as its own walled garden separated by Jeffersonian Serpentine walls. These walls are called "serpentine" because they run a sinusoidal course, one that lends strength to the wall and allows for the wall to be only one brick thick, one of many innovations by which Jefferson attempted to combine aesthetics with utility.
On [[October 27]], [[1895]], the Rotunda burned to a shell because of an electrical fire that started in the Rotunda Annex, a long multi-story structure built in 1853 to house additional classrooms. The electrical fire was no doubt assisted by the unfortunate help of overzealous faculty member [[William Holding Echols|William "Reddy" Echols]], who attempted to save it by throwing roughly 100 pounds (45 kg) of [[dynamite]] into the main fire in the hopes that the blast would separate the burning Annex from Mr. Jefferson's own Rotunda. His last-ditch effort ultimately failed. (Perhaps ironically, one of the University's main honors student programs is named for him.) University officials swiftly approached celebrity architect [[Stanford White]] to rebuild the Rotunda. White took the charge further, disregarding Mr. Jefferson's design and redesigning the Rotunda interior — making it two floors instead of three, adding three buildings to the foot of the Lawn, and designing a President's House. He did omit rebuilding the Rotunda Annex, the remnants of which were used as fill and to create part of the modern-day Rotunda's northern-facing plaza. The classes formerly occupying the Annex were now moved to the South Lawn in White's new buildings.
Although undoubtedly useful to the University in providing additional classroom space, and not unattractive, if pedestrian in comparison to the Jeffersonian Pavilions, the White buildings have the effect of closing off the sweeping perspective, as originally conceived by Jefferson, down the Lawn across open countryside towards the distant mountains. The White buildings at the foot of the Lawn effectively create a huge "quadrangle", albeit one far grander than any traditional college quadrangle at the [[University of Cambridge]] or [[University of Oxford]].
[[Image:Thelawnatuva.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[The Lawn]] and Academical Village]]
In concert with the [[United States Bicentennial]] in 1976, Stanford White's changes to the Rotunda were removed and the building was returned to Jefferson's original design. Renovated according to original sketches and historical photographs, a three-story Rotunda opened on Jefferson's birthday, [[April 13]], [[1976]].
Though student enrollment has grown well beyond the original Lawn facilities, the University further distinguishes itself by extending the original Academical Village ideal with two exclusively First-Year (freshman) living areas: The Old Dorms (Bonnycastle, Dabney, Echols, Emmet, Hancock, Humphreys, Kent, Lefevre, Metcalf, Page), located on McCormick Road, and The New Dorms (Balz, Cauthen, Courtenay, Dobie, Dunglison, Dunnington, Fitzhugh, Lile, Maupin, Tuttle, Watson, Webb, Woody), adjacent to [[Scott Stadium]], both situated wholly on Grounds and considered integral to establishing peer discourse. The common bonding experience proves such a fixture to the University experience, students often identify themselves by individual "Old" or "New" dormitory. First-Year living areas also include [[Hereford Residential College]], [[International Residence College]], and [[Brown College at Monroe Hill]].
In 2001, [[John Kluge]] donated 7,378 acres (30 km²) of additional lands to the University. Kluge desired the core of the land to be developed by the University, and the surrounding land to be sold to fund an endowment supporting the core. A large part of the gift was soon sold to musician [[Dave Matthews]], of the [[Dave Matthews Band]], to be utilized in an [[organic farming]] project. It is unknown what the University will do with its "core" portion of the land.
The [[Virginia Department of Transportation]] maintains the roads through the University grounds as [[State Route 302 (Virginia)|State Route 302]].<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/route-index-07012003.pdf Virginia Route Index]|239 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 245052 bytes -->}}, revised [[July 1]], [[2003]]</ref>
==Modern luminary gatherings and events==
On [[June 10]], [[1940]], U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt]] came to the University's Memorial Gymnasium to watch his son [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr.|Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.]] graduate, and to give the commencement address. Instead, "in this university founded by the first great American teacher of democracy" he made his impromptu "Stab in the Back"<ref name="FDR">[ftp://webstorage2.mcpa.virginia.edu/library/nara/fdr/audiovisual/speeches/fdr_1940_0610.html Roosevelt, Franklin D. ''Stab in the Back''. Scripps Library and Multimedia Archive. [[June 10]], [[1940]].]</ref> speech denouncing the act of [[Italy]] joining beside [[Nazi Germany]] to invade [[France]] on that day.<ref name="FDR">[http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/roosevelt/fdr_1940_0610.html Miller Center of Public Affairs - Franklin Delano Roosevelt Speeches<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> (Graduation ceremonies are traditionally held on the Lawn, but rain had forced a move to "Mem Gym" for the Class of 1940.)
Nearly two decades later, in 1958, Senator [[John F. Kennedy]] visited and spoke in the same space with brothers [[Robert Kennedy]] and [[Ted Kennedy]], the latter of whom was managing JFK's 1958 Senatorial re-election campaign from his dormitory at the University of Virginia.
To commemorate the [[United States Bicentennial]] in 1976, Britain's [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] strolled the Lawn and lunched in the Dome Room of the Rotunda, one of five American sites she publicly visited.
The [[Tenzin Gyatso|Dalai Lama]] and [[Desmond Tutu]] stayed on Grounds for one week in 1998 while attending the University's Nobel Laureates Conference.
==Admissions==
[[Image:University of Virginia Lawn walkway.jpg|275px|thumb|Lawn walkway lined by student residences.]]
===Early Decision abolished===
Three leading American universities ([[Harvard University|Harvard]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]], and U.Va.) announced in September 2006 that they were discontinuing their [[Early Decision]] or [[Early Action]] rounds of admission in an effort to promote economic diversity in their student bodies.<ref name="EarlyDecision1">{{cite web
| url = http://www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1163496126245800.xml&coll=1
| title = Early admissions - for better or worse?
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[November 15]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = ''[[Springfield Republican]]''
| language = English
}}</ref><ref name="EarlyDecision2">{{cite web
| url = http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--uva-earlydecision1207dec07,0,3972664.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
| title = University of Virginia sends out last 'early decision' letters
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[December 7]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = ''[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]''
| language = English
}}</ref> Early Decision programs force a student to accept an offer of admission before evaluating the [[student financial aid|financial aid]] offers of various universities, while Early Action entails no commitment upfront but may also prevent a comparison of offers before making a decision. The [[College Board]] states that an applicant "should not apply under an Early Decision or Action plan if he plans to weigh offers and financial aid packages from several colleges later in the spring."<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/apply/college-applications/21342.htmlhttp://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1793
| title = Early Decision and Early Action
| accessdate = 2007-06-14
| date = [[September 26]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = [[College Board]]
| language = English
}}</ref>
Through the 2006-2007 admissions cycle, 30% of each class at the University was made up of Early Decision applicants. Financially, their families were far wealthier than those of other students at the University. In the most recent year, only 1 student received a full financial aid package under the AccessUVa program out of 947 students who were accepted under Early Decision.<ref name="EarlyDecision4">{{cite web
| url = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=626
| title = University of Virginia to End Early Decision Program in Admissions
| accessdate = 2007-06-25
| date = [[June 25]], [[2007]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = [[University of Virginia]] News Office
| language = English
}}</ref> Less than 2% of Early Decision candidates applied for any financial aid at all.<ref name="EarlyDecision3">{{cite web
| url = http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/26/uva
| title = Virginia Ends Early Decision
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| date = [[September 26]], [[2006]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = Inside Higher Education
| language = English
}}</ref>
During the 2008 admissions cycle, there was no early round at the University for the first time since the 1960s<ref name="EarlyDecision4">{{cite web
| url = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=626
| title = University of Virginia to End Early Decision Program in Admissions
| accessdate = 2007-06-25
| date = [[June 25]], [[2007]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = [[University of Virginia]] News Office
| language = English
}}</ref> and all undergraduate applications were due on one date. The University again received a record number of applications despite eliminating the Early Decision admissions round.
===Admissions statistics===
For the Class of 2011, the University of Virginia received a record 18,013 applications.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1793
| title = University of Virginia Extends Admissions Offers to the Class of 2011
| accessdate = 2007-06-25
| date = [[April 1]], [[2007]]
| format = HTML
| publisher = [[University of Virginia]] News Office
| language = English
}}</ref> 34% of applicants were accepted. The University saw increased interest from various groups of students, as applications rose by 13 percent for [[African American]] applicants, 20 percent for [[Asian American]]s, 16 percent for [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanic American]]s, and 26 percent for [[international]] students. The University enrolled 70 more first-years than it did the previous year, as it continued to expand the scope of the [[University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science|School of Engineering and Applied Science]].
Another new record for applications was established for the Class of 2012, with 18,776 applications for 3,170 spots.<ref>[http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=3871 U.Va. Receives Record Number of Applications<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Applications rose for each of the four undergraduate schools that accept first-year students into their programs: Architecture, Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Nursing.
==Academics==
Degrees from the University of Virginia must be earned academically – there has never been an honorary degree offered.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/records/95gradrec/greg.html#honor | title = Chapter 4: University Regulations: Honorary Degrees | year = 1995 |accessdate=2006-05-07 |author = Rector and Visitors of The University of Virginia | publisher = Rector and Visitors of The University of Virginia}} "The University of Virginia does not award honorary degrees. In conjunction with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, the University presents the Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture and the Thomas Jefferson Award in Law each spring. The awards, recognizing excellence in two fields of interest to Jefferson, constitute the University's highest recognition of scholars outside the University."</ref> The policy was instituted by Thomas Jefferson. When the Virginia Legislature's Committee of Schools and Colleges was reconsidering it in 1845, then-U.Va. professor and future [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] founder [[William Barton Rogers]] wrote "the legislators of the University have, we think, wisely made their highest academic honor—that of Master of Arts of the University of Virginia—the genuine test of diligent and successful literary training, and, disdaining such literary almsgiving, have firmly barred the door against the demands of spurious merit and noisy popularity." Sixteen years later in 1861 when MIT was chartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Rogers carried the U.Va. policy through to the new institute.<ref>{{cite web | author = | publishyear = 2001 | url = http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2001/commdegrees.html | title = No honorary degrees is an MIT tradition going back to ... Thomas Jefferson | format = | work = | publisher = MIT News Office| date = [[2001-06-08]] | year = 2001 | accessdate = 2006-05-07}}:"MIT's founder, William Barton Rogers, regarded the practice of giving honorary degrees as 'literary almsgiving ... of spurious merit and noisy popularity....' Rogers was a geologist from the University of Virginia who believed in Thomas Jefferson's policy barring honorary degrees at the university, which was founded in 1819."</ref><ref name="barton-mit-founding">{{cite web |url=http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/exhibits/wbr-visionary/ |title=William Barton Rogers: MIT's Visionary Founder |work=Exhibits: Institute Archives & Special Collections: MIT Libraries |last=Andrews |first=Elizabeth |coauthors=Nora Murphy and Tom Rosko |accessdate=2008-05-16}}</ref>
[[Image:Georgia O'Keefe UVa.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Georgia O'Keeffe]] (photo at U.Va.–1915) was inspired to take up painting again during Summer Session, and was later a Teaching Assistant for several years, before becoming one of the world's most famous [[modernism|modernists]].]]
The University of Virginia places <sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">#</font></sup>1 among state-supported universities in the United States<ref>{{cite web | author = | publishyear = 2004 | url = http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2004/21/rhodes.html | title = Two for the Rhodes: With 45, U.Va. boasts most Rhodes Scholars among nation’s public universities | format = | work = | publisher = U.Va. News Office| date = [[2004-12-03]] | year = 2004 | accessdate = 2006-12-07}}</ref> in the production of [[Rhodes Scholarship#Notable universities|Rhodes Scholars]]. Its most recent winners were two awarded in 2004, bringing it to a cumulative total of 45.
Tuition is lower for both in-state and out-of-state students than at most other top universities. The student composition of the University is such that it was described in the 2006 ''America's Best Colleges'' edition of ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]'' as being "chock full of academic stars who turn down private schools like Duke, Princeton, and Cornell for, they say, a better value."<ref>
{{cite news | last = Butler | first = Carolyn Kleiner | coauthors = | title = Jefferson's Public Ivy | work = America's Best Colleges 2006 | pages = | language = English | publisher = U.S. News & World Report | date = 2005-8-19 | url = http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/articles/brief/06uva_brief.php | accessdate = 2006-12-20 }}</ref>
In the popular ''U.S. News and World Report'' rankings, the University of Virginia consistently ranks in the top handful of public universities nationwide. In the 2007 edition, the undergraduate program at U.Va. ranked <sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">#</font></sup>2 out of roughly 200 public universities in the United States and <sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">#</font></sup>22 overall (including privates).<ref>{{cite news | title = America's Best Colleges 2007 | pages = | language = English | publisher = U.S. News & World Report | date = 2006-8-18 | url = http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php | accessdate = 2006-12-20 }} </ref> In the 20-year history of the rankings, U.Va. has never dropped out of the Top 25 listing, and in the ten years since ''U.S. News'' began ranking public universities as a separate category, U.Va. has ranked either <sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">#</font></sup>1 or <sup><span style="font-variant:small-caps">#</font></sup>2.<ref>{{cite news | title = UVA Short History | pages = | language = English | publisher = University of Virginia | url = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/best.html | accessdate = 2007-06-25 }} </ref> In every published edition of the report going back to 1983, the University of Virginia has retained its position as the highest ranking doctoral-research university, public or private, in its home state. It is considered one of the original eight [[Public Ivys]].
[[Image:Edgar Allan Poe portrait.jpg|thumb|175px|left|[[Edgar Allan Poe]] attended the University during its second session before going into debt and dropping out.]]
The Jefferson Scholars Foundation offers four year full-tuition scholarships based on regional, international, and at-large competitions. Students are nominated by their high schools, interviewed, then invited to weekend-long series of tests of character, aptitude, and general suitability. Approximately 3% of those nominated are successful.
[[University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences#Echols Scholars|Echols Scholars]] (College of Arts and Sciences) and [[University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science#Rodman Scholars Program | Rodman Scholars]] (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences), which include 6-7% of undergraduate students, receive no financial benefits, but are entitled to special advisors, priority course registration, residence in designated dorms and fewer curricular constraints than other students.
The University offers 48 [[bachelor's degree]]s, 94 [[master's degree]]s, 55 [[doctorate|doctoral degrees]], 6 educational specialist degrees, and 2 first-professional degrees ([[Doctor of Medicine|Medicine]] and [[Juris Doctor|Law]]) to its students.
The University of Virginia Library System holds 5 million volumes. Its Electronic Text Center, established in 1992, has put 70,000 books online as well as 350,000 images that go with them. No university in the world can claim more electronic texts. These e-texts are open to anyone and, [[as of 2002]], were receiving 37,000 daily visits (compared to 6,000 daily visitors to the physical libraries).<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Electronic Center at UVa Library | work = | publisher = Digital Scholarship Services | date = | url = http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2006-12-20 }}</ref>
The University of Virginia is a member of a consortium engaged in the construction and operation of the [[Large Binocular Telescope]] in the [[Mount Graham International Observatory]] of the [[Pinaleno Mountains]] of southeastern [[Arizona]]. It is also a member of both the Astrophysical Research Consortium, which operates telescopes at [[Apache Point Observatory]] in [[New Mexico]], and the [[Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy]] which operates the [[National Optical Astronomy Observatory]], the [[Gemini Observatory]] and the [[Space Telescope Science Institute]]. The University of Virginia hosts the headquarters of the [[National Radio Astronomy Observatory]], which operates the [[Green Bank Telescope]] in [[West Virginia]] and the [[Very Large Array]] radio telescope made famous in the [[Carl Sagan]] television documentary ''[[Cosmos: A Personal Voyage|Cosmos]]'' and film ''[[Contact (film)|Contact]]''. The North American [[Atacama Large Millimeter Array]] Science Center is also located at the Charlottesville NRAO site.
UVA also hosts the [[Rare Book School]], a non-profit organization that studies the history of books and printing. The University is one of 60 elected members of the [[Association of American Universities]], and the only member representing the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the United States' sole member of [[Universitas 21]], an international consortium of research-intensive universities. On 14 May 2007, University President John Casteen was named Chairman of the Board of the organization.
==Faculty==
The University of Virginia possesses a distinguished faculty, including a Nobel Laureate, 25 Guggenheim fellows, 26 Fulbright fellows, six National Endowment for the Humanities fellows, two Presidential Young Investigator Award winners, three Sloan award winners, and three Packard Foundation Award winners. The University's faculty were particularly instrumental in the evolution of Internet networking and connectivity. Physics professor James McCarthy was the lead academic liaison to the government in the establishment of [[Suranet|SURANET]], and the University has also participated in [[Arpanet|ARPANET]], [[Abilene Network|Abilene]], [[Internet2]], and [[National LambdaRail|Lambda Rail]]. On [[March 19]], [[1986]] the University's [[domain name]], <tt>Virginia.edu</tt>, became the first registration under the <tt>[[.edu]]</tt> [[top-level domain]] originating from the [[Commonwealth (United States)|Commonwealth]] of [[Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web | title = University of Virginia - virginia.edu | publisher = Alexa Internet, Inc. | url = http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main?q=virginia.edu&url=virginia.edu | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-01-09 }}</ref>
[[Image:Julianbond.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Julian Bond]] - University Professor and current Chairman of the NAACP]]
Faculty were originally housed in the [[The Lawn|Academical Village]] among the students, serving as both instructors and advisors, continuing on to include the McCormick Road Old Dorms, though this has been phased out in favor of undergraduate student resident advisors (RAs). Several of the faculty, however, continue the University tradition of living on Grounds, either on the Lawn in the various Pavilions, or as fellows at one of three residential colleges ([[Brown College at Monroe Hill]], Hereford College, and the International Residential College).
Some of the University of Virginia's faculty have become well-known national personalities during their time in Charlottesville. [[Larry Sabato]] has, according to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]'', become the most cited professor in the country by national and regional news organizations, both on the Internet and in print.<ref name=Sabato>[http://www.centerforpolitics.org/about/staff_sabato.htm Center For Politics website]. Retrieved [[June 23]], [[2006]].</ref> [[Julian Bond]], a lecturer at the University since 1990, has been the Chairman of the [[NAACP]] since 1998. [[Media Studies]] and Law professor [[Siva Vaidhyanathan]], an expert in [[copyright law]] and Internet issues, moved from [[New York University]] to the University of Virginia in 2007.
The ''[[Cavalier Daily]]'' student newspaper posted [http://cavalierdaily.student.virginia.edu/features/salaries/departments.asp faculty compensation] for 2002 online.<ref>{{cite web | title = Faculty Salaries 2002 | publisher = [[Cavalier Daily|The Cavalier Daily]] | url = http://cavalierdaily.student.virginia.edu/features/salaries/departments.asp | format = HTML | accessdate = 2007-01-09 }}</ref>
==Endowment==
With [[United States dollar|$]]5.1 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]] as of November, 2007 for 19,621<ref>[http://www.virginia.edu/stats&facts/ Stats & Facts: University of Virginia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> full-time students, the University of Virginia ($260,000 per student) has the largest per capita endowment of any national public university in the [[United States]]. Considering public university endowments across the country, the [[University of Michigan]] ($177,000) is second to U.Va. among national publics in per capita endowment funds. Both are in the [[List of US colleges and universities by endowment#Institutions by 20 year endowment growth|top 5 for recent growth rates]] nationwide.
When compared to other public universities in its home state, the per-student endowment at the University of Virginia is several times larger than its nearest competitors, the [[College of William and Mary]] ($75,900 per student) and [[Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University|Virginia Tech]] ($16,000). It is also several times larger than the highest among flagship institutions of nearby states, [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] ($55,000) and [[University of Maryland at College Park]] ($8,600).
==Colleges and schools==
*[[University of Virginia School of Architecture|School of Architecture]]
*[[University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences|College of Arts & Sciences]]
*[[Darden Graduate School of Business Administration]]
*[[McIntire School of Commerce]]
*[[University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies|School of Continuing and Professional Studies]]
*[[Curry School of Education]]
*[[University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science|School of Engineering and Applied Science]]
*[[University of Virginia School of Law|School of Law]]
*[[University of Virginia School of Medicine|School of Medicine]]
*[[University of Virginia School of Nursing|School of Nursing]]
*[[Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy]] (new – announced in April 2007)
*[[University of Virginia's College at Wise]] - branch campus in [[Wise, Virginia]]
The University is also endowed with several affiliated centers including [[The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service]], [[The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership]], and The [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]].
The [[University of Virginia Art Museum]] is dedicated to creating an environment where both the University community and the general public can study and learn from the direct experience of works of art.
==Graduate placement==
In 2003, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' studied the undergraduate backgrounds of entering students at "elite" graduate programs (e.g., [[Harvard Business School]] and [[Yale Medical School]]).<ref>{{cite web | title = Ranking the Colleges... | publisher = Wall Street Journal | url = http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf | format = PDF | date = 2003-09-23 |accessdate = 2007-01-09 }}</ref> The University of Virginia with 82 placements (2.6% of class) placed 33rd overall and third among all state-supported universities in elite graduate placement.<ref>{{cite web | title = How State Schools Did | publisher = Wall Street Journal | url = http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college2_092503.pdf | format = PDF | date = 2003-09-23 | accessdate = 2007-01-09 }}</ref> No other state university on the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic Seaboard]] had greater than one-third the number of placements as the University of Virginia (e.g., [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] had 26 placements, [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] had 20, [[College of William and Mary]] had 11).
==Athletics==
[[Image:Virginia-Cavalier-mascot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|CavMan during pre-game introductions of a basketball game at [[John Paul Jones Arena]]]]
{{main|Virginia Cavaliers}}
The University of Virginia's athletics program competes in [[Division I]] (and the [[Football Bowl Subdivision]] for [[American football|football]]) and since 1953 as a member of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]]. The current Athletic Director at Virginia is [[Craig Littlepage]]. The [[Virginia Cavaliers]], also called "Wahoos" or "Hoos", have won 19 recognized national championships, 14 of them since 1980. Virginia has won multiple national titles in five different sports, including three men's sports ([[lacrosse]], 6; [[soccer]], 5; and [[boxing]], 2) and two women's sports (lacrosse, 3; and [[cross country running|cross country]], 2). It also holds a national championship in [[track and field]]. The men's [[college basketball]] team has won either the ACC regular season (1981, 1982, 1983, 1995, 2007) or [[ACC Tournament]] (1976) titles six times and has been to the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|Final Four]] twice, while the women's squad has been three times. The [[college football]] team is part of the [[South's Oldest Rivalry]] with [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|UNC]], and tied for a share of the ACC Championship in both 1989 and 1995. After never reaching a bowl before 1984, the team has played in 17 bowl games since. The program is also notable for its recent high draft picks in the [[National Football League]], including the [[2006 NFL Draft#Round one|#4 overall pick]] of 2006, [[D'Brickashaw Ferguson]], and the [[2008_NFL_Draft#First_round|#2 overall pick]] of 2008, [[Chris Long]].
In 2006, Virginia's latest National Championship season culminated with its fourth [[NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship]], and sixth including the pre-tournament era. Virginia handily won the final game 15-7 over [[University of Massachusetts Amherst|UMass]] in front of a record crowd of 47,062 at [[Lincoln Financial Field]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], the first lacrosse crowd to surpass the Final Four of men's basketball and the largest crowd to witness any [[:Category:NCAA Championships|NCAA Championship]] during the year.<ref>{{cite news | title = Virginia Claims National Title, and a Victory for Lacrosse | publisher = [[The New York Times]] | date = [[May 30]], [[2006]] | page = D5}}</ref> The team finished the season a perfect 17–0, the best record in NCAA Lacrosse history.
The new [[John Paul Jones Arena]] opened in the fall of 2006 for men's and women's basketball. It seats 14,593 fans, making it the third largest on-campus basketball facility in the ACC and the largest arena not located in a [[List of United States metropolitan areas|major metropolitan area]]. The arena's inaugural year witnessed the Virginia men's basketball team's first place finish in the ACC, and Cavaliers coach [[Dave Leitao]] was named the ACC Coach of the Year for 2007.
[[Davenport Field]], where the [[Virginia Cavaliers baseball|UVa baseball team]] plays, is also new, opening in 2002. In [[Brian O'Connor (baseball coach)|Brian O'Connor]]'s first 4 seasons a the helm after being made the head baseball coach in July 2003, the team has averaged 44 wins per year and become a nationally-ranked power. The team has led the ACC in team [[earned run average|ERA]] for 4 consecutive years.
The soccer teams are also national powers, with men's soccer having won 5 national championships to date. The women's team is regularly ranked in the top 5 nationally. The teams play their home matches at [[Klöckner Stadium]], the largest soccer stadium in the ACC. The men's team has been invited to the NCAA Tournament for 26 consecutive years.
The Aquatics and Fitness Center ([http://www.virginia.edu/rcam/afc.html webcam]) has been popular among University students for working out and swimming since its opening in Fall 1996, and it is also where the [[Swimming]] & [[Diving]] teams compete in home meets. The men's swimming and diving team won 8 consecutive ACC Championships between 1999 and 2006.
Also winning consecutive ACC titles has been the men's tennis team, which has won 4 consecutive regular season ACC Championships. Playing their home matches at the [[Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center]], the men's tennis team had their best season ever in 2007, finishing with a 30-4 record and a #2 national ranking. [[Somdev Devvarman]] became the first ACC player in conference history to win the NCAA Singles Championship. A year later, Somdev repeated as the NCAA singles champion. In addition, the tennis team beat Ohio State for the National Indoor Tennis Championships 4-1. Unfortunately, the #1 ranked Cavaliers were upset in the season ending team tournament by #5 [[University of Georgia]], the eventual team champion.
Now that [[Virginia Tech]] has joined the ACC, the [[Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry]] has been strengthened across a number of sports. This rivalry between the University and its larger neighbor to the southwest is followed statewide. UVA's athletic teams have bested the [[Virginia Tech Hokies|Hokies]] through the years in [[Virginia-Virginia_Tech_rivalry#All-time_and_ACC_series_results|many of the major sports]]. The two universities also faced off in the [[Virginia-Virginia_Tech_rivalry#Commonwealth_Challenge|Commonwealth Challenge]] between 2005 and 2007, with the Wahoos winning 14.5 to 7.5 in 2005-2006 and 14 to 8 in 2006-2007.
==Fight Song==
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as [[commencement]], [[convocation]], and athletic games are: ''Cavalier Song'' the University of Virginia [[fight song]].
==Student life==
Student life at the University of Virginia is marked by a number of unique traditions. The campus of the University is referred to as "the Grounds." Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are instead called first-, second-, third-, and fourth-years in order to reflect Jefferson's belief that learning is a never-ending process, rather than one to be completed within four years. Also, students do not "graduate" from the University - instead they take their degrees. Professors are traditionally addressed as "Mr." or "Ms." instead of "Doctor" or "Professor" (although medical doctors are the exception and are called "Doctor") in deference to Thomas Jefferson's desire to have an equality of ideas, discriminated by merit and unburdened by title.
[[Image:University of Virginia room of Edgar Allan Poe.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s room, #13 [[The Range|West Range]], no longer has a student in residence. It has been restored to its 1826 form.]]
In 2005, the University was named "Hottest for Fitness" by ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine,<ref>{{cite news | title = America's 25 Hot Schools | publisher = [[Newsweek]] |date=August 2004 (2005 edition) | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5626574/site/newsweek/}}</ref> due in part to 94% of its students using one of the four indoor athletics facilities. Particularly popular is the Aquatics and Fitness Center, situated across the street from New Dorms.
The University of Virginia sent more workers to the [[Peace Corps]] in 2006 than any other "medium-sized" university in the United States.<ref name="Peace Corps">{{cite web
| url = http://www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2006.pdf
| title = Peace Corps - Top Producing Colleges and Universities
| accessdate = 2006-12-08
| format = HTML
| publisher = [[Peace Corps]]
| language = English
}}</ref> Volunteerism at the University is centered in Madison House, which offers numerous opportunities to serve others. Among the numerous programs offered are tutoring, housing improvement, and an organization called Hoos Against Hunger, which gives leftover food made at restaurants to Charlottesville's homeless rather than allowing it to be thrown away.
A number of [[Secret Societies at the University of Virginia|secret societies at the University]], most notably the [[Seven Society]], [[Z Society]], and [[IMP Society]], have operated for decades, leaving their painted marks on University buildings. Other significant secret societies include [[Eli Banana]], [[Secret societies at the University of Virginia#T.I.L.K.A.|T.I.L.K.A.]], the [[Secret societies at the University of Virginia#Purple Shadows|Purple Shadows]] (who commemorate Jefferson's birthday shortly after dawn on the Lawn each [[April 13]]), the Rotunda Burning Society (who commemorate the Great Rotunda Fire), and the 21 Society. Not all the secret societies keep their membership unknown, but even those who don't hide their identities generally keep most of their good works and activities far from the public eye.
Student Societies have existed on grounds since the early 19th Century. The [[Jefferson Literary and Debating Society]], founded in 1825, is the oldest collegiate debating organization in the United States, and the second oldest Greek-Lettered organization in the nation. It continues to meet every Friday at 7:29 PM in [[Jefferson Hall|The Hall]]. The [[Washington Literary Society and Debating Union]] also meets every week, and the two organizations often engage in a friendly rivalry. In the days before social fraternities existed and intercollegiate athletics became popular, these Societies were often the focal point of social activity on grounds.<ref name="Jefferson Society">{{cite web
| url = http://www.jeffersonsociety.org/history/saur.php
| title = Society History
| accessdate = 2007-01-30
| format = HTML
| publisher = Karl Saur
| language = English
}}</ref> Several fraternities were later founded at the University of Virginia including [[Pi Kappa Alpha]] (1 March 1868) and [[Kappa Sigma]] (10 December 1869). Many of these fraternities are located on [[Rugby Road]].
[[Image:Alderman7.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Alderman Library is a favorite study spot for students. This plaque in honor of the university's first President [[Edwin Alderman]], with a quote from Jefferson, was donated by the [[Seven Society]], one of the University's many [[Secret Societies at the University of Virginia|secret societies]].]]
The student life building on the University of Virginia is called Newcomb Hall. It is home to the Student Activities Center, where student groups can get leadership consulting and use computing and copying resources, as well as several meeting rooms for student groups. Most publications on grounds are produced here, as it is home to both the office of the independent student newspaper ''The Declaration'', ''[[The Cavalier Daily]]'', and the Consortium of University Publications. It is also home to the University Programs Council, which uses money from student activities fees to provide events for the student community. Newcomb Hall includes a dining hall, a theatre, a ballroom, an art gallery, and several rooms for magazine and newspaper production.
A national publication's survey recently revealed that U.Va.'s students give their library system higher marks than students at any other school in the United States. The best-known library is Alderman Library for the humanities and social sciences, which contains 10 floors of stacks with many useful study nooks hidden among them. U.Va.'s renowned Small Special Collections Library feature one of the premier collections of American Literature in the country as well as an [[Dunlap broadside|original copy]] of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. It was in this library in 2006 that Robert Stilling, an English Graduate Student, discovered an unpublished [[Robert Frost]] poem from 1918.<ref name="Frost-Poem">{{cite web
| url = http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=27910
| title = Grad student discovers unpublished Frost poem
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| format = HTML
| publisher =
| language = English
}}</ref> Clemons Library, next to Alderman, is a popular study spot. Hundreds of students can be found gathered on its various quiet floors on any given night. Clark Hall, home of the Science & Engineering Library, also scores high marks. Clark Hall is also notable for a large Greek-style mural on the ceiling and walls of the library entrance. [[As of 2006]], the University and [[Google]] were working on the digitization of selected collections from the library system.<ref name="Google">{{cite web
| url = http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1180
| title = College Dean Search and Diversity Report Main Focus of Senate Meeting
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| format = HTML
| publisher =
| language = English
}}</ref>
As at many universities, heavy drinking characterizes the social life of some undergraduate students at the University. Responding to the prevalence of alcohol and a recent tradition observed by a portion of the student body called the Fourth-Year Fifth (where some fourth-year students strive to drink a fifth (750 ml) of alcohol during the day of the last home football game),<ref name="4thYear5th">{{cite web
| url = http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2005/12/01/coverHighSpiritsWahoosTack.html
| title = High spirits: Wahoos tackle fourth-year fifth
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| format = HTML
| publisher =
| language = English
}}</ref> President Casteen announced a $2.5 million donation from [[Anheuser-Busch]] to fund a new UVA-based Social Norms Institute in September 2006.<ref name="SocialNorms">{{cite web
| url = http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2006/09/28/NEWS-socialnorms-A.doc.aspx
| title = Busch league: UVA gets big bucks to ban binging
| accessdate = 2006-12-11
| format = HTML
| publisher =
| language = English
}}</ref> A spokesman said: "the goal is to get students to emulate the positive behavior of the vast majority of students."
One of the largest events at the University of Virginia is called Springfest. It takes place every year in the spring, and features a large free concert and various inflatables and games.
Another popular event is Foxfield, a [[steeplechase]] and social gathering that takes place nearby in Albemarle County in April, and which is annually attended by thousands of students from the University of Virginia and neighboring colleges.<ref name="foxfield">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/24000_plus_descend_on_foxfield_for_annual_steeplechase_social_gathering/20967/ |work=Daily Progress |location=Charlottesville |date=2008-04-27 |last=Borden |first=Jeremy |title=24,000-plus descend on Foxfield for annual steeplechase, social gathering }}</ref>
==Honor System==
<div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em; width: 16.5em; text-align: right; font-size: 1em; font-family: verdana, lucida grande, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="border: 1px solid #999999; background: #FFFFFF; text-align: left; padding: 1em 1em; text-align: left;"><div align=center>'''HONOR PLEDGE'''</div>
On my honor as a student, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment/examination.
</div></div>
The University of Virginia has an honor code, formally known as the Honor System.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Honor Committee | publisher = University of Virginia | url = http://www.virginia.edu/honor/ | format = HTML | date = 2006-12-11 | accessdate = 2007-01-09 }}</ref> The [[Honor code|Honor System]] is entirely student-run and was founded by Virginia students in the 1840s after John A. G. Davis, chairman of the faculty and professor of law, who was attempting to resolve a conflict between students, was shot to death.<ref name="dabney-honor">{{cite book |last=Dabney |first=Virginius |authorlink=Virginius Dabney |url=http://repo.lib.virginia.edu:18080/fedora/get/uva-lib:178665/uva-lib-bdef:100/getFullView |title=Mr. Jefferson's University: A History |location=[[Charlottesville]] |publisher=[[University of Virginia Press]] |year=1981 |isbn=081390904X |pages=9-10}}</ref> The student is presumed to be a lady or a gentleman unless and until proved otherwise, and is expected to conduct him or herself accordingly. The Honor System is composed of only three tenets: a student will not [[lie]], [[cheating|cheat]], or [[theft|steal]]. It extends to all matters academic and personal, and the sole sanction for a confirmed Honor System violation is dismissal from the University. This is called the "single sanction".
[[Image:Honorsystematuva.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A plaque regarding 150 years of the honor system located on the lawn]]
The system is not without its detractors — it has been criticized because the required severe penalty may prevent more moderate violations from being reported or acted upon.<ref>{{cite web | title = Professors Tepid about the Honor System | publisher = The Daily Progress (newspaper) | url = http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/survey_uva_faculty_tepid_about_honor_system/13683/| format = HTML | date = 2006-12-27 | accessdate = 2007-04-21 }}</ref> As the system is entirely student run, a change to the Honor Council constitution could have the effect of ending the single sanction system of punishment. Although students have voted on numerous proposals to weaken or eliminate the single sanction over the past few decades, none has ever succeeded. Support for the honor system has waned in recent years, and in the Spring of 2007 a referendum to limit single sanction failed to pass after earning 49.5% of the votes cast.<ref> {{ cite web | title =Students decide on referenda | publisher = The Cavalier Daily(newspaper) | url = | publisher = The Daily Progress (newspaper) | url = http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=29590&pid=1558 | format = HTML | date = 2007-03-01 | accessdate = 2007-09-17 }}</ref>
In theory, the Honor System allows the faculty to do such things as assigning timed take-home examinations, and research or studies to be done in a particular way, with the assurance that the strictures placed on the student will be observed. However, no professor is required to extend such courtesies and in large classes professors are rare to grant students any honor privileges. The student is often required to sign all examinations or assignments with the following pledge: "On my honor as a student, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment/examination." The Honor System allows the student to purchase books and supplies on-Grounds upon giving his or her word to pay, and some members of the Charlottesville community accept the word of the student regarding off-Grounds business transactions.
While cheating is relatively rare (24 students were dismissed during the 2003 academic year, and 21 more were dismissed in 2004), one large cheating scandal occurred in 2001. Physics professor and Hereford College Dean Louis Bloomfield, based on a student's complaint, had suspicions that some of his students had copied portions of their term papers from [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] archives in his Introduction to Physics class. After devising a computer program to detect copied phrases of at least six sequential words, over 150 students were accused of plagiarizing or allowing others to plagiarize their work over the previous five semesters. Although over 100 of these students were eventually exonerated, 48 students either admitted guilt or were convicted, and were therefore dismissed from the University. Three of these students had already graduated, and their degrees were subsequently revoked.
==Distinguished alumni==
{{main|List of University of Virginia people}}
Among the individuals who have attended or graduated from the University of Virginia are poet [[Edgar Allan Poe]], medical researcher [[Walter Reed]], painter [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], polar explorer [[Richard Evelyn Byrd|Richard Byrd]], three [[NASA]] astronauts, NASA Launch Director [[Michael D. Leinbach]], Director of the [[Human Genome Project]] [[Francis Collins]], journalist [[Katie Couric]], comedian [[Tina Fey]], television personality [[Melissa Stark]], musician [[Boyd Tinsley]], 3-time [[Naismith College Player of the Year|NCAA Player of the Year]] for men's basketball [[Ralph Sampson]], pro wrestler [[Mike Jones (wrestler)|Virgil]], 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist for women's basketball [[Dawn Staley]], NFL Pro Bowlers [[Ronde Barber]] and [[Tiki Barber]], [[Buffalo Bills]] founder and owner [[Ralph C. Wilson Jr.|Ralph Wilson]], [[billionaire]] commodity trader [[Paul Tudor Jones]], noted philantrophist and founder of Landmark Communications [[Frank Batten]], influential [[indie rock]] artist [[Stephen Malkmus]], TV personality [[Vern Yip]], and [[Ryan Zimmerman]], the 2005 first round pick of the [[Washington Nationals]]. The University of Virginia has been home to several top soccer players throughout the years — seven former U.Va. players have gone on to play for the [[United States men's national soccer team]], including former USA team captains [[Claudio Reyna]] and [[John Harkes]].
Numerous political leaders have also attended the University of Virginia including 28th U.S. President [[Woodrow Wilson]], 1968 Presidential candidate [[Robert F. Kennedy]], his son [[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]], and his brother, Senator [[Ted Kennedy]]. Other alumni in leadership roles include three [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court Justices]], two [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeons General]], a [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]], a [[Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Majority Leader]], numerous [[United States Senate|Senators]] and [[United States House of Representatives|Representatives]], Secretaries of [[United States Secretary of State|State]], [[United States Secretary of Defense|Defense]], [[United States Secretary of Treasury|Treasury]], [[United States Secretary of Energy|Energy]], [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Transportation]], and the [[Secretary of the Navy|Navy]], and the [[Secretary General]] of both [[NATO]] and the [[Council of the European Union]].
{|style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|[[Image:President Woodrow Wilson portrait December 2 1912.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Woodrow Wilson]]]]
|[[Image:Robert F. Kennedy.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Robert F. Kennedy]]]]
|[[Image:Javier-Solana.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Javier Solana]]]]
|[[Image:Couric headshot.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Katie Couric]]]]
|}
<br clear=left>
==References==
<div style="height: 416px; overflow: auto; padding: 3px; border:1px solid #999999;" class="scrollbox">
{{Refbegin}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Refend}}
</div>
==Bibliography==
*Abernethy, Thomas Perkins. ''Historical Sketch of the University of Virginia''. Richmond: Dietz Press, 1948.
*Addis, Cameron. "Jefferson's Vision for Education, 1760-1845." New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2003.
*Barker, David Michael. "Thomas Jefferson and the Founding of the University of Virginia." Ph.D. diss., University of Illinois, 2000.
*[[Philip Alexander Bruce|Bruce, Philip Alexander]]. ''History of the University of Virginia, 1819-1919''. 5 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1920-22.
*[[Virginius Dabney|Dabney, Virginius]]. ''[http://repo.lib.virginia.edu:18080/fedora/get/uva-lib:178665/uva-lib-bdef:100/getFullView Mr. Jefferson's University: A History]''. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1981.
*Hein, David. ''Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001. [Chapter two covers student and faculty life at the University of Virginia in the 1920s, when Powell was ''de facto'' chaplain to the University.]
*Hitchcock, Susan Tyler. ''The University of Virginia: A Pictorial History''. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999.
*Mapp, Alf J. ''Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim''. Lanham, Md.: Madison Books, 1991.
*Waggoner, Jennings L. ''Jefferson and Education''. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.
==External links==
{{commonscat|University of Virginia}}
*[http://www.virginia.edu/index.html University of Virginia home page]
*[http://www.lib.virginia.edu/ University of Virginia Library website]
*[http://www.uvaupc.com/ University Programs Council (events planning)]
*[http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/ U.Va. History]
*[http://www.uvaguides.org/ University Guide Service: Information on Tours and Visiting]
*[http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/slideshow/ Online tour]
*[http://www.virginia.edu/academicalvillage/ Jefferson's Academical Village]
*[http://virginiasports.ocsn.com/ University of Virginia Athletics website]
*[http://virginia.edu/artmuseum/ University of Virginia Art Museum]
*[http://www.cavalierdaily.com/ ''The Cavalier Daily'']
*[http://www.lib.virginia.edu/rmds/portfolio/UVA_archive/index.html/ University of Virginia Visual History Collection]
*[http://www.stevegongphoto.com/gallery/1058293/ Photographs of University of Virginia]
*[http://www.hoosnews.com/ ''The Hoos News Show'']
*[http://www.bookstore.virginia.edu/ U.Va. Bookstores website]
*[http://millercenter.org/ The Miller Center of Public Affairs]
*[http://www.sorenseninstitute.org The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership]
*[http://www.alumni.virginia.edu/ U.Va. Alumni Association]
*[http://www.lib.virginia.edu/digital/collections/text/bov.html U.Va Board of Visitors Minutes 1817-1999]
*[http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/92uva/92uva.htm ''Thomas Jefferson's Plan for the University of Virginia: Lessons from the Lawn,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
{{Geolinks-US-streetscale|38.0355|-78.5035}}
{{University of Virginia}}
{{Colleges and universities in Virginia}}
{{Atlantic Coast Conference}}
{{Association of American Universities}}
{{Universitas 21}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United States of America}}
[[Category:American architecture]]
[[Category:Association of American Universities|Virginia, University of]]
[[Category:Charlottesville, Virginia]]
[[Category:Thomas Jefferson]]
[[Category:Public universities|Virginia]]
[[Category:University of Virginia| ]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Virginia]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in the United States]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1819]]
[[Category:National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association|Virginia, University of]]
[[Category:Oak Ridge Associated Universities]]
[[Category:Albemarle County, Virginia]]
{{Link FA|de}}
[[de:University of Virginia]]
[[el:Πανεπιστήμιο της Βιρτζίνια]]
[[es:Universidad de Virginia]]
[[eo:Universitato de Virginio]]
[[fa:دانشگاه ویرجینیا]]
[[fr:Université de Virginie]]
[[is:Virginíuháskóli]]
[[it:Università della Virginia]]
[[he:אוניברסיטת וירג'יניה]]
[[la:Universitas Virginia]]
[[nl:Universiteit van Virginia]]
[[ja:バージニア大学]]
[[no:University of Virginia]]
[[pms:Università dla Virginia]]
[[pl:University of Virginia]]
[[pt:Universidade da Virgínia]]
[[ru:Университет Вирджинии]]
[[simple:University of Virginia]]
[[fi:Virginian yliopisto]]
[[sv:University of Virginia]]
[[th:มหาวิทยาลัยเวอร์จิเนีย]]
[[vi:Đại học Virginia]]
[[zh:弗吉尼亚大学]]