University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is distinctive among institutions of higher education. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to help shape the future of the nation. The University is public, while nourished by the strong support of its alumni. It is also selective; the students who come here have been chosen because they show the exceptional promise Jefferson envisioned.

Thomas Jefferson set to work on building plans that would mirror his philosophical vision. For Jefferson, the college experience should take place within an "academical village," a place where shared learning infused daily life. Plans were developed for ten Pavilions—stately faculty homes with living quarters upstairs and classrooms downstairs—attached to two rows of student rooms and connected by an inward-facing colonnade. Each Pavilion was identified with a subject to be studied and inhabited by the professor who taught that subject.

At the head of the shared lawn would stand the library (not, as in most other colleges and universities of the time, a chapel), its dome shape inspired by Rome's Pantheon and symbolic of the enlightened human mind. The plans grew to include two more colonnades of student rooms facing outwards and attached to a set of "hotels" where private businessmen served food for the students.

Jefferson corresponded with scholars in America and Europe, seeking the best faculty to teach in the areas of philosophy, arts, foreign languages, science, law, and medicine. Construction and transatlantic travel delayed the date of opening, but in March 1825, the University of Virginia opened to serve its first 123 students.

For more than its first year of operation, Thomas Jefferson was a living legacy among University students and faculty. Each Sunday, he hosted students for dinner at Monticello. Among those students was Edgar Allan Poe, a University student in 1826. Poe was among the students, too, who journeyed up the mountain to pay their respects at the funeral of their University's founder, who died on July 4, 1826.

Rankings

Several national publications and organizations regularly publish college editions that feature the University of Virginia prominently in a variety of categories. These include the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of undergraduate and graduate schools; top hospital rankings by Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals and Thomson's 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals; U.S. News & World Report rankings of hospital specialties; Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.'s America's Top Doctors; BusinessWeek's survey of both undergraduate and graduate business schools; Newsweek/Kaplan "How to Get Into College Guide"; Forbes publication of national rankings by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity; Forbes biennial survey of business schools; Financial Times ranking of executive education programs; the National Research Council ranking of graduate programs; Princeton Review's top values; Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine's ranking of top values; the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education annual report on graduation rates and rankings of black student enrollments; the Black Enterprise magazine ranking of the 50 top colleges for African Americans; and the Peace Corps list of "Top Peace Corps Volunteer Producing Colleges and Universities."
The University of Virginia remains the No. 2 best public university in the 2009 edition of the U.S. News and World Report rankings. In the 12 years since U.S. News began ranking public universities as a separate category, U.Va. has ranked either No. 1 or No. 2.

U.Va. continues to rank in the Top 25 among the best of all national universities, public and private, tying with Georgetown University at No. 23.

The University also continues to be ranked in U.S. News' Top 25 in the Great School, Great Prices category, coming in at No. 16.

The 2006 Newsweek/Kaplan "How to Get Into College" guide identified the University as one of 25 "New Ivies" — a group of public and private institutions identified based on admissions statistics and interviews with administrators, faculty, students and alumni.

In 1995, the prestigious National Research Council, which evaluates 274 institutions once every ten years, placed U.Va.'s graduate programs high on the list (see charts below). In its November 2003 issue, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked the University of Virginia as #2 on its list of 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. In 2004, the University Medical Center was named one of the nation's Top 100 Hospitals for the sixth consecutive year (details below).

U.S. News & World Report Rankings

America's Best Colleges
The University of Virginia continues to excel in the U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings. In March 2007, many of U.Va.'s graduate programs earned top recognitions (see below). In August 2008, U.S. News & World Report's latest (undergraduate) college rankings placed the University of Virginia as the nation's #2 public university and 23rd (tied with Georgetown University) among all (248) national universities. Since U.S. News began a separate listing of the top 50 public universities in 1998, U.Va. has never been lower than No. 2. In the 20-year history of the rankings, U.Va. has never dropped out of the top 25 listing.

The University of Virginia is made up of ten schools in Charlottesville, plus the College at Wise in southwest Virginia. U.Va. offers 51 bachelor's degrees in 47 fields, 84 master's degrees in 67 fields, six educational specialist degrees, two first-professional degrees (law and medicine), and 57 doctoral degrees in 55 fields.

Health System

The University of Virginia Health System is a nationally renowned academic medical center committed to providing outstanding patient care, educating tomorrow's health care leaders, and discovering new and better ways to treat diseases.

Recognized for Excellence
Recognized for excellence by such publications as U.S. News & World Report, Best Doctors in America, America's Top Doctors, Thomson 100 Top Hospitals, and Good Housekeeping, physicians at the U.Va. Health System serve patients from Charlottesville and the surrounding communities, as well as from throughout Virginia and the Southeast.

Since 1998, the Medical Center has been recognized as one of the nation's top 100 hospitals, according to Solucient (formerly HCIA-Sachs Institute), a leading health care information company.

In December 2007, dozens of University of Virginia physicians were named to the list of "Best Doctors in America" by Best Doctors Inc., the largest number ever for U.Va. In 2007, 160 names made the list. The Best Doctors are selected through a peer nomination process combined with additional research. More than a quarter million doctors are surveyed in the evaluation process to make selections for each list.

In October 2006, the number of doctors from the University of Virginia Health System selected for inclusion in the annual guide America's Top Doctors™ (sixth edition) totaled 50. Published annually by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., the book recognizes physicians who are considered among the top one percent in the nation in their medical specialties and sub-specialties.

In November 2007, the University of Virginia Medical Center was selected as an award winner in the 2007 Thomson 100 Top Hospitals®: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success Study, 9th Edition.

In September 2005, the University Health System received national recognition from the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, accepting an award for creating programs to ease communication between doctors and patients with communication barriers.

• Jan 12

  

   

  Category: Seeking

  I'm wondering if anyone from the Richmond area already get together and meet with other UVA alum? I have a lot of friends who do this in their particular locations and I figured there has got to be one that already exists in the Richmond area. Please let me know. I'm hopi...

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• Jan 02

  

   

  Category: Other

  How can one's Alma Mater play an active roll in an alum's life (i.e. career)? I helped co-found MyWorkster.com, which works to facilitate this relationship. I'd love your feedback/ideas fellow Wahoos!

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