News
2019 Lighting of the Lawn: See What Goes Into Creating Beloved Community Event
Even before people started to mull their Thanksgiving menus, a hard-working Facilities Management crew was busy stringing a new set of holiday lights for the University's popular community event, Lighting of the Lawn. This year's shimmering Lighting of the Lawn is set for Dec. 5, beginning at 7 p.m. with entertainment from several a capella and other student groups. The light show begins at 9 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Read more.
Board Schedules Workshop and Public Comment Session on Tuition Proposal
An educational workshop and public comment period on the University of Virginia’s 2020-21 tuition and fees proposal will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the South Meeting Room of Newcomb Hall. The annual tuition notice was posted Tuesday and the Board of Visitors is scheduled to consider tuition and fees on Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. in the Board Room of the Rotunda. Read more.
UVA Announces Living Wage for Contracted Employees
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan today announced that the University’s major contractors, working in partnership with UVA, are raising the wages of their full-time employees to at least $15 an hour, effective Jan. 1. The news follows the announcement in March that the University would begin paying all its full-time, benefits-eligible employees a living wage of at least $15 an hour in January. At the time of that announcement, Ryan promised that University leaders would work on a plan to extend the same commitment to contracted employees who work at UVA. Read more.
Zen and the Art of Gardening: Meet the Men Behind UVA's Idyllic Enclaves
Wrapped within serpentine walls, the 10 Jeffersonian gardens at the University of Virginia’s Academical Village, each exhibiting its own personality, are places of serenity and contemplation, where students and visitors can relax on shaded benches nestled among a wide variety of flowers, shrubs and trees. Three gardeners with Facilities Management’s landscaping department have the mission of preserving this magic: Mike Beaudreau, Tim Andrus and Roland Von der Muhll. Beaudreau has worked in the gardens for 22 years, while Andrus and Von der Muhll have been there only a short time. Read more.
New Report Mulls Transportation, Parking Options for the Next Decade
The University of Virginia’s 10-year parking and transportation master plan features a combination of transportation innovations and increasing parking efficiency and capacity. A steering committee equipped with significant input from the public and employees directed the plan, a joint effort produced by the Office of the Architect for the University and the Department of Parking and Transportation. The final report promotes transportation alternatives, such as enhanced incentives for carpooling, along with more traditional responses, such as expanding the parking inventory.
UVA Nabs Another High Ranking as 'Best Value'
SmartAsset, a personal finance website, ranked the University of Virginia No. 2 in Virginia and No. 28 in the nation in its best value rankings, announced in September. The ranking takes into account five factors: tuition, student living costs (including room and board, books, supplies, transportation and other personal expenses), scholarship and grant offerings, retention rate and starting salary. Read more.
New Course Registration Tool A 'Huge Step Forward for Students'
Students who log in to the Student Information System to search for spring courses are in for a better experience: The University of Virginia has just launched a new user interface that makes it much easier to search and register. Read more.
UVA Announces Appointment of Interim Police Chief
The University of Virginia announced today that Tim Longo has been appointed interim chief of University Police. Longo, whose appointment is effective immediately, will serve as interim chief for a period of approximately 12 months, providing senior leadership and a wealth of experience to the University’s police department. Read more.
In Memoriam: Joyce Dunn, For Nearly 60 Years The Epitome of Customer Service at UVA
Anyone at the University of Virginia for the past 50-plus years who has done any sort of purchasing probably worked with Joyce Dunn, described by colleagues as “a fixture of the Accounts Payable team” and “the epitome of customer service.” Dunn, who began working at UVA in 1961 at age 19, died Sept. 5 in Chesterfield. One of the University’s longest-serving employees, she became ill last year and retired July 31 after more than 58 years at UVA. Her funeral service was held Sept. 10 in Charlottesville. Read more.
Record-Low Rate on 'Century Bonds' Bolsters Key UVA Projects
Moving quickly to take advantage of favorable rates, the University of Virginia this month executed three bond sales that, collectively, position it to save millions in interest payments over the coming decades while backing strategic projects across Grounds. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner Davis said a confluence of market events and teamwork enabled the University to complete the three bond sales, which included two record-setting deals. Read more.
Report: University is Meeting, Surpassing Sustainabiity Goals
The University of Virginia is on track to meet its carbon footprint reduction goal six years ahead of schedule.In a report presented to the Board of Visitor’s Buildings and Grounds Committee on Thursday, Cheryl Gomez, director of operations at Facilities Management, and Phoebe Crisman, professor of architecture and director of global studies, outlined UVA’s progress on its current Sustainability Plan. Read more.
Universities Join Century-Bond Boom After Rates Tumble Worldwide
American universities, used to taking the long view of history, seem to see the current era of rock-bottom interest rates as one that may not come around again for another century. Rutgers University in New Jersey this week is planning to sell $330 million of bonds that don’t mature for 100-years, joining a small but growing number of schools that are seeking to lock in current borrowing costs by issuing unusually long-dated debt. It’s following the University of Virginia, the college founded by Thomas Jefferson that last week sold 100-year bonds for a yield of 3.23%. Read more.
U.S. News Ranks UVA No. 2 Best Value Among Public Schools, No. 4 Public Overall
The University of Virginia is the No. 2 “best value” public university in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2020 undergraduate university rankings, released Monday. This assessment takes into consideration total cost, educational quality, the cost after receiving grants and the percentage of students who receive grants. UVA is one of just two public universities that meets 100% of each undergraduate student’s demonstrated financial need while also making admission decisions with no consideration of a family’s financial situation. Read more.
UVA Lands at No. 5 Among Public Universities in Forbes List
Noting that students who attend the public colleges and universities on its “America’s Top Colleges” list, released in August, spend nearly $30,000 less annually than those who attend private institutions, Forbes magazine issued a separate ranking of public universities. The University of Virginia ranked No. 5, behind the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the U.S. Naval Academy; and the U.S.
UVA Dining Employee Kathy McGruder Brings Kindness and Positivity to Dining Halls
Kathy McGruder, an employee with UVA's dining hall, has been touching lives for generations of students. McGruder is so loved at UVA that the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy has an award in her honor. It honors kindness, positivity and good nature. Watch the NBC29 story on Miss Kathy.
It's Rankings Season and UVA is Getting High Marks
From Kiplinger to Money Magazine, many publications roll out their assessments of colleges and universities just as students descend upon campuses around the country (and high school seniors start to get serious about filling out their college applications). Here, in one spot, are all the rankings you need to know about the University of Virginia so far. (The much-anticipated U.S. News undergraduate school rankings are expected to be released next month.) Read more.
The University of Virginia Launches New Safety App to Help Prevent Crimes
Students at The University of Virginia now have a new app to keep them safe. UVA launched the app, LiveSafe, to help the University Police Department and Office of Emergency Management fight crimes before they even happen. The app comes with a bunch of different safety features to help provide the most protection possible. Officers say students should still be cautious and aware of their surroundings even with this new app in their pocket. The University of Virginia just got a lot safer thanks to the help of a little new technology.
Bigger Picture: Keeping Time
In the attic of Cocke Hall at the University of Virginia, a ladder leads to a small door. On his hands and knees, Dave Roberts, a zone maintenance supervisor for UVA’s Division of Facilities Management, crawls around heating ducts and a maze of wooden ceiling timbers to reach one of the most unique tasks in his job: looking after the clock at the rear of Cocke Hall. He is responsible for making sure it stays in working order, adjusting and tweaking the delicate mechanism until the time is accurate, a task that often requires multiple trips through the maze.
It's the Top 10 Again for UVA in New Money Magazine Ranking
For the second time in as many years, the University of Virginia, known as a “public Ivy League school,” is in the top 10 schools ranked by Money Magazine as the “Best Colleges for Your Money.” Money ranked UVA the 10th-best-value school overall, and, for the third year in a row, named the University No. 7 in its ranking of public universities. This year, Money ranked 744 schools whose educational value is worth the cost. Money found that UVA is the only public university in the top 10 to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need. Read more.
UVA Facilities Management Earns Sustainable Fleet Accreditation
The University of Virginia has turned to electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce its fleet emissions, helping it earn a Sustainable Fleet Accreditation from NAFA and Calstart. In the past year, the fleet department has reduced its gasoline consumption by 3,200 gallons and its carbon emissions by 28 metric tons by replacing 10 of its older, less-efficient vehicles with electric and hybrid vehicles.
UVA Facilities Management Earns Sustainable Fleet Accreditation
The University of Virginia has turned to electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce its fleet emissions, helping it earn a Sustainable Fleet Accreditation from NAFA and Calstart. In the past year, the fleet department has reduced its gasoline consumption by 3,200 gallons and its carbon emissions by 28 metric tons by replacing 10 of its older, less-efficient vehicles with electric and hybrid vehicles.
Board Approves 'Great and Good' Strategic Plan for University of Virginia
The University of Virginia’s new 10-year strategic plan is now official. The Board of Visitors on Friday approved “A Great and Good University – the 2030 Plan,” which will serve as a roadmap for the next decade, founded on an aspiration for UVA to become the best public university in the country by 2030 by renewing and strengthening the commitment to its animating purpose of service. Read more.
On Grounds, the Action Doesn't Stop When Students Leave
Hoospitality” at the University of Virginia does not stop when classes end in early May. The Grounds remain a mini-city, with the University hosting about 11,000 visitors in the span of 12 weeks during the summer. Supported by UVA’s formidable Conferences@UVA office, UVA hosts about 70 different programs and more than 120 camp and conference sessions throughout the summer. Read more.
Kiplinger Ranks UVA as No. 4 Value in Public Education
Kiplinger, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal financial advice, on Thursday ranked UVA the fourth-best public college value in the United States. The new distinction comes after the Princeton Review ranked UVA America’s best value public college in 2018 and U.S News and World Report ranked UVA the No. 2 best-value public university in the country this year. Read more.
Through Stem Education and Botany, APP Fellows Look to Boost Appalachia's Future
Faculty at the University of Virginia and UVA’s College at Wise are helping one another make a difference in the lives of Southwest Virginians. In a time of increasing consideration for the future of rural communities, academic partnerships become an important tool for building economic development across the commonwealth. Read more.