News
Lifesaving Police Officer Leads List of Safety and Security Honorees
The University of Virginia's Department of Safety and Security turned the corner on its first year by formally recognizing 12 individuals for their extraordinary service to safety and security at UVA. Awardees were selected from within the department and from among community partners in the region. University Police Officer Dean Dotts received the Lifesaving Medal. Dotts was the first on the scene to respond to Emmet/Ivy Garage when a person was found not breathing and without a pulse. Dotts administered CPR. When rescue personnel arrived, they found Dotts had the scene under control.
Lifesaving Police Officer Leads List of Safety and Security Honorees
The University of Virginia’s Department of Safety and Security turned the corner on its first year by formally recognizing 12 individuals for their extraordinary service to safety and security at UVA. Awardees were selected from within the department and from among community partners in the region.
University Police Officer Dean Dotts received the Lifesaving Medal. Dotts was the first on the scene to respond to Emmet/Ivy Garage when a person was found not breathing and without a pulse. Dotts administered CPR.
6 Fascinating Trees to Find Next Time You're On Grounds
Students, faculty and staff, members of the Charlottesville community and visitors from far and wide wander through the University of Virginia’s Grounds snapping photos and lounging in the shade of enormous trees every day. As some of UVA’s oldest living things, do you ever wonder how much history these trees have experienced in their tenure? From presidents to war, these trees have seen it all – and they are getting some recognition.
The University was recently awarded the Tree Campus USA designation by the Arbor Day Foundation.
ITS's Teresa Wimmer Among 2019 Sandridge Outstanding Contributor Award Winners
For the first time in its 200-year history, UVA has the data of all of its 22,000 employees in the Academic Division, the Health System and the University Physicians Group in one system, thanks in part to the efforts of Teresa Wimmer, assistant vice president of enterprise applications, who worked as the Information Technology Services leader for the Ufirst Human Resources transformation project.
ITS's Teresa Wimmer Among 2019 Sandridge Outstanding Contributor Award Winners
or the first time in its 200-year history, UVA has the data of all of its 22,000 employees – in the Academic Division, the Health System and the University Physicians Group – in one system, thanks in part to the efforts of Teresa Wimmer, assistant vice president of enterprise applications, who worked as the Information Technology Services leader for the Ufirst Human Resources transformation project. Read more.
Q&A: Meet Rexo, the New UVA Police Hound Who is Already Working Like a Dog
A 3-year-old German Shepherd has just joined the police force at the University of Virginia. Rexo joins German Shepherd Nahla, a 2-and-a-half-year-old. Nahla is handled by Officer Audrell Ragland, who handled Muki, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinios who retired from the force in February after 8 years of service. UVA Today met with Rexo and his handler, Officer Samuel Joy, to learn more about the young pup and what he will be doing at UVA. Read more.
Waste Not: UVA Reunions Saves Thousands of Pounds of Compost
Over the first two weekends of June, more than 5,200 University of Virginia alumni and their guests descended on Grounds to celebrate their class reunions. They reconnected with friends, held class dinners all over Grounds, snapped selfies with national championship trophies, met UVA President Jim Ryan and made mad dashes for Bodo’s bagels. And, they kept the environmental impact of all that activity to a bare minimum. Read more.
Journey from 'Tasmanian Devil' to Gold Medalist and 'Ring of Stars' Member
If you’ve ever had a meal, a cup of coffee or just hung out at the University of Virginia’s Newcomb Hall dining room any time over the last three decades, chances are you’d recognize Chris Raupp. He’s the guy with the boundless energy, the laser focus and the great smile. Raupp, who has worked in food preparation for Aramark at Newcomb since 1992, has also exhibited those traits on a much larger stage. Read more.
New Award Will Recognize Staff Who Build Bridges at UVA
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan is unveiling a new award to recognize Academic Division and Medical Center staff who have collaborated across units, departments, and schools. In partnership with UVA’s Division of Human Resources, Ryan is inviting students, staff, faculty and Health System team members to submit nominations for the new “Hoos Building Bridges Award,” effective immediately. Nominations will continue through July and six recipients will be selected in August. Read more in UVA Today.
'Reimagined' Boar's Head Resort Celebrates Grand Opening
The nearly 60 sycamore trees that line the Boar’s Head Resort were chosen by Meade Palmer, a renowned landscape architect and professor at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, who placed the trees in such a way that when they were fully grown, they would be spaced appropriately. “In the early years, they looked a little awkward,” said University of Virginia Foundation Chief Executive Officer Tim Rose, “but he really had a vision for what it would look like long-term. If only Palmer could see the place now. Read more in UVA Today.
Melissa Fielding Promoted to Become UVA's First Deputy Chief of Police
Following a national search, the University of Virginia has promoted one of its own, Melissa Fielding, to become its first deputy chief of police. Fielding has served on the UVA Police force for 27 years. She joined UVA as a security officer in 1992. She was promoted to police officer in 1993, sergeant in 1998, lieutenant in 2007 and captain in 2015. Read more.
ReUse Store to Hold Friday Public Sales of Surplus Items
Tables on top of tables, a room full of chairs. Framed photographs stacked on a rack with $5 price tags. File cabinets. Hotel dressers. Chairs. Residence hall dressers. Bookshelves. More chairs. Computer carts. End tables. Still more chairs. There’s a sale going on. Read more.
UVA Tops ACC Rivals in Green Energy Challenge
The University of Virginia is No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for its use of green energy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since April 2006, the EPA's Green Power Partnership has tracked collegiate athletic conferences with the highest combined green power use. The Individual Conference Champion Award, which UVA recently received, recognizes the school in each qualifying conference that uses the largest amount of green power.
UVA Tops ACC Rivals in Green Energy Challenge
The University of Virginia is No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for its use of green energy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since April 2006, the EPA’s Green Power Partnership has tracked collegiate athletic conferences with the highest combined green power use. The Individual Conference Champion Award, which UVA recently received, recognizes the school in each qualifying conference that uses the largest amount of green power.
Additional State Funding Allows University to Roll Back Planned Tuition Increase
The Executive Committee of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors voted Friday to roll back a 2.9% in-state undergraduate tuition increase approved in December and maintain the current rate for the coming academic year. The decision reflects the board’s commitment to affordability and is made possible by the Virginia General Assembly’s allocation of additional funds to support higher education in 2019-20. Read more
UVA, UVA-WISE Work Together to Advance Prosperity in Southwest Virginia
From telehealth networks to start-up incubators, state parks to downtown revitalization, the University of Virginia and UVA’s College at Wise are finding new ways to engage in university-based economic development in Southwest Virginia. Since 2007, UVA and UVA-Wise have collaborated on a university-community-industry partnership known as the Appalachian Prosperity Project, or APP. Its mission is to advance health, education and economic prosperity in southwest Virginia. Read more
Meetings. Presentations.Brainstorming Sessions. Do They Really Work?
An office of the University of Virginia charged with leading organizational effectiveness and improvements across the institution has a new target in its sights: meetings. No, meetings aren’t going away. But how they are conducted and, more broadly, the traditional approaches to how groups, teams and committees tackle problems, make decisions and generate ideas are getting a fresh look under an initiative supported by Organizational Excellence, UVA’s pan-University program focused on quality and continuous improvements. Read more
Earth Week at UVA to Focus on Building Bridges
Earth Week celebrations at the University of Virginia, from April 15 to April 22, will echo the pursuits of the University’s President Jim Ryan, from its central theme of community-building to running along the road picking up trash. “Building Bridges” is the theme of the Earth Week Expo, to be held Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m in Newcomb Hall Ballroom. Read more
UVA Administrators Serve Up Appreciation to Employees Who Serve Every Day
The University of Virginia’s Bicentennial Commission on Tuesday partnered with University Human Resources to show some appreciation for the contributions of the thousands of employees who daily serve UVA in myriad ways. President Jim Ryan and other administrative leaders from across Grounds suited up with aprons and chef hats (or “toques”) to serve UVA employees a free, hot breakfast at the Fresh Food Company in Newcomb Hall.
The Bigger Picture: A Concrete Step Forward
On Thursday, some of the first concrete was poured for the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, which received a formal blessing on Sunday. This concrete, the first permanent step of the memorial, will provide the foundation to support the stone memorial and undergird the rest of the project. In the background, the Rotunda and Brooks Hall provide a sense of scale and place. See photo
University of Virginia Announces $15 Living Wage
The University of Virginia today announced that it will pay all full-time, benefits-eligible employees in its academic division and medical center a living wage of at least $15 an hour, beginning Jan. 1. “As a University, we should live our values – and part of that means making sure that no one who works at UVA should live in poverty,” UVA President Jim Ryan said in a message to the University community on Thursday. Read more
Permanent Wheelchair Ramps Open, Making the Lawn More Accessible Than Ever
Settling in to watch the University of Virginia men’s basketball team take on the University of Pittsburgh Saturday, alumnus Cory Paradis saw something that took his breath away. Paradis, who graduated from UVA’s School of Architecture in May, was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair most of his life. Throughout his time on Grounds, he was a committed advocate for accessibility. Among other activities, he served on the University’s Barrier-Free Access Committee, working with administrators, faculty members and students to push for permanent wheelchair ramps on the Lawn.
Board Approves New Tuition Plan to Bolster College's Undergraduate Education
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors on Friday approved an “upper division” tuition rate, to be effective in the fall of 2021 for the College of Arts & Sciences. At implementation in 2021-22, the upper division tuition rate will be $2,700 higher than the lower division rate and will apply to third-year students. The upper division tuition rate will apply to third- and fourth-year students beginning in 2022-23 and thereafter. As a result of the delayed phase-in of the tuition increase, no current class of undergraduate students will be subject to the upper division tuition.
BOV Committee Approves Guidelines for Hotel Site, Concept
Members of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors’ Buildings and Grounds Committee on Thursday afternoon approved the site, concept and design guidelines for a hotel and conference center on the parcel of land referred to as the Ivy Corridor. The site plan presented to the committee by Alice Raucher, architect for the University, calls for a hotel and conference center to be located to the immediate south and west of the Ivy-Emmet Parking Garage – centrally located on the 14.5-acre tract, which runs along Ivy Road from Emmet Street to Copeley Road. Read more
After Working Eight Years for Only a Toy, Muki Takes a Rest
After eight years at the University of Virginia Police Department, Muki is retiring. Muki is a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois who has served as the department’s explosive-detection canine. He will continue to live with his handler, Officer Audrell Ragland. Read more.