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GRADUATE EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN BOOSTS STUDENT SUPPORT AND STRENGTHENS UVA'S COMPETITIVENESS
At UVA250 kickoff, speakers say intellectual ‘death’ leads to rebirth
PHD STUDENT REVEALS STAR’S FINAL YEARS THROUGH FIRST‑EVER RADIO SIGNALS
UVA Alum Turns Study Abroad Experience into Global STEM Initiative
Through philanthropic support that has more than doubled the Graduate School’s endowment in just two years, Arts & Sciences has once again increased living stipends for PhD students, further strengthening UVA’s position among elite public universities.
Dean Acampora welcomed Cornel West and Robert P. George to speak about embracing intellectual “death” as a path to deeper understanding. Their call to confront ideas openly reflects the heart of the A&S undergraduate experience, which pushes students to think expansively, engage across differences, and cultivate critical, self‑reflective thinking.
Astronomers—led by A&S third‑year PhD student Raphael Baer‑Way unlocked an unprecedented, time‑machine‑like view of a dying star’s final decade. Support for Arts & Sciences strengthens graduate research and helps attract outstanding scholars who drive discovery.
Nyamekye Wilson ‘18 credits UVA with fundamentally transforming her life—providing a foundation that empowered her to launch a global nonprofit, Black Sisters in STEM, now empowering more than 27,000 women across 33 countries to thrive in tech careers.
At an event co-sponsored by Arts & Sciences, tech journalist Karen Hao and Seth Lewis, incoming Professor of AI and Media Studies, discussed AI’s trajectory and its potential for exploitation. Dean Christa Acampora said AI could “save or destroy us,” emphasizing how it renews the liberal arts’ mission to foster empathy, discernment, and meaning. Donor generosity enables A&S to promote intellectual debate on leading edge topics and to attract star professors to the College.
PST celebrated its 50th anniversary with a symposium for alumni, faculty and current students made possible by philanthropic support. A recent significant gift alongside other generous donations have helped secure the future of PST and serve as a model for expanding interdisciplinary majors across Arts & Sciences.
Decades ago, passionate alumni helped form the Foundation to ensure the philanthropic support the needed by the College to flourish. Twenty-five years and a billion dollars later, the Foundation is still advancing the academic mission of Arts & Sciences thanks to generations of benevolent alumni, parents, and friends.
UVA opened its doors to students and held its very first “College” classes in 1825. Today, its academic mission is stronger than ever, thanks in part to donor support. To celebrate, Arts & Sciences is kicking off a year-long bicentennial celebration.
A formal Investiture Ceremony recently celebrated 16 faculty who were awarded prestigious named professorships. Philanthropic support makes these possible to recognize top professors for contributions to research, teaching, and the University community.
Backed by a $6M NIH grant, UVA scientists will lead a national effort using AI to develop new treatments for drug-resistant superbugs. In a time when some federal grants are uncertain, A&S uses College Fund dollars to bridge gaps in research funding.
Philanthropy is a critical component of UVA's budget. College alum Matt S. Erskine now leads the College Foundation of the University of Virginia in its mission to raise donor support for Arts & Sciences.
Anton Korinek, a UVA economist and AI expert, joins TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence for his work on AI’s economic impact and global policy leadership. Donor support helps attract top teaching talent to the College.