Image
UVA TOP RESEARCH HONOR GOES TO CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR
A SYRIAN REFUGEE’S IMPROBABLE JOURNEY TO GRADUATING FROM UVA A&S
‘TOP CHEF’ A&S ALUMNA BRINGS CULINARY HISTORY BACK TO GROUNDS
ARTS & SCIENCES RECOGNIZES 19 RETIRING FACULTY
UVA STUDENTS JOIN BROADWAY TALENT FOR NEWSIES
The 19 honored professors whose careers span decades of teaching, research, and service have shaped generations of students and advanced scholarship across disciplines. Their collective impact on UVA highlights the lasting value of hiring top faculty who educate, mentor, and drive discovery for years to come.
Tanya Holland '87 returned to Grounds bringing Virginia’s culinary history to life for students in her Summer Sessions class. Her journey back to the classroom after achieving a nationally recognized culinary career reflects the lasting impact of a UVA education and showcases how alumni engagement can enrich student learning. Sustained support for A&S fuels innovative teaching programs like Tanya’s and helps connect former and current Hoos in meaningful ways.
For Dareen Aloudeh ‘26, the path to a UVA degree began nearly 15 years ago in war-torn Syria. She resettled in Virginia, learned a new language, and returned to school as an adult. This spring, she graduated from A&S with a double major in Biology and Middle Eastern Language & Literature and earned the University’s Cultural Fluency Award.
Chemistry professor Jill Venton has received the University’s highest honor for her groundbreaking discoveries in brain chemistry, furthering new understanding of neurological disorders. Sustained investment in research and education reflects critical support that enables faculty to advance discovery, train students, and extend UVA’s impact far beyond Grounds.
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.
UVA Dean of Arts & Sciences Christa D. Acampora shares how your generosity made 2025 a year of transformation, enriching the undergraduate experience, advancing graduate excellence, and fueling research and creative activity that addresses society’s most pressing challenges.
Congratulations to these faculty members named to the Clarivate’s 2025 Highly Cited Researchers List, which recognizes scholars whose work ranks in the top 1% worldwide. Philanthropic support for A&S allows critical research across diverse fields to continue in times when federal grant landscape remains uncertain.
Arts & Sciences honored three faculty members for exceptional guidance and support of graduate students. This standard of excellence in academic leadership advances the prestige of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, a key philanthropic priority that’s critical to UVA’s overall national ranking.
You made it happen! When UVA wrapped up its Honor the Future Campaign, donors had raised over $6 billion. Gifts for Arts & Sciences totaled an unprecedented $790 million! See for yourself the huge impact donor philanthropy has on every aspect our academic mission.
Dean Acampora explains why the humanities remain vital as artificial intelligence reshapes our world. She believes the "liberal arts teach us what it means to be human." From ethical reasoning and empathy to cultural literacy and meaning-making, these disciplines provide the human edge needed to guide technology and prepare students for complex decisions.
Using cutting-edge artificial intelligence, A&S researchers are mapping the eerie spread of “ghost forests” along the Atlantic coast, uncovering how rising seas and climate change are transforming ecosystems. Donor support for graduate research like this enhances knowledge, harnessing AI positively to advance UVA’s research profile.
