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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.
Marguerite Adzick credits UVA’s top-notch liberal arts education for helping her build a thriving athleisure brand. The invaluable critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills paved her path to successful entrepreneurship. The College Fund helps Arts & Sciences provide students with support for undergrad career-preparedness.
In November, a special 2-day event brought together students, faculty, scholars, and alumni to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jewish Studies at UVA. The weekend kicked off a $25 million fundraising campaign to strengthen and grow this interdisciplinary program through new professorships, graduate fellowships, and programming.
Professor Jessica Connelly and senior scientist Allison Perkeybile received nearly $5 million in NIH grants to study how birth experiences shape maternal health and brain function. Their psychology department labs provide research opportunities for dozens of undergraduate and graduate students in Arts & Sciences to be part of groundbreaking work and enable the College to lead in discovery and innovation that improves lives.
A team of nine UVA students are heading to Paris to present a synthetic biology innovation that turns waste into clean fuel. Research opportunities like this reflect how philanthropic support results in life-changing experiences for A&S undergraduates and solutions for the broader world.
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.