Responding to strong student interest, UVA is expanding its Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy with three distinguished faculty members and a broader interdisciplinary mission. Supported in part by philanthropic partners, the expansion demonstrates how investing in extraordinary talent can enrich undergraduate education, foster collaboration across disciplines and strengthen UVA’s leadership in the study of democracy.
An overlooked collection of dried plants in a Puerto Rican archive became the foundation for award-winning research by UVA Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Mirabal. Fellowships, travel funding and faculty mentorship enabled Mirabal to pursue her discovery across borders, illustrating how investment in graduate excellence gives emerging scholars the resources to expand knowledge in unexpected ways.
As the University shapes its next strategic plan, President Scott Beardsley is drawing on input from across the UVA community to identify the priorities that will guide its future. Emerging themes include academic and research excellence, deeper faculty-student connections, interdisciplinary collaboration and affordability, all areas where Arts & Sciences will play a central role in advancing UVA’s mission.
Dean Christa Acampora explores the lasting value of a liberal arts education and its power to cultivate judgment, discernment, empathy, and courage. It is an education that prepares students not only to shape their own lives, but to contribute meaningfully to their communities.
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.
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.