Transforming what, how, and whom we teach elevates the undergraduate experience.
Many top universities prioritize research over teaching undergraduates. UVA’s College of Arts & Sciences has a unique and enduring commitment to a superior academic experience in the classroom. Among our top Campaign priorities are funding an innovative curriculum and increased access and opportunity to provide a superior undergraduate experience in which excellent professors foster classroom discussion; subject matter is relevant and engaging; and diverse peers learn from each other.
The transformative redesign of general education requirements has moved the curriculum from a traditional approach (a minimum number of courses across disciplines) to one engaging big questions; building skills to persuade, collaborate and analyze; and thinking beyond disciplines.
Innovative teaching continues. Donors to the College enabled Launchpad, a new summer course providing classes plus virtual real-world work experience that helped replace internships that were canceled during the pandemic.
With more seminar-style, discussion-based courses in the curriculum, diverse class composition is increasingly important. Bicentennial Scholarships attract a broader group of the very best students regardless of their financial resources.
Bicentennial Scholarships remain a top priority of the Campaign because they greatly enhance the undergraduate academic experience and allow the Dean to retain tuition dollars for academic programs instead of having to fund financial aid.
"Someone values my position here, they think I matter." - Bicentennial Scholarship Recipient