The College Foundation exists to do big things for Arts & Sciences, the first and oldest school of UVA, its largest, and the heart and soul of the University. 

Although the College Foundation was incorporated in August 2000, its roots go back much further, to the early 80s, when a caring group of alumni formed the Arts & Sciences Alumni Council. While not a fundraising entity, the Council lobbied University leadership for equitable support for the College. By 1999, the Council realized that Arts & Sciences was completely out of adequate space and that its academic classrooms and labs had become dilapidated. This led to the creation of the College Foundation of the University of Virginia, leading to successful fundraising for key initiatives of Arts & Sciences.

The South Lawn

The College Foundation came together initially to address this concern by raising funds to construct the South Lawn behind Cabell Hall. What was once a parking lot became an architectural gem and a much-needed extension of Arts & Sciences classrooms and office space. 

Faculty Forward

Coeducation created a dramatic expansion of the College in the 1970s. Forty years later, the College faced an unprecedented need to hire as that faculty retired. In the midst of a recession, UVA had enforced a hiring freeze, and no universities were hiring. The College Foundation raised a current-use war chest along with endowed professorships to make sure that Arts & Sciences could seize the moment, luring 250 of the best professors available to UVA in order prevent disruptions to undergraduate coursework.

Engagements Curriculum

Most universities have been offering the same curriculum for half a century or more. Not so with Arts & Sciences. Philanthropic funds helped launch a successful pilot that became the Engagements: small, seminar-style courses requiring all first year students to learn through an interdisciplinary lens highlighting critical thinking and respectful debate. 

Democracy Initiative

Arts & Sciences leveraged its place alongside the founding of our country by becoming a global beacon of interdisciplinary research and scholarship to address threats to democracies worldwide. The Democracy initiative has since evolved into the pan-University Karsch Institute for Democracy, where construction is now underway on a physical home for the Institute.