Progress Toward The 2030 Strategic Plan

UVA’s 2030 Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Visitors in August 2019, provides a roadmap for the future of our university as it enters its third century. The plan was developed through an inclusive process, led by a steering committee, that reflected input from across the wider University community. The plan begins with UVA’s mission and values, which were formally adopted in their current articulation in 2013. It moves on to a vision statement, a set of goals, and a set of ten key initiatives. What follows is a brief summary of progress toward each of those initiatives as of Spring 2025. You can read the 2030 Strategic Plan in its entirety.

SuccessUVA

The goal of Success UVA is to expand access and affordability, as well as to enhance the student experience.

Raised more than $650M for scholarship support
Expanded financial aid to more families:
- Virginia families with an income of $50,000 or less receive grants and scholarships that equal or exceed tuition, fees, housing and dining
- Virginia families with an income of $100,000 or less receive grants and scholarships that equal or exceed tuition and fees
- Virginia families with an income of $150,000 or less receive at least $2,000 in need-based grants
Admitted the most socioeconomically diverse student body in our history, 2024-2025
Established Piedmont Scholars Program, which provides scholarships and advising for transfer students from Piedmont Virginia Community College
Launched the Cavalier Fund to provide funding for extracurricular participation for eligible students
Reviewed, revised, and enhanced student advising for undergraduates
Opened the new Student Health and Wellness Center; ranked #1 in Student Health Services
Opened the Contemplative Commons
Opened multiple new centers for student groups
Opened a new Football Operations Center, with a new Olympic Sports Center scheduled to open in the summer of 2025
Created Year in Wise Program
Ranked #1 for Financial Aid by the Princeton Review for four consecutive years

Citizen-Leaders

Our ultimate aim for our students is to prepare them to be productive servant-leaders in a diverse, globally connected world, regardless of their careers or professions.

Launched Public Service Pathways program, providing a mix of public service course options, mentoring, internship opportunities, and alumni connections to students, who can earn a credential if requirements are fulfilled
Made progress toward housing all second-year students by opening Bond, Gaston, and Ramazani Houses, and breaking ground for additional housing on the Emmet-Ivy Corridor
Launched Democracy Dialogues series to engage with pressing social and political issues and model civil discourse and debate
Developed and released Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry, endorsed by the Board of Visitors
Ranked #1 for free speech by FIRE
Created new Student Advisory Council to advise president’s office on current campus issues
Expanded Hoos Connected program to serve more than 4,000 students
Ranked #3 public school for producing future leaders by Time Magazine
Top Rhodes-producing public university in the United States
Earned recognition as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producing Institution by the U.S. Department of State
Launched UVA Innovates, a platform to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship across UVA
Opened The Foundry, a space for UVA entrepreneurs to gather, find mentors, and build skills

Third-Century Faculty

This initiative will help us recruit the very best researchers, teachers, and mentors to the University of Virginia and will strengthen our capabilities in strategic priority areas.

Established the Bicentennial Professorships Program to provide matching funds for donor investments in professorships; raised more than $500M
Raised funding for 13 new University Professorships, designed for eminent faculty held in the highest regard by their peers, who teach and conduct research that crosses school boundaries
Created new post-doctoral fellowships and faculty lines at the Carter G. Woodson Institute
Funded 30 post-doctoral fellows and three faculty members in the areas of racial equality and democracy with funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Secured funding for two new professorships for the UVA Center for Politics
Launched the Shannon Center Mid-Career Fellowships to recognize faculty for their innovative research and commitment to service

The Path to Research Preeminence

To help us move from prominent to preeminent in research, we are making strategic investments in research infrastructure, and focusing on a discrete set of pressing challenges.

Exceeded $500M in external research funding for the first time in UVA history
Completed extensive renovations to the University’s main library with funding from the Commonwealth and UVA
Launched the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, funded by private philanthropy, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and UVA
Established the Karsh Institute of Democracy, UVA’s signature investment in the study, teaching, and promotion of democracy
Founded the Harrison Family Translation Research Center in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Established the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business at Darden, made possible by the largest gift in Darden’s history
Launched the National Security Data and Policy Institute, in partnership with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to address national security issues
Secured School of Engineering’s largest gift in history for faculty, doctoral students, and strategic initiatives
Launched “3 Cavaliers,” a research seed fund for faculty members from different disciplines working on early-stage interdisciplinary research
Earned Comprehensive Cancer Center Designation for UVA’s Cancer Center, joining a group of only 52 of cancer programs in the nation
Created world’s first Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center, aimed at revolutionizing cancer care and treatment through the use of focused ultrasound technology
Implemented the Grand Challenges initiative, which invests substantial funding to support interdisciplinary research in five key areas: democracy, neuroscience and the brain, environmental resilience, precision medicine, and digital technology and society.

Cultivating Staff Success

We are prioritizing the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce and the creation of an inclusive and supportive environment, in which staff are recognized as integral to the success of our mission.

Launched Hoos Building Bridges Awards to honor those working across boundaries to connect students, faculty, staff, and community
Launched UVA Edge, a program for working adults designed to develop the digital and human skills needed for career success and to earn 20 undergraduate credits toward a degree, and partnered with Piedmont Virginia Community College to allow those who complete UVA Edge to automatically transfer to Piedmont en route to an associate’s degree
Created Hoos Making an Impact program, which gives UVA employees an opportunity to submit innovative ideas to improve the University and help achieve strategic goals related to sustainability; winners receive funding for their ideas
Convened “Future of Work” working group to deliver post-pandemic workforce recommendations
Partnered with the Charlottesville community to build and launch the Pipelines and Pathways program, designed to help community members find employment opportunities at UVA and support to help them thrive and advance; program has now made more than 100 placements
Ranked one of the best places to work in Virginia and among the best employers for women in the nation by Forbes

Good Neighbor

We are working in partnership with our neighbors in Charlottesville and surrounding counties to help create a just and sustainable community, which will benefit all.

Established President’s Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, which is focused on four key issues: Affordable Housing, Community Safety, Early Childhood Education, Local Economy, Pipelines and Pathways, and Public Health
Raised wages to $15/hr living wage
Established The Center for Community Partnerships, the front door for collaborative efforts to advance our community and address persistent inequalities in opportunity
Implementing plan to develop 1,500 affordable housing units in Charlottesville
Provided aid via the UVA Emergency Assistance Fund to more than 600 furloughed contract workers during the pandemic
Opened community vaccination sites during the pandemic
Created WellAWARE, a program to improve health care access for people living in neighborhoods with high rates of chronic diseases and shorter life expectancies
Launched new mobile medical care unit to bring routine care to neighborhoods in Charlottesville
Launched Starr Hill Pathways program, a college and career pipeline program for students from 7th grade through high school graduation
Began transition to sustainable transit system with the purchase of 4 electric buses
Launched the Center for Health Equity and Precision Public Health to improve the health and wellbeing of rural and other minority groups across Virginia
Committed to devoting 20% of work-study funds to enable UVA students to serve as mentors and tutors in local schools
Developed a new geothermal plant to capture and store heat for use at the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology

Bachelor’s Completion and Certificate Programs

As a state-supported university, we feel a particular responsibility to serve the Commonwealth by expanding educational opportunities, both in person and online, for working adults in the Commonwealth and beyond—especially the 1.1 million Virginians who have some college credits but have not yet received a degree.

Expanded support for working Registered Nurses who wish to complete a baccalaureate degree at the School of Nursing
Created UVA Edge, a year-long online program for working adults looking to develop skills en route to new career opportunities or a bachelor’s degree
Increased enrollment in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program, a part-time, online program for adults looking to complete their college studies and earn a degree
Created a new bachelor completion program for public safety professionals
Launched Enlighten, which offers UVA employees the opportunity to earn 36 undergraduate credits while developing key professional skills that can immediately enhance job performance
Partnered with InStride to offer online programs to working adults
Partnered with Google to provide scholarships to online UVA programs to help employees finish their four-year degrees
Partnered with Germanna Community College to offer early admission to UVA online bachelor completion programs
Created a guaranteed interview program for School of Continuing and Professional Studies certificate students

Open Grounds at Emmet-Ivy

The parcel of land at the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road is a 14-acre site, larger than the Lawn, that provides an unprecedented opportunity to enhance our community and encourage cross-disciplinary discoveries. We have oriented development of this property around three foundational themes—democracy, discovery, and creativity.

Opened new School of Data Science
Began construction of Karsh Institute of Democracy
Began construction on hotel and conference center
Broke ground for new second-year housing
Secured funding for Center for the Arts

School of Data Science

To position the University as a leader in 21st century research, we established a School of Data Science. The school is based on a foundation of collaboration—a “School Without Walls,” specifically intended to leverage the power of data across all disciplines by helping integrate data science across our Grounds.

Received $120M gift, the largest in UVA history, to create the School of Data Science
Established master’s program, Ph.D. program, undergraduate minor, and undergraduate major in Data Science
Received $10M for scholarship support for undergraduates in data science
Secured funding for an expansion of the School of Data Science and support for an entrepreneurial ecosystem on Grounds
Created partnerships between School of Data Science and Darden, School of Education and Human Development, the Medical School, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences on combined degrees and research partnerships
Created partnerships with local schools for STEM-based activities
Established Community Data Fellows program, which supports graduate students who work in small teams on a data project developed in collaboration with a local community partner

Broadening Our Horizons

This initiative is focused on expanding our educational offerings in Northern Virginia in order to serve a broader group of students than we can reach in Charlottesville.

Dedicated the Sands Family Grounds at the Darden School of Business facility in Rosslyn
Launched the UVA – Fairfax Campus to serve as the heart of UVA activity in Northern Virginia, expanding course offerings and reaching more learners
Expanded academic programs to include business, education, engineering, healthcare, leadership, and technology, offered online, in-person, and hybrid formats
Created summer programming for high school students in business, writing, science, and engineering